Celebration Sunday

Contentment in Community

Big Idea: Contentment is a hallmark of thanksgiving. Our individual contentment leads to our individual thanksgiving, but so also does our corporate contentment. Doing life together bears the fruit of contentment. The believer must grasp the importance of corporate life with the church and do so at JCC in community with groups.

1 Thessalonians 5:25–28 (ESV)

Brothers, pray for us.

Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Most of the new testament letters were written to church communities

As the gospel spread across the word, it took root in cities

These cities were Roman ruled

This is what it looked like.

1 Thessalonians 1:2–10 (ESV)

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,

remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,

because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

These letters ended with instructions

1 Thessalonians 5:25–28 “Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

Contentment in Community

Pray for Us

Hold together as the family of God

Hold to the Truth Together