Ready Day 2 Trade Routes: Digging Deeper
Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
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The Questions
1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
6 But now Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news about your faith and love. He reported that you always have good memories of us and that you long to see us, as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction, we were encouraged about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience before our God because of you, 10 as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face and to complete what is lacking in your faith?
Original Intent
1) Why had Timothy traveled to visit the Thessalonians? (verse 6)
Paul’s original visit to Thessalonica was cut short and he was sent away due to a riot initiated by the Jews. Check out the story in Acts 17:1-10! However, Paul did not forget about the believers in Thessalonica and, while he himself was delayed in revisiting them because of Satan’s hindrances (1 Thessalonians 2:18), he sent Timothy to “strengthen and encourage” the believers. (1 Thessalonians 3:1-2) Paul was concerned that the persecution would ruin the faith of the Thessalonians and they would feel overwhelmed, buying the lie that Jesus wasn’t worth the struggle. As with everywhere he went, Paul had fully invested himself while with the new believers in Thessalonica. (1 Thessalonians 2:8) He sent Timothy to ensure his (and Silas’) labors in sharing the gospel hadn’t been for naught. (1 Thessalonians 3:5)
2) Why was Paul in distress and affliction? (verse 7)
Paul had been driven out of Thessalonica during the riot of the Jews. Yet again, Paul was met with persecution for his faith, which he lived out in daily, obedient surrender to Christ. While no stranger to persecution, it still caused distress and affliction in his life. He suffered emotionally and physically in ways we may never experience, but he counted it all as significant gain because he suffered for Jesus, who is of immeasurable worth! (James 1:2-4, Philippians 3:8) Paul was no stranger to the feelings of physical and emotional distress as he was continuously confronted with persecution after his conversion to Christ. However, Paul knew every affliction that came as a result of his obedience to God was absolutely worth it if the gospel was being spread! (1 Peter 3:17-18) He wrote to the church in Philippi regarding his suffering for Jesus, “My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” (Philippians 3:10)
3) Why was Paul experiencing joy? (verse 9)
Timothy brought back an encouraging report to Paul that far exceeded his expectations. The believers in Thessalonica were persevering and flourishing both in their faith and love for one another. This caused great joy in Paul and he publicly thanked God for His work in the lives of the Thessalonians. Paul knew this good work was not to be attributed to him and quickly placed credit where credit was due. Paul was witnessing in the testimony of the Thessalonians what he himself had experienced to be true in his own life of persecution. The more believers surrender to the work of God in their lives, the more God advances the gospel and finishes His work in and through their outpouring of faith and gratitude. Even in the midst of significant hardship, there was still reason to offer thanksgiving, and Paul did exactly this. Paul was also joyful that the Thessalonians had not forgotten him (verse 6), which emphasizes the love all believers share because of the love of God at work within them!
Everyday Application
1) Why had Timothy traveled to visit the Thessalonians? (verse 6)
Paul had been forced away from Thessalonica before he had finished the work he planned to do there. He was concerned the work of discipling new believers, and helping them grow into mature Christ-followers, would fall apart. He was concerned the Gospel would not flourish or take root in his absence. There are times in our own lives where we share the Gospel with people and don’t have the opportunity to stay and watch it grow. If we travel to a mission field away from home, we will likely need to return home before we can witness the growth and change happening in the hearts of those with whom we shared Jesus. People may briefly be placed in our lives for a short season and then they are no longer part of our everyday life for us to see the Good News take root in their lives. Whatever the case, there will be times where we will obediently plant seeds we may never have the opportunity to see grow. While Paul had the ability to send Timothy to follow up on the Thessalonians, we may not have that same privilege. However, we can take comfort that it is God’s job is to grow the seeds we plant; He will send the right people into the lives of those we share with at just the right time in order to encourage and strengthen them. Conversely, we may be the people fulfilling this specific role after someone else has planted seeds in obedience. Whatever the task, and whoever is around us, our command to share Jesus and invest well never changes! We never know where someone is in their faith journey, but it is always our job to work as God is calling us in the lives of those He places around us. While we are obedient to His call, He will be faithful to accomplish His mission!
2) Why was Paul in distress and affliction? (verse 7)
Paul was no stranger to significant struggle. We see him confronted with it time and again throughout his ministry. However, Paul was willing to accept distress and affliction if it meant the Gospel was advanced. (Philippians 1:12-13) He lived a life exemplifying what it looked like to continuously surrender to Christ no matter the earthly consequences. Paul never allowed affliction to prevent him from sharing the reason for his faith, which is a lesson we all need to learn and put into practice! Persecution, distress, and affliction will come our way if we are committed to following obediently after Jesus. However, it is our choice whether we will be silenced by these struggles or, whether we, like Paul, will choose to share the Gospel regardless of our circumstances. Paul always had a response to the hope he had in the midst of all kinds of persecution. (1 Peter 3:15) The question we must ask ourselves is, do we?
3) Why was Paul experiencing joy? (verse 9)
The genuine joy Paul abundantly experienced resulted from the fruit of the Thessalonians’ actively growing faith in God. While not all was perfect in Thessalonica, the believers there had not abandoned their faith and instead they were maturing in it, despite living in the midst of conflict and persecution. In the same way, our authentic joy comes from knowing God and seeing Him move regardless of the circumstances around us. Joy also flows out of actively engaging in shared biblical community. The Thessalonian believers had not forgotten Paul, just as he had not forgotten them; this shared unity and delight in being mutually invested in one another brought deep, satisfying joy. We cannot live this life alone and the joy Paul and the Thessalonian believers felt speaks to the sense of community we all long for, to be known and loved, both by fellow believers in Jesus and by God Himself. What a delight to know God gives these as gifts to share between all believers and Himself!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
Memorize It!
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