Redeemer reads 2 Thessalonians 2
Good morning! Today we are reading 2 Thessalonians 2, and due to a mix up with videos (apologies for the slight delay in releasing this one!) Toby is sharing with us again! This morning he helps us to be encouraged to stand firm in the truth during this time, just as Paul encouraged the church in Thessalonica to do!
Welcome! Here at Redeemer we believe that the Bible is the word of God, that it’s alive, and that its words can and should shape every aspect of our lives as Christians. But we also know it’s not easy to get into the habit of reading it every day! So we are following the CBR Bible Reading plan - which can be found below - to help us read the bible together.
We are currently reading the book of 2 Thessalonians, and every week day we will be releasing a video on our social media & YouTube accounts, with a member of our Redeemer family explaining what they feel God is saying to them through the passage!
Today we hear from Toby as he shares with us from 2 Thessalonians 2.
If you have time, and a desire to know more, you’ll find ideas for further study of todays passage below.
Further Study
In today’s passage, Paul talks in some detail about the timings of the return of Christ. This is something which definitely demands further study, and a good place to start is this helpful article from Sam Waldron - the president of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary and a pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky. He is the author of numerous books, including The End Times Made Simple.
You will find his blog, entitled - Christ Will Not Return at Any Moment - linked below.
Redeemer reads Galatians 1
This morning we’re starting the book of Galatians together, and Noble helps us to focus on the authenticity of the true gospel, challenging us not to get distracted by the world around us.
Welcome! Over the next week we will be reading through the book of Galatians together as a church! We’ll be reading a chapter each week day, beginning on Friday the 15th of May, and concluding on Friday the 22nd. We’re following the reading plan in the CBR Journal, which can also be found HERE.
Each day a member of the Redeemer family will be sharing with us some thoughts in video form, which can be seen above, previous days videos can be found on our Youtube channel. We’ll also be publishing blogs with more thoughts on the passages we’ve read, along with some ideas for those who want to study the passage further. We’re really looking forward to seeing God bear fruit in and through us as a church as we read his word, even during this challenging time.
Today Noble will be sharing with us his thoughts on Galatians 1 in the video above.
Paul isn’t always nice! At the very beginning of his letter, once we’ve read the initial introductions, we see Paul get straight down to the nitty gritty, and focus in on just where the Galatian church has got it wrong! They have been accepting the teachings of people which are disputing the truth of the gospel, so Paul can’t afford to be nice! He must get them off this course they have set for themselves as quickly as possible! Throughout this first chapter we are taught of the importance of reading and understanding the true gospel, which is encouraging for us reading now, as (I assume anyway) the fact you are reading this means you have taken the first step in learning the truth of the gospel, which is reading God’s word!
The language that Paul uses is blunt because it is of such importance, if we are convinced to pursue a man made version of the gospel rather than the truth, it can have devastating effects for our lives now, and for our eternal future. The only true gospel is that which we read in the Bible, that taught to us by Jesus Christ himself. This is incredible truth, that the words we have read this morning, and the words we will be reading over the next week together, are words which carry the power of God! How amazing that is!
When we discover the story of Jesus, the one who gave himself for us, we are invited into his family, we share in the hope that comes from being a child of God! In the same instant, as we accept that invitation, we are able to move out of the hopelessness of a life defined by our present circumstance. There is no human message that could ever achieve such an incredible miraculous transformation for us, which is why it’s great news that we’ll be able to discover even more of the gospel story together over the next week, I can’t wait!
Justin Wainscott is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Jackson, Tennessee and in his talk from February 2017 he further explores this topic from Galatians 1:10-24 in a message entitled - Not Man’s Gospel
“God turned a self-righteous Pharisee into one who would call himself the least of the apostles and the chief of sinners. . . . A man-made gospel will not do that.”
#RedeemerRecommends - Bread
#RedeemerRecommends a blog curated by a member of the Redeemer Family!
Here at Redeemer we love to celebrate the gifting of members of our family! This week on #RedeemerRecommends we are pointing you in the direction of another blog contributed to and curated by Ann Ajet, who attends Redeemer with her family!
Bread is described as being ‘for today’s emerging generation of thoughtful disciples.’ We hope that you will be challenged and informed by their articles! We are also hoping to publish some articles written by Ann on the Redeemer blog in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled!
#RedeemerRecommends - Vintage Worship
#RedeemerRecommends a new worship album borne out of a time of dependence on God’s goodness….
This week on #RedeemerRecommends we are focusing on a new worship album, released this month by Vintage Worship, the worship team from Vintage Church in Los Angeles.
The album was recorded in August 2018, as the church came together for two nights of worship, in the wake of two devastating events locally which had profound effects on the church community; The California wildfires, and the Thousand Oaks shooting.
The songs on the latest album ‘Heaven All Around Us’ reflect on God’s kindness and his grace, while encouraging us to hold onto his love and declare truth about him over ourselves as a form of restoration, even in times of tragedy and heartbreak.