I suggest that every believer ought to be a part of a small Bible reading group. Our group reads one chapter a day and exchanges emails with our takeaways. Two tangible benefits flow from participation in our group. First, we engage the Bible in community. Second, we share some of the stuff going on in our lives.
In reading 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 (HCSB), I appreciated that a believer changes in a tangible, visible way that is noticeable by the world upon salvation. These verses read:
9 for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead —Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
It is also amazing how much just a couple of verses teach! These verses teach me:
(1) people notice the change in a person as a result of salvation (“for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how”);
(2) a believer repents (“you turned to God from idols”);
(3) serving God is a fruit of salvation (“to serve the living and true God”);
(4) to look forward to Jesus’ Second Coming is evidence of salvation (“ 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven salvation”);
(5) Jesus’ physical death and physical bodily resurrection from the dead is an essential part of the gospel (“whom He raised from the dead”); and
(6) the purpose of Jesus’ rescue mission is to save us from God’s wrath(“Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. “).
If you are reading this post and are not a Christian, unless God intervenes, your eternal destination is hell. But, your destiny can change.
Today can be the day of your salvation! Please see my blog (https://stevebelsheim.com/2020/04/20/for-god-so-loves-you-2/) for a description of how you can be saved. You can also go to another article at my blog (https://stevebelsheim.com/2020/10/20/there-is-hope-even-when-there-seems-to-be-no-hope-2/ ).
Please send me any comments to steve@stevebelsheim.com or use the comments feature of the blog.
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