Grace Church Of Perry

To a Christian, this would will not fit properly. We keep trying to find the fallen things of this world to suit us; only Christ can satisfy. In this world, we will have affliction.

Paul finishes his first letter to Thessalonica with commenting on proper behavior for the church. This moves beyond just being good, but is a reminder about what being prepared for the coming of the Christ looks like for the church.

We must go deeper in our faith with Christ. We must be aware of the deeper story, the deeper life. Once we can realize what is really going on, we can begin to speak peace and hope.

We must engage with others in our Christian walk.

Discipleship is the call of every believer. The cost is high. We must consider our journey, build our faith, and fight for our faith.

There is a great tension in our faith between pain and promise. The church lives in the tension of the Already, Not Yet

Jesus' return is brings hope even in our death. We have a hope for now and a hope for the next.

Who are you trying to impress and why? We live under the standards of some people without even realizing it, Jesus frees us from the tyranny of other people's expectations and shows us a life pleasing to God.

Paul loved this church in Thessalonica. Much of life is not found necessarily in "what" we do but "how" we do what we do.

We struggle through life whether we believe in Christ or not. However, belief will be the cause of our struggle. We are to stand together in the pain to best endure.

The foundation of any structure or organization is critical. The foundation of the church should include a radical rejection of the idolatry and sinful patterns of our past life.

As the complexity of life grows we must be diligent to remember our faith, to remember the important aspects of life. The key to life is simple: Fear God and Obey his Commands. Life is complicated, but following God provides certainty in the midst of the storm.

You must be wise in failure. And you will fail at times in your life. Working through your fears or laziness is the only way to succeed spiritually in life.

The land is in trouble when a fool is given authority, so says Qoheleth. Wisdom and discernment are needed to lead for the benefit of the people.

Meaning in life does not come from accumulating things, rather a lasting legacy is to be found in the quality of our relationships.

To be wise, we must be deeply discerning. We need to find ways to do the right thing even when the culture does not encourage proper behavior.

The preacher reminds us to use few words. We seek to control others and even control God with our words. We would do better to remain silent in His presence and change the way we interact with others.

Qoheleth observed oppression. His answer for it is surprising and pertinent to our current cultural moment.

Waiting for the Lord is difficult.

God is trustworthy. Life will let you down, and it will give you joy. There are times and seasons to life and we must know that God is trustworthy even when life does not make sense.