Week 11: Love That Endures

The church at Thessalonica was only a few months old when a rumor shook it: someone claimed the day of the Lord had already come, perhaps in a letter falsely signed with Paul’s name. Paul answers by reminding the church where it stands with God before he tells it to do anything. God has loved these believers, chosen them, set them apart by His Spirit, and called them through the gospel to share the glory of Christ. Only then come two commands: stand firm, and hold to what the apostles taught. Right after them comes a prayer that God, who has already given eternal encouragement and good hope, will keep encouraging and strengthening His people. The lesson follows three loves through the chapter: some refuse the love of the truth, the church is loved by the Lord, and God loved us first. It closes in John 17, where Jesus prayed for this church before it existed, asked the Father to guard it from the evil one, and then endured the cross for the people He had just prayed for. A congregation holds on because it is held.