Have you ever complimented someone because you wanted something in return? That’s flattery, which is outside God’s design for a Christ-follower. Paul clearly expressed to the church in Thessalonica: “You know we never used flattery” (2 Thessalonians 2:5). Instead, he and his team led with authenticity: “You are our witnesses, and so is God, of […]
Fully Surrendered Leaders Embrace Authenticity Over Flattery (1 Thessalonians 2:5, 10)
Fully Surrendered Leaders Embrace Generosity Over Greed (1 Thessalonians 2:9)
Are you constantly searching for more? Maybe you are pursuing the next deal, a new truck, a bigger boat, a larger house, a better company, greater achievement, the best nonprofit ministry, or even more to merely survive. Paul cautioned against a self-centered mindset that always wants more. Fully surrendered leaders embrace generosity over greed. They […]
Fully Surrendered Leaders Embrace Gentleness Over Harshness (1 Thessalonians 2:7)
Great leaders are born out of suffering and opposition (see 1 Thessalonians 2:2). In our Western culture, we tend to think they come from affluence and support, but the Bible reveals a far different dynamic, one that teaches the strongest steel is made in the hottest fire. The Apostle Paul communicated four characteristics of a […]
Desires Are For Our Transformation – Live a Holy Life in the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:6-8)
How can we honor God with our longing for sexual intimacy? Paul taught that desires are for our transformation: “And that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God […]
Desires Are Not For Our Elimination – Control Your Body (1 Thessalonians 4:4-5)
The electrical current of sexual temptation travels from our world’s images straight to our desires, equipped with enough voltage to kill. However, this is nothing new. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, the Greek sex culture was perverted, especially in Thessalonica, even at its religious sites. Marriages were arranged between girls 13 to 14 years-old […]
Desires Are Not For Our Gratification: Avoid Sexual Immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3)
The apostle Paul likened marriage to the relationship between Christ and the church, teaching that a husband desires respect from his wife, and a wife desires to be loved by her husband (see Ephesians 5:31-33). Still, our culture is performing an all-out assault on this covenant, exploiting the desires of both genders. Since a man […]