bible study | 12.04.19
Covid-19 has had a huge impact on how we invest in our friendships. Despite this, in order to be a faithful witness to our sports friends, we need to keep looking to invest time and energy in them; learn what they like, learn about them, have shared experiences with them. Our friends need to trust us if we are to expect them to explore questions of faith with us. In order to build this trust, alongside spending time with people, we need to be authentic in how we live our lives.
1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you.
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who callsyou into his kingdom and glory.
Paul was only with the Thessalonians three weeks before persecution drove him away, yet in that time he was able to forge genuine relationships.
Paul loved the Thessalonians - we see this clearly in verse 8 and in how he cared for them. Can the same be said of us with our sports friends? Or are we in danger of being superficial in our sports clubs and not really investing in the people there?
1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you.
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who callsyou into his kingdom and glory.
Paul used the analogy of parents to help us grasp what deep relationship looks like as he describes how he cared for them like a mother and encouraged them like a father.
Paul’s actions were a natural outworking of his heart-attitude that meant he SHARED LIFE AND THE GOSPEL. With this in mind, how can you grow a deep love for your club mates that overflows into your actions?
Discuss:
Pray for opportunities this week to love them like Paul.
All Bible quotations are taken with permission from the NIV:
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Christians in Sport is a UK based charity that aims to reach the world of sport for Jesus. We mainly work with sportspeople in competitive and elite sport.
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