Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read through 1 Thessalonians 5:14-26. Focus on the connections through the imperatives.
• How do these imperatives relate to theme of the book grow in what you know regarding faith, hope, and love?
• Re-read 1 Thessalonians 5:15. What key theme is emphasized?
• What would be the tendency in hearts of the Thessalonians that Paul would have to exhort them to not repay evil for evil? Review the issues we have gone through already in the letter.
• What are the imperative commands in this verse?
• Who is the command addressed to and who would be receiving the actions commanded?

Prayerfully Meditate

• What would it look like to repay evil for evil? What does Scripture command to us regarding those who do evil to us?
• What good should we be seeking for one another?
• What is meant by "all people"? Why are we seeking good for "all people" when they might be an enemy?
• What responsibility is Paul laying out by commanding that we "see that" others are not repaying evil for evil?
• Dwell on what it looks like to seek after? What is the emphasis to seek?
• Do you prayerfully observe others actions to discern them for evil or good?
• We are prone to live individually autonomous lives and avoid confrontation, exhortation, and even shy away from encouragement, why? How does this verse counter that?
• If we disregard this verse, does it display unbelief in God and His word?