Joyous and Thankful

Is it possible to appreciate each and every person, or are there some people we just have to tolerate?

A Prayer of Thanks (1 Thess 1:1-3)

1. In what order should we present the following in order to get the best responses from people – “thanks, praise, concerns, and requests?”
2. When you list items, where should the most important one be – first, last, or centre?

God Has Chosen You (1 Thess 1:4)

1. What is the basis of God choosing one person and not another?  Have all people been chosen or not?
2. Does God’s choosing a person ignore that person’s choice one way or the other?

Assurance in Christ (1 Thess 1:5)

1. What difference does it make when someone who expresses appreciation for something you have done, specifies what you have done?
2. Can the fruit of the Spirit be faked? For how long can one keep it up?

Doing What Paul Would Do (1 Thess 1:6,7)

1. What do we mean by the saying “Imitation is the highest form of flattery?”  When does imitation become overdone?
2. Why do Christians imitate other people instead of Christ?

Further Evidence of Faith (1 Thess 1:8-10)

1. Is there a lack of witness and evangelism in Southern Asia?  What does this say of our own faith?
2. What are Adventists in Southern Asia known for?  Is it good or bad or both?
3. Why is it that we cannot find pastors willing to go to the Andaman islands to live there?  Is that the fault of the Organization or the pastor?

Thessalonica in Paul’s Day

The Romans Arrive in Thessalonica

1. Is it better to be ruled by a superpower or by a neighboring country?
2. Should India grant more religious freedom than at present? Why or why not?
3. Do offering jobs and scholarships to a poverty stricken person impinge on his or her freedom?

A Pagan Response to Rome

1. Why would human beings consider another human superhuman or divine?
2. What is the greatest longing of the human soul?
3. What are the best hopes that non-Christian religions have to offer?

The Gospel as a Point of Contact

1. Why does the working class respond better to the gospel than the ruling class?
2. Why do people respond better to the gospel in times of instability?

Paul the “Street Preacher”

1. Why do we not stand on a box on the pavement and preach? Is it any greater risk today than in Paul’s day?
2. Some “preachers” are suspected of having ulterior motives for their work other than being constrained by the gospel.  What would some of these be?

Home Churches

1. What are some disadvantages of having church services in a home?
2. What are some advantages of meeting in homes instead of church buildings?

Preserving Relationships

Is it good or bad for new members to get attached to the evangelist?

Opposition in Thessalonica

1. Why is so much hatred and violence connected with religion?  What does one lose if a family member or neighbour is converted to another religion?
2. Do you think that the Jews really believed that Christ was a threat to the Roman emperorship or was that just a ploy to get the Romans on their side?

The Episode in Berea

1. How can I know if my behaviour is obnoxious to others in the church or to those outside the church prompting persecution?
2. Should we like the Bereans examine other Christian doctrines to see if they perhaps are right?

Interlude in Athens

1. How could Paul preach Christ anywhere and everywhere with no concern for his safety?  Was being single and not having a family a factor?  Should we encourage our pastors to stay single?
2. How much of Hinduism do Adventists in India understand?  Why have we not developed a systematic strategy designed to reach Hindus?

 Arrival in Corinth

1. Historical finds tend to confirm the veracity of the Bible.  How would you respond to a find that didn’t agree with the Biblical data?
2. How far can one go in “meeting the people where they are” in order to attract them to the gospel?

Paul Reveals His Heart

1. How advisable is it for a pastor (like Paul) to get so emotionally attached to a congregation that he thinks of them long after he has left them and is pasturing another church in another city?
2. How would a church today probably respond to having a young pastor (like Timothy was) sent to preach strengthen and encourage them instead of having a seasoned minister come?

The Gospel Comes to Thessalonica

The Preachers Pay a Price

1. Why do people resist the gospel and persecute the preacher who is trying to impart good news free?
2. After how much persecution can a preacher be excused from further evangelism?  Would Paul have been exonerated from spreading the gospel after being jailed and whipped, etc.?

Paul’s Preaching Strategy

1. Why did Paul reach out first to Jews when he entered a city even though they made it hard for him?  Are Adventists justified in reaching out to Christians first when they enter a city or should they target non-Christians with the gospel?
2. Is it advisable to preach to non-Christians from their scriptures like we approach Jews from the Old Testament?

Two Views of the Messiah

1. What would have been the result if Jesus came the first time as a royal king to deliver Israel from the Romans? Were the Jews justified in expecting the messiah to come as a delivering king?
2. How is servanthood expected to be seen in a church administrator?  In what tangible ways can one understand that it has been achieved?
3. Now we Adventists are waiting for Christ to come as a King, is there a chance that we are mistaken again about the nature of his coming?

Suffering Before Glory

1. Is it possible that we might lose some potentially good leaders if we make them suffer too long (forty years in the case of Moses) before promoting them?
2. How does suffering improve a person for leadership?

A Church is Born

1. Since most founders of religions do not intend to establish anew religion, but only reform the old, how does a new religion begin?
2. If all the members of a body convert together can they remain in that building?
3. What does it mean to be ashamed of the gospel?  Are we ever guilty of this, and why?