Editor’s Note: I once again welcome Molly Stouffer as guest blogger. Molly is from Hagerstown, MD, studying Pastoral Ministries at Lancaster Bible College. It can be easy to encourage someone who’s got it all going well. But what do we do when someone comes to us after they lose a job? Their relationship ends? AContinue reading “How to be an encourager – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 3”
Monthly Archives: March 2025
Participate in the flowing movement of encouragement – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 2
Editor’s Note: I once again welcome Molly Stouffer as guest blogger. Molly is from Hagerstown, MD, studying Pastoral Ministries at Lancaster Bible College. Did you know that there is flowing movement of encouragement? At the end of 1 Thessalonians verse 10, Paul describes a flowing movement of encouragement. The movements starts with the Christians heContinue reading “Participate in the flowing movement of encouragement – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 2”
Where true love is found – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 1
Editor’s Note: I once again welcome Molly Stouffer as guest blogger. Molly is from Hagerstown, MD, studying Pastoral Ministries at Lancaster Bible College. Almost a month ago, my favorite football team, the Eagles won the Super Bowl. And the week following that, there was great big parade to celebrate in the City of Brotherly Love.Continue reading “Where true love is found – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:11, 14, 27, Part 1”
The Brotherly Shove and the Bible – 1 Thessalonians 4:9–10; 5:11, 14, 27
Did you hear that at least one NFL team wants the NFL to ban The Brotherly Shove? The potential of that ban is big news for all you Philadelphia Eagles fans. Given that I live in Philadelphia Eagles territory, I suspect that the Eagles are the most popular NFL team in my church family. It sureContinue reading “The Brotherly Shove and the Bible – 1 Thessalonians 4:9–10; 5:11, 14, 27”
Does God punish people? – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 5
There are many passages in the Bible that talk about God’s punishment. Today’s passage is one of them. I have to admit that I don’t like the idea of a God who punishes. Especially considering that there are loads of other passages in Scripture that talk about God’s love. “God is love,” John writes (1Continue reading “Does God punish people? – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 5”
When it comes sexual expression, men, we need to do better – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 4
In contemporary society, we are well aware of the ways in which people harm or take advantage of others sexually. Certainly in the context Paul wrote, and throughout most of human history, that harm, that taking advantage of, has moved in one direction. From males to females. In the vast majority of situations where thereContinue reading “When it comes sexual expression, men, we need to do better – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 4”
Christians, stop trying to control other people’s bodies – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 3
This week on the blog, we’re studying 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, and in that passage, Paul’s main theme is that Christians are people who are living more and more to please God. The theological word he uses is that we are to be sanctified. In the previous post, I talk about what “sanctified” means. In today’sContinue reading “Christians, stop trying to control other people’s bodies – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 3”
What does it mean to be sanctified? – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 2
As one who preaches and teaches for a living, I have wrestled with how pushy to be in my sermons. Or in lessons. Or in written communication. And not just in large groups, but also one-on-one. I’ve heard that we shouldn’t guilt people into doing things. I agree with that. We shouldn’t manipulate them, orContinue reading “What does it mean to be sanctified? – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 2”
What matters more than what you put in or on your body – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 1
What kinds of substances is God okay with you putting in your body? What kinds of clothing does God want you to wear on your body? Or rather, how much of your body is God okay with your leaving uncovered by clothing? What kinds of images can you look at? What words can you say? Continue reading “What matters more than what you put in or on your body – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Part 1”
So many questions about human sexuality – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Preview
This coming week I resume the blog series on 1 Thessalonians, and we will study chapter 4, verses 1–8. The topic of those verses is sexuality. Evidence suggests that the Greco-Roman culture of the first century was highly sexualized, somewhat like many cultures of the twenty-first century. What Paul writes to the Christians in ThessalonicaContinue reading “So many questions about human sexuality – 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8, Preview”
Engaging Scripture 