TRUSTING GOD FOR THE LONGER STORY (11 OF 13)
by Drew Hunter
Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
This content is part of a series.
Trusting God for the Longer Story (11 of 13)
Series: Until He Comes
Drew Hunter
2 Thessalonians 2:1 -12
We're starting into Paul's' second letter to the Thessalonian church this morning.
Paul is writing this to people who were experiencing social displacement. They had still only recently become Christians. And with that decision, their place in society changed.
The word repeated throughout these letters is ''affliction.'' It refers to the various forms of suffering they experienced as Christians. Todd Still wrote a thorough study of their affliction. He says that non-Christian family, friends, and acquaintances would have seen conversion to Christianity as ''subversive'' to the key institutions of their society. And so, here's how he defines the persecution they endured: ''it is best understood as vigorous, non-Christian opposition which likely took the form of verbal harassment, social ostracism, political sanctions, and perhaps (some kind of) physical abuse'' (Quoted in Gupta, 122).
So, here's what this shows us.
This letter was written to Christians who knew what it was like to be marginalized. And it was written to people who weren't used to this. They had a socially uncertain future.
So, Christians in America are looking at an uncertain future in some ways in America. The social situation that we see perhaps coming in the future is what these Christians already experienced in the present.
So, what is God's message to a church like this? What did they need? What do you and I need this week with all of our heightened sense of uncertainty?
Well, that's what we have here. This text exists to give socially displaced, and even persecuted, Christians encouragement.
And through this, we see four encouragements for Christians in a challenging cultural context:
1. We rest in our identity
2. We thank God for spiritual growth
3. We trust in the longer story
4. We pray for God's power
This text gives us perspective. It gets o ...
Series: Until He Comes
Drew Hunter
2 Thessalonians 2:1 -12
We're starting into Paul's' second letter to the Thessalonian church this morning.
Paul is writing this to people who were experiencing social displacement. They had still only recently become Christians. And with that decision, their place in society changed.
The word repeated throughout these letters is ''affliction.'' It refers to the various forms of suffering they experienced as Christians. Todd Still wrote a thorough study of their affliction. He says that non-Christian family, friends, and acquaintances would have seen conversion to Christianity as ''subversive'' to the key institutions of their society. And so, here's how he defines the persecution they endured: ''it is best understood as vigorous, non-Christian opposition which likely took the form of verbal harassment, social ostracism, political sanctions, and perhaps (some kind of) physical abuse'' (Quoted in Gupta, 122).
So, here's what this shows us.
This letter was written to Christians who knew what it was like to be marginalized. And it was written to people who weren't used to this. They had a socially uncertain future.
So, Christians in America are looking at an uncertain future in some ways in America. The social situation that we see perhaps coming in the future is what these Christians already experienced in the present.
So, what is God's message to a church like this? What did they need? What do you and I need this week with all of our heightened sense of uncertainty?
Well, that's what we have here. This text exists to give socially displaced, and even persecuted, Christians encouragement.
And through this, we see four encouragements for Christians in a challenging cultural context:
1. We rest in our identity
2. We thank God for spiritual growth
3. We trust in the longer story
4. We pray for God's power
This text gives us perspective. It gets o ...
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