We're already in November, and picking up speed towards the holidays and the end of the year. (Apparently so much so that I didn't get this post up on time.) This week we overview both 1 and 2 Thessalonians, some of Paul's earliest letters to a church. And the spiritual beings series wraps up with a look at the new humanity.
Book of the Week -
1 Thessalonians
The church at Thessalonica was facing persecution, but Paul wrote to them to encourage their faithfulness. He also directs them to respond to their persecution with love, meeting opposition with grace and generosity. This way of life is motivated by hope in the coming Kingdom of Jesus that has already begun.
Book of the Week -
2 Thessalonians
The Thessalonians were worried they had missed Jesus' return, but Paul clarifies that they should not fuel apocalyptic speculation but instead recall Jesus' words in Mark 13 about the public and obvious events leading up to his return. Paul discusses persecution, the return of Jesus, the need to remain hopeful and faithful, and idleness among believers. It reminds us that what we hope for shapes what we live for.
theme of the Week -
spiritual beings series:
the new humanity
In the opening pages of the Bible, God appoints humans to rule the world on his behalf. But when they rebel, the biblical story leads us on a search for a new humanity that will be God’s faithful partners, forever. This is the plot conflict of the biblical story that leads to Jesus, and we explore it in this final video of our Spiritual Being series.