1 Thessalonians 2 (4)

Pray Psalm 72.18, 19.
Blessed bethe LORD God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.

Read 1 Thessalonians 2.10-12.

Reflect.
1. Paul mentions what he was (three terms)and what he did (three terms) in his ministry at Thessalonica. Do these terms describe you in your Personal Mission Field?

2. How does God call us to His Kingdom and glory?

Meditate.
Here is the heart of Paul’s view of the Christian life: We are called by God to His Kingdom and glory, and this requires a walk worthy of God.

God calls us. He has a purpose for our lives and a place in which our lives can realize their greatest happiness, fulfillment, and fruitfulness. He calls us to His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14.17, 18). And He calls us to His glory, that we might make Him known in all our words and ways (1 Cor. 10.31; Hab. 2.14). Every believer shares in this Kingdom-and-glory calling, although every one of us realizes and expresses that calling according to our station in life. It is the overarching and overriding calling of every person who professes belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Whatever our station in life, we pursue this calling as witnesses to God and men. We do not practice our faith in a closet, nor merely within the confines of like-minded friends. Nor is our faith merely a “spiritual” or “religious” matter. We have been sent to the world, each of us to our own Personal Mission Field, where God and men observe the hope our Kingdom-and-glory calling engenders and sustains. This means living righteous lives, practicing justice, and obeying the Law of God in all that it requires (blameless, cf. Lk. 1.6).

In our service to others, like Paul to the Thessalonians, we bring our lives to a level of devotion, justice (or righteousness, Greek: δικαίως), and blamelessness that allows us effectively to exhort, comfort, and charge others to take up this journey of faith with us. We note here that, whereas Paul used the image of a nursing mother in verse 7, here he employs that of a caring father. The point is to emphasize the centrality of self-denying love in carrying out our callings.

This is the Christian life as Paul lived and taught it. We are realizing the presence, promise, and power of God’s Kingdom, and living for His glory, when our lives stand out like Paul’s as “worthy” of those who make such a claim.

Prepare.
1. How do you define devout, just (or righteous), and blameless? To what extent do these define your life?

2. What does it mean to exhort, comfort, and charge others? Does this define your work in your Personal Mission Field?

3. Summarize your Kingdom-and-glory calling as this applies to your station in life.

He presents in a few words the sum and substance of his exhortations, that, in magnifying the mercy of God, he admonished them not to fail as to their calling. His commendation of the grace of God is contained in the expression, who hath called us into his kingdom. For as our salvation is founded upon God's gracious adoption, every blessing that Christ has brought us is comprehended in this one term. It now remains that we answer God's call, that is, that we shew ourselves to be such children to him as he is a Father to us.  John Calvin (1509-1564 AD), Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 2

Lord, help me to pursue my Kingdom-and-glory calling today, O Lord, in all aspects of my life, especially as I…

Pray Psalm 72.12-20.
Call upon the Lord’s help for all aspects of your Kingdom-and-glory calling as you will engage them today.

Sing to the Lord.
Psalm 72.12-20 (Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
The Lord the needy rescues when he cries to Him for grace; 
All they who suffer violence find mercy before His face. 

Let Christ be praised and all the gold of Sheba be His right; 
Let blessings to His Name be told, and prayers made both day and night. 

And let the earth abound with grain, let fields His fame proclaim; 
And may our King forever reign and nations bless His great Name. 

Now bless the God of Israel Who wondrous works performs. 
And bless His Name, His glory tell both now and forever more!

T. M. Moore

Where do 1 and 2 Thessalonians fit in the unfolding of God’s covenant? Order our workbook, God’s Covenant, and find out how all Scripture fits within this redemptive framework (click here).

Forward today’s study to some friends, and challenge them to study with you through this series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Each week’s lessons will be available as a free PDF download at the end of the week. Get a copy for yourself and send the link to the download to your friends. Plan to meet weekly to study Paul’s ministry and prepare for your own.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).