Mind the Gap - Jared McCormick
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class examined 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5, focusing on the Apostle Paul’s responses to the Thessalonian church’s concerns about love, the fate of departed believers, and the timing of Christ’s return. Jared highlighted verses 4:9 and 4:13, explaining how Paul taught that believers have already received sufficient instruction on love and the hope for those who have “fallen asleep.” He then turned to the pressing question, “When will Jesus come back?” and clarified that only the Father knows the exact timing, a point reinforced by 5:2‑3’s depiction of the day arriving like a thief in the night. The discussion moved to Paul’s admonition that Christians are not in darkness (5:4) but are children of light and of the day (5:5), urging the class to stay alert and avoid a false sense of peace that could lead to unpreparedness. Using analogies of labor pains and unexpected destruction, Jared urged believers to live with expectancy, grounded in the teachings of the early church and the promise of the Lord’s return, while also reminding them of the necessity to love one another as taught in the Scriptures.
Key Scriptures
the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night
you are all children of light, children of the day