I’m excited to announce the release of my new book The Letters to the Thessalonians in the OneBook: Daily-Weekly series from Seedbed Publishing. This short volume is designed for small-group studies and is accompanied by video sessions for group gatherings. You can preview the first week’s video above. And while the series is produced for use in groups, this book is also well-suited to be read straight through on its own for personal study or devotional reading. The discussion of the biblical text is informed by scholarship but still oriented toward transformation and practical application. So pastors will also find it useful for sermon prep. Click here to sample the first chapter.
Here’s the publisher description:
Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians are some of our earliest existing writings in the New Testament. As such, they offer a unique glimpse into some of the most pressing issues as the gospel began to spread across the ancient world. How should believers respond when their faith is a minority perspective and are suffering persecution? What does genuine holiness look like? Is life after death truly worth believing in, and what does it look like? Will Jesus actually make good on his promise to come back? These enduring questions and more run throughout these two brief letters, and in this eight-week study, you’ll be introduced to Paul’s inspired response. Discover how the gospel of Jesus will give you the strength you need as you eagerly await his promised return to make our world right again.
Dr. Matt O’Reilly is Lead Pastor of Hope Hull United Methodist Church near Montgomery, AL, a fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians, and Adjunct Professor of New Testament and Pastoral Ministry at Wesley Biblical Seminary. He is the author of Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice and The Letters to the Thessalonians.
For more from Matt, be sure to subscribe to the Orthodoxy for Everyone YouTube Channel, listen to SermonCast, connect on Facebook, and follow @mporeilly.