But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

C.  Our Challenges: What Hinders Our Christian Walk

                                 1.  Technological isolation: the loss of spiritual relationships

                                 2.  Choice individualism:  loss of community commitment

                                 3.  Cultural influence:  loss of Biblical understanding of church

                                 4.  Mindless Distraction: loss of the ability to think Biblically

D.  Our Model:  The Believers in Thessalonica:  1 Thess. 1:1-3

                                 1.  Believers live by faith: 1 Thess.  1:3, 2 Thess. 1:11

                                                                 –  They are convinced of the truth of God’s Word: 1 Thess. 1:5-7, 1 Thess. 1:13

                                                                 –  They obey the commands in the Word of God: 1 Thess. 1:6, 2 Tim. 3:12, Phil. 1:29, 1 Thess. 1:7&8, 1 Thess. 3:6, 1 Thess. 4:9, John 13:34

2.  Believers labor in love: 1 Thess. 1:3, Rom. 5:5

                                                                 –  It was visible and measurable: 1 Thess. 3:6

                                                                 –  It was familial or relational: 1 Thess. 4:9, Eph. 2:19

                                                                 –  It was alive: 1 Thess. 3:11-12, 2 Thess. 1:3

                                                     3.  The believers long with hope for Christ’s return: 1 Thess. 1:3, 1 Thess. 1:9-10, Titus 2:11-14