Episode Details

Scripture Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20

Bryan Buck

Quotes for Reflection

Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor

We are not dealing with abstractions. The gospel is lived before it is preached. People are not changed by ideas but by persons who embody the truth of those ideas.

B.B. Warfield, Selected Shorter Writings, vol 2

The great test of every ministry is love: not eloquence, nor zeal, nor orthodoxy, but that Christlike affection which seeks not its own but the good of others.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure. That also clarifies the goal of all Christian community: they meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation.

Henri Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal, 1983

More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence.

Application Questions

1. Recall someone who has been influential for your relationship with Jesus, what did you appreciate about this person?

2. How does American Christianity compare with the ministry that Paul and others shared with the believers in Thessalonica?

3. What can you change about your life so that God can use you more fully in the lives of others? How will you begin making that change?