Learning on the way
In what ways do you tend not to trust the Word of God AS the Word of God? In what areas of your life do you tend to rely on your own wisdom instead of the truth of God’s Word? What are the typical results of doing so in your life?
How often do you take a spiritual self-assessment to see if you are maturing in the faith (becoming more like Jesus)? What do you think the value of this is? What are some dangers of doing this with the wrong foundation or wrong attitude? What are some ways you respond when you realize that you are stagnating in spiritual maturity?
In what ways does being a part of the Church (universal and local) inform the way you live your life (give some examples)? What are some areas you succeed in and what are some areas you fail in as it relates to loving and serving Christ and others in the context of the local church?
Just in the first two chapters of 1 Thessalonians Paul has repeatedly referenced suffering (1:6, 2:2, 2:14, 2:16, 2:18). Do you believe the days of suffering are over for the Church (here and all over the world)? Do you see the potential for the suffering and persecution of the church in our part of the world? Why or why not? If there is to be suffering for us, how does the Bible give us hope and inform how we respond?