Category Archives: Encouragement

How to Get Caught Up (1 Thess. 4:13-18)

Posted on August 6, 2023 by salooper57

Writers have used lots of ink and preachers have spoken millions of words to talk about “the rapture.” This is the passage behind all that teaching. Paul did not write this to satisfy people’s curiosity about what will happen in the future, but to encourage people in the present. Continue reading →

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The Working Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5)

Posted on July 9, 2023 by salooper57

In this part of 1 Thessalonians, Paul thanks God for how the Thessalonians received the word of God and how that word has gone to work in them. How does God’s word “work”? We’ll explore that in this message. Our … Continue reading →

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What to Look for in a Minister (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

Posted on June 28, 2023 by salooper57

Imagine that you are a first century citizen of the great, free city of Thessalonica. You are from a land-holding family, you have money, status, and leisure—none of which ordinary folk have in any measure. Your friends are all from … Continue reading →

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First Stone in an Avalanche

Posted on June 13, 2023 by salooper57

Easter celebrations frequently focus on the fact that we will continue to live after we die. As true as that is, it’s important to realize that most people believed that before Jesus rose from the dead. They believed that humans … Continue reading →

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How to Do What Can’t Be Done (Philippians 4)

Posted on May 14, 2023 by salooper57

Some of the things that need to be done to make our relationships healthy are things we cannot do. But they are things we could do if we learned how to live “in the Lord.” The New Testament uses that … Continue reading →

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Alien Residents (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Posted on April 23, 2023 by salooper57

In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter calls the people of Jesus “foreigners and exiles.” They have green cards. They’re here on work and student visas. It is not their ambition to settle down, though if they can make this a better … Continue reading →

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The Family of God (Series on the Church)

Posted on April 9, 2023 by salooper57

You are a young man in first century Israel (though what I am about to say would have been true of men almost anywhere in the first century). You got married on Sunday. Your family, your bride’s family, your friends, … Continue reading →

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Built on a Promise (Matthew 16:13-20)

Posted on March 19, 2023 by salooper57

When I was a boy and would put more food on my plate than I was able to eat, my mother would say, “Your eyes are bigger than your belly.” When a pastor puts Matthew 16:13-20 on his preaching plate – at least this pastor – his desire to preach might be bigger than his exegetical ability. Continue reading →

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Seven Reasons to Commit to Christ (Col. 1:15-20)

Posted on January 15, 2023 by salooper57

This message was especially encouraging to people. If it encourages you, please let me know by leaving a comment. – Shayne The vision statement at Lockwood Church describes the reality we hope to see in this way: Committed: to Christ, … Continue reading →

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Hope that Sustains

Posted on December 15, 2022 by salooper57

Hope is more than a feeling, more than a wish. It is more than “the thing with feathers that perches in the soul” (Emily Dickinson). Hope is an objective reality outside the soul which protects the soul. It is an … Continue reading →

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