Tag Archives: discipleship

God Cannot be Mocked

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Don Merritt

For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 2Thessalonians 2:11-12 (NASB) This is a tough passage, not because … Continue reading →

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Out of the Frying Pan…

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Don Merritt

…and into the fire. We figured out what was going on in verses 1-4 with some detective work, and now we must grab our sleuth garb once more as we continue into these verses: Do you not remember that while I … Continue reading →

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Let’s Try This Again

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Don Merritt

OK, let’s have another run at our passage, 2Thessalonians 2:1-4. We’re in much better shape now that we have done some investigating; we’ll apply what we learned. To do this, I’ll switch from the NIV to the NASB for this … Continue reading →

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There is a Problem Here!

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Don Merritt

Earlier, we took a look at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, and ended up with a couple of ideas, and a bunch of questions. The next step is to have a closer look at the text itself. Since the ideas we came … Continue reading →

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The Day of the Lord

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Don Merritt

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by … Continue reading →

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Wait and See!

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Don Merritt

2Thessalonians 1 If anything, the persecution of the church in Thessalonica has increased since the last letter; yes, this seems certain. Paul’s writings here, after the initial opening, seem to place even more urgency on the situation as he tries … Continue reading →

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Introduction to 2Thessalonians

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Don Merritt

Having completed First Thessalonians, we now come to Second Thessalonians, which is also quite an interesting little letter. While it only contains three chapters, it packs quite a punch for us today, and it is surrounded by controversy. The first … Continue reading →

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Rejoice Always

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Don Merritt

1Thessalonians 5:12-28 Paul closes out this first letter to the Thessalonian church in these verses; the NIV calls this his “Final Instructions” yet somehow to me at least, that doesn’t quite describe it. It might be that in a technical … Continue reading →

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Blessed Are You

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Don Merritt

In verse 10, Jesus said that those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed; here He gets personal, for now He isn’t referring to someone else, or some group of individuals, now it is about “you”. People may speak all … Continue reading →

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Bonus Post: Conditions in Thessalonica

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Don Merritt

Thessalonica was located on the Macedonian coast with a large natural harbor, which would explain its founding there in 315 B.C. by Casander, a general of Alexander the Great.  In 146 B.C. the Romans made it the capital of Macedonia … Continue reading →

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