Our Flow is Family

Quick Review

A Call to Remember (v.v. 9-12)

How did Paul and Silas “not only (share with them) the gospel of God but also (their very selves)”?

The Love and Encouragement of a Father (v.v. 11, 12)

A Good Father

 

To walk in a manner worthy of God (Eph. 4:1-3)

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Thankful for the Work and Power of the Word of God (v.v. 13-16)

The Word of God Works (v.v. 13, 14)

Imitators (v.v. 14-16)

Glory and Joy – Paul Longs for His Family (v.v. 17-20)

Community Meditation 

Growing in Knowledge

The apostle Paul uses his second parental metaphor to illustrate healthy practices in ministry. How does the metaphor of a father, in regards to how we should relate to those we are serving and proclaiming the gospel to, differ from that of the nursing mother from verse 7? How might we apply this metaphor to our own lives in how we serve the people in our lives?

This passage talks about how the church in Thessalonica responded to suffering. Look up 1 Peter 4:12-15 and discuss the different types of suffering he writes about. Should a Christian rejoice in all types of suffering? Explain and discuss with your missional communities.

Feeling Life Deeply

We are in the midst of a Thanksgiving that takes up 3 chapters of Paul’s letter. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul is thankful for another church (Colossians 1:14). Read through the thanksgiving from Colossians together. Do our attitudes toward the work of God reflect the same passion and vigor as does Paul, or have our hearts become calloused to the glory and wonder of what God is doing in and through us and our brothers and sisters in Christ? Talk and pray about how we can individually and corporately fight against the temptation to be complacent and underwhelmed toward the handiwork of God right here in our midst (Jacob’s Well) and within the broader spectrum of the church.

Living with Courage

Paul’s example of gospel ministry is an example of self-sacrificing love. To build upon the challenge from last week about whom we will pray for this year that we might “walk into the water with”; another question stands in front of us. How will we sacrifice our own rites, comforts, desires, etc., so that we can build the necessary friendships with people that will enable us to not only share the Gospel of God with them, but also “our own selves”?