Normal People (Week 1)
In our series Normal People: Living an Ordinary Life with Extraordinary Grace, we’ll look at Paul’s words to the Thessalonians and receive the encouragement we need to embrace the normalcy of our lives, allowing the grace of God to do the extraordinary.
Warm-Up: What does “normal” mean to you? What does an “ordinary life” look like?
At the beginning of the podcast, Pete talks about how we tend to put people we read about in the Bible on a pedestal.
1. Which biblical characters (other than Jesus) do you tend to see as extra-ordinary? Why do you think this is?
2. How does seeing people like Paul or the disciples as normal people actually put our focus on the extraordinary power of God’s grace?
3. How does seeing the normalcy of these biblical characters inspire you to spread the gospel message in your ordinary life?
We don’t often focus on the fact that Paul’s profession was tentmaker. He was a craftsman who utilized trade networks in the places he visited to share the gospel.
4. How does this affect your view of Paul?
5. Does this give you any ideas or inspiration about how you can share the gospel through your place of work or vocation?
Pete calls the people of Thessalonica “pragmatic polytheists.” Like many in the Greco-Roman world, they worshipped various gods who they believed would help them in different areas. They also fell in line with the popular worship of Caesar, possibly for political expediency or as the path of least resistance.
6. As you close today, discuss some common “gods” we may be tempted to worship for similar reasons.
(*Video available after Sunday services)
