2nd Thessalonians Introduction

Today I am introducing the second letter to the Thessalonians. This is a letter written to the Thessalonian church about a couple things. First off, this letter is short. It only has three chapters and it’s written to the church to give hope and to teach. There are three parts to this letter. The first part talks about the people of this church thinking that Christ had already come, the second part is an encouragement to stay strong in the persecution, and the third part talks about idleness.

 

PART 1

The Thessalonian church was struggling with something. There were people who were coming into the church and spreading lies. They would speak for Paul by bringing letters that they said Paul had written. The problem is that no one knew he didn’t write those letters. These false writings were basically explaining to the church that Christ had already come and they missed the cut. This was hard to hear because this church was constantly under stress and persecution. Their only hope was that one-day God would return and get them out of this persecution. Paul found out that about these false teachings people were told in his name and had to write this letter. He reminded them that the coming of Christ is a good thing and that the signs would be hard to miss. He spoke on the signs again and encouraged them to stop listening to these false teachings.

 

PART 2

Like I said in the first part, the Thessalonian Church was heavily persecuted. They needed encouragement to keep on this path because it was hard for them to keep choosing to be persecuted for Christ. Paul understood this from his own experience. He also encouraged them by letting them know that the other churches respected their church and that he talks about their church all the time to other people.

 

PART 3

The last part talks about idleness. Basically, since the church was being so heavily persecuted people stopped working. Some thought it was because Christ was going to come back really soon so they didn’t see the point. Paul writes to the church to let them know that idleness is wrong and that they should all be working to earn their keep. He reminds them that when he was visiting, he also had a job and worked to earn his keep so that they didn’t have to support him while he was there.

 

Those three parts explain the short letter to the Thessalonian church. It is a quick book to read but it has so many important points to learn. We can’t wait to dive into this book the next three days with you! Be on the lookout of 2 Thessalonians Chapter 1 tomorrow morning!

3 Stages of Christian Growth (and how to avoid them)

Quenching and grieving the Spirit is the topic today, but first a little context on the role of the Spirit in our growth as followers of Christ.

We learned from Philippians 1:9-11 that there are 5 essentials in Christian growth.  We also learned that what sets this growth in motion is the Christian’s focus on God’s glory.  Lastly, we learned that what aids this growth is the Spirit.  If God’s glory is our focus, the Spirit will be at work in us – helping love abound in us, producing spiritual excellence in us, establishing personal integrity in us, and empowering genuine good works in us – all to God’s glory.

Simply put the Spirit’s work in us is to move us along a path to holiness.  Holiness means separate.  His work is to separate us further and further from sin, from temptation, from a preoccupation with the things of the world and thus closer to God.  This is the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

Today’s reading issues a warning not to retard the work of the Spirit.  (1Thessalonians 5:19)  Today we will cover three things with a quick summary of each: 1.) the three stages of Christian growth, 2.) quenching the Spirit and 3.) stoking the Spirit.

The 3 Stages of Christian Growth:

  1. Babes. Babes in Christ know the name of Jesus.
  2. Young Men. Young men in Christ are strong. They know the Word and use the Word (the truth) to overcome the deceiver.
  3. Fathers. Fathers in Christ know God.

12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.  13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.  I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.  14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father.  I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.  I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.  15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. – 1John 2:12-16

Quenching the Spirit:

1Thessalonians 5:1-11 and 1Thessalonians 5:6-22 give us instruction on Christian living.  In this instruction, there is a warning not to quench the Spirit.  Throughout Scripture, the Spirit is revealed to us as fire.  When a believer quenches the Spirit, the Spirit is grieved. (Isaiah 63:10, Ephesians 4:30)  When the Spirit is grieved it slows the Christian’s growth.  It is as if the Christian says “I’ve got this” to the Spirit by ignoring it and tosses a bucket of water on the fire.

Stoking the Spirit:

Stoking the Spirit is a term to illustrate the opposite of quenching the Spirit.  Here are three simple steps to stoke the Spirit.  The three steps for the recovering Christian:

  1. Read the Bible. (reading the Bible feeds the Spirit.)
  2. Listen to the Spirit. (quiet your life to be able to hear the still small voice and test what you hear against the Word.)
  3. Obey. (Luke 11:28, James 1:25, if there were a fourth step it would be: rinse, repeat.)

Stoking the Spirit is valuing the Spirit.  It is recognizing the Spirit as the source that empowers us to glorify God.  The Christian’s heart seeks God’s Glory, the Spirit sees it through. 

God, we need You.  Fill us with Your Spirit LORD.  May You reign in our hearts and may our eyes be Yours and Yours alone.  Amen.

Living and Loving Each Day

Today’s Reading:  1 Thessalonians 4

I think its amazing how many watches or other devices can count each step you take during the day and give you feedback.  They can even provide you with goals and/or acknowledge your accomplishments.  What if these watches could give you feedback on how you were living your life for Christ?  Wow! If you were given reflections of each step, what did these steps look like? What about when I rise? What are some of the first things I do?  Do I put on God’s Armor? Ephesians 6:10-18 Do I praise God or thank Him for His grace? Ephesians 1:6   Do I submit the day to Him? James 4:7 As I take each step how is my day filled? What are my actions, words, thoughts? How do you end your day? Do I have a thankful, grateful heart?  1 Thessalonians 5:18 Now just think, that is one day. Add a week, a month, a year.  How has God changed your life?  Paul convicts, challenges, and encourages me to make my walk with God progressive and more Christ centered each day.

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

God provides us with all the instructions we need.  His living word gives us an example of how to live. Think of how Paul instructs timothy in 1 Timothy 4  Now as I sit in Brooklyn with our own Spread Truth Ministries or at home in Bloomington-Normal  it can be easy to allow my earthly desires and cultural influences to flood our minds.  But here or at home I know we need to always read, apply, and pray to do my best to follow and listen. Jeremiah 33:3

Now as we walk through our lives no matter where we are at, I pray that we just live and show the simple act of love. Love on all people daily. Follow God’s instructions to lead.

1 Thessalonians 4:2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

What we do and don’t do every step matters.  I pray that as we walk this journey together each step is closer to God.  It’s not always the number of steps, but what you do in those steps.  Let’s walk together closer to God each day!

Faith and Affliction

Today’s Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3

“For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.” 1 Thessalonians 3:4-5

 I’m on my way to an electronic free vacation for 8 wonderful days. As I type the cell signal is waning and I’m aware that we’ll be cut off from the world in the Boundary Waters between Minnesota and Canada. We take this trip every year with our children and my parents and it’s always a beautiful time to deepen our relationship and truly be present with one another.  When I read 1 Thessalonians 3 today, I really connected with the Thessalonian people. There were no cell phones or face time for them to connect with Paul to seek counsel or encouragement.  Instead there was simply distance. Silence. As I head up north I’m aware that I’ll have the opportunity to experience that distance and silence in the next week. We’ve had some really difficult life circumstances leading up to this trip. We’ve had those moments of “why us, God” in fact the phrase we’ve heard most often lately is, “you guys just can’t catch a break can you!” But here is, right here from Christ’s apostle Paul: we kept telling you…we were to suffer affliction…and it has come to pass.  Sometimes, I think as Christian’s we have the attitude that we are not meant to suffer since we are His chosen ones. When things get dark in our lives, it’s easy to come undone and focus on the unfairness of it all. But Paul tells us here in verse 5 that it’s our tempter that encourages us to doubt God’s sovereignty in these moments.

This short chapter from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is a powerful reminder to us that our Father is all powerful, all knowing and loves us unconditionally. We can show Him our commitment and obedience to Him by honoring Him and trusting in Him in our darkest times. It’s not an easy task. But just as Paul rejoiced in the good news that Timothy brought, so will our Father rejoice in our unwavering faith. As I sit by the water and breathe in His stillness, I’ll pray for you and your dark hours. I’ll pray for all of you that your endurance in your faith and commitment to Him will stay strong even in the hardest times. I’m grateful to this community for giving me an opportunity to write so that I too may be strengthened by the knowledge that our faith multiplies when we are together and encouraging one another in our Christian journey.

Peace and love to you readers

Living From Abundance

1 Thessalonians 2

Most of us go through life working hard, trying to get ahead.  We all define “getting ahead” differently.  Some strive for money, others look for more time, we even throw family into the mix.  We think that having more of this one thing will give us the life we dream of.  We think it will bring us abundance.  Sadly, it never comes.  In fact, the harder we chase it, the more elusive it becomes.  For example, our toil for more money never reaches abundance.  John D. Rockefeller confirmed it.  When asked, “how much is enough?”  He replied, “just one dollar more.”   The Apostle Paul, however, knew better.   Simply said, Paul worked out of his abundance, not for abundance.

In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul tells us how he works from abundance.  To start, he reminds us of his terrible sufferings and mistreatment.  How can that be abundance?  Obviously, Paul’s definition of abundance did not look like ours.  His definition sounds more like righteousness.  Now before you check out because you are not righteous, consider this.  Paul references the righteousness of Abraham in Romans 4:21.  He says that Abraham was granted it by having “no unbelief to make him waiver concerning the promise of God” and that he was “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.”  The result was righteousness.  Paul shared in God’s righteousness as well.  This righteousness is exactly what allows him to live abundantly in any situation.

When we are fully convinced, like Abraham and Paul that God is able to do everything he promises, we too will be able to live from abundance.  In fact, Jesus promises it specifically in John 10:10.  Like Paul, when we live in abundance, no adversity, no pain, no suffering or mistreatment will ever discourage or destroys us.

 

Imitators

Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 1.

Our small group leader and Bible Journal writer, David LaFrance, is currently leading our group through the “Life As We Know It” booklet published by Spread Truth Ministries. The booklet is an exercise where each person writes about their beginning, obstacles, hope, and future. It’s really neat to hear each person’s story and how their story fits into God’s story. One of the things that stuck out to me in writing my personal story was the impact others have had on my life, especially my family and older mentors in the beginning stage.

A few years ago, I read The Resolution for Men which I really feel is a must read for all men (there is also a version for women). One topic the book discussed was that many of us many come from a background where our parents and family have a generational history of addiction, abuse, shunning God or other bad habits, but it just takes one person to be a “chain breaker” to set future generations on the right path to follow God and his will for our lives. Someone must step up. Paul discusses in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 how the Thessalonians became “imitators.” Who is a “chain breaker” or another mentor who’s impacted you that your should give thanks to God for as Paul does in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3?

As I reflect on this question, I’m extremely grateful for both of my grandfathers who were “chain breakers.” My grandfather on my mom’s side was one of six kids. His dad left him and his siblings at a young age and to our knowledge they did not attend church growing up. He became one of the kindest, gentlest men I’ve ever known and was an amazing father and husband. He established a foundation in his family rooted in faith and the Word who would attend church not once, but three times per week. As a side note, I’ve always wondered and would like to thank the person who invited him to church or asked him if he had a relationship with Jesus. My grandfather on my Dad’s side had a father who was only really present in the physical form. He was abusive and left my grandfather to work for even his basic needs as a young boy after my great grandmother passed, despite having the financial resources. My grandfather essentially raised himself, obtained his degree, and was a great husband and father who raised my dad and uncle in a Christian household. Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention my grandmothers who deserve a lot of credit for not only helping them get on the right path, but who were also strong in faith and a spiritual rock for their spouses and my parents growing up. Behind every great man is a great woman.

Because of their choices to be great husbands, fathers, wives, and mothers rooted in a foundation of faith in God, my mom and dad chose to follow their example and do the same for my brother and me. For that, I’m extremely grateful to them and our parents. I pray that my niece and nephews and Shannon and my children will stay close to God and continue this relationship with Jesus in their lives and their kids’ lives impacting generations to come.

Let us only thank those who have helped us, but let us not forget that there will be “imitators” of us which Paul mentions in 1 Thessalonians 1:6. These “imitators” may not only be our family as I have discussed, but also could be neighbors, co-workers, or others we mentor by design or default. We must ask ourselves if we are being a good example in our daily lives, and are we inviting them to have a relationship with Jesus? It will not only impact their lives, but also the lives of their friends and family for generations to come!

“For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere…..” 1 Thessalonians 1:8

Stand firm in your faith

We have the opportunity to hear from Paul again in 1 Thessalonians. As we have been reading along, it amazes me as to how many different audiences, followers and non-believers Paul tried to touch in his preaching and his writings. A few posts ago, I wrote about how meek Paul was in person yet Bold in his writings. We have another chance to see Paul in action. Here, he is on his second missionary journey and faced opposition right away from Jews and Gentiles, yet still managed to teach the young people to stand firm in their faith.

As background, Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia. Thessalonica was a seaport along a trade route between Rome and Asia Minor. A wide variety of religions and cultures existed and the believers were struggling to survive under the pressures of others in the community, including stoning and other forms of torture. These young believers were taught by Paul to be tough, to stand firm in their faith. This introduction does not sound that much different than living in today’s world. People are persecuted for their beliefs and yet they stand firm. We are all standing firm in our faith, living through many different and difficult circumstances.

As we begin to read 1 Thessalonians, we see Paul’s message being one of encouragement, comfort and strength for the church. Paul wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He props up his group, reminding them of the second coming of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

As we read on, Paul left earlier than planned due to the duress of being there. Eventually, he could stand it no long and sent Timothy back to check in and to continue bolstering the believers. While no apostle or leader was present, the believers bonded together and kept their faith. They were one in community of Christ. Paul went on to encourage them to continue their grow in their faith through his letters. He also presented them with something to look forward to in the future: the second coming of Christ.

I look forward to reading these messages as this book already appears to relevant to us every day.

 

 

 

Watchful & Thankful

I’m not sure why, but when I was younger, I was in the (admittedly awesome) habit of praying one verse before I went anywhere or hung out with anyone. Big or small – an event or a trip to the grocery store – I, for some reason, would always remind myself to pray the verse, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer,” beforehand (Psalm 19:4). I can’t help but be reminded of that verse and that habit when I read Colossians 4. Colossians 4:2-6 says,

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

What my junior high heart probably didn’t quite realize when I would pray that verse was that I was asking for God’s help to make Colossians 4:5-6 come true in my life that day. As a follower of Jesus, I deeply desire to make the most out of every opportunity I have in this life and to glorify God with each opportunity. I want to be known as someone who lifts others up in conversation and someone who is known for her gracious words. I might not pray for that as often as I used to or as often as I should, but I so deeply want those things for my life.

Yet, so often, my conversation is NOT full of grace and I let opportunities slip through the cracks. I fall short because I am a broken human being, and I know that I will continue to mess up. You likely know this about yourself, too.

Thank goodness, we serve a God who is infinitely more gracious towards us than we often are to ourselves. Whereas I tend to beat myself up for the ways that I fail, my God sees me through the lens of Jesus and He just asks me to come to Him and ask for help… and Colossians 4:2 tells us how. That verse says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” That’s it. No “try harder” or “work more” or even a simply “be better” is found in those verses. Just an encouragement to PRAYER. I love that. Prayer truly can allow us to watch for those opportunities and remind us to watch our tongues, and no amount of our striving or our effort can match the power of devoted prayer.

Today, I want to encourage you to start your day with some prayer time and ask God to help you as you go about your day. I’ll be praying Psalm 19:14 over my conversations and interactions today, along with those first few verses of Colossians 4. Perhaps you’ll do the same.

Heaven

Today’s reading is Col 3

I need to start this post with a little window into my world today as I borrow my daughter’s laptop to write. My family was on a 10 day trip out of the country last week. It was a fabulous trip, but about halfway through the trip, my mom texted that my almost 97 year old grandma had gone to heaven early that morning. While I had been asking God to take her for over a month  because her mind and body were failing so much that she was unable to enjoy any of the things that she had loved in her life, the news that that she was gone was so hard to hear. My gram was one of the most faithful prayers I have ever known and she was one of the most interested visitors you could ever have a conversation with. She loved to find out about you, what you were interested in and what your hopes and dreams were. Then she would trap that information and pray faithfully accordingly. I will miss that faithful prayer coverage in my and my families lives.

Before we left on our trip, we learned that my dad’s only sister in law, had gotten the news that she was full of an aggressive lung cancer and maybe had weeks to live. We were back and forth trying to decide whether we make the 7 hour trip up to see her before we go or if there would be time to see her when we got back. We are currently in the car heading up to Michigan to spend a few days with my Aunt, and say goodbye.

My heart is heavy and feels broken as I try to tackle this post. I’m having a hard time thinking about anything besides my pain. I open my Bible to Col 3 and the first 4 verses are:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

While I know there is a much broader meaning in these verses for all of us, this few sentences feels deeply personal to me. It seems as though God is speaking directly to me and my situation. “Tracy, instead of dwelling on your losses and pain, set your sights on the realities of heaven. Think about the things of heaven, not this earth.” I have been comforted since Gram died knowing that she is whole today in heaven. Her mind is back to full function and her body is able to work, run, laugh and visit again. All the things she loved to do on this earth but lost the capacity to do, she is able to do now. The part that is  even more beautiful than being whole after a long time of decline on this earth, is that she is with Jesus. She doesn’t have to bow her head and pray to connect with God, she is WITH Him! She is able to lift her lovely soprano voice in praise to Him right in front of Him. Really, can you imagine? When I think through these things, my heart turns from pain and loss to joy and hope.

I am so thankful for this beautiful gift of scripture today. While these first few verses fill my heart and redirect my thoughts, there is so much more to consider in the rest of this passage. Paul directs us to consider how we continue to live on this earth with our hearts and minds set on heaven. What does that look like? Paul gives us a few direct lists of what we should be doing and what we shouldn’t be doing to help keep our hearts focused on heaven. He says to put to death the earthly things that are lurking within us. If I am serious about changing the way I think and the things that motivate me, what will I do to help myself? Would it be worth taking 10 minutes today to get out a piece of paper and write out the two lists of instructions that Paul gives us? Make a list of the Do’s and Don’ts. Sometimes writing  things on paper, helps embed them in my mind. Tuck the list somewhere  in your house where it will surface again. I know that by the time my list shows up again, I will need the reminder of this list to continue reorienting my mind to heaven instead of the stuff of this earth.  

Colossians 2

Last night, I was cleaning out some old books and journals, and I came across a prayer journal that I had purchased but never really used. I had thought it would “work” for me – I even filled out a few pages – but it just didn’t. Nonetheless, I saved it, thinking that of course I would use it “someday”. Well, someday came and went, and I haven’t used it. But as I flipped through the pages last evening, I noticed a section I had missed before. For each month, the author had put together a list of daily prayer points. And for one month, the list was based on the book of Colossians. The list is titled “Seeing the Lord: Personal Prayers From Colossians”.* Several of the prayers are based on Colossians 2, our text for today.

I read through those prayers quietly, and I remembered all over again why Colossians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I love how the Lord led me to hose prayers last night, as He knew that I would be writing this devotion today. The prayer that resonated with me the most on this list is based on Colossians 2:7. The prayer reads, “Cause me to be firmly established in You, with a heart of gratitude.” This seems to be a central verse in this chapter. Paul begins by stating that he desperately desires that the followers of Christ would be strengthened in their faith. He says “I want you to know how much I am struggling for you…” (Colossians 2:1). Paul continues, explaining why he wants their faith to be strong. He knows that when our faith is strong, our “hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love” with the “full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.” (Colossians 2:2-3) With the strengthening of faith comes encouragement, love, understanding and knowledge. What an amazing gift!

Paul also knows that our strengthened faith enables us to stand firm when we are faced with the temptations of the world. Clearly, worldly temptations existed when Paul lived, just as they do today, and Paul knew how difficult it can be to discern truth from falsehood. Paul says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition…and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8) When our faith is rooted firmly in Christ, we can discern God’s voice from among the other voices clamoring for our attention. When we are strong in our faith, we can stand strong in our world. We will stand firm for what Christ stands for.

My prayer for us this week is this: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

May we be both rooted and thankful today.

* “Personal Prayers From Colossians” by Terry Gooding