Higher Aim With Dr. Curt Dodd

My first year in seminary was an interesting one. I decided I wanted to learn how to play golf, but I did not have any clubs. I went to a pawn shop and found a full set, a bag, and even a pair of shoes for only $40. I was so excited. I called a friend, and we went to a local course. I had all the right gear, a golf shirt, polished clubs, and shoes that almost fit. I grabbed a club, took my first swing, and immediately hooked the ball into a Cadillac in the street. For the rest of the round, I played army golf: left, right, left, right. It was so frustrating. I realized I had no idea what I was doing and that there is more to golf than just swinging the club. I needed help.When it comes to our spiritual walk, many of us need help. We might think that because we grew up in a church or have Christian parents, living the Christian life should come easy. But it is not so simple. The Bible is not a skinny book with big print; it can feel overpowering. To navigate our faith, we need guidance and a firm understanding

On Easter, we celebrate the great reset button of human history. All across the world, Christians gather to honor the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This single event makes all the difference. Without the Resurrection, the cross is a tragedy, and our faith is meaningless. But because He lives, we have hope. We have the promise that we will see our loved ones who know Christ again, and most importantly, we will see Jesus face to face.The story in Mark’s Gospel begins with women on their way to a tomb, asking a practical question: “Who will roll the stone away?” They arrived expecting to find a body to anoint, but what they found instead rocked their world. An angel, a rolled away stone, and a message that changed everything: “He has risen. He is not here.” That message echoes through eternity, inviting us to have an encounter with the risen Lord that will make all the difference in our lives, too.

We all know the feeling of hitting a wall. It might be a limitation in our career, a struggle in a relationship, or a personal weakness we cannot seem to overcome. In these moments, the world tells us to try harder, to dig deeper within ourselves. But what happens when our own strength is not enough? This feeling of being stuck is a universal human experience, but it is not the final word for the believer.The Christian life offers a radically different perspective, one that is not defined by our personal capacity but by God’s limitless power. Scripture does not call us to a life of self-reliance but to one of profound dependence on Christ. When we feel we have reached our end, God reminds us that is precisely where His strength begins. This is not just an encouraging thought; it is a foundational truth of the Kingdom of God, a truth that transforms how we face every challenge and every impossibility.

Many of us carry a quiet assumption that if we are truly following God’s will, life should be smooth and free from trouble. We think alignment with Jesus means universal approval and a lack of problems. But often, the opposite is true. The most profound ministry is not born from comfort but forged in the crucible of opposition and pain. God does not waste our suffering; He uses it to prepare us for a purpose greater than ourselves.This is the powerful example the Apostle Paul sets in his letter to the Thessalonians. Despite facing relentless opposition, his heart overflowed with love and care for the people God had placed in his life. He shows us that a true heart for ministry has no limits, because it is powered by Christ’s love and refined through our deepest trials. It is in our pain that God squeezes our hearts, revealing what is truly inside and preparing us to connect with a hurting world.

If you have turned from sin and placed your faith in Christ, you are a child of God. But it does not stop there. God has also called you into ministry. This calling is not reserved for a select few who are ordained; it is for every believer. The local church is a body of individuals who represent Christ to a world that desperately needs Him.This is not a temporary assignment, but a lifelong calling. Your ministry will continue for your entire life, a journey of serving and glorifying God until He calls you home. You have job security, and your job is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with everything you have.The Apostle Paul provides a powerful example of what a heart for ministry looks like. His passion and characteristics are a model for us to follow. Let's explore the key qualities that define a true heart for ministry.

You are very important to God. It does not matter who you are or what you have gone through, God has a plan to use you as a key part of His kingdom. Many of us may not see how everything unfolds, but we can trust that He knows our past, present, and future, and He knows how to put us in the right place at the right time. Your life has a destiny, and God wants to use everything about you to accomplish His will.In his letter to the church in Thessaloniki, the Apostle Paul encourages believers to develop a heart for ministry. This is not a call reserved for pastors or missionaries; it is for every person who follows Christ. As we explore 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, the Holy Spirit will give us clarity on how to apply God’s Word to our lives today, reminding us that we are deeply significant to His eternal plan.

In 1621, the Pilgrims and a local Native tribe came together for the first Thanksgiving. This gathering was more than a meal; it was the celebration of a new relationship, a treaty born from mutual need. The Pilgrims needed survival skills, and the tribe needed protection. Their relationship, built on shared purpose, created a bond that lasted for decades.This historical moment reminds us of a timeless truth: nothing is more important in life than relationships.This same principle is the very heart of ministry. True spiritual impact is not built on programs or events, but on the power of relationships. In his letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul writes not about church growth statistics, but about the deep, personal love he shared with the believers. He models a ministry where success is not measured by numbers, but by faithfulness in the lives of others. As we explore Paul’s words and the powerful calling of the prophet Isaiah, we must ask ourselves: what does true, God-honoring success really look

If we want to be people God blesses, we must embrace and embody the characteristics described by Pail in First Thessalonians. Paul was writing to a church he had only spent about a month with, yet during that short time, he discipled them in a tremendous way. My prayer is that what we are studying will be more than information for you. It must become life-changing wisdom. Scripture tells us plainly how this church lived, what they believed, and what they were preparing for. So let’s look at this passage together so we can learn from the church God loves.

Are you ready for Jesus to come back? Are you living your life in expectation of Christ’s return? As we continue walking verse by verse through 1 Thessalonians, these are questions I want us to consider. We are going to focus on one verse, verse 10, and one defining characteristic of the church God loves, specifically as itrelates to the second coming of Jesus.

Thessaloniki was a city in Greece where Paul had a short ministry, but it was a powerful ministry. Even though Paul was only there for about a month, the Gospel stuck, and the church continued to thrive. Throughout this series, we have been studying the kind of church God loves. God loved this church because of how they lived and who they were. They brought God pleasure. They impacted their lives, their community, and the surrounding area, and Paul describes that church for us in 1 Thessalonians 1:6–10 so we can learn to emulate it.

As we have been studying “The Church God Loves,” we have already seen what kind of church captures God’s heart. As we resume our study, there is something more to uncover. I want to remind you of Ron Popeil, the father of infomercials, who famously said, “But wait, there is more!” That phrase fits perfectly here. As we move forward in 1 Thessalonians, we uncover more phrases and beliefs we need to embody. As we look at them, we must ask ourselves, “Lord, am I that kind of person? Am I helping my church family become that kind of church?”

In today’s key passage, Paul writes to a young church that had only existed for a few weeks before persecution began. Yet, even in the middle of opposition, this church remained strong and continued to grow. One of the themes that floats through these opening verses is “the church God loves.” I want to be part of a church that God loves. From Paul’s writing, we see several key characteristics of a church that God loves.

Last year, as I sat on the ground against a stump during a hunting trip, reading from the Greek New Testament and taking notes on my phone, I suddenly looked up and realized a buck was standing just a few steps away from me, staring at me. It caught me completely off guard. I realized there are times when things will catch us off guard, and I pray that the book we are getting ready to study would catch you off guard in a good way and give you great joy.The Book of 1 Thessalonians is a powerful book, written around 51 A.D., and we are going to walk through it verse by verse and word by word. I believe God has a word for you today, and He wants to encourage you and speak to you at your deepest need.

Scripture tells us this tension should not surprise us. God is pouring out His Spirit in the last days, yet Scripture also says terrible and evil times will come. These realities are not contradictions; they are complementary. As believers, we must live in this tension, trust God to be God, and anchor our lives not in political systems or cultural movements, but in King Jesus. This brings us to Acts chapter 2, where we see a clear picture of whatthe church looks like when the Spirit of God is actively moving through the lives of believers.

Today I want to remind us why the church exists and how God designed it to function. God wants the church to grow, and He wants us to grow. He wants to use us to help other churches grow. His plan has always been to use the local church to reach the world for Christ. Our ministry together is not limited to one location; God has placed us here to impact the entire world. As we study the Book of Acts, we see that the early church was united, undivided, and completely centered on Jesus. They were hungry for the Word of God, devoted to fellowship, committed to prayer, and fully engaged in God’s mission. Let’s continue to study Acts 2 together so we can learn how to be like the early church.

There is nothing like praise and worship. The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Worship is not a passive thing; it is an active function that is to be focused on the Lord Jesus and on Him alone. Worship is not about a praise team or a band. It is about the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we continue our study of Acts chapter 2, we see powerful nuggets of truth that can be applied to our lives today. The last portion of Acts chapter 2 tells us what it means to be an Acts 2 believer and an Acts 2 church. One of the clearest lessons is this: God wants us to be the Church. The church is not a building; it is the “ekklesia,” the called-out ones. People are not looking for a relationship with a location; they are longing for God to give them what they need through people who are connected to Him and to each other.

When I was in seminary, I took a trip to New Mexico and decided to go snow skiing for the first time. I had all the right gear, looked like I knew what I was doing, and skipped the lessons, but as soon as a young student asked if I was the ski instructor, I fell flat on my face. I looked like I could ski, but I had no stability whatsoever. Today, I want to talk about developing stability in your life, balancing your life, using Acts 14 as our guide.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, He had a handful of faithful followers. Their interaction with the resurrected Lord changed them and totally rearranged them. Their lives would never be thesame again. Jesus does not want to be number one in your life; He wants to be your life. If you are wondering what New Testament Christianity looks like, go back to Acts chapter 2 and use this as an example. The Holy Spirit came for the first time to indwell believers, and the sound of a rushing wind drew the crowd. People from all over the world heard the Gospel proclaimed in their own language, thousands came to Christ, and it turned Jerusalem upside down.

We have been examining Simon Peter’s sermon step by step, and Acts chapter 2 is quite a chapter. When the sound of the rushing wind got their attention, Simon Peter provided an answer. The followers of Jesus were publicly declaring Jesus in different languages. Acts says that Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd, explaining what was happening and why. What a sermon, what a message, what a response, and what a beginning of the first church. The first church was a mega church of 3,000 people, and because they did not count women and children, some Bible scholars believe that the number who gave their lives to Christ was about 10,000. It was the beginning of a church that has continued to this day. Jesus said that the gates of hell will not stop the church. His kingdom will continue, and regardless of how people respond, God has a plan for humanity that centers on the Messiah. We need to be men and women who align our lives with Christ to become Acts chapter 2 believers.

We have been spending some time in Acts, unpacking Simon Peter’s message at Pentecost. The Scripture tells us that he exhorted the people, and his words grabbed the hearts of the people and brought great conviction. Thousands came to Christ in this one event. Today, we are looking at verses 14–40, where the Bible is very clear about the essentials of what Simon Peter taught. If we are going to become Acts Chapter 2 believers, we need to learn how to share our faith, and we need to be Scripture saturated just as Simon Peter was.