Jeremiah 12:1-14:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8, Psalms 79:1-13, Proverbs 24:30-34
Today is the 9th day of October welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian and it is a joy to be sitting around the Global Campfire as we all come and gather and take the next step forward together. And here we are greeting another brand-new shiny week out in front of us reminding us that we continually get to start over. And this week is our story to tell and let’s tell a good story. And one of the ways that we can do that is doing what we’re doing, gathering and allowing the Scriptures to inform our lives and the choices that we make. And, so, we have been working our way through the book of Jeremiah. We will continue that journey. This week we’ll read from the Christian Standard Bible. And today, Jeremiah chapter 12 verse 1 through 14 verse 10.
Introduction to the book of Thessalonians:
Okay. So, we finished the book of…or the letter to the Colossians yesterday which brings us to new territory, another letter from the apostle Paul, this one known as first Thessalonians. And, so, Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, at least the first letter that we have that is preserved. And we know about the church in Thessalonica because of the book of Acts. We read of the planting of the congregation in Thessalonica in the 17th chapter of Acts. And from that we know that Paul had been in Philippi and then persecution became very severe. And, so, Paul traveled on then to Thessalonica and didn’t have a lot of time there. Very quick, very intense time. A new congregation formed. But as we have read about Paul’s travels, everywhere Paul goes and brings the gospel, animosity gets stirred up and there’s often like a mob. And that happens in Thessalonica, a mob is stirred up against the church. Persecution begins to break out. And, so, Paul and his companions have to leave in the middle of the night. This is during Paul’s second missionary journey. And, so, a few cities later Paul is in Corinth, right? The letters to the Corinthians. So, Paul is in Corinth, and he remained there for about a year and ½. And Corinth is probably where Paul wrote this letter back to the Thessalonians. And just reminding us once again, these are such treasures because they give us glimpses into the formation of the early church, but these are also some of the oldest Christian documents that we have. And so, from the letter we know that Paul wants to go back to Thessalonica. He longs to be with the believers there. He wants to build them up in their faith, but he hasn’t been able. And, so, he sends Timothy. And then Timothy comes back and reports to Paul about the church in Thessalonica, the Thessalonians, and he reports that theyre staying true, even under pressure they’re staying true. And, so, Paul is very very encouraged, and we get to hear that in this letter, which is a very encouraging and personal letter from the apostle to the believers that he loves in Thessalonica. This constant persecution that seems to follow Paul around, he’s kind of got a bull’s-eye on his back, didn’t allow him to spend a lot of time in Thessalonica. And because the people are under pressure some of the believers in the congregation began to question what they were taught and what it meant, especially about things like the afterlife of a believer. So, Paul talks about this as well as other things in this letter to give them a more sure footing about what it is that he was teaching and what it is they are to believe. And, so, with that little flyover we begin. First Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 1 through 2 verse 8.
Prayer:
Thank You, Father for Your word. Thank You, Lord for bringing us successfully into a brand-new shiny week. And now as we move through this month entering our second full week of this month, thank You for Your faithfulness to us, even when we’ve been anything but faithful. Thank You for coming to get us and rescuing us, setting us on the path of truth and continually Fathering us. Come Father us in this week. Give us wisdom, give us comfort, give us counsel, give us correction and lead us into all truth, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Coming soon…