June 14, 2026

BUILT TO LAST: LIVING, LOVING, STANDING…

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

June 14, 2026

Senior Pastor Jonathan Falwell

It’s not too late to join in our new series of 1st Thessalonians, as we study how this church was sharing the knowledge of Jesus Christ with their world. Their reputation among Jews and Gentiles was impressive, and Paul loved them as a father loves his children. Yet they weren’t without tribulation. Just as today, Satan has attacked the church since its conception, yet he will never prevail. Paul was encouraging them to continue doing the right thing, even in the midst of conflict. It is imperative that we be so rooted in Jesus today that we stand firmly on the gospel of Jesus Christ without wavering, as the Thessalonians. There is only one way to stand: be in the Word every day, filling your heart and mind with its truths.

Focal Passages: 1 Thessalonians 2 and 3;

Living in the Gospel:

  • Read 1Thess. 2:2-4. Why did Paul give this opening defense of his time with the Thessalonians? Was it probable that he was being slandered by outside enemies and was reminding these believers of his blamelessness?
  • Do you recall what Paul’s use of being ‘bold’ meant? When you witness for Christ, are you so comfortable with your knowledge about Jesus that you are able to speak without hesitation or stammering?
  • Did Paul write these words as if he had a personal ‘mission statement’? What were some things he listed that showed he was steadfast in the Gospel in all of his actions?
  • Why is it imperative that your actions are as pure as Paul’s? Who is hurt if you do not follow Paul’s example as you live among those who are perishing? Why is it true that your actions as you live your life are seen by everyone and subconsciously interpreted as whether you are a genuine Christian or a hypocrite? If you are not what you seem, why does this rebound on Christ? What does He expect from you daily?
  • Do you think Paul considered that his letter would be read by churches for at least two thousand years? Are his words to the Thessalonians as vital to Christians today as they were at that time? Do you daily devote your life to bringing Christ glory and honor?

Loving others because of the Gospel:

  • Read 1 Cor. 13:13. Before you look at this passage, consider this verse. What is this love that Paul was speaking of? Why is it the most important fruit in the life of a believer? In the verses from Thessalonians, how does Paul illustrate the love he and the others with him had for the church there? If you showed love to every person as if they were your child, with whom you come into contact, what would they soon be saying about you?
  • Read 1 Thes. 2:7-12. What is a mother’s or father’s love like? Why did Paul say that he had loved the believers at the church in Thessalonica as a parent loves their children? What are some qualities that he had shown for the good of the church?
  • Why did Paul stress that the church—and God—were witnesses of how he had acted while at Thessalonica? What three ways had he lived while among them? What do devout, just, and blameless mean? It seems, once again, that Paul is defending his actions to these believers. Which group generally caused such persecution of believers?
  • Because Paul had been doing all the right things in his actions, what else was he able to do? When he says he ‘exhorted, comforted, and charged’ the believers, what did he mean?
  • In verse 12, why does he encourage them to walk worthy of Christ? Why should you, as a Christian, be set apart from the world?

Standing strong in the power of the Gospel:

  • Read 1 Thes. 2:14-16. Paul reinforced the truth that Christians will have persecution in the world. How had they reacted as they had suffered? Read John 16:33. Does this still hold true today?
  • Do you see that Paul was pointing out that the Judaizers were the opposite of what he had been while with them?
  • Read 1 Thes. 3:1-3. What did Paul do when he was so concerned about these believers’ suffering? What had he asked Timothy to do while there? What did Paul mean, ‘that we have been called to this’?
  • Read vv. 12-13. Paul gives a statement of a believer’s calling by God. What are we called to be, as lights in a dark world?

Close:

Would that we were all as faithful as the church at Thessalonica! All around the globe, even to this day, believers are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. How are you standing on any given day? Do you make choices that are the easiest for you? Do you sometimes justify a sinful act, since ‘everyone else is doing it’? Do you keep your language clean in a filthy world? And what about loving your enemies, and those who hold really obnoxious, wild, or anti-God philosophies? It is really hard to stay in a mindset of being constantly loving to everyone we meet or have a relationship with, isn’t it? Life is hard, and sometimes it weighs us down. Is there a solution? Because our actions are instantly judged by strangers, there must be a way to keep us conscious of how we come across. Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus, as He walked the land of Israel, was never fussy, or crabby, whiny, irritable, or depressed? And He wasn’t pulling on His Godhead, but was in His humanity as He interacted with everyone. How can we be like that? Only by absorbing the Scriptures, until we know it so well that it automatically comes out as we speak, rather than words of the world. Memorize Isaiah 26:3: ‘You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.’ Then learn the discipline of doing it.

Sandy Day

June 14, 2026

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