Weekly Resources

Leader Notes

At some point, we’ve all been handed responsibilities we haven’t been ready for. First-century Christians in the city of Thessalonica found themselves in that situation.

The apostle Paul had shared with them about Jesus, but then was forced out of town after being there only a few weeks. The Thessalonians were left with a lot of questions: Is Jesus really coming back again? When? And what does that mean for us now? How should we be handling ourselves when our culture seems to be the exact opposite of how you taught us to follow Jesus? How do we deal with all the persecution we’re facing?

In two letters, Paul cheered on his friends and told them more about Christ’s second coming and how to conduct their daily lives. He gave them plenty of advice that still applies to Jesus' followers today.

For people to really change, they must have unwavering belief that they’re loved and accepted—regardless of their past, failures, or shortcomings. In this session, we’ll see evidence of Paul’s approach to the Thessalonians, where he demonstrated love and authenticity while maintaining clarity of thought and instruction.

Weekly Timeline

5 Days Ahead of Time 

• Email the group welcoming them and providing links to that week's content.  

1 Day Ahead of Time

• Send a reminder message including the time and location of the group

During the Group

• Use the Group Ice Breakers

• Watch the 1 & 2 Thess - Session 1 Video

• Use the Study Guide: 1 & 2 Thessalonians Week 1 - How People Grow

• You won't need a Right Now Media account in order to access this material.  But, you may want to create one for the future.  You can create a Southside-provided account here: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Account/Invite/Southside

Additional Resources