READ
1 Thessalonians 2:1-13
CONSIDER
In seeking to encourage the Thessalonian church, the apostle Paul uses the familiar language of parenting as an example for discipling and walking alongside them. The symbolism of raising a child helps us to see a wider view of what it means to build up and point people to Jesus. It pushes out methods which primarily focus on the transmission of information, but rather, must be within the context of a lived out nurturing and caring relationship. Transformation occurs when we encounter God through the modeling of love and encouragement, which opens one another's hearts to His ministry in their lives.
When we take on this approach, the portrait of God as our perfect Heavenly Father is the example we follow as we become spiritual parents to one another. There is a mutuality involved as we do not posture ourselves above anyone else, but rather, we take on the responsibility and privilege of investing and supporting each other's growth. What would happen if we considered ourselves as a spiritual family who prioritize raising each other up? This would shift the emphasis from our own immediate family to the community that God has already brought us into. Join us this Sunday as we dive into 1 Thessalonians 2 and the call to be spiritual parents in the ways of Jesus for the sake of the gospel.3
Pastor Jon Nip
PRAY
Gracious God, we praise you for you have been our Heavenly Father who has carried and walked with us every step of our lives. Show us how we are to imitate your ways as we take on the role of spiritual parents to one another and journey with each other as a family.
Would you humble and help us so that as we invest and build into others, people will see and experience Jesus. We ask for hearts that listen, care, and are willing to learn from those you call us to, while sacrificially considering others before ourselves as we encourage and build them up.
In Jesus Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
DIVING DEEPER
What stood out for you in the sermon?
How can we live closer WITH God in our lives?
How are we being TRANSFORMED to be more like Christ?
How is the Holy Spirit empowering us to imitate Christ in what we DO this week?