Bible Journaling: 2 Thessalonians

Let’s dive into the second letter from Paul to the church in Thessalonica. When we do Bible journaling, we are reading our Bibles but with creative lenses on. We ask ourselves questions as we read, like: What do you notice that you haven’t seen before? Why did the author choose those specific words? 

For a broader view of this book of the Bible, we encourage you to watch this video:

Bible journaling tip: 

Instead of taking sermon notes in a journal that you will probably never actually read again - take them directly in your Bible next to the verses. That way, when you read that verse again it will be solidified by the teaching you’ve heard on it and you will grow in your understanding of the Bible. When we take notes in too many different places we never remember when there is a theme or common thread. God is always speaking to us, but we are often too forgetful to notice what He is saying. By taking notes directly in your Bible, you won’t miss the strange coincidence of the same verse coming up in a sermon, a movie, and in a conversation with a friend.

LOOK UP(information): encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

Paul wrote this second letter only a few months after he wrote 1 Thessalonians. This means that he received a response to 1 Thessalonians, which he is now responding to. Read the first letter again and then read Paul’s response in this one to imagine (or write) what their possible response could be. 

Audience:

Read through the book and mark places where you see who the audience could be. For example, if Paul writes “your faith is growing more and more” we can see the audience as new believers. Similarly, “all the persecutions you’re facing” = persecuted believers. 

History:

Notice how all the letters of Paul tell the Gospel story again and again. Mark all the elements of the Gospel story that you find throughout this letter. 

Genre:

The genre of this book is another one of Paul’s letters. Have you ever written a letter to encourage a friend in the faith, telling them about your church and fellow believers, and responding to their own challenges? You can use Paul’s letters as a template to write a letter with the same shape.

LOOK IN(revelation): contemplate / reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

2 Thessalonians 1:5 NIV

All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

Inspiration:

What does it mean when this verse says that God’s judgement is right? How are you suffering for the kingdom of God? As believers, our lives must look different from the rest of the world. Jesus was not liked by many people. We have watered down the Gospel message when our lives as Christians do not look any different from the lives of unbelievers.

LOOK OUT(transformation): respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

Look at an artful summary mindmap of the letter of 2 Thessalonians by clicking here. For today’s drawing prompt we will create our own using the structure of this one as a guideline. There are 3 parts, maybe you want to fold a page in 3 or you can rather choose to use a circular shape and divide it that way. 

When we have a summary tool like this one, we can use it as we read through the book to track where we are in the storyline. You can also create a similar tool of the Bible as a whole showing the different parts of the Big Story between God and His people. 

Bible Journey with HolyJot:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the HolyJot community. 

• What does Paul tell the people not to be shaken in, because the day of the Lord is at hand? (II Thessalonians 2:2)
• What and why did Paul say about all of the ones that had deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish? (II Thessalonians 2:10)

Follow this link to dive into this book with an online Bible Study group.

Writing prompt:

A key idea from this letter is the “day of the Lord”. For today’s writing prompt, we will focus on this idea. First, we will study what we letter tells us about this day and secondly, we will pray and ask God for a deeper revelation into this day. 

Write down everything that the letter tells us about this day in bullet format. Now, put down your pen and take a breath. You can go for a walk, make a cup of tea, or do something else that will help you reset. When you come back to the list you made, pray and ask God to show you what each point means. Write down a few additional words or sentences elaborating on each point with what you feel God is telling you. 

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for the book of 2 Thessalonians. Help me to stay focused on Your return and Your kingdom, so that all of my life can submit to Your ways. Let my response to this text be worship unto you!