Beginning today I would like to do a study of one of Paul’s first epistles, 1st Thessalonians. As I read this brief book over a number of times and reflected on what Paul said to this young church I felt the book could be used as a Reality Check.
Far too often we presume because people have taken the step of believing in Jesus Christ that everything is OK. It very well might be. But often it isn’t. That could be due to many things. One thing would be unanswered questions. Another would be not realizing the implications of their decision to follow Christ. Still another would be the fact that we often forget some of what we accepted when we made the decision. Paul addresses these matters with graciousness, honesty and a desire to affirm and encourage.
I trust as we study this book together it will provide for each of us a Reality Check regarding our own relationship with Christ and with fellow believers in the church we attend. This will also spill over into our implicit relationship with the church at large, because when we are believers we are a part of a big family. Theologians call this family the Church Universal.
As we prepare to do this study together let me encourage you to read the book over at one sitting. It’s only 5 short chapters and should only take about 15 to 30 minutes per reading. As you read it keep in mind we will be looking at it as a check list to determine whether or not our Christian experience is for real in our own life as well as in our church corporately.
