In our last visit I suggested we do a study of 1st Thessalonians, with a view to using what Paul said to this church as a Reality Check. We will do this to determine whether or not our Christian experience is for real. When I reflected on what Paul said in this epistle I came up with 5 questions, one for each chapter.
1. Is your Christian experience real? In chapter 1 Paul describes the genuineness and effect of the Thessalonians’ Christian experience.
2. Are you getting the right input? In chapter 2 Paul describes how he and his team ministered to them when they first came to their city and in the days following their response to trust in Christ.
3. Are you connected and in a relationship that provides accountability? In the end of chapter 2 and through chapter 3 Paul describes his concern about this, especially when he had not heard from them for some time.
4. How are you coping with the challenges of life? In chapter 4 and the first half of chapter 5 Paul deals with the kind of issues and temptations all of us will encounter in the normal course of life and gives instructions for coping during such times.
5. Are you winning the battle? In the closing verses of Chapter 5 Paul describes the essence of a life that is winning the battle.
These five questions provide for us the basis of a Reality Check to determine whether or not our Christian experience is for real. Read over the book again, possibly in a couple of different translations, to get a better grasp of what Paul says regarding these questions I have presented today.
