Text: Joyful Fellowship
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text:: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
As a kid, family and mission family gatherings yearly highlights. I knew I would be surrounded by people who loved and accepted me unquestioningly. I knew I would be greeted by people who loved me no matter what. I knew I would see cousins or missionary kids with whom we all felt we belonged. My parents looked on these gatherings only partly the way I did. They also looked on them as work, whether in packing, cooking, cleaning, and setting family up in a different place, or going to meetings to do their assigned work. Even they, however, shared part of that sense of expectation and joy of being with people who were loved and loved in return. How do regain that sense of joyful community and fellowship in all our relationships and gatherings?
Paul traveled all over the Roman Empire, the known world, from his perspective. He made one journey, then returned to renew relationships and strengthen communities of faith left behind in various places. Perhaps the term journey is a bit of a misnomer, as taking a tour was not what he had in mind. Rather, he headed to a major destination, planing to be there for some time. In due course, his welcome among the larger Jewish and pagan population soured and he would have to leave town due to some conflict with the authorities. Often it involved riots, imprisonment, or some other disturbance over which he had no control, but which made him its focus.
He had first come to Thessaloniki after a stay in Philippi was interrupted by conflict with the city officials who beat and imprisoned him without trial and then sought to release him quietly when they learned he was a Roman citizen. He had left there and come to Thessaloniki, where he again gathered a community of believers around him. On his departure, he had made his way to Corinth.
Paul had left the community of Jesus followers there on good terms, but his departure was made necessary by ...
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text:: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
As a kid, family and mission family gatherings yearly highlights. I knew I would be surrounded by people who loved and accepted me unquestioningly. I knew I would be greeted by people who loved me no matter what. I knew I would see cousins or missionary kids with whom we all felt we belonged. My parents looked on these gatherings only partly the way I did. They also looked on them as work, whether in packing, cooking, cleaning, and setting family up in a different place, or going to meetings to do their assigned work. Even they, however, shared part of that sense of expectation and joy of being with people who were loved and loved in return. How do regain that sense of joyful community and fellowship in all our relationships and gatherings?
Paul traveled all over the Roman Empire, the known world, from his perspective. He made one journey, then returned to renew relationships and strengthen communities of faith left behind in various places. Perhaps the term journey is a bit of a misnomer, as taking a tour was not what he had in mind. Rather, he headed to a major destination, planing to be there for some time. In due course, his welcome among the larger Jewish and pagan population soured and he would have to leave town due to some conflict with the authorities. Often it involved riots, imprisonment, or some other disturbance over which he had no control, but which made him its focus.
He had first come to Thessaloniki after a stay in Philippi was interrupted by conflict with the city officials who beat and imprisoned him without trial and then sought to release him quietly when they learned he was a Roman citizen. He had left there and come to Thessaloniki, where he again gathered a community of believers around him. On his departure, he had made his way to Corinth.
Paul had left the community of Jesus followers there on good terms, but his departure was made necessary by ...
There are 9794 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
