Bible Study May 28

Meeting# 4 of 8 | This Week’s Leader: David Goodno

Introduction: Welcome everyone, this is our fourth meeting of the Men’s “Called” Growth Group for the 2025 Spring Semester. We will continue meeting weekly every Wednesday, through June 25 th (06/25/2025); 7:00 – 8:30 pm.

There is no formal “membership;” all are welcome to join, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve unsure of everything, been a believer for 10 seconds, or spent a lifetime of walking with the Lord; we are each at a different place in our faith journey. Everyone is welcome; everyone has value; everyone has a voice. We need to keep in mind that we all come from various backgrounds, different life experiences and have different points of view. The purpose of our meeting tonight is to come together, read and 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; and we should leave the same (as friends and brothers in Christ). Often times there is no right or wrong answer; just interpretation of scripture – and ultimately, JESUS IS THE ANSWER.

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

History of the letters (discussed in previous meetings, can skip unless new members to the group):

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. Thank you for saving us and calling us a life of purity and a life with you. Lord, I know you will not forsake or abandon me. Lord, help us avoid a life filled with sin, and help us to reject temptation. – In Jesus’ name, Amen

Scripture, Read: 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4:1 – 18

Learn More, research Paul’s Missionary Journeys

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

Previously we learned that Paul encouraged the Thessalonian Church’s faithful work, despite intense persecution. How Paul longed to return to the Thessalonian Church, and that Paul sent Timmothy back to the Thessalonian church to encourage them to continue in their faith.

Tonight, we will learn about Paul encouraging the believers (and now encouraging us) to live a life that is pleasing to God and hope for the resurrection.

Key verses for discussion:

(Chapter 4, verse 1-8) -

Modesty and morality standards were not that high in the Roman Empire. Temptation for intimate relationships outside of marriage has always existed throughout time. We need to remain firm and not give into our desires.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; discuss among the group.

It is God’s will for us to be Holy. But how can we go about doing that? The Bible teaches that holiness is not a state of being that we become with hard work or good deeds. Instead becoming holy is a process of living a Christian life. If you have accepted Christ’s sacrifice, then you are considered holy and complete in God’s eyes. Yet we must continue to learn and grow in our faith.

What does the word “holiness” mean to you, how would you describe holiness to a non-believer? Explain.

Read Romans 8:26-39; discuss among the group.

(Chapter 4, verse 9-10)

What do we think Paul meant by the importance of loving each other?

How many words did the Greeks have for love? – perform a quick google search among the group. (8)

What are the words: https://www.dictionary.com/e/greek-words-for-love/

1. Eros (Original Greek: ἔρως érōs) – Physical love or desire; passion, lust or romance.
2. Philia (Original Greek: ϕιλία philía) – Strong friendship.
3. Agape (Original Greek: ἀγάπη agápē) – Unconditional sacrificial love; love as an action.
4. Storge (Original Greek: στοργή storgé) – Familial love; love that family members have for one another.
5. Mania (Original Greek: μανία manía) – Obsessive love; love that a stalker would have for a victim.
6. Ludus (Original Greek: ερωτοτροπία ludus) – casual love or love as a game without commitment.
7. Pragma (Original Greek: πράγμα prágma) – practical love. Love based on duty or obligation.
8. Philautia (Original Greek: ϕιλαυτία philautía) – Self-love, how a person views and feels about themselves.

Pause, Discuss Verses: 13-14: Twisted Scripture*:

*From HCSB/CSB The Apologetics Study Bible, p. 1296

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14:

The Hope of the Resurrection

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died [a] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

There has been some debate over verse 13. The NLT translates as “believers who have died” (NLT/GWT/GNT/ISV), however others translate the phrase as “those who sleep in death” (NIV/Brean) or “those who are asleep” (CSB/ESV/KJV/NKJV/NASB/LSB/NET). If you look at the asterisk in verse 13 the NLT incudes a note “Greek those who have fallen asleep.”

Some believers argue that Paul did not really mean believers who were “dead” or had “died” – They argue the literal meaning of “asleep.” However, context shows that Paul was attempting to comfort readers who were sad about the passing away of their friends and relatives. And multiple Biblical Scholars agree that Paul used a softer word “asleep”, but the meaning is one who has “died” or one who is “dead.” We sometimes do the same thing when we say someone has “passed away” or “called home.”

Discuss among the group. What are some other common phrases we use today to indicate that someone has passed away?

***

(Chapter 4, verse 11-18)

Why do we think Paul encouraged the believers to live a quiet life?

Christian living is more than simply loving everyone – Agree/Disagree.

We must be responsible in all areas of life. – Some Thessalonians adopted a life of idleness, and some Greeks looked down on physical labor. Paul stressed working hard and for believers to live quiet lives.

Going back to verse 13, the Thessalonians were wondering what would happen to fellow believers who had died and what would happen to them when Christ returned. Paul explained to the people that death was not the end; the great hope for all believers is in the Resurrection. Jesus came back to life, so will all believers – who will be reunited in God’s presence.

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:12-34 & Revelation 21: 1-7

Discuss among the group.

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?

Prepare for next week’s meeting. Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-28
- 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, 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

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

_x_ 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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