Sunday

Reading through The Bible - 1 Thessalonians








Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.








1st Thessalonians  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

13th book of the NT 
52nd book of the Bible



It starts with a greeting of grace and peace from God in chapter 1 verse 1

"Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
        Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the           Lord Jesus Christ."



and immediately reassures the believers of the prayers and thanks made to God about them in the second verse of the first chapter








What is it?

The Book of 1 Thessalonians is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.



How Long is it?

It has 5 chapters.



When was it Written?

It was written about 50 AD



Who Wrote it?

The Apostle Paul

The first verse tells us the author and the names of two others who were with him at the time.

"Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

 







Who was it Written to?

It was written to the believers living in Thessalonica in Macedonia (which is now northern Greece)


Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

Paul had spent around 3 months in Thessalonica.

Later he wanted to check up on them so he sent Timothy to visit them and he came back with a good report so Paul wrote this as a letter of encouragement. 


 

 


What is it normally well-known for?

As being one of the places in the bible to find info on the second coming

and 

encouragement for how to live in the will of God.








Why was it Written? 

It was written to commend the believers for their love as seen in


verse 12 of chapter 3






and to instruct them about the return of Christ in



verses 16-17 of chapter 4




and to have them continue to love, encourage and support each other in


verse 11 of chapter 5








The Overview Bible  tells us the following


"Paul has heard a good report on the church at Thessalonica, and encourages them to “excel still more” in faith, hope, and love."



Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Paul uses this book to encourage the church in their pursuit of holiness, diligence, love and hope.  He tells them to walk in the light and makes many mentions of the second coming."





Which other Epistles speak of the second coming of Christ?

Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Thessalonians
2 Peter
Jude

see 





Which other books of the Bible is this linked to? 

Paul wrote 2 epistles to the Thessalonians so this one is followed by 2nd Thessalonians







How does it end?


With the famous admonition in

 verses 16-18 of chapter 5

 







and as usual in Paul's epistles we also have the final greeting or blessing


verses 23 of chapter 5









The Overview Bible  gives us this


Quick outline of 1 Thessalonians

  1. Commendation for faith, hope, and love (1Thes 1–3)
    • The Thessalonians’ example (1 Thes 1)
    • Paul’s history with them (1 Thes 2)
    • Timothy’s visit and report (1 Thes 3)
  2. Challenge to grow in these areas even more (1Thes 4–5)
    • Love for others (1 Thes 4:1–12)
    • Hope for the Lord’s return (1 Thes 4:13–18)
    • Preparation for the Lord’s return (1 Thes 5)










OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 







Wednesday

10 Bible Verses of Encouragement about PRAYER - plus Free Printable



We all need encouragement and the best place to go is to the Bible.

In this blog Post I have tried to gather some Bible passages or Bible verses which will encourage us all around the topic of Prayer






I do believe that we should not just grab a verse and read it on its own but we should always lift our bibles and read a passage of scripture to make sure that we know the real meaning and context of each of the verses we are putting our trust in. 

I pray that you will do the same and only use this list to guide you as to where you may find help.



So here are 10 Bible verses or short passages for us to turn to in times when we need to be encouraged about 
PRAYER




1.   Matthew 7 v 7     

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

Persevere in prayer.




 


2.   Luke 6 v 27-28


Do not simply pray for loved ones, family and friends but also pray for those whom you find hard to love.


"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." 








3.   John 16 v 24


"Until now you have asked nothing in my name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."




We are privileged that we have the Lord to pray to for all things. 





4.   Acts 2 v 42 

"And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and prayers." 



Encouragement here for us to continue in prayer as we also continue to observe good teaching, fellowship with other Christians and partake together in the Lord's Supper just as the first believers did.







5.   Romans 12 v 12

"rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulationcontinuing steadfastly in prayer"



In every situation we must be resolute and firm in our prayer life.






6.   Psalm 34 v 17


"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles." 




What a statement to hold on to! 

 

The Lord hears us and delivers us when we cry out to Him - this is a personal relationship

 




7.   Philippians 4 v 6-7

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."





We do not have to worry just bring it all to God in prayer. 




8.   1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-18


Be in an attitude of prayer, always ready to speak to God when we are rejoicing and when we are in need and always giving thanks. 





"Rejoice evermore,
Pray without ceasing.
 In everything give thanks:
for this is the will of God
 in Christ Jesus concerning you"






9.   1 Timothy 2 v 1







"Therefore I exhort first of all
that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
 and giving of thanks
be made for all men"


Prayer must not show partiality toward anyone because God has commanded us to portray His love











10.   Philemon 1 v 4


 Let us follow Paul's example and never forget to not only pray for the needs of others but to be thankful for the contributions others make in our lives and to thank God for them all.



 


"I thank my God
making mention of you always,
 in my prayers"





You can download this FREE copy of the Bible Verse Graphics I made for this blog post 
from my
 





You can also find all my other blog posts around Prayer at
 








Monday

Free Prayer Wordsearch Puzzle - Coffee & Conversation






Do you enjoy puzzles?

Do you like to relax and do a Wordsearch?


Well let's make Coffee & Conversation today
 into a cuppa with a 
Wordsearch!


The Theme for this Wordsearch is

PRAYER






I'm offering this Wordsearch as one of my assortment of free printables which can be found in my Resource Library



Prayer Wordsearch


It includes 15 words all connected with prayer and will help us to remember that prayer is not just asking God for something.









The Word Search is available to download in both A4 and Letter size and of course comes with an answer sheet.




Have you downloaded this Free Prayer Word Search yet?










Or pin this pic below to come back later









Sunday

Reading through The Bible - 2 Peter










Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.








2nd Peter  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

22nd book of the NT 
61st book of the Bible



It starts with a blessing centring around Grace & Peace
  in 2 Peter ch.1 v 2




and quickly takes us to consider more attributes in 
verses 5-7









What is it?

The Book of 2nd Peter is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.



How Long is it?

It only has 3 chapters.



When was it Written?

It was written in 67 AD which was very shortly before Peter was killed.



Who Wrote it?

Simon Peter the disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.
Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by Simon Peter who we know as the Apostle Peter.
One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 



Who was it Written to?

It was a general letter written to the scattered believers not just those from one nation or city as we read in the very first verse


"To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:"







What is it normally well-known for?



The Overview Bible  tells us the following


"The second epistle of Peter is a brief letter of reminders for first-century Christians. Peter urges his readers to make every effort to grow in their faith, to remember that the promises of God (spoken by the prophets and apostles) are trustworthy, and to beware those who teach otherwise."
   

verse 18  of chapter 3
"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. "


verse 9  of chapter 3




 
verse 1 -2  of chapter 2

"1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."





Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage and remind the believers of what they have in Jesus and to recognise false teachers.


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Peter writes a letter reminding Christians about the truth of Jesus, and warning them that false teachers will come."



Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Peter appears to have heard reports that false teachers had arisen in Asia Minor.  He wrote the book partly to encourage people from listening to them and also to continue encouraging them .... he talked about the Lord's return and how grand it would be if the people would hang in there."  

 







Which other Epistle teaches about the Lord's return?


2nd Thessalonians





Which other Epistle teaches about False Teachers?







Which other books of the Bible is this linked to? 

Peter wrote two epistles of which this is the second and follows 1st Peter 







How does it end?


With reminder of the character of Christians in
 chapter 3 v 11
 
 "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness"

and chapter 3 v 14

 "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless"


and a final encouragement 
chapter 3 v 18 the final verse of the book








The Overview Bible  provides the following

Quick outline of 2 Peter

2 Peter displays some remarkable parallelism. 

Peter begins with a call to diligence in good works, reminds the reader that they can count on the prophets, and then warns that false prophets will arise. 

Peter then assures them that the old prophecies are true, and finishes with a call to be diligent and on guard.


1.    Remember to be diligent (2 Pet 1:1–15)

2.    True prophets and teachers (2 Pet 1:16–21)

3.    False prophets and teachers (2 Pet 2)

4.    Remember the true prophecies (2 Pet 3:1–13)

5.    Be diligent; be on guard (2 Pet 3:14–18)











OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE