Bible Study May 14

Weekly Wednesdays: CALLED Men’s Group | Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Meeting# 2 of 8 | This Week’s Leader: David Goodno

Introduction: Welcome everyone, this is our second meeting of the Spring 2025 semester of the Men’s “Called” Growth Group. We will be meeting weekly every Wednesday, 05/07/2025 through 06/25/2025; 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.

There is no formal Men’s Group “membership” or special requirements to attend; 10 seconds, 10-years or a lifetime of walking with the Lord; it doesn’t matter what point you are in your faith journey – everyone is welcome; everyone has value; everyone has a voice. Keep in mind that we all come from various backgrounds, we have different points of view; we are at different places in our individual faith journey; the purpose of our meeting tonight is to come together, read the Bible, study God’s word and have a friendly discussion.

If there are differing points of view, we should not feel attacked or be hostile to one another; it’s our differences that add to the meeting and discussion. We came together tonight as friends and brothers in Christ; we should leave the same (as friends and brothers in Christ). Often times there is no right or wrong answer; just interpretation of scripture– ultimately, JESUS IS THE ANSWER.

We are continuing a SOAP(Q) study (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer and Questions) of First and Second Thessalonians.

History of the letters:

It is widely believed that the apostle Paul is the author of the letters, Silas and Timothy are also mentioned; indicating that they supported the letter and may have even possibly had a part in the writing of the letter. Paul’s final command in 1 Thessalonians and Paul’s note at the end of 2 Thessalonians in his own handwriting suggests that Paul is the primary author and took responsibility for the message and contents of the letter. Overall Paul wrote thirteen letters in the New Testament and was one of the greatest missionaries to ever live.

Paul wrote the letters to the church in Thessalonica. The believers there had come to faith in Christ during Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-18:22). https://www.gotquestions.org/missionary-journeys-Paul.html

During the second missionary journey God directed Paul and Silas to Greece, bringing the gospel to Europe. At Philippi, the missionary team was beaten and imprisoned. Rejoicing to suffer for Christ, they sang in jail. Suddenly, God caused an earthquake to open the doors of the cell and free them from their chains. The amazed jailer and his family believed in Christ, but the government officials begged Paul and Silas to leave. – Let’s pause here for a moment. They celebrated their suffering for Christ. Do we celebrate our suffering or challenges we face in the world because of our faith, or do we complain? - Discuss among the group.

Thessalonica was the largest city in the province of Macedonia (Modern-day northern and central Greece). The city was founded in 316 BC and named for a sister of Alexander the Great. It eventually became the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. The city flourished due to its location on the major trade route to the east and continued to thrive as one of the most important cities in the Byzantine Empire.

Paul and his companions were forced to leave the church of Thessalonica, which was only a few months into their faith, because there were Jews who did not accept the Good News of Jesus started a riot by accusing Paul and Silas of civil disturbance (Acts 17:4-7). Paul was deeply concerned about the church’s welfare, knowing that they had not received all the necessary instruction, and was concerned about the spiritual and physical well-being of the believers in Thessalonica. The Thessalonian Church was new to the faith and already experiencing persecution. As a result, Paul sent Timothy to encourage them and make sure that the believers had not abandoned their faith. When Paul received a good report from Timothy, Paul was overjoyed, but the church still had struggles and questions.

This Week’s Prayer: Father God, we thank you for allowing us to come together and study your word tonight. Help us to honor you with our thoughts, prayers and actions. Thank you for calling us to you to live a life that pleases you. Continue to help us to avoid sin and remain in you. Help us to continue reading Your word and lean into you for understanding. – Amen

Location Study: Thessalonica

LOCATION STUDY:

Have the group do a quick google search on mobile phones, search google for:

Importance of Thessalonica during the Roman empire?
Importance of Thessalonica in the New Testament (or) Importance of Thessalonica in the Bible?
Importance of Thessalonica in modern times today?
Is Thessalonica in Greece still important today?

https://worldhistoryedu.com/empire-of-thessalonica/

https://www.worldhistory.org/Thessalonica/

https://biblehub.com/topical/p/paul's_ministry_in_thessalonica.htm

Thessalonica was centrally located between Rome, Corinth, and Phillipi. Thessalonica was also on the Egnatian Way, which was a major Roman road used to transport goods and aid in commerce. Thessalonica was a perfect place to collect and share Paul’s letters as it acted as a central hub to share Paul’s messages. The two letters of Paul and Silas to the Thessalonians were written early in Paul’s ministry, around 51-52 AD. These two letters are some of the earliest letters in the New Testament. As recipients of Paul and Silas’ first writings, and as a church centrally located to other churches raised up by Paul, the Thessalonian church would have been eager to receive messages and letters from Paul written to the other churches. The churches eventually shared Paul’s writings among each other:

https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/25308/sharing-of-paul-epistles-amongst-churches

https://www.teachusthebible.com/Lesson.php?Lesson=paul-writes-letters-to-churches

Scripture, Read: 1 Thessalonians Chapter 2:1 – 20

Learn More, research Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Observation, Application & Questions: (Identify/Discuss Among the Group)

Last week we learned that Paul wrote the letter to the Thessalonians to encourage the young church believers and expressed gratitude for the Thessalonians’ faithful work, loving deeds and enduring hope in Jesus despite intense persecution.

Tonight, we will learn about how Paul reviews the Thessalonians’ relationship and how he and Paul’s companions brought the gospel to them, how they accepted Paul’s message, and how Paul longed to be with them again.

Key verses for discussion:

(Chapter 2, verse 1-8) -

Paul refers to his first visit to Thessalonica when he says “our visit to you”, (which we read last week, see Acts 17:1-10; ask if the group would like to read again / or read again to refresh everyone’s memory). “You know how badly we had been treated at Phillippi…” The Thessalonians would have known that Paul was imprisoned in Phillippi just prior to coming to Thessalonica (read Acts 16:11-17).

Fear of imprisonment did not keep Paul from preaching the Good News. If God wants us to do something, He will give us strength and courage to be obedient and speak boldly.

Agree / Disagree?

In our modern age in the United States we have the first amendment, which gives us the right to the freedom of speech, it might be difficult to imagine being imprisoned for speaking our mind.

As a group, think of Christian statements or sayings that might no longer be popular among the secular/modern world (ex. Christ is King, Jesus loves you, we are ALL created in God’s image etc.) Discuss why these sayings might be offensive?

“So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives of trickery.” This pointed statement is believed to be a response to accusations from the Jewish leaders who had stirred up the crowds described in Acts 17:5. We know that Paul sharing the gospel, did not seek money, power or fame; Paul’s goal was to share the Good News out of love for Christ and his people.

When we do not have good motives or intentions when sharing the gospel, when we do it for fame or popularity, all of Christ’s sacrifice suffers. When we get involved in sharing the gospel we need to be like Paul and share the Good News out of love for Christ and his people. Discuss among the group.
Paul did not change his message to be more acceptable by his audience. Paul however, did change his methods to reach his audience. Although our presentation can vary based on our audience, the truth of the Good News must never be changed. Discuss among the group, are there any watered-down messages that you’ve heard in the past that are not Biblically accurate?

(Chapter 2, verse 9-16)

Although Paul had the right to receive financial support from the people he taught, he supported himself as a tent maker so he would not be a burden to the new Thessalonian believers. (Read Acts 18:1-6)

“And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children…” No loving father would neglect the safety of his children or allow them to get into circumstances that might be harmful. In the same way we must mentor new believers until they are mature enough to stand firm in their faith. We must help new Christians grow in their faith, so they become able to share the gospel. – Discuss among the group.

Just as the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were persecuted by other Jews, so the Gentile Christians in Thessalonica were persecuted by their fellow Gentiles. Persecution is discouraging, especially when it comes from your own people. When you take a stand for Christ, you may face opposition, disapproval and ridicule from neighbors, friends or family members.

It is important to remember when Paul says “Jews” he is talking about certain Jews were opposed to his preaching about Jesus and the Good News; not all Jews. Many of Paul’s converts were Jewish, and even Paul was Jewish. (Read 2 Corinthians 11:22-33).

Why do we think so many Jews were opposed to Christianity? Discuss among the group.

The Jewish religion was legal by the Roman government, however it did not have a good relationship with roman governments. At this time Christianity was viewed as a sect of Judaism. The Jews were afraid that any legal actions taken against Christians might also include them.
The Jewish leaders thought Jesus was a false prophet and they didn’t want his message to spread.
The Jewish leaders feared that many Jews would be drawn away and that their own political position may be weakened.
Jews were proud of their special status as God’s chosen people and resented the fact that Gentiles could be full members within the Christian church.

(Chapter 2, verse 17-20)

The “god of this world” “is Satan, we need to realize that Satan is real. If we believe that Jesus is real, then angels, demons and Satan are real too. (Read 2 Corinthians 4:2-6)

Paul says that Satan prevented him from returning to Thessalonica, we don’t know exactly what hindered Paul, opposition, illness, travel complications or direct attack by Satan. – but somehow Satan worked to keep him away.

The ultimate reward for Paul’s ministry was not money, or fame, but changing lives for new believers. No matter what ministry God has given us, our reward and greatest joy should come from knowing that we are leading believers to Christ.

Other questions to explore:

What was the context? What was going on at the time this was written?
What and where is this happening?
- What makes what was happening meaningful?
- Is there anything special about the location (or locations)?
Who is involved?
- How do they respond to God?
- What character traits do you notice about them?
- What is the significance of their involvement?
What do you think is the key message?
Did anything surprise you? What was it?
Are there any key verses that stand out to you? Discuss among the group.
Were there any repetitive words or themes that stood out to you? What were they?

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Is there anything that stood out to you? Share with the group and discuss.
Is there anything that left you with more questions? What were they? Share with group, discuss, and research.
Biggest takeaway?

Assignment:

 Prepare for next week’s meeting. Read: 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13 Is there anything that stands out when reading these verses? Be ready to discuss it at the next meeting.
Think of things that you can do to encourage new believers over the next seven days.
This Spring 2025 Semester Men’s group will be meeting every Wednesday, 05/07/2025 through 06/25/2025; 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Please monitor https://fv.church/events for more information.

References/Acknowledgements:

Elements of today’s Bible study were referenced from:

1. NLT Courage for Life Men’s Bible, New Living Translation (NLT); copyright 2023 Tyndale House Ministries Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation https://www.tyndale.com/sites/courageforlifebible/

3. NIV Study Bible, Revolution, copyright 2011. The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV); copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan. https://www.zondervan.com/p/niv-bibles-for-teens- true-images-revolution/

6. NKJV The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (NKJV); copyright 2013 David Jeremiah, Inc. Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. https://www.thomasnelson.com/bibles

Schedule: Month, Meeting Number, Date, Book/Chapters/Verse/ (Total Verses)

May 2025:

_x_ 001, 05/07 1 Thessalonians Introduction & 1:1 – 10. (10 Verses)

_x_ 002, 05/14 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20. (20 Verses) + Location Study

__ 003, 05/21 1 Thessalonians 3:1 – 13. (13 Verses) + Bible Facts (p. 1296 Apologists HCSB)

__ 004, 05/28 1 Thessalonians 4:1 – 18. (18 Verses) + Twisted Scripture Study

(Apologists HCSB/student HCSB)

June 2025:

__ 005, 06/04 1 Thessalonians 5:1 – 28. (28 Verses)

__ 006, 06/11 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12. (12 Verses) + Cross References

__ 007, 06/18 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17. (17 Verses) + Cross References

__ 008, 06/25 2 Thessalonians 3:1 – 18. (18 Verses) + Cross References *

*Last meeting, please monitor FV.church/events for more information about the next semester.

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