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I Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Part 3

I Thessalonians 2:9 – For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

We now continue with our study of chapter two. In his letter to the Thessalonian believers, Paul defends his ministry, so they will stay faithful to the gospel they have received. He is forced to do so because the unbelieving Jews have been spreading vicious rumors about him in an attempt to discredit him. The Jews were jealous because people were turning from the Law to the new covenant of grace through Jesus Christ. The Jews believed that if they could discredit Paul, it would discredit his message as well, and they could destroy the church.

This verse confirms what Paul had mentioned earlier – despite what the Jewish leaders were saying about him, he was NOT making himself rich at the expense of the Thessalonians.

When God set up the systems associated with the tabernacle, he mandated that the priests would receive basic support from the temple offerings. For example, when an Israelite brought a peace offering to the temple, the priest specifically received the right thigh:

Leviticus 7:33 – Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion.

The priests were also permitted to eat the bread of presence once it was removed from the table of showbread (I Samuel 21:1-6, Mark 2:23-26). This rule was in effect until the temple was destroyed in 71 AD.

This was standard practice for the church as well; Paul teaches that every church should provide its ministers with some basic support – food and other necessities:

I Corinthians 9:13-14 – Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

(See I Corinthians 9:1-14 for fuller details). The fact is, Paul and his companions were entitled to expect some sort of support or compensation from every church they ministered to and/or planted.

Yet, there were several instances (Corinth, Ephesus and Thessalonica) where Paul did not exercise his right to these benefits. In these particular cities, Holy Spirit prompted him to earn his own livelihood and refrain from having the church pay any of his expenses.

Reading between the lines, we can surmise that Paul earned his own living and paid all of his own expenses so that the unbelieving Jews had no basis for accusation against him. Thus, we see that Paul was willing to take on the burden of manual labor (tent making – Acts 18:3), in order to avoid any hindrance to the gospel message.

In his letter to the church, he reminds the Thessalonians that he and his companions ‘labored and toiled’ both ‘night and day’.

‘Labored and toiled’ – Labor is physical servile work which is difficult or fatiguing; work that is done under conditions which make it especially hard or wearisome. We often refer to this as manual labor. ‘Toil’ on the other hand, refers to working for a long duration of time which results in weariness, pain and fatigue of both mind and body.

‘Night and day’ – Paul and his companions were constantly working to support themselves. When they were not preaching the gospel, praying, disputing with the Jews or teaching/encouraging the new believers, they were working. We might say they worked both first and second shifts, picking up as many hours as they could.

Now stop and think about this situation for a moment: Paul is mentally exerting himself each day by not only preaching and teaching, but by confronting the Jewish religious leaders who opposed him at all times. He was constantly using the Old Testament scriptures to reason and prove that Jesus was the Messiah, but they wouldn’t listen. How frustrating would that have been?

Meanwhile, he was acutely aware that at any time the Jews may decide to stir up the crowds and attempt to have him killed during a riot, arrested and whipped by the authorities or bodily removed from Thessalonica. That is a lot of mental stress.

In addition, he was working what we would refer to as a full time job – he was exerting himself in physical labor so that he would not be a financial burden to the Thessalonian church as a whole, or to any single believer.

This was a truly incredible burden to assume for any length of time. Paul must have been depending on Holy Spirit to help him stand up under that kind of pressure.

These actions prove that Paul did everything in his power to remove any obstacle that would keep people from accepting the gospel:

II Corinthians 6:3-5 – We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger…

As we discussed in our introduction to this book, Paul preached in the synagogue for three weeks and then began to share the gospel with the Gentiles. He ministered among them for some time, eventually founding a church in that city. Indeed, it appears to have been the steady growth of the church that led the Jews to stir up a riot against him and have him cast out of the city.

The bottom line is that Paul diligently kept up this excruciating schedule for a very long time. He was willing to pay any price in order to share the gospel message. Paul, Silas and Timothy were all very familiar with the concept of self-sacrifice for the spiritual good of others.

I Thessalonians 2:10 – You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.

As a defense against the lies of the Jews, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they themselves were witnesses of his conduct while he was among them. They could testify to the fact that his actions were holy, righteous and blameless.

Holy – Paul practiced what he preached; although not perfect, he did all he could to remove sin from his life. To the best of his ability, he conformed to the revealed will of God.

Righteous – Paul did no wrong to anyone at Thessalonica. He was righteous in his relationships with individuals, with the church as a whole, with his companions and most importantly, with God.

Blameless – When Paul describes his conduct as being blameless, he is not saying he was perfect. He is referring to the fact that he was faithful to carry out all of his duties to both God and man.

Let’s stop and consider ourselves for a moment. Every Christian should be able to describe their lives as holy, righteous and blameless. What about you? Are there areas of your life that need to be changed?

Paul’s heart was free of the impurity and filthiness which polluted the lives of false teachers. This righteousness was reflected in his conduct among them. So, Paul once again calls upon the people of the church to affirm his integrity, based on their own experience/knowledge of him and his actions.

And in full confidence, he also appeals to an even greater witness – God himself, who discerns the thoughts and intents of every heart (Hebrews 4:12).

I Thessalonians 2:11-12 – For you know how, like a father with his children we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

By the time a person becomes a parent, they have seen and experienced a lot of the world. Thus, they are able to guide their children with authority, wisdom, experience and knowledge. Paul spiritually guides the Thessalonian believers in the same way.
In our last post, Paul compared himself to a nursing mother whose tender compassion and protection for her children knows no bounds. This was appropriate for new believers in Christ who were fed with the milk of the word (I Corinthians 3:2).

Now, as the believers are maturing in their faith, he comes to them with the authority of a loving father. Just as a good earthly father takes a close interest in the development and welfare of his natural children, Paul took a close interest in the spiritual development and welfare of the Thessalonian believers.

He exercised true paternal care and diligence in instructing and exhorting them in the whole truth of the gospel. Specifically, he did not shy away from discussing the more difficult commands and responsibilities involved in being a Christian. Paul made it clear that while God is love (as clearly demonstrated by the sacrifice of his Son), he is still a holy God who requires faith, love, holiness and obedience in his children.

Sadly, there are some churches today who adhere to a diluted gospel sometimes referred to as ‘sloppy grace’ – they have little concern for sin, obedience and personal holiness. They believe it’s unnecessary to live disciplined lives because forgiveness is free and unlimited.

This is a twisted and false view of the gospel. There is a cost to discipleship. Throughout both Old and New Testaments, God’s people are instructed to be diligent in righteousness, to circumcise sin from their lives and to fully obey God’s commands.

Jesus’ interaction with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) is a good example of this. It is true that Jesus showed love and compassion to the woman. By squatting down and writing in the dirt, he created a situation in which the religious leaders recognized their own guilt. Because of this they essentially ‘dropped the charges’ against her by walking away. However, that is not the end of the story.

After this demonstration of love, Jesus very specifically commands her to stop sinning:

John 8:11 - …And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

True love is not allowing your children to do anything they want without limits. Loving and wise parents set limits, expectations and boundaries for their kids. They make it clear that obedience is expected and the child’s actions (both good and bad) will have consequences.

God, our wise, holy and loving heavenly Father, also sets limits, expectations and boundaries for his children. God understands that we are not perfect, but he still requires us to do our best to obey his clear rules and commands.

These expectations/commands of God were faithfully relayed to the Thessalonian believers through Paul. He did this with a spirit of tenderness and love, because he considered himself their spiritual father.

And truthfully, the commands of God are not burdensome; they set you free rather than putting you in bondage (Matthew 11:28-30). The true Christian always has a desire to obey God’s commands, because we love him.

John 14:23 – Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

In addition to sound teaching, Paul and his team spent a lot of time and effort encouraging/urging the believers to walk in a manner that would please the Lord.

No doubt, they needed this encouragement. Not only were they dealing with the trials and temptations of daily life, they faced additional conflicts because of the intense opposition of the Jews to the church.

In partnership with Holy Spirit, Paul ‘parented’ the church in such a way that the believers would be mature enough, capable enough and knowledgeable enough to conduct their lives in a way that is pleasing to God (Ephesians 4:1). Paul is still ‘parenting’ believers today!

When a Christian obeys God’s commands, lives a life of purity/holiness, and directs his/her life in a manner that is pleasing to God, they reflect the glory of God. This reflection will be seen by sinners. It will act like a magnet, drawing the lost to Christ.

John 12:32 – And I [Jesus], when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Here is an interesting thought: There is no real reason to assume that this will change in eternity. As the bride of Christ, it is not far-fetched to assume that other created beings/worlds will see and know us. They will undoubtedly hear the story of our salvation and rejoice in what God has done. If this is true, then we will be an everlasting reflection of the incomprehensible love and glory of God!

God further displayed his incredible love towards the Thessalonian believers (and us) by calling them into his own kingdom and glory. It is astonishing to think that a perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing Holy God would not only save sinners, but that he would actually invite us into his kingdom of righteousness and peace as his own sons and daughters!

It’s even more stunning to think that this privilege was prepared for us from the foundation of the world as a gift - free for us, but at the cost of God’s only Son. What greater honor could have been given to us, than to be children of God?

Because God has called us out of darkness and into the glorious light of his Son, how can we live our lives in any other manner than that which is pleasing to him and which brings him glory and honor??

I Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you might proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Any glory we have in this world is temporary and practically worthless because it will soon pass away. But the glory of God is bright and eternal; it never fades or ends. It is well worth pursuing!

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Throughout the New Testament we find that Paul was always ready to defend his faith. He knew enough about the scriptures to give a sound answer to the questions of those under his spiritual guidance as well as unbelievers outside the faith.

Are you and I ready to defend our faith? If we were in conflict with an unbeliever, could we patiently, clearly (and in love) give an account of what we believe? Could we back up our statements with scripture and if so, do we know the reference for those scriptures?

Have we systematically studied the scriptures in such a way that we are ready to disciple new believers who were not raised in church and know literally nothing about the bible?

Not everyone will be called upon to constantly defend the faith like Paul was. Nevertheless, we should all be ready to give an account of our faith to those who ask. Are you ready?

Let me offer you some relief and strength:

Paul and his companions were carrying some pretty heavy burdens. They were witnessing to the lost, establishing and discipling the church, confronting the Jews and working full time jobs!

Obviously, they were able to do all of this for an extended period of time, because God had called them to do it.

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Likewise, Holy Spirit will assist us too. He will provide wisdom, strength, resources, partners and anything else we need to complete the tasks God has set before us.

Here is something else to keep in mind: We have no indication that Paul and his team were constantly complaining about their burdens.

Can we say the same thing? For many of us, complaining is a bad habit. We complain about what we don’t have, rather than being thankful for what we do have. We always think that someone else has an easier life or more money or more benefits than we do, when in reality they might be under more burdens that we are.

Remember, we are kings and priests in the kingdom of heaven, called to reflect the glory of God. Considering our position, what grounds to we have to complain about anything? Complaining is an insult to our Father and a detriment to his glory.

What sinner would want to know God if they heard us complaining about his treatment of us or his unfairness?

If you are in the habit of complaining, it’s time to stop!

I Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Part 2

I Thessalonians 2:2 – But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

Our study of chapter two focuses on the ‘defense’ of Paul. In other words, Paul and his companions have been unjustly accused and attacked for spreading the gospel. In verse one, we found that the unbelieving Jews had accused them of being imposters or false teachers.

After refuting those claims with facts, Paul now goes on to say that he and his team were bold enough to share the true gospel, despite the way they were treated at Philippi.

If you are unfamiliar with that narrative, you can read the full account in Acts chapter 16, but here are the basics:

Holy Spirit led Paul, Silas and Timothy to the city of Philippi, where they joined a prayer group that met outside the city, because there was no synagogue in that place.

At some point as Paul was going to that place for prayer meeting, a slave girl came across his path. She was possessed by a demonic spirit, and her owners grew rich by using her as a fortune teller. Apparently this girl constantly followed Paul around the city, crying out that Paul and his companions were ‘servants of God who proclaimed the way to salvation’.

Eventually, after a few days of that, Paul became annoyed and he cast the demon out of the girl. When that happened, she lost the ability to tell the future, so she could no longer make money for her masters. Enraged, the owners grabbed Paul and Silas and brought them to the police/magistrates.

They basically accused Paul and Silas of disturbing the peace and urging people to adopt ‘unlawful customs’. The charges were flimsy at best, but Paul and Silas were stripped, severely beaten/whipped (which was unlawful to do to Roman citizens), cast into the innermost cell of the prison and bound with stocks. All this was done without a trial.

As you may recall, Paul and Silas spent the night singing praises to God and around midnight there was an earthquake which shook the prison and set them free. That night, the jailer and his family came to Christ. He took Paul and Silas home with him, treated their wounds and fed them.

In the morning, the city officials sent word that Paul and Silas were free to go, but Paul was not going to accept a quiet, behind-the-scenes release. Since they were Roman citizens, publicly reviled, whipped and treated as criminals, Paul insisted that they received a public apology and a personal escort out of the city.

Acts 16:37 – But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.”

So, it was no secret that Paul and his companions were shamefully and unfairly treated by the officials at Philippi. They suffered physical and mental abuse as well as having their reputations publicly smeared. The good news is that through their ministry, a Christian church was established in that city (probably in the house of Lydia).

This, however, was one more proof that they were genuine servants of God. If they were false teachers who were looking for recognition or dishonest gain, they would have given up or gone to a city far away from Macedonia.

After all, there was no guarantee that Paul and his team would be treated any better at Thessalonica than they were at Philippi, but they still went anyway, and proclaimed the gospel message with boldness.

Notice that in this verse Paul refers to the word as the Gospel of God. He does this in order to differentiate salvation in Christ from the works of the law and from all religions invented by man (the message of false teachers).

The true gospel came from the wisdom and grace of God, was made possible by the sacrifice of his Son, and was proclaimed by the power of his Spirit. It was a complete gospel which included election, redemption, justification, pardon, adoption, regeneration, glorification and eternal life.

It was a divine message delivered straight from God to the people of Thessalonica. Because God was its author and because the message was of vital importance, Paul and his companions were willing to risk further harm and injury in order to proclaim it. Only a true messenger of God would do such a thing.

In fact, as the team ministered in Thessalonica, they probably still bore traces of the wounds they suffered from the Philippians.

And, as the scripture shows, their preaching did indeed result in further conflict, contention, litigation, anger and debate in the city of Thessalonica (Acts 17:5-9).

I Thessalonians 2:3 – For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,

In their boldness, Paul, Silas and Timothy must have powerfully exhorted/encouraged the citizens of Thessalonica to embrace the life-giving gospel.

Paul provides three reasons why the Thessalonians can continue to have the utmost faith in the gospel they received:

One: It did not come to them in error. In other words, there was no false doctrine or doctrines of man mixed in with the gospel message. The Thessalonians had received the pure, undiluted, uncompromised new covenant of grace through Jesus Christ. They were never tricked into believing a lie.

Two: The gospel did not come to them with unclean or impure motives. Paul and his companions had no earthly motivation to give them the gospel. They were not going to receive any awards from mankind, they were not going to make any money and they were not going to earn any favors from those in places of authority (the opposite was probably true – they were hated by those in civil authority because their message often produced an uproar).

Paul and his companions were not trying to gain a following and run for political office. They were not going to become famous and write best-selling books. They had no worldly reason or motive to spread the gospel.

In fact, as we just noted, by spreading the gospel, they were putting themselves at further risk of beating or imprisonment.

Three: The gospel was not given to the Thessalonians in an attempt to deceive them. There was nothing fraudulent or malicious in the gospel they presented. They had been presented with a firm, unshakable foundation for their faith.

I Corinthians 3:11 – For no other foundation can a man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

While Paul made strong arguments that he and his companions were true messengers of God, the Christians of Thessalonica did not have to rely on his word alone. The final and ultimate proof/confirmation came from God himself.

Romans 8:16 – The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

Despite the smooth lies of the unrepentant Jews, the Thessalonians knew in their heart of hearts that they had received salvation, as confirmed by Holy Spirit.

I Thessalonians 2:4 - …but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

As if the changes in the lives of the Thessalonian believers were not enough, Paul goes one step further in the defense of himself and his companions – he appeals to God himself as the author of his apostleship.

God, who knows the hearts of all people, trusted Paul enough to put him in the office of an apostle. From eternity past, God had chosen/appointed Paul, Silas and Timothy to this work. He equipped them with the gifts they would need, and at his divinely appointed time he opened the door for their ministry.

Acts 9:15 – But the Lord said to him [Ananias], “Go, for he [Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”

God also confirmed their message with signs and wonders.

Paul is in awe of the way God was using him. He obviously recognized that the gospel was a rich treasure of immeasurable worth; to be trusted with the spread of the gospel was the highest honor God could have awarded him. With this in mind, he was always faithful to the commission God had given him.

In light of what God had called him to do, Paul was NEVER going to deliver anything but the pure gospel message. He added nothing and took nothing away; he never softened or altered the message to make it more agreeable to sinners. Paul had no desire to gain the favor or honor of men, to escape persecution (if needed) or to obtain a worldly reward by preaching a tainted gospel that would appeal to the masses.

Paul answered to one voice alone – that of God, who appointed him to his office and who ‘tests the hearts’ of every man.

Paul, like all true ministers of the gospel, knew that he answered to God alone. Our omniscient (all knowing) God has the ability to look into the heart of every person and discern their true intensions and motivations. Nothing can be hidden from him – he can search the deepest most secret places of our hearts and minds. He sees through any wall or façade that we present to the world.

So again we see that Paul defends himself and the gospel by pointing out that they have a divine ‘seal of approval’.

I Thessalonians 2:5 – For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is witness.

Flattery is one of the principle tools of false teachers. Even in today’s society we find false teachers/ministers who care nothing for the souls of people. They are charlatans who make empty promises and teach false doctrines in order to become rich. This is sometimes known as ‘fleecing the flock’.

(God had a lot to say about this type of behavior in the book of Zechariah. In case you haven’t yet read our study of that book, let me just say that God not only condemned their behavior, he has vowed to bring judgment upon these deceitful wolves.)

Because Paul is addressing the issue of false gain in his letter, we can assume that the unbelieving Jews have falsely accused him of preaching lies in order to line his own pockets.

However, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he never gained an audience with them by flattery or praise for their accomplishments (beauty, wealth, talent, etc). He never used false pretenses in order to trick them in some manner or gain something from them.

In fact, he did the opposite. As we will see later in this chapter, Paul and his companions worked secular jobs in order to meet their own needs/pay their own way. They did not ask the Thessalonian church for money or earthly support of any kind.

Furthermore, Paul did not hesitate to declare the truth of the gospel which was sometimes painful and difficult to accept. He gave them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, which was proof of his integrity. As God was witness, Paul had been honest and faithful to the Thessalonians in every way, warning them of the eternal danger they were in, and offering them new life in Christ.

I Thessalonians 2:6-7 – Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.

To ‘seek glory’ means to be haughty and presumptuous; to seek a position of leadership or authority over people based on fame or vain glory/pomp. In our day, it would be similar to an actor or actress using their fame to get preferential treatment.

As a chosen apostle of God, Paul actually had the right to a higher degree of respect, dignity, leadership and authority than ordinary people, but he never demanded it. instead, he presented himself ‘gently’ among the Thessalonian church.

The root word for ‘gently’ (your translation may say ‘we might have been burdensome’) means anything that is weighty, burdensome or oppressive. This statement has a dual meaning.

First, it refers to material support. Since Paul was a minister sent directly from God for their salvation, it would have been appropriate for the Thessalonians to take up offerings to pay for their expenses. However, Paul and his team did not demand this benefit. Instead, they worked manual labor jobs and supported themselves.

Second, it refers to a level of authority which demands complete obedience. Paul and his team were ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as such they were in a position to command respect, reverence and a degree of authority. From this position of power, they could have made rigorous demands of the church. But again, Paul did not do that.

He presented them with the gospel, he encouraged them, strengthened them, and corrected them in love. He watched over them tenderly like a nursing mother watches over her child. In other words, Paul and his team ministered to the Thessalonians in a modest and unassuming manner. Their ultimate goal was clearly the spiritual good of the believers; they put their own needs on the back burner in order to do the most good for the church.

This analogy makes sense, because Paul and his team were spiritual parents to these people:

They travailed with the Thessalonians until they were born into the kingdom of heaven.
They fed them with the milk of the word until they grew and matured in the faith.
They did everything in their power build them up and give them every advantage in the spiritual realm.
If necessary, Paul and his companions were ready to die for their spiritual sake, just as a mother would sacrifice herself for her child.

Clearly, this was not the conduct of false teachers or men who were looking for personal gain and fame.

I Thessalonians 2:8 – So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

The term ‘affectionately desirous’ goes back to the analogy of a mother – just as a mother yearns for her children when they are separated from her, so Paul yearned for the Thessalonian believers.

As discussed above, God’s ministers took the utmost delight in working among the church; they freely and fully labored for the spiritual good of them, without every taking an advantage for themselves.

In fact, as a loving parent, they were ready to ‘share’ their own selves or in other words, they were willing to suffer and even die so that the gospel might come to full fruition in the lives of the Thessalonians. There is no higher expression of love than to lay down one’s own life for someone else.

John 15:13 – Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Of course, Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of this principle!

John 10:17-18 – Therefore does my [Jesus] Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again. This command I received of my Father.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Today’s post mentions the boldness of Paul and his companions in the preaching of the word, in spite of the very real possibility of physical, mental and social persecution. Their boldness was not just foolish daring; it was a spiritual boldness that came from Holy Spirit.

Christians in the early church prayed for boldness to declare the gospel:

Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness they may speak your word,

With that in mind, how can we pray for anything less? When was the last time you prayed for the kind of boldness that disregards pain, suffering and humiliation?

Let me offer you some relief and strength:

In the book of John, Jesus tells us that no man has greater love than to lay down his life for others.

Back in the early days of the church, this was often literal – the apostles and others were beaten, banished and martyred for spreading the gospel.

While that is still true in many parts of the world today, in the United States the odds of being martyred for the sake of the gospel are very low.

Yet, we can still ‘lay down’ our lives for others. Think of it this way – each of us has a finite amount of time on earth. Once you ‘spend’ you time, you never get it back.

Therefore, when we choose to spend time on our knees interceding for another, in a manner of speaking we are laying down our lives for them.

We can also lay down our lives by putting their spiritual welfare over our own desires.

For instance, you may choose to spend your free Saturday evenings hosting a bible study, or preaching on a street corner, or serving meals to the poor instead of going to the movies or reading a book. Or, you may decide to spend a day in fasting and prayer for revival.

Have you made any personal sacrifices this week? How are you laying down your lives for others and/or for the spread of the gospel?

I Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Part 1

I Thessalonians 2:1 – For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain.

Before we begin, I suggest you take five minutes and read the entire second chapter of Thessalonians.

Did you notice that Paul pretty much spends the entire chapter talking about himself and his companions?

Have you ever wondered why Paul did that? Why would he make note of the fact that they (Paul, Silas and Timothy) did not come with flattering words, or that they worked to support themselves, or that they did not claim authority as apostles of Christ, or that they exhibited blameless behavior in front of the Thessalonian church?

Frankly, why do we care? What difference does any of that make? Are there any lessons for us to learn in this portion of scripture, or can we just dismiss it and move on to chapter three?

Well, I believe (and I’m sure you do too) that Holy Spirit had a purpose in preserving this letter for us, so let’s dig in and find the spiritual wisdom and instruction contained in this scripture. Just as a head’s up, the study of chapter two is going to require some critical thinking on your part, so get ready!

One of the keys to understanding this portion of scripture is to remember that we are hearing only one side of the conversation. We must use Paul’s comments to figure out or ‘hear’ the other side of the story.

Let’s begin by looking at the bigger picture being presented in this chapter. What we find is Paul defending himself, his team and the gospel message.

Now ask yourself this question: If Paul is defending himself and the gospel, then what can we safely assume? What must, be default, be true?

Answer: Paul and the gospel had been attacked, slandered or discredited by a person or group of people in Thessalonica.

There are no ancient documents that give us specific details of the internal state of the Thessalonian church (or any of the New Testament churches for that matter), however, by examining the arguments or rebuttals that Paul gives in this chapter, we can read between the lines and discover some of the problems and difficulties that the church of Thessalonica was experiencing.

We can pinpoint some of the issues that were hampering church growth, some of the doctrinal errors that arose, and some of the ways in which Satan attempted to gain a foothold in the church.

For example, in chapter one Paul emphasized the power of the gospel in the lives of the Thessalonian believers. Through Holy Spirit the gospel had the power to open their spiritually blind eyes/deaf ears, and to soften their hardened hearts leading them to salvation in Christ. Subsequently, that same power produced a remarkable change in their daily lives; they were fully engaged in works of faith, labors of love and the spreading of hope. These changes were indisputable.

Reading between the lines we can safely assume that there were members of the Thessalonian church who denied the divine origin of the gospel.

For this reason, Paul gave evidence to defend or support the truth - he reasoned that the gospel did indeed have divine origins, for no plan of man could have produced such heavenly changes in the lives of the church members, especially in the face of opposition.

Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

In other words, the transformation of the Thessalonian believers could only have been accomplished by Holy Spirit, who is the power behind the gospel message. Thus, by showing evidence of the power of Holy Spirit working in their lives, Paul proves that the gospel had divine origins.

Now, let’s look at today’s text. As chapter two opens, Paul is asking the Thessalonian believers to remember what they know about him and his companions. Over the next several verses, he is going to give specific details about the conduct and actions of himself and his team as they ministered to the Thessalonian church.

Reading between the lines, what do you think was going on in the Thessalonian church? Why was it necessary for Paul to remind them of his ministry among them?

Well, we know that the unbelieving Jews had a demonic hatred of the gospel. Not only did they oppose Jesus at every turn, they went so far as to play a pivotal role in his death. After the day of Pentecost, the Jews turned all their hatred upon Christians. They made it their business to persecute, harass and oppose the church at all times.

Although the unbelieving Jews pretended to have great zeal for truth and pure religion, they were really engaged in subverting or overturning the gospel. They used their already established positions of religious expertise and authority to slander and discredit the apostles and other Christian leaders.

The theory is that if they could successfully convince the Thessalonian believers that Paul and his team were false spiritual teachers (imposters), then people would abandon Christianity and the church would fail.

Now we understand why Paul took the time to remind the Thessalonians about the conduct and activities of him and his team – he is offering proof (defense) that they are NOT false religious leaders. They are true spiritual guides sent by the Lord to aid and assist the church. Whatever slander/false rumors had been spread about them were untrue and should be disregarded.

Paul opens his defense by calling the Thessalonians his brothers. As we discussed in chapter one, this was significant because the church was mostly made up of Gentile (Greek) converts. As we already mentioned, by using the term ‘brothers’, Paul gives equal status to both the Jews and Gentiles who were part of the church.

He reminds his brothers and sisters in the faith that his coming to them was ‘not in vain’.

‘Vain’ can be defined as empty or fruitless. Paul may be referring to the pomp and splendor often associated with the arrival of a dignitary or ambassador in town. While his or her arrival may create quite a stir, it will be unlikely to have any real or lasting effect upon the ordinary citizens of the city. Therefore, the coming of the dignitary is essentially pointless.

‘Vain’ can also be defined as false. There is no question that the Jews were portraying Paul as a false teacher – a person who was attempting to deceive people into abandoning the only “true” religion (the Law).

It was not uncommon for false teachers to give stirring speeches about earthly wisdom which pleased or tickled the ears of the hearers. They often spoke deceitful words laced with flattery and guile in order to obtain an advantage over their audience.

Paul, however, was NOT a false teacher, neither was his ministry among the Thessalonians fruitless.

I Corinthians 2:4-5 – And my [Paul] speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

In order to defend himself against the slanderous attacks of the Jews, Paul appeals to the Thessalonian believers themselves. They had ample opportunity to personally interact with him and observe his day-to-day conduct.

They could easily confirm that Paul’s preaching was accompanied by signs and wonders and changed lives. They themselves were witnesses that Paul’s actions (his daily conduct) was in alignment with the doctrines he taught them. He was practicing what he preached!

Based on their own observations, it should be apparent to the Thessalonians that Paul and his team were not imposters who had nothing substantial to offer them. A true examination of their own hearts and consciences would prove that Paul’s message was neither vain nor deceptive. In truth, he brought them a treasure of inestimable value - the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ!

Through the power of Holy Spirit, that gospel had completely transformed their lives. This was ample proof that Paul was not the false teacher the Jews claimed he was; he was leading them into true religion, not away from it.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

The unrepentant Jews spread lies and rumors about Paul and other Christian leaders, in an attempt to discredit them. Their message resulted in serious damage to a lot of people’s lives. It also caused a lot of pain and grief to Paul and others who were preaching the true gospel.

In our day and age, you don’t have to work very hard to discredit someone or to do a lot of damage to their lives. All you have to do is act irresponsibly with social media.

Social media is a part of everyday life for most people in our society. It doesn’t matter if you are poor or rich, old or young, male or female; social media is a universal phenomenon that has permanently altered the ways we think, act and communicate.

Because this is the case, Christians need to be absolutely sure that we are stewarding our social media accounts in a manner that brings glory to the Lord.

Think about the last few things that you posted on social media, whether that was Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tick-tock, X or some other platform.

Did your postings glorify the Lord, encourage people and speak the truth in love? Or did your posts center around complaining, making disparaging remarks about people, sowing discord/disunity and spreading rumors and half-truths?

If an outsider who knew absolutely nothing about you read all the posts you made in the last two weeks, would they conclude that you were a true disciple of Christ or an imposter?

Anytime Paul had a platform to speak, he spoke the truth of the gospel. What are you proclaiming from your platform?

Let me offer you some relief:

How did the Thessalonian believers know that Paul was a true messenger from God and not an imposter? More importantly, how can we be sure we are hearing truth?

Jesus said that you could recognize a false prophet by examining the spiritual and temporal fruits they produce in their lives (Matthew 7:15-20). As the Thessalonians reflected on the life of Paul, they could clearly discern that he was a true man of God, because of the fruit he produced. We can still discern false teachers the same way today.

We can also rely on the voice or witness of Holy Spirit. If we hear something being taught that makes us uneasy in our spirit or in our heart, we need to stop and take it seriously. It may be a warning.

We also have the added benefit of easy access to the Bible. If someone delivers a doctrine or a teaching that does not line up with the word of God, then we can immediately identify it as false.

With these safeguards in place, we shouldn’t have to worry about being led astray by false teachers.

Let me offer you some strength:

Paul established and ministered to the church in Thessalonica. He was their spiritual father and mentor. He delivered the gospel message which completely transformed their lives.

But of course, his ministry was not without hardships and opposition. We should expect nothing less. When we are actively engaged in spreading the gospel and conquering territory for the kingdom of heaven, we too are likely to face some kind of opposition.

When that happens, don’t be discouraged – be happy! It is cause for rejoicing, because God is using you to destroy the works of the devil. No matter what kind of opposition we face, we can be strengthened and encouraged because God is our strength; he is a very present help in the times of trouble.

Psalms 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Remember, the difficulties of this life are temporary. One day we will leave them all behind when the trumpet (shofar) sounds and we join Christ in the heavens!

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 5

I Thessalonians 1:8 – 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, so that we need not say anything,

The believers at Thessalonica held fast to their faith, despite furious opposition from the Jews. Although their salvation was an invisible, inward change, it manifested in their lives through works of faith, labors of love and hope (present and future).

They had received the gospel with much affliction, but their troubles were mitigated by the joy of fellowship with Holy Spirit and the hope of the gospel. Their continued spiritual life and growth made them an example to other believers on a national level.

In fact, Paul says their testimony ‘sounded forth’ to the nation. The word rendered ‘sounded out/forth’ refers to the sounding of a trumpet.

This tells us that their testimony of faith was not something that was quiet/still which went unnoticed. The gospel message they proclaimed was rich, full and vibrant; it had life changing power and it commanded attention, just like a strong trumpet blast.

Let’s take a brief look at the significant role of trumpets in the history of Israel.

There were two main types of trumpets in ancient Israel.

The first type was made of beaten silver. Way back in the day, God commanded Moses to make two trumpets of beaten silver which were used to call the Israelites together when they were about to move camp (Numbers 10:2). Later, silver trumpets were used exclusively by the priests for announcing the approach of certain festivals and in giving signals of war. They were also used during times of praise and worship at the temple.

The second type of trumpet, the Shofar (or Shophar), was made from a ram’s horn (Joshua 6:8). Unlike the silver trumpets used in the temple, these trumpets could be blown by any Jewish male. They were blown before battle, so the Lord would remember his people and fight on their behalf. They were sounded at special festivals and used to herald the arrival of special seasons.

For example, trumpets were used to proclaim the beginning of the civil year, the beginning of the sabbatical year (Leviticus 23:24, Numbers 29:1), and the beginning of the jubilee (Leviticus 25:9-10, II Kings 11:14).

In fact, one of the seven feasts that God commanded Israel to observe each year (see Leviticus chapter 23) was the Feast of Trumpets also called Rosh Hashanah.

Leviticus 23:24 – Speak to the children of Israel saying, “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation.”

Based on this scripture, we must ask ourselves two questions: What was the purpose for blowing the trumpets, and what did the trumpet blasts memorialize or proclaim?

Scripture does not give us a great deal of detail about this feast; however, Jewish tradition provides a wealth of information.

The Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah marks the first day of the Jewish New Year, the first of Tishri. This month would fall from mid-September to mid-October on our calendars.

[Did you know that it is traditional for Jewish families to eat apples dipped in honey on that day? The thought/expectation is that the New Year will be as sweet as the fruit they have just eaten!]

The Jews have several other names for Rosh Hashanah:

Yom Teruah, which means ‘Day of Awakening Blast or Resurrection’
Yom Hadin, which means ‘Day of Judgment’
Yom Zikaron, which means ‘Day of Remembrance’
Yom Hamelech, which means ‘Day of Coronation of the King’

As Christians, it is easy for us to see that all these names point to the second coming of the Messiah. We can conclude that one of the purposes of the Feast of Trumpets is to proclaim or remind God’s people that at the appointed time, he will return to earth to claim his bride (the church) and bring her to heaven.

But wait – there’s more!

According to Michael Norten in his book ‘Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts’, there are four distinct types of trumpet blasts sounded during the Feast of Trumpets:

Tekiah – This consists of one longer blast (a three second sustained note) and signifies an alarm. Tekiah literally means ‘to be struck’ or ‘to stop and pause’. It is a sound associated with the coronation of a king. This trumpet blast calls us to stop and consider or appreciate who God is.

God uses this trumpet blast to get us to focus or ‘lock in’ on him.

Psalms 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Sometimes we are so busy, we squeeze God out of our thoughts. It would be beneficial for us to take some time to stop and meditate/remind ourselves just who God is – He is all powerful, all knowing, omnipresent and immutable (unchanging).

He is the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and end. He is the creator, sustainer and King of the universe. We are his children, and he is our Father. He loves us beyond measure, but like any good Father, he has given us jobs to do, and we need to be about his business.

Remembering who God is helps us in a number of ways:

It builds up our faith so we can claim the promises found in his word.
It causes us to live holier lives here on earth.
It becomes natural to tell others about him.
It reminds us that we have been given gifts which we must steward.
It reminds us that we must be about the Father’s business.

Shevarim – This sound consists of three medium blasts and signifies wailing or sobbing. According to Jewish tradition, it represents a cry of the heart reaching out to God from the depths of the soul. When this blast is heard, one should remember that we stand before God with nothing hidden:

Hebrews 4:13 – And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Shevarim literally means ‘to be broken’ and it signifies a time of repentance and asking for forgiveness.

Teruah – This sound consists of nine quick blasts in short succession (about three seconds). It resembles/represents an alarm clock, arousing one from spiritual slumber. This shofar blast brings clarity, alertness and focus to the hearer.

The Jews say that on Rosh Hashanah, they need to wake up and be honest and objective about their own lives. It is an opportunity to examine who they are, where they’ve been and where they are headed. This makes sense, as Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the Jewish New Year. Even in our day, people ‘take stock’ of their lives at the new year.

The overall thought is that the hearer needs to prepare to receive the king; they need to be alert and active because the king’s arrival is imminent.

Tekiah Hagedolah – This sound consists of a long (as long as you can, but a ten second minimum) and very loud blast. It is the final blast in the series of sounds blown during the Feast of Trumpets (see below).

Tekiah Hagedolah literally means ‘big Tekiah’ and it signifies a call to come forth or arise. This is the trumpet blast which announces the arrival of the king.

Michael Norten goes on to tell us that there is a specific pattern to the ceremonial trumpet blasts that take place during the Feast of Trumpets. This pattern never varies from year to year. The pattern is as follows:

Tekiah, Shevarim, Teruah, Tekiah, Tekiah, Shevarim, Tekiah, Tekiah, Teruah and finally Tekiah Hagedolah.

Now let’s look at some math. Each Tekiah sound consists of one blast. Each Shevarim sound consists of three blasts. Each Teruah sound consists of nine blasts and Tekiah Hagedolah is one long blast. Therefore, the series of these sounds equals 30 distinct blasts of varying length.

During the Feast of Trumpets, the musician will repeat the sequence three times, for a total of 90 blasts. This is followed by a series of 10 blasts which close the service, making the total number of trumpet blasts an even 100.

Question: What do the trumpet blasts memorialize or proclaim?

Answer: They are an abbreviated version of the gospel!

Christians can’t help but notice the mandate to stop and focus on who God is and where we are in our relationship with him. This will inevitably lead us to repentance and recommitment to God and his ways.

The sound of the ‘alarm clock’ certainly reminds us to redeem the time that we have here on earth; we need to prepare for the return of our King! And the final trumpet call reminds us that one day, God will return to gather us up and take us to our heavenly home!

I Thessalonians 4:16 – For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Isn’t that amazing! Our God is so awesome!

Here is something else you might find interesting about the shofar: When the horn is removed from the ram, it is hollowed out. The sound of the blasts can only be produced when wind/air is blown into it.

Each individual Christian can be said to function as a shofar – we are spiritually empty until we are filled with the breath of God.

As Holy Spirit fills us/moves within us we become his voice, spreading the gospel message far and wide, sounding the alarm of repentance and encouraging people to be ready for the coming of the King.

Matthew 10:20 – For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Now let’s circle back to our original text. When Paul writes that the ‘word of the Lord sounded forth’ from the Thessalonian believers, he wasn’t just using random words. This was no meaningless metaphor; there can be no doubt that in his mind’s eye, he was picturing the Jewish Feast of Trumpets.

He was commending the church of Thessalonica for trumpeting the gospel message to a lost and dying world!

I Thessalonians 1:9 - …for they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

‘They themselves’ refers to anyone that Paul spoke to about the Thessalonian church. Those who had anything to say about them confirmed their great piety and faithfulness to Jesus and the gospel. Everyone was fully aware of how the majority of the church members (Gentiles) had forsaken false idols and dedicated themselves to God alone.

Paul reasons that the fruit exhibited by the Thessalonian Christians (their works, their spreading of the gospel, their decision to forsake false/dead idols, etc) is proof that Paul and his companions were sent by God to be their spiritual fathers.

Paul probably felt the need to make this point clear, because many of the unrepentant Jews were accusing Paul and his companions of being anarchists who were intent on subverting the rule of Caesar by ‘turning the world upside down’ (Acts 17:8).

These false accusations were dispelled by the amazing work that Jesus had done among the Thessalonians. After all, how could imposters and deceivers produce the peace, freedom and joy experienced by this church?

I Thessalonians 1:10 - …and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Having forsaken false idols, the true believers in Thessalonica are how serving the Lord and anxiously awaiting the return of Jesus. Paul takes this opportunity to highlight two very basic yet significant gospel truths:

One, the wrath of God is set to fall on the entire human race, for all of us have broken his law. We are deserving of eternal death.

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And two, because of his great mercy, God has made a way of escape through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus.

Jesus willingly set his glory aside to clothe himself in a body of flesh. He came to this earth to fulfill the Law, to show us the Father, and to make atonement for our sin by laying his life down on the cross.

But, hallelujah, he did not stay there! On the third day, God raised him from the dead and now he is at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us. By his blood he has delivered us from the wrath of God which will fall on the wicked in the day of judgment.

All Christians are waiting for the Son to come from heaven. In other words, we expect/await a future state of glory in which our bodies will be resurrected and changed. Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection, and all those who trust in him will also be resurrected to eternal life. (We will examine this concept in depth later in our study of Thessalonians. However, we can’t help but notice that the topic of the resurrection is evident throughout this wonderful book.)

Once he returns to earth to claim us (the church, his bride) we will be taken to dwell with him forever in heaven. These are glorious truths which inspire every Christian to be ready for his return!

Let me offer you some encouragement and some relief:

In today’s post, we took a closer look at how the gospel message was ‘sounded out’ during the Feast of Trumpets.

The four basic trumpet blasts represent a time to stop and consider God (and our relationship with him), the act of repentance, a wake-up call to get busy in the service of our King, and the expectation of the final triumphant return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This week, instead of focusing on the things that are wrong in your life (which will undoubtedly produce complaining and grumbling), why not focus on these four sounds?

Let’s spend some time meditating each one and see how they affect both our actions and our words!

Let me offer you some strength:

How does a Christian ‘sound forth’ the gospel message? Here are a few points to ponder:

God could have simply left his written word for mankind to read and left it at that. But he didn’t – his will is for each of us to be filled with the wind/breath of Holy Spirit and to proclaim his glory to those who have not yet repented.

If you are still living and breathing on this earth, then you still have purpose in the kingdom of heaven! God wants to use you to sound forth the message with your words. He wants to use you to enforce his kingdom on this earth through prayer and by declaring the scriptures.

God desires for each one of us to be an example of his grace and mercy; a living epistle that can be easily seen by the lost. The clearest, loudest and most eloquent proclamation of the gospel comes from the changes in our own lives.

Perhaps you’ve been delivered from some grievous sins. If that is the case, don’t be embarrassed. The profound changes that Christ has made in your life sound forth a message of hope to those who are still seeking deliverance.

The truth, peace and joy of the gospel can be sounded forth even in the midst of trouble and affliction. The troubles of the Thessalonians tested their faith, making it stronger and purer, which in turn led to a fuller, deeper and richer proclamation of the gospel.

Are you in the midst of a trial right now? Are you currently experiencing an affliction? If so, remember that your actions and words during this time can sound forth the gospel to those around you.

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 4

I Thessalonians 1:5 - …because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Paul is writing to the Thessalonian church. He confirms that they are a true member of the body of Christ who enjoy all the same spiritual privileges as the converted Jews, without being circumcised or following the rituals of the Law. Clearly, the Thessalonian church has been elected or chosen by God. This election is clear to Paul based on their displays of faith, hope and love (see our prior posts).

Paul goes on to point out further evidence of their election by God - the gospel came to them in power, not in word only. What does that mean? Let’s take a closer look.

The first thing we notice is that Paul speaks of ‘our’ gospel. Obviously, this does not mean that Paul and his companions were the authors of the gospel. Salvation comes solely from God; it is a product of his wisdom, grace and mercy, revealed and manifested through his Son Jesus Christ and empowered by his Spirit:

Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Paul, Silas and Timothy had already fully embraced the gospel (which made it theirs), and now they were fulfilling the commission given to them by God – they were moving about the known world, going where the Spirit led them, and establishing new churches.

So, we find that Paul uses the phrase ‘our gospel’ in the sense that when he and his companions first came to Thessalonica, they were bringing the gospel with them as a precious gift to be given to all who would hear and believe (Greeks/Gentiles as well as Jews). Paul uses this same phraseology in his other epistles as well (II Thessalonians 2:14, II Timothy 2:8, etc). These ministers were happy share the good news so that the Thessalonians could consider the gospel theirs too.

The gospel was obviously preached to them with words, but the message wasn’t vain babbling that went in one ear and out the other. When the gospel was preached, the message came in power. What does that mean?

Well, we can certainly assume that Paul preached powerful sermons, because he was a devout Jew, highly educated and well versed in the scriptures. In fact, he had studied under Gamaliel, a noted religious leader of that day (Acts 22:3). He had also been touched by Holy Spirit and his mind was opened to the truth/fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies which spoke of the Messiah.

We can also assume that Paul preached in a powerful manner. He was a skilled orator who preached the gospel to countless people, including governors and kings (Acts 25:14 – 26:32).

But no matter how eloquently Paul spoke, he did not have the power to convict men and women of sin and lead them to faith in Christ. That is the exclusive work of Holy Spirit, and that is the power Paul is referring to in this verse.

As the gospel was preached, Holy Spirit enlightened those who were dead in trespasses and sin. The Spirit opened their blind spiritual eyes, unstopped their deaf spiritual ears and softened their hearts of stone to allow the gospel message to take root in their hearts and minds. Thus, Holy Spirit delivered them from the bonds of sin/death and gave them new life through Jesus Christ. Now that’s power!

The power of Holy Spirit was also on display when he confirmed the gospel message with miraculous signs and wonders. This was a common occurrence in the early New Testament church:

Mark 16:20 - And they [the apostles] went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

When people are miraculously set free from demonic oppression, healed of diseases or otherwise restored to health (mental, physical or emotional), it awakens faith in that person and those who witness the healing. This in turn confirms the truth of the gospel and draws people to salvation. As we have noted before, God chooses to work in partnership with us – when we are faithful to share the gospel, he provides the power for people to be saved and transformed.

But, hallelujah, Holy Spirit doesn’t stop there. Once a soul comes to Christ, he then proceeds to sanctify the believer, making him over into the image of Christ. The Spirit works with us to produce spiritual fruit within us; he implants his graces of faith, hope and love into our lives. Now that’s power!

I Corinthians 2:4-5 - And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

On the other hand, there were many false teachers during this time who tried to win converts solely on their oratory skills:

I Corinthians 4:19-20 – But I [Paul] will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but of their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

One way to discover false teachers is to examine their lives for evidence of the power of Holy Spirit. If that is missing, it should raise red flags!

Fortunately, in the case of the Thessalonians, the genuine gospel was received with ‘full conviction’ or full persuasion of its truth. In other words, there was no doubt, uncertainty or skepticism in their minds about the truth and validity of the gospel.

They not only fully believed it, they also fully embraced it ‘heart and soul’. In fact, this whole chapter indicates that the Thessalonians accepted the gospel with an uncommonly strong conviction. It completely changed their lives. This is further evidence that they had been chosen/elected by God.

Paul’s next point is that the Thessalonian believers are well aware of ‘what kind of men we proved to be among you’. Paul often appeals to his converts as true/competent witnesses of his own conduct and character.

Unlike false teachers who only serve themselves and seek their own glory, Paul and his companions overcame difficulties, suffered abuse/persecution, endured hardships, paid their own way and yet were continuously faithful to minister day in and day out. Their actions were consistent with the gospel they preached. For this reason, the Thessalonians could be sure that Paul was a true minister of the gospel, sent by the Lord for their good.

I Thessalonians 1:6 – And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

Here is another way that Paul knows/recognizes that the Thessalonian believers are chosen or elected by God – they imitated Paul, Silas, Timothy and the Lord. What does that mean?

I Corinthians 11:1 – Be imitators of me [Paul] as I am of Christ.

First, let’s examine the word ‘imitate’. One of the definitions of ‘imitate’ is to produce a semblance or likeness of something in form, color, character, conduct or manners; to counterfeit or to copy.

For most of us, that word has a negative connotation; we associate it with something false or deceptive.

For example, you can buy various foods at the store which are imitation. Imitation crab meat looks very much like the real thing. It is of similar color, form and even taste. But it isn’t crab – it is made from minced white fish combined with sugar, starch, flavoring and other additives.

The same could be said of imitation cheese, which is made from non-dairy ingredients like vegetable oil, protein, emulsifiers and flavoring. (Personally, I am not convinced this is really food… perhaps we should rename this product ‘phony cheese’!)

And of course, we have all heard stories of counterfeit money – fake currency that is designed to resemble real money in color, form and quality, but is completely worthless.

My point is that based on this common definition of the word imitate, we might be tempted to think that it would be a bad thing for the Thessalonian Christians to imitate Paul and his companions. We might get the idea that their walk with Christ was phony or fake.

But ‘imitate’ has another definition – one that is a bit less common. Imitate can also be defined as ‘to follow a pattern, model, or example; to strive to copy in acts, manners, etc.’.

If the Thessalonian Christians are imitating Paul, Silas and Timothy in this way, then they are striving to live their lives in a holy manner. They were witnesses to the kind of men these ministers were, and they strove to follow their examples or patterns.

In general, we surmise that these former idol worshipers are now casting aside their old ways. They no longer bow down or sacrifice to idols, observe new moon festivals, or utilize cult prostitutes. They are leaving behind such sins as unforgiveness, envy, lying and stealing. They are probably speaking in a manner which shows mercy and grace to others without using detestable language.

They no doubt observed how their spiritual leaders responded when contradicted and confronted by ungodly men or unrepentant Jews. They saw examples of how to handle persecution and suffering. These examples were of infinite value to the newly established church in Thessalonica.

Although Holy Spirit is working within the Thessalonians to prompt these changes, they were looking at their spiritual leaders/teachers as an example of what to do and what not to do.

Specifically, Paul makes mention of three areas in which the Thessalonians imitate their leaders:

Receiving the word in much affliction.
Experiencing the joy of Holy Spirit.
Becoming an example to other believers.

Receiving the word with much affliction: Based on what we read in our introduction, we know that these men and women became believers in a city where Christians were generally harassed and persecuted (See Acts 17:4-10).

At a time when some people abandoned the gospel out of fear or intimidation, there were men and women in Thessalonica who still received the gospel. They were willing to follow Christ no matter the cost! They found the ‘pearl of great price’ (Matthew 13:45-46) and no amount of suffering or affliction was going to stop them from being a child of God!

How then, were they to handle affliction/persecution?

From their spiritual leaders/examples, they saw how to walk a fine line – to be courageous for the gospel, but not to put themselves in harm’s way unnecessarily. For example, Paul was forced to flee the city of Thessalonica, however, Silas and Timothy were able to stay. They continued the work of establishing the church and standing for truth without being antagonistic to those who opposed them.

We know that the civil authorities were involved, so legal charges were going to be filed against some of them, including Jason, Silas and Timothy. We see the leaders paying the required fee and they no doubt appeared for the hearings. In other words, they did not promote civil disobedience, even though they were speaking the truth.

Matthew 10:16 – “Behold, I [Jesus] and sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

When we arrive at a moment of affliction/persecution, we should use the wisdom God has given us for our particular situation. We can also rely on Holy Spirit to lead us and give us examples to follow.

Experiencing the joy of Holy Spirit: The affliction/suffering/persecution of the Thessalonian Christians was bearable because of the joy of the Lord which was given to them through the Spirit.

Joy is the natural outcome when our spirit is united with Holy Spirit:

Acts 13:52 – And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17 – For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Have you noticed that the gospel does not prevent trials, tribulations and afflictions?

Though the gospel is good news which brings joy and gladness, it often comes to us along with great storms and/or periods of suffering in this life. This should be expected, as our enemy tries to retaliate against us for becoming children of God.

God does not promise us a life free of difficulty (John 16:33). What he promises is something much, much better – his continued presence during those times. When our Father chooses to allow trouble to touch us, he will also give us joy, peace and gladness which will counteract it.

Clearly, the joy that was experienced by the Thessalonians was a result of their relationship with God, not their outward circumstances. The same is true for us. For this reason, our joy can never be taken from us by the devil. The only way he can get our joy is if we let him steal it!

I Thessalonians 1:7 - …so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

Becoming an example to other believers: The Christians of Thessalonica were met with swift and harsh persecution almost immediately after receiving the gospel. In other cities the apostles often took the brunt of this persecution while the converts were spared, but here the full assault fell upon the infant church.

In the midst of that situation, they followed the examples of their spiritual leaders and in turn became an example to others.

The word ‘example’ is from the root word ‘type’. It denotes anything produced by means of blows as in a mark/print/impression made by a stamp or die. Thus, the stamp or print produces a resemblance, a pattern or an example – essentially a model. The Thessalonians became a model or pattern which other believers should follow.

Paul clearly indicates that their example/influence went beyond the borders of their own city. Remember, Thessalonica was a thriving seaport. The Christians of that city were in a perfect position to spread the gospel to foreigners as they encountered them in daily life. In this way, the gospel crossed national boundaries, spreading to the nation of Greece.

When Greece was overtaken by the Romans, it was split into two provinces.

One province was Macedonia, which was the northern portion. The chief city of that region was Philippi. The other province was Achaia, which was the southern portion. The chief city of that region was Corinth.

Paul credits the Thessalonian believers for providing living examples to the new believers in these other regions/nations. As you well know, Paul eventually established churches in both of those major cities, and we are still reading/studying his letters to the Philippians and Corinthians today! Isn’t it awesome to think that the believers in Thessalonica were a positive, encouraging influence on other churches?

Let me offer you some encouragement:

The life of Paul, Silas and Timothy matched up with the gospel message they were preaching (and Holy Spirit was confirming by his power). How they preached is how they lived. They provided an example for other believers to imitate/follow.

With that in mind, let’s ask ourselves a question: If new believers were imitating us, would they be living holy lives?

Would they be praising or complaining? Would they be stingy or generous? Would they be trustworthy or unreliable? Would their lamps be empty or full?

Now is a good time to remind ourselves that whether we realize it or not, we are often being watched not only by the world, but by other Christians. By biblically handling things like personal tragedy, severe trials and unforeseen crises, we can be an encouragement and a powerful example to other Christians.

Let me offer you some relief and some strength:

In today’s world, many sinners are searching for happiness. The problem is that happiness is based on outward circumstances. If we get what we want (like a promotion), or we avoid what we don’t want (like an illness), that equates to happiness.

So, by default, we can only make ourselves happy to the extent that we can control all our outward circumstances! Since that is impossible, we can never guarantee our own happiness.

Christians, on the other hand, should be seeking joy. Joy does not come from the world around us; it has a divine source – Holy Spirit. Because it comes to us from God, it can never be taken away from us. Because it is not based on outward circumstances, we can experience God’s joy no matter what situation we are in.

In fact, trouble/affliction actually help us attain greater joy, because they cause us to turn to God for comfort. When we do, Holy Spirit is right there to sustain us by his comfort, strength and joy!

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 3

I Thessalonians 1:4 – For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you…

In today’s installment of our study, we find that Paul (along with Silas and Timothy) continues to encourage and exhort the Thessalonian believers.

For we know: Paul does not hesitate to say that he knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God loves and has chosen the Christians at Thessalonica. How does he know?

The answer to this question is simple and straightforward. As we discussed in our last post, the gospel message caused an internal, invisible change within the lives of the Thessalonian believers. This change then manifested itself in their outward visible actions.

So, Paul ‘knows’ the gospel has taken root in their lives because of the evidence he can see – their works of faith, their labors of love and the hope which influenced their everyday individual lives.

Brothers loved by God: Paul goes on to make a statement that seems perfectly ordinary to us but was actually very contentious and even explosive at the time. In order to fully understand its significance, we need to review a bit of history.

As you are well aware, when God called Abram out to become the father of the Jewish nation, he made three great promises to him. He would make his offspring into a great nation, the nation’s population would be as vast as the stars of heaven (innumerable), and they would be a blessing to all the nations on earth:

Gensis 12:2-3 – And I [God] will make of you [Abram] a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

In accordance with his promise, God made Israel into a great nation. He called them his chosen people, established a covenant with them, and gave them the Law (aka, the Law of Moses).

Nevertheless, Gentiles were not 100% excluded from serving God. All throughout the history of Israel, Gentile men and women could choose to become proselytes to the Jewish religion. In other words, they would forsake all heathen religions and the worship of multiple gods/idols. They would live with the people of Israel and worship only the Lord. They agreed to be bound by all the laws of the covenant, including circumcision.

Once they did so, they were considered Israelites. They could enjoy all the benefits of being one of God’s people. This included the right to celebrate Passover, the event that foreshadowed the work of Jesus the Messiah:

Exodus 12:48 – If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.

This was the dynamic between Jews and Gentiles for hundreds and hundreds of years – the Jews despised the Gentiles as heathens, however, if you were a Gentile, you could become one of God’s chosen people by converting to Judaism.

This dynamic was in full force when Jesus came to earth in the flesh. Even during his incarnation Jesus ministered primarily to the Jews, because he was still in the process of fulfilling the law.

For example, in Mark chapter 7:24-30, a Gentile woman asked Jesus to cast a demon out of her daughter. Jesus’ reply was that the children (the Jews) should be filled first; it was not right for their bread to be given to the dogs (Gentiles). Because of her great faith, Jesus did heal her daughter, but the point is that until the resurrection of Christ the Law was in full effect and Gentiles were expected to become Jews if they wanted to be considered a child of God.

However, once Jesus fulfilled the law by his death and resurrection, the new covenant of grace came into effect. It would be a epic understatement to say that grace was a real game changer!!

Jesus had broken down the wall of separation between the Jews and Gentiles; all people could now enter the kingdom of heaven through the sacrifice of Christ.

Ephesians 2:14-16 – For he himself [Jesus] is our peace, who has made us both [Jews and Gentiles] one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross…

That was good news for the Gentiles. They could leave their heathen ways behind and be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus, without having to become converts to Judaism!

But things were a bit more difficult for the Jews. They simply could not grasp the concept that the law had been fulfilled and subsequently replaced. At the time Paul penned his first epistle to the Thessalonians, it had been fifty years since Christ had risen and many, if not most, of the believing Jews STILL had the mindset that Gentiles had to become Jews (particularly through circumcision) before coming to Christ (Acts 15:5).

Acts 15:5 – But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

This was an enormous controversy within the new body of Christ; it was a major stumbling block for many within the church. Eventually, the apostles and other church fathers had to get together and decide which rules (if any) the church was to follow.

This event was called the Jerusalem Council, and you can read about it in Acts 15:1-35.

Now let’s circle back to our text. When Paul addresses the Thessalonian church as ‘brothers loved by God’ he is affirming that they are true children of God. Regardless of the opposition without and/or within the church community, they were not second-class Christians or Gentile dogs.

In the age of grace, there was no difference between Jew and Gentile believers – all were equal, genuine members of the kingdom of heaven. They were spiritual brothers and sisters of the believing Jews as well as co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

There is no doubt that this one single phrase (brothers beloved by God) was a great encouragement to the believers of that day, who were sometimes looked down upon by other Christians.

Consider this: Scripture tells us that our words have the power of life and death:

Proverbs 18:21 – Death and life are in the power of the tongue…

Can you remember a time in your life when someone gave you a word of encouragement that meant all the difference in your situation? Do you remember how that word caused hope or strength or resilience to rise up within you and instead of quitting you were victorious?

Isn’t it amazing how powerful a sincere word of encouragement can be to someone?

Does that realization make you want to encourage someone else right now?

Since words of encouragement are both free and life changing, why aren’t we giving them to others on a regular basis?? Are you speaking words of encouragement into the lives of your children, your relatives, your friends and your church family? If not, why?

God has chosen you: Paul goes on to say that God had chosen (your translation may say ‘elected’) the believers of the Thessalonian church. What does he mean by that?

Well first off, we should make mention of what it does NOT mean. God did not choose the Gentiles to the exclusion of the Jews. It is God’s will that ALL people become his children through the atoning sacrifice of Christ:

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Every true believer can be described as ‘chosen by God’. After all, man did not choose God; it was God who chose us by an act of his will before the world began.

Ephesians 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…

Our righteousness and justification spring from God’s sovereign will as manifested through Jesus Christ our Savior. Salvation flows to us not because of anything we have done, but by his immeasurable love and favor towards us.

Furthermore, the gospel would have been fruitless unless Holy Spirit quickened the message in the hearts of the lost. Once the message takes root in the heart of a believer, he or she will still need Holy Spirit to empower them in their spiritual walk, to seal them until the day of redemption, to give them spiritual gifts, to bring the word to their remembrance, and a host of other things. In short, when we consider the work of Holy Spirit, it is evident that God chose us, we did not choose him.

Now let’s consider the church for a minute.

* Every true church proves that they are chosen by God when they display a zeal for righteousness while practicing self-denial, when they freely give of their material possessions, and when they do everything in their power to further the kingdom of God.

* Every true church proves they are chosen by God when they exhibit faith, love and hope as discussed in our last post.

* Every true church proves they are chosen by God when the Spirit attends their services. While Holy Spirit remains invisible to our naked eyes, his presence can easily be felt; his gifts will also be in operation whenever believers gather together. It is the presence of Holy Spirit which distinguishes the true church from false churches or from other clubs/associations of people.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

You may be familiar with the old adage ‘No man is an island unto himself’. This is a true saying, especially in the kingdom of heaven. God never intended for believers to walk through this world alone. In fact, he commands us to assemble together with other like-minded believers (Hebrews 10:25).

We can strengthen and encourage other believers by simply speaking a word of truth and victory into their lives.

Is someone in your church facing a health issue? Proclaim that they will live and not die and declare the word of the Lord (Psalms 118:17). Remind them that Jesus bore all of our sicknesses and diseases (mental, spiritual, physical and emotional) to the cross; by his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

Is someone in your church having a financial crisis? Remind them that it is God who gives them the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). He is the one that blesses the work of their hands (Malachi 3:10).

We could give example after example, but I think you get the point – ENCOURAGE SOMEONE TODAY. In fact, why not make it a point or a goal to encourage someone every single day?

Let me offer you some relief:

Do you realize that YOU have been chosen by God? Do you realize that YOU are his child, and he adores you? Do you know that your heavenly Father has amazing plans for YOUR life?

Perhaps you have experienced a fall or a setback recently and you feel anything but loved and chosen by God. If that is the case, let me give you some relief – feelings have a tendency to ignore the facts! Feelings are fickle and they frequently do not line up with what God says about us.

In fact, Satan will often use feelings to try and place an unnecessary load of guilt upon us, hoping to drive a wedge between us and the Father. Don’t fall for his tricks!

If you have failed in your Christian walk recently, that doesn’t mean that God has given up on you or expelled you from his kingdom. You are still chosen by him! Take a few minutes to repent. Then, pick yourself up and get back to kingdom work! Don’t believe your feelings; believe what the word of God says about you!

Let me offer you some strength:

Do you feel needed in your church body? If not, this may be an indication that you need to be more involved. Remember, God has not just chosen you out of the world, he has chosen you to be in his service.

What is your ministry? If you don’t have one, it’s time you picked one up. You can start by looking for opportunities to serve in your local fellowship. You can volunteer to assist in children’s ministry or worship. You can host a small group in your home or send encouraging cards to those who are sick. You could administer communion to someone in the hospital. The list of possibilities is endless.

You can also look for opportunities in para-church organizations such as the Gideons, a soup kitchen/pantry or a local crisis pregnancy center. It is God’s will for you to be a strength to others, so take a cue from the Thessalonian church and get involved!

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 2

I Thessalonians 1:3 – …remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome back, dear readers!

We are currently studying the letter which Paul (along with Silas and Timothy) wrote to the church at Thessalonica. One of the main reasons for the letter was to encourage these believers who had received salvation in the midst of fierce opposition.

Immediately after his greeting, Paul commends the Thessalonian church for their faith, love and hope.

These are the three great abiding principles of the true Christian life, which Paul constantly mentions throughout his epistles:

I Corinthians 13:13 – So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Work of Faith: Faith is belief in a statement or truth declared by another, which rests solely and implicitly on their authority and veracity (truthfulness).

In the present case, we might say that faith is a belief in the gospel message as declared by Jesus Christ the Messiah, the one who is the source of all divine truth and the one who possess all authority.

In other words, as Paul preached to the sinners in Thessalonica, they became fully persuaded that the gospel message of Jesus Christ was true - in their minds and hearts they believed and accepted that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God, who came to earth and died as the atonement for their sin. They were absolutely convinced that through Christ they were reconciled to God the Father and that Holy Spirit lived within their hearts, sealing them until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Obviously, they received salvation the same way you and I did – by faith in Jesus Christ. But our journey of faith doesn’t end there. In fact, salvation is only the beginning.

One of the most basic principles of true biblical faith is that it is active/actively working in us. True faith will always have an influence upon our hearts and lives:

Faith will affect the things we say and the things we do.
Faith will rearrange our priorities.
Faith will change our relationships.
Faith will impact the way we treat others.
Faith will enable us to ‘move mighty mountains’ (Matthew 21:21-22, Mark 11:22-24).
Faith will urge or impel us to work for the glory of God.
Faith motivates us to ‘work out’ our own salvation with fear and trembling.

The apostle James puts it this way:

James 2:26 – For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

In other words, active faith (which is inward and invisible) produces fruit which is outward and visible in this world. Paul knew that true faith was working in the lives of the Thessalonian believers because it manifested itself in outward actions or ‘works of faith’.

For example, faith caused these believers to abandon their worship of false idols. Instead, they joyfully offered sacrifices of praise and worship to Christ.

Faith prompted them to turn away from sin (envy, lust, pride, drunkenness, etc) and embrace righteousness and holiness.

Faith motivated them to share the gospel with others (even in the face of persecution) and thus expand the kingdom of heaven.

Faith allowed the Thessalonians to receive gifts from Holy Spirit, which assisted them in completing the works they were called to accomplish.

We could go on and on, but I think the apostle James said it best:

James 2:18 - … I will show you my faith by my works.

So, let’s pause for a moment and ask ourselves this question: What evidence do we have of active faith in our own lives?

Each one of us will have a unique answer to this question because we’ve all had unique journeys through life. Some of us came to faith in Christ early in life, while others were older. Some of us came from the throes of sin and addiction, while others did not. Some came to faith from false religions, while others were brought up in Christian households.

While individual details will differ, the same Holy Spirit works in the life of every believer, and thus we find some general principles of faith that will be common to us all.

In conjunction with Holy Spirit, faith prompts the Christian to search the scriptures, find the promises of God and lay hold of them.
Faith allows us to keep a grip on those promises, holding them tightly until we see them come to pass.
Faith is the basis of all prayer – we can’t see God or his throne room, but we know our prayers are funneled to him through Christ our mediator.
Faith is importunate, which is to say it allows us to earnestly and persistently enter the throne room of grace in our time of need.
Faith calls things that are not as though they are.
Faith marches forward to share the gospel, to defeat the devil and to stand firm in the face of adversity.
Faith makes it possible to receive pardon when we fail and to get up once again.
Faith empowers us to patiently and cheerfully be obedient to God’s commands.
Faith keeps the promise of heaven continually in our hearts and minds.

So again, I ask you: How is faith working in your own life right now?

Labor of Love: Let’s be honest… in many instances, love requires labor!

It’s easy to love people that you admire or respect. It’s easy to love people that have the same ideas and opinions as you do. It’s easy to love people who shower you with gifts and compliments.

But it’s much harder to love those who are the opposite of you in every respect. What about people who annoy you? What about the people standing on the corner asking for money? What about the homeless people who haven’t bathed for a month, and reek of alcohol? What about those who despise you and make your life miserable every chance they get?

I have colleagues at work that have spiritual and moral viewpoints that are the complete opposite of mine. Every day, I must work to find common ground with them. I have to be careful what I say, so that I don’t agree with them, but I don’t alienate them either; I have to show them the love of Christ. My guess is that it’s not just me - every one of us have people in our life that we must labor to love.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus laid out some really tough and non-negotiable commands about loving others:

Luke 6:32-35 – “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

If we were left to fulfill this mandate in our flesh, we wouldn’t last one day! In fact, I doubt I could last even an hour, unless I was home alone!

But thankfully, Jesus never sets us up to fail. He gave us the command to labor in love, and he also gave us his indwelling Holy Spirit who makes this possible.

Holy Spirit empowers us to show kindness and compassion to those who seem unlovable. Through him we can provide the necessities of life to the poor, and in showing them love, we can present the gospel to them.

Through Holy Spirit, we can be kind to those who mistreat us and in showing them love we will make an impact upon them; we will earn the opportunity to share the love of Christ.

Through Holy Spirit, we can love people while hating their sin. We can afford to be merciful, compassionate and kind, because Christ has been merciful, compassionate and kind to us! As we labor to love those who oppose us or those who are difficult to love, Holy Spirit will anoint us to bring the message of salvation into their lives.

As a whole, the church of Jesus Christ has always labored in love. She has been persecuted, hated, constrained, smeared, condemned, mocked and in some cases martyred. But nevertheless, God has chosen to spread the gospel message through his church, and she continues to be an example of Christ’s all-encompassing love in every generation.

Clearly, Paul was able to identify the ‘labors of love’ in the Thessalonian church, because these labors were outward visible signs of their relationship with Christ. How are you outwardly living out ‘labors of love’ in your own life?

Steadfastness of hope (your translation may say patience of hope): Hope is a feeling of trust or expectation that something we desire will happen. Along with faith and love, hope is an indelible part of the Christian life.

For the Christian, hope is always based on the firm, unwavering knowledge that God keeps his promises.

Jeremiah 1:12 – Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

Numbers 23:19 – God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

However, it should be noted that God’s timing is not always the same as ours! He alone is in complete control of all things; he knows the exact right moment to fulfill the promises he has made. Because of this, patience will always be a component of hope in the Christian life.

Fortunately for us, God knew this, and he has already made provision for our weak natures by making patience one of the fruits of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Now, what promises do you suppose the Thessalonian church was waiting for? My guess is that they were waiting for the same things we are waiting for:

We wait for revival to break forth on our loved ones, in our cities and on our nation.
We wait for the conclusion of trials and tribulations, knowing that our ‘test’ will give us a ‘testimony’ to share in the world.
We steadfastly wait for the return of Christ and the end of evil in this world.

Basically, patience of hope means that no matter what happens in this life, no matter what circumstances we face or what lack we endure, we remain victorious in Christ. We are unconquered by adversity, grief or suffering because our hope is not fickle or temporary, it is steadfast and sure. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God will be faithful to keep his promises and bring us to the hope we have…

In Our Lord Jesus Christ: Jesus is our Rock and our Redeemer; our hope is founded on him alone as our Savior. I don’t know about you, but this truth makes me burst with joy!

Just think of it – in this life, we are never alone! Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts, helping us to stretch/exercise our faith as we perform our labors of love. He gives us the unwavering assurance that at the proper time, all of God’s promises will come to pass! There is NO WAY we can lose in this life, unless we give up. And why would we do that, when we know our hope in Christ is never in vain?

Our hope differs from the hope of the lost. They sit around fretting, because their hope has no solid foundation. They hope for the best but prepare for the worst because that is exactly what their father the devil will give them.

By contrast, our hope is rock-solid and secure, because it is based on the Lord Jesus Christ (I Timothy 1:1), who never fails and never changes!

Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

And then there is the world to come – our everlasting existence in the presence of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Scripture tells us that each person will face a day of reckoning after this life.

Hebrews 9:27 – And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…

For the Christian, this will be a joyous day because Jesus has already made payment for our sin. In fact, he has allowed us to earn heavenly rewards (I Corinthians 3:14, Matthew 10:42) and crowns (I Peter 5:4, Revelation 3:11) for our service to him on earth. He will welcome us into his kingdom with love and open arms; we have absolutely no reason to fear our meeting with him. Hopefully, we have been diligent servants who will hear him say, ‘Well done good and faithful servant’.

Such is not the case for sinners. They will stand before God’s throne to be judged by what is recorded in God’s account books (Revelation 20:12, Daniel 7:10). For them, this will be a dreadful day like no other.

Hopefully, the thought of anyone being in such a position hurts your heart. Hopefully, at this very moment Holy Spirit is causing you to experience godly sorrow for those who do not yet know Christ.

Holy Spirit wants to use that sorrow to motivate or spur you on in exercising your faith, continuing in labors of love and remaining steadfast in your commitment to Christ. We must remain faithful and diligent in his service, allowing him to work through us for the salvation of others.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

In today’s post, we spoke about our individual journeys of faith. I want to encourage you to stop for a moment and consider your own path to salvation.

What events happened that put you in the right place and right time to hear the gospel? What bondages did God break for you? If you were raised in a Christian home, what impact did your parent’s belief have on you? How did their everyday witness affect your decision to serve Christ?

How did you feel when your sins were first washed away?

Where are you at in your journey of faith today? How far has Holy Spirit taken you? What vision or goal has he given you for the future?

These considerations should bring you encouragement because God has promised to continue working in you until the day he calls you home to heaven:

Philippians 1:6 – And I [Paul] am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Let me offer you some relief:

God ALWAYS keeps his promises! As a Christian, I am sure that you have certain scriptural promises that you are clinging to. Perhaps it seems as though the answer is taking forever.

In those cases, you will be relieved to know that God is never late. Even when we are unaware of it, he is working behind the scenes to orchestrate the fulfillment of our promise. We can continue unwavering in our faith, because our God is both perfect and loving. In fact, we can praise him now, for the answers we expect to come!

Let me offer you some strength:

When Paul speaks about faith, love and hope the order isn’t random – it is sequential.

Faith is the path we take to salvation; it opens the gate to our spiritual life. Once we have entered by faith, we can proceed to walk the paths of life, engaging in labors of love all along the way. These labors of love manifest as good works, which bear fruit for the kingdom of heaven and please the Lord.

Colossians 1:10 – So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Meanwhile, we walk with confidence and assurance, knowing that at the end of our journey, we will find the ultimate fulfillment of the hope we have carried all along the way - an indescribable eternity spent with the Father, Son and Spirit!

Take the time to strengthen and encourage yourself as well as your brothers and sisters in Christ, because salvation is not the ‘end game’ of our spiritual life. It’s actually the beginning of an exciting and amazing adventure!

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 1

I Thessalonians 1:1 – Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace.

As we noted in our introduction, Paul and his companions had been chased from Thessalonica by an angry mob of Jews. Scripture tells us that this happened after Paul preached at the synagogue on three successive weeks. This might lead us to the conclusion that Paul was in the city for less than a month.

However, there is much evidence to suggest that there was a significant gap of time between his preaching and the riot.

Remember, it was always Paul’s custom to preach to the Jews first (which he obviously did for at least three weeks). But when/if the Jews rejected the gospel, Paul would immediately turn to the Gentiles. For example, this is what he said earlier to the obstinate Jews at Antioch:

Acts 13:46-47 – And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.” For the Lord has commanded us, saying, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

In this case, the most likely scenario is that after three weeks, Paul left the synagogue and sought out the Gentiles.

This assumption is further supported by verse 9 of chapter one, which reveals that many of the true believers in Thessalonica were Gentiles/former idol worshippers. Obviously, these people would not have heard the gospel in the synagogue. Therefore, Paul must have spent a considerable amount of time ministering in other places where the Gentiles gathered.

Here is another point to consider: The traditional Jews who clung to the law regarded the Gentiles as unclean ‘dogs’. In their opinion, you couldn’t have any lower standing than being a filthy heathen. Never in a million years would these Jews have accepted the Gentiles as their spiritual equals.

But when Paul preached, he made it very clear that God had broken down all barriers in the spiritual realm; there was no longer any difference between Jews and Gentiles. According to the gospel, all people are born into sin, and all people are saved by the blood of Christ:

Galatians 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

It is easy to imagine that this type of teaching (equality of Jews and Gentiles in the sight of God) would cause the traditional Jews to become more and more enraged as time went on. This demonically inspired rage was eventually directed at Paul and his companions, because Satan wanted to stop the spread of the gospel. This is what eventually led to the riot which chased Paul out of the city.

Furthermore, in chapter two (I Thessalonians 2:5-12), Paul gives a somewhat detailed description of his life in the city, which would be ridiculous if he only stayed there a maximum of three weeks.

These (and other considerations) point to the fact that Paul was undoubtedly in Thessalonica much, much longer than just three weeks. He had formed clear and strong bonds with the believers in that city. God had worked through him to form and establish a true church.

When Paul and his companions were finally chased off by the riot, they went on to preach in Berea, where the traditional Jews (those who rejected the gospel and clung to the law) once again opposed them. At that point, Paul left for Athens while Silas (Silvanus) and Timothy remained in Berea sharing the gospel both there and at Thessalonica.

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy - Eventually the three companions were reunited in Corinth. Soon after, Paul decides to write a letter of encouragement the church at Thessalonica.

Although Paul is the author of the letter, Silas and Timothy definitely had some input. As Paul’s fellow laborers, they faithfully and diligently ministered to the Thessalonians and they were dearly loved by the people there. It was their updates (along with the wisdom of Holy Spirit) which gave Paul the insight he needed to write an effective letter. Therefore it was fitting for this letter to come from all three men.

As you may have noticed, the simple greeting in this letter differs from the greeting found in some of Paul’s letters to other churches, where he specifically describes himself as an apostle or servant of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1, I Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:1, etc). Why do you suppose Paul fails to mention his apostleship in his correspondence with the Thessalonians?

When writing to some of the other churches it was necessary for Paul to use his title of apostle to claim authority for himself. Let me explain. The Christians in some of the other churches did not want to submit themselves to the commands and doctrines given by Paul.

Therefore, Paul had to remind them that he was specifically appointed by God as their overseer. It was his job to deliver correction and instruction to them, so they might grow spiritually. The commands and doctrines Paul gave them were to be diligently observed because they came directly from Christ, through Paul, under the anointing of Holy Spirit.

However, in the case of Thessalonica (and Philippi), it appears that the Christians had no issue with Paul’s authority. They willingly rendered to him the respect and honor that he deserved. They acknowledged his spiritual authority over them and they were willing to be taught and corrected by him. Therefore, there was no need for Paul to assert his position as an apostle.

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ - Paul’s address to the church classifies them as being ‘in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’.

Why is that significant?

Well, let’s face it - Any group of like-minded people can call themselves a church. They can gather on Sundays, donate money, enjoy music and even do good works, but none of these things create a true church. (If that was all it took, your local Eagles club would be a church!)

A church is truly a church only when it is founded upon God, established by Christ and guided by the Spirit. Gathering together, doing good works, and donating money are the natural results of a life dedicated to God; they are not the causes of salvation. Good works do not produce a true church.

So we see that Paul’s assertion that the Thessalonian church is ‘in God and the Lord Jesus Christ’ is an acknowledgement of their true faith. Through the work of Christ and the bond of the Spirit, they are securely established in knowledge, faith, worship and obedience to God the Father. They recognized Jesus as their head; they functioned as the members of his body in Thessalonica.

Grace to you and peace – This salutation is present in all the letters of Paul. Under the Old Testament, the Jew’s usual salutation was ‘peace be to you’, but in the New Testament Paul changed this to ‘grace and peace be to you’. Peace includes all of the blessings of God, as well as inward tranquility of mind, heart and conscience. Grace includes all of the favor of God, as well as the grace by which we are saved.

God bestows grace and peace upon each individual that trusts in him. If you feel like you are lacking in peace or grace right now, get into the presence of God through worship and ask him to fill you!

I Thessalonians 1:2 – We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers…

As we noted in the introduction, one of the reasons Paul wrote this letter was to comfort, strengthen and encourage the Christians in Thessalonica.

He begins by saying that the believers in Thessalonica are a source/reason for him to offer thanksgiving to God. Paul is thankful because his labor among them has not been in vain – he has witnessed their genuine conversion from sin and idolatry to true Christianity, in the midst of some very grievous circumstances. He is thankful for the gifts bestowed upon them and the Christian disciplines/graces evident in their lives.

Notice that Paul does not take credit for this. Neither does he give credit to the Thessalonians. He rightly acknowledges that salvation is a gift of God, administered through his spiritual priests under the anointing of Holy Spirit:

I Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light…

For reasons we do not fully comprehend, God chooses to spread his kingdom on this earth through a partnership with mankind. Once we are saved, God makes us priests in his kingdom – people who can stand in the gap between sinners and himself.

We minister to the lost by sharing the gospel and doing good works. Holy Spirit works through our words and actions to convict the sinner and bring him or her to repentance and faith in Christ. So, there was a lot to be thankful for – God was blessing the ministry of Paul, Silas and Timothy, the kingdom of God was expanding in the world, and God was adding more and more workers to the ranks!

Here is an additional reason to be thankful – God desires to do the same thing today, through you and me!

Paul, Silus and Timothy reached the people of their generation. You and I must do the same. Don’t assume that your pastor or one of your elders will reach everyone in your community. Each individual believer, including you, has been made a priest in the kingdom of heaven. You can reach people with the gospel that no one else can, so ask Holy Spirit for the boldness to speak out.

Next, Paul notes that he constantly makes mention of the Thessalonians in his prayers. The Thessalonian believers had experienced a lot of spiritual growth, but they weren’t mature believers just yet. They still had things to learn and understand; they still had some sins to conquer.

This is true for us as well. No matter how far we come, there is still more growth that needs to happen in our lives. Thankfully, Holy Spirit is working with us on a daily basis to make us over into the image of Christ (II Corinthians 3:18).

Therefore, as often as Paul entered into the throne room of God through prayer, he lifted up the Thessalonian believers before the throne of God. It was Paul’s desire that the church continue to grow and mature and disciple new believers. He no doubt prayed that the church would receive spiritual gifts, power, faith and perseverance to continue their spiritual journey.

Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Although we don’t know for sure, we can speculate that Paul prayed for the church to avoid many of the common pitfalls that people tend to fall into – pride, self-reliance, carelessness and spiritual laziness.

One thing, however, is very clear - Paul believed that God had big plans for the Thessalonian church; he would finish the good work he had begun in these Christians, bringing them to full maturity in Christ.

God will do this for you and your church as well!

Let me offer you some encouragement:

In today’s post, we mentioned that the Christians of Thessalonica had definitely experienced some spiritual growth, but they still had more work to do. In this regard, we can all identify with the Christians in Thessalonica.

From time to time it is beneficial to look back on your life and see just how far Christ has brought you. We can all rejoice and praise the Lord for delivering us from our wicked ways and sinful habits. I encourage you to take a few minutes right now and rehearse the specific deliverance(s) God has performed in your life.

[Incidentally, this kind of review will assist you in forming a testimony to share with the lost.]

If you’ve been a follower of Christ for any length of time, you can also look back and identify areas in your life where you have matured.

Now take a few more minutes and give the Father, Son and Spirit the glory for these changes!

Let me offer you some relief:

As you look back upon your life, you will no doubt remember some instances in which you failed – you lost your temper, held on to unforgiveness for a time, or you spread some gossip which you later regretted.

If you feel some shame right now because of something in your past (or even your present), let me give you some relief: Being saved, doesn’t automatically make you perfect.

The Christian walk is a journey that you embark on every single day. Sometimes you will stumble and fall. The key is to get back up, ask Jesus to cleanse you, make the situation right with anyone you have sinned against, and learn your lesson. Ask Holy Spirit to help you get control of that area of your life again.

Proverbs 24:16 – For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again…

Strange as it may seem, there is an upside to failing – it helps keep you humble, and it gives you mercy for others!

Let me offer you some strength:

Part of the assessment of your spiritual life should include some future goals. Scripture says this:

Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no vision, the people perish…

What vision do you have for your life? The obvious answer is that we want to please Christ in all we do. That is a great answer. But you should be looking for something more practical.

What do you specifically see yourself doing, which will result in pleasing Christ?

Do you want to become more effective in your prayer life? Are you seeking a spiritual gift? Do you want to memorize scripture? What about sharing your faith with your family and friends? Do you want to teach a kid’s class or become involved in the local school district? What about planning a session of vacation bible school or paying for some kids to go to church camp?

Have you had a dream or vision of ministry that has not yet come to pass? Did someone prophesy over you at some point, but that word has not yet come to fruition? If so, you need to pray into that word, set a course of action, and move out in faith.

The point is, just as you have goals in the natural realm, you need to have some goals in the spiritual realm.

Some of you will say that you don’t want to pursue a goal, because it might not be the Lord’s will for you. Well, let me just tell you that it’s much easier to change the direction of a ship in motion than it is to get that ship moving in the first place!

In other words, SET A GOAL AND GET STARTED! If God wants you to move in another direction, he will communicate that to you. Too many people wait around to ‘hear from God’ and end up doing nothing in his kingdom. Don’t be that person!

Remember this old proverb: It’s better to aim at something and miss than to aim at nothing and hit the target every time!

I Thessalonians, Introduction

I THESSALONIANS:

INTRODUCTION: The city of Thessalonica was located in what is now modern-day Greece. Ancient sources tell us that it was not only situated on a major east-west trade route (the Via Egnatia), it was also a thriving seaport. It was a free/independent city.

As we would expect, Thessalonica was bustling, energetic and vibrant. It was an amalgam of different cultures and nationalities. Spices, works of art, luxurious goods and exotic animals passed through the city on a daily basis. The businessmen and leading citizens of the city were very prosperous. However, as in most large cities, there were also lower classes of poor people as well as slaves.

While Thessalonica had many pagan temples and altars, scripture tells us that it also had a sizable Jewish population - enough to sustain its own synagogue.

During his second missionary journey, Paul stopped in Thessalonica. As was his custom when arriving in any city, Paul went straight to the synagogue and made contact with the Jewish leaders. He was given the opportunity to speak and for three consecutive weeks, he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Acts 17:1-3 – Now when they [Paul and Silas] had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

Scripture tells us that some Jews, a large number of Gentiles, and even some women of prominent standing in the community responded to the gospel message and became Christians.

Acts 17:4 – And some of them [the Jews] were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

However, the majority of the devout Jews rejected the gospel. Why was that?

One of the problems was their intense national and personal pride.

The Jews were fiercely proud of their heritage as the chosen people of God. They considered themselves superior to the Gentiles, because they had the law and the promises of God. In order to accept the gospel message, they would have to set aside their national identity and blend into the church along with the Gentiles. But in their eyes, it was practically blasphemy to consider Gentiles equal to themselves; their pride would not allow this to happen.

Another issue was that the Jews refused to accept a Messiah that did not fit into their traditional beliefs (or preconceived ideas) about him.

For example, the Jews had a long-held belief that the Messiah was a conquering hero (Isaiah 42:13, Isaiah 52:13). Obviously, we also accept this as truth; Jesus is head over all things and one day every knee will bow before him. At the appointed time, he will defeat all his enemies (Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 19:11-21, Hebrews 10:13, etc) and reign forevermore.

However, the Jews completely ignored any scriptures that described the Messiah as a suffering servant, or that spoke of his death on behalf of mankind (Isaiah 53).

Consequently, Jesus was rejected by most of the Jews because he did not fit their idea of a national champion/deliverer who would raise an army, defeat Rome, assume rulership over Israel and usher the Jewish nation into a new ‘golden era’ which far surpassed the glory days of David and Solomon.

The devout Jews of Thessalonica were so bound by their traditions (and so blind to the truth), they actually became enraged when Paul suggested that Jesus was the Christ.

Scripture tells us that they responded to the gospel with violence - they engineered a riot and attempted to have Paul and Silas brought before the mob, who would have surely stoned them. (Thus, those who had suffered much religious persecution themselves were now the persecutors!) Their actions are eerily similar to what the religious leaders did to Jesus about 50 years earlier.

Acts 17:5 – But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attached the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

The crowds were so agitated, Paul and Silas were forced to flee to Berea (about 50 miles away) in the dead of night.

Soon after their arrival in Berea, they commenced preaching the gospel. But when the men of Thessalonica heard about it, they immediately dropped everything and traveled to Berea. Once again, they did everything in their power to stir up the crowds and silence the gospel through violence.

For his own safety, Paul was forced to move on to the city of Athens, where he waited for Silas and Timothy to join him.

The point of all this discussion is to show that the church of Thessalonica was established in the midst of fervent opposition and that wasn’t likely to change. The members of the synagogue were going to continue to hinder the growth of the true church. They would continue to show open animosity/hostility toward the Christians whenever possible.

WHO: As you probably already know, the Apostle Paul wrote the books of I & II Thessalonians. He clearly identifies himself in the letter’s introduction.

WHEN: Paul most likely wrote his letters to the Thessalonians shortly after he arrived in the city of Corinth (Acts 18:1-5). This would put the date of writing for I Thessalonians at about 51-52 AD. The second epistle was written also written at Corinth, later that same year.

WHY: Why did Paul write to the church at Thessalonica?

There appear to be three main purposes in his letters:

First, he wanted to encourage the new believers to persevere in their faith, despite the intense opposition they faced.

Second, he wanted to correct some false rumors that were circulating about himself and his fellow missionaries.

Third, he wanted to give the Christians at Thessalonica some further teaching, which would contribute to their spiritual growth.

Throughout I & II Thessalonians, Paul reveals some very important theological revelations concerning future events, particularly the return of Christ for his bride (the rapture). He also discusses some of the moral and ethical implications we should consider, knowing that Christ will soon return.

I think our study of Thessalonians is going to be exciting, encouraging and beneficial. Feel free to jump in and read both books; it won’t take you long. I hope you will join me next week for part one!

Zechariah, Chapter 14, Part 6

Zechariah 14:17 – And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.

Our last post was a review of the Feast of Booths, also called the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Ingathering. I hope you took the time last week to acknowledge the blessings of the Lord in your own life and to offer him praise and worship.

In this week’s post, we find that the nations who refuse to send representatives to Jerusalem to worship the Lord during the Festival of Booths as commanded, will suffer punishment. Specifically, we are told the Lord will withhold rain from these nations.

As we seek to understand this prophesy, keep in mind that Zechariah is using Old Testament images (which is all he had) to try and convey the truths of the New Testament gospel dispensation. In other words, he is describing the future blessings and judgments of God using terms and ideas that were familiar to the Jews of his day. In order for us to understand them, we need to filter them through our Old Testament knowledge.

The prophesy found in Zechariah 14 speaks of a time (that day) when the worship of God is virtually universal. However, it also indicates that there will still be some people who choose to live in rebellion against God. These people are generally split into three groups:

Group #1 are people who stubbornly reject salvation; they steadfastly refuse to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, Savior and King (Mar 4:3-4).

Group #2 are people who initially pledged loyalty to Christ but then turned aside from following him (Mark 4:5-6). They will worship and serve all manner of false idols/gods or they will attempt to mix the worship of Jehovah with other gods/religions.

Group #3 are people who accept Christ but allow the things of this world to ‘choke out’ their service to God (Mark 4:7). This group also includes people who are lazy and ‘cold’ in their relationship with God:

Matthew 24:12 - And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold.

It is interesting to note that ‘there is nothing new under the sun’. In other words, these are the same three groups revealed in the parable of the Sower (Mark 4, Luke 8, Matthew 13). They have always existed in the world and they will continue to do so, even on ‘that day’.

In this verse, God makes it very plain that his blessings are reserved for those who love and serve him. Therefore, regardless of the root cause of their rejection or disobedience to Christ, all rebels will suffer the same curse - God will withhold rain from the people or nations who refuse to worship him at the yearly Feast of Booths.

Literal Interpretation:

Rain was (and is) God’s most essential temporal gift for the wellbeing of his people. Plants, crops, animals and livestock all flourish when water is readily available. In addition, when clean water (and food) is plentiful, people multiply more quickly and live longer, healthier lives.

As you already know, the timing of rainfall is critical to a bountiful harvest of crops. Cultivated plants/crops require an abundance of rain just after planting to ensure that the seeds sprout and grow. This is often referred to as the ‘former rain’.

Another burst of moisture is needed as the crops produce the actual grain or fruit. This is often referred to as the ‘latter rain’. God has promised to give the perfect amount of rainfall to his people when they live in obedience to him:

Deuteronomy 11:13-14 – And if you [Israel/God’s people] will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.

As we would expect, those who obey God’s commands live under his blessings. Those who rebel or disobey live outside of God’s mercy and blessing; they place themselves under a curse.

In the literal interpretation, God would literally prevent rain from falling in the nations/lands of those who refuse his salvation or turn aside from worshiping him:

Deuteronomy 11:16-17 – Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.

Anytime we find drought occurring in the world, we also find crop failures which result in famine or scarcity, pestilence, death of livestock and widespread distress. All these factors result in decreased birth rates in animals and people. The final outcome is that both the people and their land will become barren.

In modern day terms, we could say that a prolonged drought will occur in the nations who refuse to repent and accept the salvation of God. These nations will then experience all the evil outcomes associated with a severe lack of water.

Spiritual Interpretation:

As we studied in one of our prior posts, water and rain are often used in scripture to describe spiritual blessings and the work of Holy Spirit.

Hosea 6:3 - …let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.

Isaiah 45:8 – Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it.

John 7:38-39 – Whoever believes in me [Jesus], as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were yet to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The spiritual interpretation of this verse maintains that any nation who refuses to send representatives to Jerusalem once a year to worship at the Feast of Booths, has placed itself under a spiritual curse/drought in which the work of Holy Spirit will essentially dry up.

This would be a spiritually deadly curse, because Holy Spirit is the person who is responsible for our spiritual growth and blessing.

He convicts sinners and leads them to salvation.
He quickens the word of God to our hearts and minds so we can understand it.
He aids the believer in changing his or her life to confirm to the image of Christ.
He assists us in growing spiritual fruit (love, joy, peace, meekness, etc – see Galatians 6) in our lives.
He pours spiritual gifts upon the church.
He assists us in all of our spiritual labor.
He comforts us in times of grief.
He illuminates our path. He is our spiritual guide for our earthly journey.

Without all of the benefits and gifts of Holy Spirit, the churches within these rebellious nations would soon wither and die.

As bad as that is, more spiritual death would follow. Keep in mind that it is the job (privilege) of the church to sow the gospel into the hearts and minds of the lost. Once that is done, Holy Spirit waters or quickens that word, which sprouts/grows and eventually that soul is ‘harvested’ or added to the kingdom of heaven. Without the water of Holy Spirit, there would be no spiritual harvest.

In modern day terms, we could say the nations (or people groups) who refuse to send representatives to Jerusalem for the annual Feast of Booths are living in disobedience to God’s commands. This disobedience will result in a curse – the curtailment of the work of Holy Spirit in their lives.

This curse will eventually result in spiritual death for individual believers. It will also bring about a spiritual ‘crop failure’ – the lost of their generation will remain under the bondage of sin and eternal death.

Zechariah 14:18-19 – And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.

Why is the nation of Egypt specifically mentioned here? In order to find the answer, we must filter this statement through our knowledge of the Old Testament.

First, as you are probably aware, Egypt is the long-standing enemy of Israel. Israel represents the children of God and the kingdom of heaven on earth. Jesus rules this kingdom and he gives salvation (freedom from sin and its penalties) to all those who are a part of his kingdom. Citizens of his kingdom receive life and blessing.

Egypt is symbolic of the kingdom of darkness. Satan rules this kingdom and his goal is to keep as many people in bondage to sin as he can. Those who are part of his kingdom can expect spiritual death and destruction, which are the natural outcomes of sin.

So, in this verse, Egypt may be mentioned as the standard representation of satan and rebellion against God.

With that in mind, the meaning of the verse is this: Despite God’s revelation of himself to the world and the outpouring of his Spirit, there will still be people who choose to reject his offer of salvation. Those who chose to embrace satan as lord place themselves under the curse of sin, which in this case is a literal or spiritual drought. This is essentially a reiteration of the prior verse.

Now let’s look at this verse from another angle.

When Israel entered the Promised Land, they were wholly dependent upon the former and latter rains to water their crops and fill their wells. The timing of these rains was just as critical as the rains themselves. In other words, their survival depended upon these life-giving rains and they knew it. They acknowledged a direct correlation between the God-given rain and life.

However, this was not the case for ancient Egypt. The Egyptians relied on the Nile River to supply water for the nation and to irrigate their crops. The river flooded and receded, but water was always available. Of course, we know that it was the God-given rains which filled the lakes and streams that flowed into the Nile, but in their eyes, there was no direct correlation between rain and life.

Their point of view hindered them from acknowledging Jehovah as the only true God of the universe. Instead, they simply considered him another god who must be served along with Ra, Baal and all the other pagan deities they served.

In a spiritual sense, we might draw the parallel that there will be people (Egyptians) who go through the motions of worshiping God (religion), without having a true relationship with him (salvation through the work of Holy Spirit). Rather than clinging to the pure word of God (the rain/work of Holy Spirit), they simply adhere to the traditions of men (the Nile water).

Because they exist without the pure gospel of Christ, they will eventually experience the same spiritual drought/famine of those in open rebellion against God. So we see that through the prophet Zechariah, God is warning the coming generations against false religious traditions.

Another warning could also be drawn from this verse – each one of us must recognize that we stand by faith alone (the rain of Holy Spirit). If we try to stand in our own power or capabilities (the Nile water), we will fall:

1 Corinthians 10:12 -Therefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

One way to keep ourselves on the right track is to continually recognize the gifts of God and offer him praise/worship for these blessings. These actions are symbolized by mandatory participation in the feast of booths.

This brings up a very important point: God does not command us to worship him because he is insecure and needs our affirmation, or because he is having a ‘bad day’ or because he is a narcissist. He commands us to worship him because it results in our own good!

For instance, praise and worship remind us of all the amazing things he has done for us, which in turn makes us thankful and keeps us from the sins of complaining, doubt and fear.

Praise and worship remind us just how big, how perfect and how powerful God is, which in turn builds our faith.

Praise and worship usher us into the presence of God, which is where miracles and answers are found.

We could go on and on about the benefits we receive from praise and worship, but I have a better idea – why not take a week or so to make praise and worship a focus of your life and discover the benefits yourself!

Zechariah 14:20 – And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord”. And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar.

Once again, we find Zechariah speaking in terms/imagery drawn from the ritual customs of the law, which was the only spiritual revelation he had. Let’s examine those rites and see how they apply to the gospel dispensation.

On that day: ‘That day’ refers to the time when the nations of the world are converted to Christianity, after an unprecedented move of Holy Spirit, as discussed earlier in this chapter of Zechariah (verses 8 and 16).

There shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses: Before and during the time of Zechariah, bells were hung on the bridle or collar of horses (and camels) for a number of reasons. For example, when caravans traversed desert, it was not uncommon for the members of the group to get separated, because there was no firm beaten-down track. Bells were attached to the animals to signal their positions so the caravan stayed together.

Many bible commentators point out that horses enjoy the tinkling sound of certain bells; the noise seems to inspire them to keep working/moving.

Other types of bells were used for training war horses, which is the context that applies to our study. Bells were hung on the bridles of the animals to see how they would react to sudden raucous noises.

Apparently, some animals become nervous when hearing these sounds, and tend to bolt in fear. Others can bear the noise (and thus the tumult of war), so they can be trained to bear riders in the heat and confusion of battle.

It is commonly believed that Zechariah was referencing war horses in this verse.

‘Holy to the Lord’: Zechariah tells us that this phrase was inscribed on the bells of the war horses. The phrase is probably familiar to you; it was inscribed on the miter or head dress of the high priest during the era of the law:

Exodus 39:30-31 –They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

In Exodus 28:35-38 we are told that the turban or miter always had to be upon the head of the high priest as he ministered before the Lord, so he could be accepted in God’s sight, and thus perform the work he was required to do. (We discussed the significance of this phrase when we studied Zechariah 3:1-8, please see those posts for review).

So far, we see that the war horses are considered ‘Holy to the Lord’, just as the high priest under the law was ‘Holy to the Lord’. What exactly does that mean? Not surprisingly, different answers have been given.

One explanation says that the gospel is a system of holiness; it produces holiness in those who believe. On that day (and even now to some degree), this holiness will be evident in everything a Christian says and does. This includes his labor/vocation, his entertainment, his conversation, his relationships, his decisions, etc.

Proponents of this interpretation point to the words of Paul:

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Furthermore, because the Christian is consecrated to God, everything that he owns, uses or does is considered consecrated as well. In this interpretation, the horses represent labor, vocation and possessions.

In modern terms, we might say that since Christians are holy, everything they own (cars, homes, artwork, etc) as well as their jobs (home maker, teacher, electrician, etc) and anything else they labor over (hobbies, sports, etc) are all holy before the Lord as well.

One additional point should be made regarding this theory. Those who hold this view are not implying that sacred things should be lowered to the same level as common things. They believe that ordinary things become sacred (set apart for God) when they are used or possessed by holy men and women of God.

A second similar interpretation says that ever since the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the church, all Christians are now kings and priests before God:

Revelation 5:10 - And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

(See also Revelation 1:6, I Peter 2:9). Since we are now all spiritual priests before God, then even the most common things we own are sacred before the Lord, not merely the things which were sanctified under the Old Testament law.

A third interpretation maintains that because salvation has spread across the world and Christ rules in the hearts of most people, there will be universal peace. Therefore, the bells of the horses (which represent anything used in war) should be re-purposed or converted to a sacred use.

Those who hold this view see a similarity to re-purposing spears and swords:

Isaiah 2:4 - And he [God] shall judge between the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar: The temple had a large number of different vessels in it. There were pots, shovels, basins, spoons, plates, bowls, wick trimmers, flasks and forks, just to name a few. Some of these utensils were made of bronze, some of silver and some of gold (II Kings 25:14-15).

Under the temple era (the Old Testament covenant) some of these utensils were used for sacred purposes. For instance, the bowls of sprinkling which caught the blood of the sin offerings were considered sacred. Other items, like the shovels and receptacles which collected the ashes from the brazen altar, were not considered sacred.

However, on ‘that day’ which occurs during the gospel dispensation, all utensils within the house of the Lord are considered sacred – the shovel used in cleaning the altar would be just as sacred as the bowls of sprinkling.

Now ask yourself this question: What is the New Covenant equivalent of an Old Covenant vessel in the house of the Lord?

Answer: People/Christians are the vessels which serve in the church/house of the Lord during the gospel dispensation:

Romans 9:23-24 - And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had before prepared unto glory, even us, whom he has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Under the New Covenant, you and I are the vessels which are used to carry the gospel message to the world. We all have different jobs or ministries within the church, but we are all working together for the glory of God.

Think of it this way - in order for the temple to function properly, all of the different vessels and utensils had to be present. In order for the church to function properly, all Christians must be present and performing the function God has appointed for them:

Romans 12:4-6 – For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…

So, in modern terms, we could say that all Christians are priests/servants of God; all of us carry the gospel message to the world. Each of us has an individual task to perform as assigned by God, but we are all the body of Christ.

Here is something else to consider: Currently, not everyone in the church is a true believer in Christ (sad but true).

Thus, Zechariah could be using Old Testament language to say that ‘on that day’ there would no longer be any hypocrites or unbelievers in the church; everyone would be a true Christian or vessel of honor in the sight of God.

Since that is the case, then all of God’s people will direct their thoughts and actions to the glory of God. The logical outcome would be that the holiness of the church on ‘that day’ would exceed the holiness found there in the former times (the pots shall be as the bowls before the altar).

In addition, Zechariah is saying that on that day there would no longer be a distinction between Jews and Gentiles; all will be considered sons and daughters of God.

Zechariah 14:21 - And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.

This verse speaks of boiling the meat of the sacrifice. This is a reference to the Old Testament peace or freewill offering. When a peace offering was brought to the temple, the right shoulder and the breast were given to the priest, the fat was burnt upon the altar, the blood was poured out at the bottom of the altar and the remainder of the flesh was returned to the person who made the offering. This meat was often boiled in a pot at the temple.

So, the situation being described in this verse is this: When the fulfillment of this prophesy occurs, there will be such a great number of sacrifices/offerings that the number of pots in the temple won’t be sufficient to process or cook them all. But that will be okay, because every pot in the city of Jerusalem and in the country of Judah will be sanctified and devoted to holy use, so they too can be used to process the sacrifices.

What is the equivalent of a freewill sacrifice in the age of grace?

Psalms 54:6 – I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord; for it is good.

Hebrews 13:15 – By him [Jesus] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

In the dispensation of grace, freewill offerings are synonymous with praise, worship and prayer, which are always found in the house of God.

With this in mind, the modern-day interpretation is that on ‘that day’ the number of worshipers will be so great that true praise, worship, prayer and fellowship with God cannot be contained within the church walls. People will worship literally anywhere and everywhere, and at all times.

This verse goes on to say that there would no longer be a ‘trader’ in the house of the Lord. Your translation may say ‘merchant’ or ‘Canaanite’ (a non-Jewish person; by default an unbeliever).

Scripture tells us that even during the time of Christ there were dishonest merchants/traders who were in the temple buying and selling oxen, sheep, doves, etc which were used for sacrifices.

Jesus declared that these men turned the house of God into a ‘den of thieves’. In his fierce anger, he made a cord of whips and drove these traders out of the temple (Matthew 21:12-13, Luke 19:45-46, etc).

Under the dispensation of grace, these traders or unbelievers are false teachers who make a living by deceiving the very people they claim to be helping! But during the time this prophesy is fulfilled, there will no longer be any false teachers, hypocrites or impure/ungodly persons in the church of Christ.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

In today’s post we noted that God commanded the Gentile nations to attend the yearly Feast of Booths. Part of that celebration included freewill offerings/sacrifices to the Lord.

In our generation, those freewill offerings/sacrifices are equivalent to praise, worship and prayer. Do you know why these things are considered sacrifices or offerings? It’s because they cost you something. That something could be time, effort, sleep, work, recreation, etc.

But let me assure you, it is well worth the price! When you begin to engage with God through prayer and worship, you are spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically renewed.

So, if you find yourself in a place where you have neglected these important tasks, I want to encourage you to take them up again – today! You’ll be glad you did!

Let me offer you some relief and some strength:

In today’s post the nations who obey the commands of the Lord (attend the yearly festival) are blessed. Those who choose to disobey remove themselves from under God’s umbrella of protection/blessing and consequently, they will suffer for it. This principle can be found throughout the scriptures, in both the old and new covenants.

Each one of us would be wise to stop and take an honest look at our own lives. Are there areas in which we have chosen to disobey the known commands of God?

Here are a few examples:

Are we engaging in sexual sins and justifying the practice because it is common in our culture?

Scripture commands the church to assemble on a regular basis (Hebrews 10:25) for a number of reasons (to encourage each other, to prophesy, to lay hands on the sick, etc). But many people who stopped attending church during the Covid outbreak have never returned.

Jesus does not suggest that we forgive others, he commands it. Yet, many Christians refuse to follow his directive.

Let’s be honest for a minute. If you are living in disobedience in some area of your life, it will likely be uncomfortable or even painful to make a change. But in the end, it will always be worth it.

God’s commands are not there to ‘spoil our fun’, they are in place to give us freedom, joy, and prosperity. We will live our best lives by being obedient to all he commands.

Here is something to keep in mind. God would never command us to do the impossible (only he can do that). This means that if you truly desire to change and place yourself in obedience to his commands, he will make it possible for you to do so. Holy Spirit will walk with you, guide you, comfort you and empower you as you go through the process of cleaning up your mess.

Other Christians in your local church will also be there to help you. If you want some relief from bondage and strength to continue your spiritual walk, place yourself in obedience to God today.

Well, we have reached the end of our study of Zechariah. I hope you found it to be beneficial as well as interesting.

Way back in our introduction to this prophetical book, we clearly stated that we would not understand every single facet of this book - and we were right! Nevertheless, I believe our study has been worthwhile. Speaking from a personal perspective, I know more about this book now that I ever did in the past. I hope that is the case for you too.

We will be taking a break for a few weeks, in order to gear up for our next study. I hope you will come back and join us!

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SHOWERS

I Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Part 3

I Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Part 2

I Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Part 1

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 5

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 4

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 3

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 2

I Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Part 1

I Thessalonians, Introduction

Zechariah, Chapter 14, Part 6

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