But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
The above passage is from 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 which comes after bunch of thoughts on the Return of Christ.
The theology of the Second Coming of Christ is complex but its bottom line is simple: Jesus will be victorious over evil and will balance the scales of justice at the end.
Interestingly, if you think about the last few decades, secularists also have end is near scenarios. There have been movies about dreadful visions of the future of life on earth (remember Logan's Run?) or the chaos of the planet due to overpopulation (remember Soylent Green?) and many other films probably a bit less obscure! Today's end of the world concern is global warming. As a brief tangent, from a Judeo-Christian world view (God is the creator and humans are stewards of the creation), there is justification to be concerned about our environment. The challenge is finding the balance of addressing current human suffering and forestalling future human suffering, i.e. should we spend a billion dollars to treat malaria or one billion dollars to fix global warming? Chew on that one a bit!
In the context of theology, though, I think the balance is shifted a bit toward the here and now and thus, the focus returns back to the here and now in Paul and co-worker's prayer for the Thessalonians.
Gratitude is the very first thing out of their lips.
Gratitude for what?
They are LOVED by the Lord. The daisy chain of God's love ... (1) begins with God's choice (2) saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit (3) your belief in the truth (4) called you through the gospel and (5) ends with sharing in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, "end times" theology is only part 5 of the story! We are given enough details to know it will be challenging but that the end is good.
Stand firm and hold on!
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. Remember, this letter was received probably around AD 50-51. The body of teaching they had would have largely been oral. They would have had the Hebrew Scriptures. Of the 4 Gospels, it is generally held that Mark is the oldest with a date in the 50s. Matthew and Luke are thought to be compiled in the 60s drawing from Mark and other sources. John's gospel is believed to be from the 80s-90s. So perhaps the Thessalonians had possession of Jesus teachings in the form of circulated copies of Mark and in the form of oral tradition.
As for other NT letters, the Thessalonians would have copies of this letter and 1 Thessalonians. The 11 other letters of the New Testament written by Paul came later. The letters by the other NT writers also came later with the likely exception of James which is believed to be the earliest NT book dating to perhaps the 40s.
I wonder if one where a theology student, could one write a dissertation based these circumstances: "Elements of the teaching of James in 1 and 2 Thessalonians?" Or, "A chronological assessment of Pauline theology?"
In any case, the advice is hold on to what you have been taught. If one were to take 1 and 2 Thessalonians together and mark off which verses key in on how we should live and compare it to the number of verses that talk about the future hope of Christ's return, I wonder what the ratio would be?
My gut instincts tell me the ratio is 2:1 in favor of the here and now. Perhaps, I'll have to tally it up for a future blog post.
Blessing
Indeed, Paul closes out this section with a benediction where there is mention of the future but with the emphasis on the here and now: May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Lord, thank you that you sent Jesus to bring us back into relationship with you through his life, death and resurrection. Thank you that you have sent the Spirit to do the work of making us more holy. Help me to cooperate with you in the renovation of my soul. Lord, there are times I am discouraged by my faltering progress and my poor reaction to circumstances in life. Lord, strengthen and encourage my whole being toward doing good in word and deed. Help me to encourage others to do likewise. Amen.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
2 Thessalonians 2:3-12
Continuing on in a look see through 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12.
The Thessalonians were concerned that Jesus might have returned and they got left behind so Paul addressed that concern by telling them some things have to happen before Jesus returns:
(1) A rebellion occurs
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs
(2) The man of lawlessness is revealed
and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
However, we have to remember, the Thessalonians probably received this teaching around AD 50-51. So it is possible that what was for them future is now in our past!
Anyway, Paul continued to remind them of what he had taught them.
(1) There was something restraining the lawlessness
And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed ...
Now, what is this restrainer?
Unfortunately, they knew but we don't. Too bad Paul didn't reiterate his teaching on this matter. If anyone claims to know what/who the restrainer is, I'd like to see their line of thought. My guess is that they are guessing. I've heard people say it is a powerful angel. Another said it is the church. I've heard some say it is the Holy Spirit. But it is all speculation.
But in spite of all this "build up" for this, Paul told them, Jesus is going to win.
(2) Jesus will overthrow the lawlessness at his coming
whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
Just like God brings about the universe in Genesis by saying so, Jesus is going to defeat evil just as easily.
Paul went on to elaborate more on this lawless one.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
What I'd be really curious about is to what degree Paul was simply expounding on what Jesus taught in Matthew 24 which is very similar to what is here in this passage.
One wonders if in the oral traditions and in hypothetical earlier (but now lost) written compilations of Jesus teachings, there was more details than what we have in Matthew 24?
In any case, what we have is what we have and as for me it is enough to know that Jesus is going to win!
I know some authors and preachers have constructed very detailed pictures of how the Second Coming of Jesus will be like.
I think they are interesting but I tend to be skeptical because the Jews, familiar with their Scriptures, had various pictures in their heads of what the Messiah would be like. Jesus came along and many thought: nope, not the Messiah!
And so today, for us to be excessively confident about explicit details of Jesus Second Coming would be foolhardy.
As a small window into the realm of the Hebrew Scriptures taking into account Jesus and Christian interpretation, let's check out Daniel 9:20-27.
Imagine you are a dedicated Jewish person and you open up the scrolls to read Daniel and see the following:
Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.
It is generally believed that this was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple. But what does that Jewish person think when the Temple of Jerusalem is completely destroyed in AD 70? It would seem like deja vu all over again.
Indeed, Jesus used this kind of language in Matthew 24 when the disciples asked (1) when the Temple would be destroyed, (2) when Jesus would come back and (3) when the end of times would be.
In the mind of Jesus, it happened once before and it would happen again.
Will it happen a third time?
Lord, you spoke the universe into existence. In your wisdom you allowed us to have the freedom to choose to follow you or to rebel. You have sent Jesus to make restoration possible. The tide of your righteousness is rolling in and one day it will sweep away all lawlessness. But until that day, help me to fight the part of me that is disobedient. Help me to bring in peace and love and truth to the places and peoples around me. Amen.
The Thessalonians were concerned that Jesus might have returned and they got left behind so Paul addressed that concern by telling them some things have to happen before Jesus returns:
(1) A rebellion occurs
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs
(2) The man of lawlessness is revealed
and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
However, we have to remember, the Thessalonians probably received this teaching around AD 50-51. So it is possible that what was for them future is now in our past!
Anyway, Paul continued to remind them of what he had taught them.
(1) There was something restraining the lawlessness
And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed ...
Now, what is this restrainer?
Unfortunately, they knew but we don't. Too bad Paul didn't reiterate his teaching on this matter. If anyone claims to know what/who the restrainer is, I'd like to see their line of thought. My guess is that they are guessing. I've heard people say it is a powerful angel. Another said it is the church. I've heard some say it is the Holy Spirit. But it is all speculation.
But in spite of all this "build up" for this, Paul told them, Jesus is going to win.
(2) Jesus will overthrow the lawlessness at his coming
whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
Just like God brings about the universe in Genesis by saying so, Jesus is going to defeat evil just as easily.
Paul went on to elaborate more on this lawless one.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
What I'd be really curious about is to what degree Paul was simply expounding on what Jesus taught in Matthew 24 which is very similar to what is here in this passage.
One wonders if in the oral traditions and in hypothetical earlier (but now lost) written compilations of Jesus teachings, there was more details than what we have in Matthew 24?
In any case, what we have is what we have and as for me it is enough to know that Jesus is going to win!
I know some authors and preachers have constructed very detailed pictures of how the Second Coming of Jesus will be like.
I think they are interesting but I tend to be skeptical because the Jews, familiar with their Scriptures, had various pictures in their heads of what the Messiah would be like. Jesus came along and many thought: nope, not the Messiah!
And so today, for us to be excessively confident about explicit details of Jesus Second Coming would be foolhardy.
As a small window into the realm of the Hebrew Scriptures taking into account Jesus and Christian interpretation, let's check out Daniel 9:20-27.
Imagine you are a dedicated Jewish person and you open up the scrolls to read Daniel and see the following:
Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.
It is generally believed that this was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple. But what does that Jewish person think when the Temple of Jerusalem is completely destroyed in AD 70? It would seem like deja vu all over again.
Indeed, Jesus used this kind of language in Matthew 24 when the disciples asked (1) when the Temple would be destroyed, (2) when Jesus would come back and (3) when the end of times would be.
In the mind of Jesus, it happened once before and it would happen again.
Will it happen a third time?
Lord, you spoke the universe into existence. In your wisdom you allowed us to have the freedom to choose to follow you or to rebel. You have sent Jesus to make restoration possible. The tide of your righteousness is rolling in and one day it will sweep away all lawlessness. But until that day, help me to fight the part of me that is disobedient. Help me to bring in peace and love and truth to the places and peoples around me. Amen.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 gives us Paul's teaching on when the day of the Lord will arrive.
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Right off the bat we see two events: (1) the rebellion occurs and (2) the man of lawlessness is revealed.
What I wonder is to what degree is Paul expanding on what Jesus said in Matthew 24 and to what degree did Paul receive additional revelation from God?
Matthew 24:10 said: At that time many will turn away from the faith which seems similar though the Greek words are not the same. In 2 Thessalonians the word is apostasia while in Matthew 24 it is skandalisthesontai.
The idea of lawlessness more closely tracks with Jesus teaching in Matthew 24:12, Because of the increase of wickedness. In that one the Greek word is anomian and in 2 Thessalonians it is anomias. I'm not a Greek scholar but I'm guessing those words are similar!
What this man of lawlessness does seems similar to Matthew 24:15, So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel.
But at this point, what can we say?
Has this happened already? Or is it happening now? Or is it still in the future?
For those who say it has happened already, they point to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. In addition, the Roman slaughter of the Jews at that time was of holocaust proportions. As for the Temple, all that is left is the Western Wall known today as the Wailing Wall.
image source: http://www.biblestudy.org/biblepic/picture-of-wailing-wall-dome-of-the-rock.html
It is generally believed that Paul wrote the letters to the Thessalonians in AD 50-51! Thus, can you imagine a young Thessalonian believer of say 13 years of age, at age 33 hearing news that the Temple in Jerusalem was demolished, the city razed and Jews slaughters in massive proportions? Would they have connected it with Paul's teachings, Jesus's discourse and Daniel's prophecies?
Is it happening today?
Is the lawlessness of the world today any more pronounced than in the past? I don't know. Humans have been and are and will continue to be sinners. Within the context of Western society, one might say our sinfulness is more public than it used to be. In the past, our sins were kept quiet but today with 24/7 news media, the dirty laundry of the rich and famous and even of ordinary people will be blasted on cable news, the internet and the tabloids. So in some ways, we are more lawless in that the same ambient level of sin is now more public.
Is it in the future?
Paul's specificity of description does tend to point to a future event if one takes what he wrote in a very literal fashion: He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Has one specific person in human history done that? I don't think so. And since the temple was destroyed that can't happen right now.
Thus, you can see why this passage is a source of confusion.
In summary, it seemed that Paul was saying what Jesus said in a different way. Was it further revelation from God to Paul? Was it Paul drawing from oral tradition about Jesus we no longer have access to? Don't know.
Both Jesus and Paul being acquainted with the Jewish Scriptures they would know Daniel. So in the next blog post, we will just have to go back to Daniel and keep following the line of thought.
Lord, you are the God of history. I live in a tiny span of time. How my times fit into your plans I do not know. But I do know that you want me to live my short march of time in this life with an eye toward your kingdom. With the perspective that you are in charge of my life and that you want me to do justice, love mercy and to walk humbly with you. Help me to do that today and for however long I have breath. Amen.
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Right off the bat we see two events: (1) the rebellion occurs and (2) the man of lawlessness is revealed.
What I wonder is to what degree is Paul expanding on what Jesus said in Matthew 24 and to what degree did Paul receive additional revelation from God?
Matthew 24:10 said: At that time many will turn away from the faith which seems similar though the Greek words are not the same. In 2 Thessalonians the word is apostasia while in Matthew 24 it is skandalisthesontai.
The idea of lawlessness more closely tracks with Jesus teaching in Matthew 24:12, Because of the increase of wickedness. In that one the Greek word is anomian and in 2 Thessalonians it is anomias. I'm not a Greek scholar but I'm guessing those words are similar!
What this man of lawlessness does seems similar to Matthew 24:15, So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel.
But at this point, what can we say?
Has this happened already? Or is it happening now? Or is it still in the future?
For those who say it has happened already, they point to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. In addition, the Roman slaughter of the Jews at that time was of holocaust proportions. As for the Temple, all that is left is the Western Wall known today as the Wailing Wall.
image source: http://www.biblestudy.org/biblepic/picture-of-wailing-wall-dome-of-the-rock.html
It is generally believed that Paul wrote the letters to the Thessalonians in AD 50-51! Thus, can you imagine a young Thessalonian believer of say 13 years of age, at age 33 hearing news that the Temple in Jerusalem was demolished, the city razed and Jews slaughters in massive proportions? Would they have connected it with Paul's teachings, Jesus's discourse and Daniel's prophecies?
Is it happening today?
Is the lawlessness of the world today any more pronounced than in the past? I don't know. Humans have been and are and will continue to be sinners. Within the context of Western society, one might say our sinfulness is more public than it used to be. In the past, our sins were kept quiet but today with 24/7 news media, the dirty laundry of the rich and famous and even of ordinary people will be blasted on cable news, the internet and the tabloids. So in some ways, we are more lawless in that the same ambient level of sin is now more public.
Is it in the future?
Paul's specificity of description does tend to point to a future event if one takes what he wrote in a very literal fashion: He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Has one specific person in human history done that? I don't think so. And since the temple was destroyed that can't happen right now.
Thus, you can see why this passage is a source of confusion.
In summary, it seemed that Paul was saying what Jesus said in a different way. Was it further revelation from God to Paul? Was it Paul drawing from oral tradition about Jesus we no longer have access to? Don't know.
Both Jesus and Paul being acquainted with the Jewish Scriptures they would know Daniel. So in the next blog post, we will just have to go back to Daniel and keep following the line of thought.
Lord, you are the God of history. I live in a tiny span of time. How my times fit into your plans I do not know. But I do know that you want me to live my short march of time in this life with an eye toward your kingdom. With the perspective that you are in charge of my life and that you want me to do justice, love mercy and to walk humbly with you. Help me to do that today and for however long I have breath. Amen.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Am looking at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 this morning.
Sigh.
This is one of those passages that is a bit confusing. What we have on hand is Paul's response to something ...
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
But what was the something that prompted this response?
We can only put together a few loose pieces.
The important piece was that the Thessalonians were being mislead by somebody to think Jesus had come back and had gathered the saints and that they had been left behind. That would indeed be a source of anxiety!
What we don't have was how did the Thessalonian church view the return of Jesus?
I heard theologian Robert Morgan talk about how scholars believe there are three layers of knowledge regarding the words and deeds of Jesus. (1) Jesus actual words and deeds (2) the oral traditions and first writings of the earliest followers of Jesus (3) the consolidation of those traditions into the Four Gospels we have today.
This process was nicely and thoroughly explained in this series of posts by Mark D. Roberts where he addressed the question, "Are the New Testament Gospels reliable?"
He provides this helpful diagram in that blog post:
Image source: http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/gospelsreliable.htm#sep2905
What we have in hand are the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). The Gospels as we know them were probably not yet written at the time of this letter to the Thessalonians. They had some (most?) of layer number two (the oral traditions and early writings) but probably not all the elements of layer two that eventually was distilled into the four Gospels? Thus, what was their understanding of the Return of Jesus?
We simply don't know. The fact that they were worried about it meant that there was probably a general belief that the Return would be relatively soon. Some believe the reason the Gospel records were not produced immediately after Jesus resurrection was that the early church didn't anticipate having to wait around very long. However, when it became apparent that Jesus had not yet returned and the church was spreading far and wide, the need to preserve the teachings and deeds of Jesus became an imperative.
In any case, Paul assured them that the day had not yet come. In fact, he gave them signs to look for that apparently were not yet in place to assure them that the Return was still in the future.
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Questions I can't answer: (1) since these events were in the future from the perspective of the Thessalonians have these events occurred and is thus in the past for us? (2) what are these events suppose to be?
More on this topic in the next blog post.
Lord, don't know what this passage means. I think it is still in the future. I trust in your control events even if I don't understand them. I look at the world today and it sure looks lawless. Whether is it hateful violence in some far away parts of this world like Darfur and Iraq or close by in my city where gangs control parts of Los Angeles, terrible things are happening. Lord, speed the day when your justice and peace will reign on this earth as it is in heaven. In the meantime, help me in the realms of my life to bring in your kingdom. Amen.
Sigh.
This is one of those passages that is a bit confusing. What we have on hand is Paul's response to something ...
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
But what was the something that prompted this response?
We can only put together a few loose pieces.
The important piece was that the Thessalonians were being mislead by somebody to think Jesus had come back and had gathered the saints and that they had been left behind. That would indeed be a source of anxiety!
What we don't have was how did the Thessalonian church view the return of Jesus?
I heard theologian Robert Morgan talk about how scholars believe there are three layers of knowledge regarding the words and deeds of Jesus. (1) Jesus actual words and deeds (2) the oral traditions and first writings of the earliest followers of Jesus (3) the consolidation of those traditions into the Four Gospels we have today.
This process was nicely and thoroughly explained in this series of posts by Mark D. Roberts where he addressed the question, "Are the New Testament Gospels reliable?"
He provides this helpful diagram in that blog post:
Image source: http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/gospelsreliable.htm#sep2905
What we have in hand are the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). The Gospels as we know them were probably not yet written at the time of this letter to the Thessalonians. They had some (most?) of layer number two (the oral traditions and early writings) but probably not all the elements of layer two that eventually was distilled into the four Gospels? Thus, what was their understanding of the Return of Jesus?
We simply don't know. The fact that they were worried about it meant that there was probably a general belief that the Return would be relatively soon. Some believe the reason the Gospel records were not produced immediately after Jesus resurrection was that the early church didn't anticipate having to wait around very long. However, when it became apparent that Jesus had not yet returned and the church was spreading far and wide, the need to preserve the teachings and deeds of Jesus became an imperative.
In any case, Paul assured them that the day had not yet come. In fact, he gave them signs to look for that apparently were not yet in place to assure them that the Return was still in the future.
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Questions I can't answer: (1) since these events were in the future from the perspective of the Thessalonians have these events occurred and is thus in the past for us? (2) what are these events suppose to be?
More on this topic in the next blog post.
Lord, don't know what this passage means. I think it is still in the future. I trust in your control events even if I don't understand them. I look at the world today and it sure looks lawless. Whether is it hateful violence in some far away parts of this world like Darfur and Iraq or close by in my city where gangs control parts of Los Angeles, terrible things are happening. Lord, speed the day when your justice and peace will reign on this earth as it is in heaven. In the meantime, help me in the realms of my life to bring in your kingdom. Amen.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Am looking at 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This prayer follows Paul's thoughts earlier in 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10. I blogged about my reactions to verses 3-10.
In brief, Paul gave the Thessalonian believers some encouragement about how the sufferings they have experienced has not gone unnoticed by God and that those who persecuted them will be judged someday. It is in this context that Paul launches into a prayer for them.
Worthy of his calling strikes me. On one hand, there is no way I'm worthy of his calling in the sense I know I am, simply put, nothing more than a sinner saved by grace. On the other God has called me out of my old life which was controlled by sin and death into freedom (Romans 8:1-2). Thus, at one time a prayer to live worthy would have been pointless is now possible!
And so how does this work itself out in my life?
Paul's prayer continues ... by his power he may fulfill ...
every good purpose of yours ...
every act prompted by your faith ...
Imagine that!
Within the Thessalonian followers of Jesus, within us, within me, there are good purposes percolating within because our lives have been transformed by God. Within me, there are deeds prompted by the faith in my life. When those things show up within me, God's power is happily added onto it to strengthen it and to bring it to reality.
And then what happens?
the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him ...
The good deeds we do bring glory to Jesus!
J.S. Bach was well known for putting the initials S.D.G. at the end of his composition. S.D.G. stood for Soli Deo Gloria which is Latin for to the Glory of God alone.
Lord Jesus, please continue to work in my life by strengthening and prompting the desire to be holy in thought and deed. Help me not to quench those thoughts that push me towards godliness and help me to resist those thoughts that are selfish and wicked. Amen.
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This prayer follows Paul's thoughts earlier in 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10. I blogged about my reactions to verses 3-10.
In brief, Paul gave the Thessalonian believers some encouragement about how the sufferings they have experienced has not gone unnoticed by God and that those who persecuted them will be judged someday. It is in this context that Paul launches into a prayer for them.
Worthy of his calling strikes me. On one hand, there is no way I'm worthy of his calling in the sense I know I am, simply put, nothing more than a sinner saved by grace. On the other God has called me out of my old life which was controlled by sin and death into freedom (Romans 8:1-2). Thus, at one time a prayer to live worthy would have been pointless is now possible!
And so how does this work itself out in my life?
Paul's prayer continues ... by his power he may fulfill ...
every good purpose of yours ...
every act prompted by your faith ...
Imagine that!
Within the Thessalonian followers of Jesus, within us, within me, there are good purposes percolating within because our lives have been transformed by God. Within me, there are deeds prompted by the faith in my life. When those things show up within me, God's power is happily added onto it to strengthen it and to bring it to reality.
And then what happens?
the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him ...
The good deeds we do bring glory to Jesus!
J.S. Bach was well known for putting the initials S.D.G. at the end of his composition. S.D.G. stood for Soli Deo Gloria which is Latin for to the Glory of God alone.
Lord Jesus, please continue to work in my life by strengthening and prompting the desire to be holy in thought and deed. Help me not to quench those thoughts that push me towards godliness and help me to resist those thoughts that are selfish and wicked. Amen.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
2 Thessalonians 1:3-10
Taking a look at 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10 tonight.
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
There are places in the world today where being a follower of Jesus is not the safe thing to do. Yet, these believers persevere. We need to thank God for them and pray that their faith which really can cost them a lot would keep growing.
UPDATE: Diane at Crossroads is wondering if persecution might be around the corner in America?
I wonder what kinds of challenges did the Thessalonians face during their life times?
We know from Acts 17 that Paul faced opposition such that he and Silas fled to Berea. Those same opponents went to Berea to caused trouble such that Paul had to flee from there as well. One would suppose that even with Paul gone, those critics would still put pressure on the fledgling church.
Paul placed their experience in a broader context ...
All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
I was listening to Dennis Prager on the radio the other day and he was talking with a caller about the existence of an afterlife. He asked her, do you believe there is a good god out there?
She said, yes.
Prager then said, if you believe that then you have to believe in an afterlife because a good god would want justice and if this life is all there is then the scales of justice would be unbalanced.
Other than this line of reasoning, I'm not sure one can argue for the existence of an afterlife.
This passage makes me also think about our current "clash of civilizations" with the radical Islamic followers. Am I allowed to turn Paul's writing here into a prayer for this day and age?
God, you are just. I trust that either in this life or the next you will pay back those who terrorize and kill innocent people. Grant relief to those who cry out to you how long must we suffer at the hands of people who would bomb markets and schools? Lord, may you be glorified in your people who exhibit faith, hope and love. Lord, speed the day when all will see your glory as you are revealed again but this time in the fullness of your glory. Amen.
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
There are places in the world today where being a follower of Jesus is not the safe thing to do. Yet, these believers persevere. We need to thank God for them and pray that their faith which really can cost them a lot would keep growing.
UPDATE: Diane at Crossroads is wondering if persecution might be around the corner in America?
I wonder what kinds of challenges did the Thessalonians face during their life times?
We know from Acts 17 that Paul faced opposition such that he and Silas fled to Berea. Those same opponents went to Berea to caused trouble such that Paul had to flee from there as well. One would suppose that even with Paul gone, those critics would still put pressure on the fledgling church.
Paul placed their experience in a broader context ...
All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
I was listening to Dennis Prager on the radio the other day and he was talking with a caller about the existence of an afterlife. He asked her, do you believe there is a good god out there?
She said, yes.
Prager then said, if you believe that then you have to believe in an afterlife because a good god would want justice and if this life is all there is then the scales of justice would be unbalanced.
Other than this line of reasoning, I'm not sure one can argue for the existence of an afterlife.
This passage makes me also think about our current "clash of civilizations" with the radical Islamic followers. Am I allowed to turn Paul's writing here into a prayer for this day and age?
God, you are just. I trust that either in this life or the next you will pay back those who terrorize and kill innocent people. Grant relief to those who cry out to you how long must we suffer at the hands of people who would bomb markets and schools? Lord, may you be glorified in your people who exhibit faith, hope and love. Lord, speed the day when all will see your glory as you are revealed again but this time in the fullness of your glory. Amen.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
2 Thessalonians 1:1-2
Am looking at 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 this morning.
Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scholars suggest that 2 Thessalonians was written shortly after 1 Thessalonians probably in response to the latest report Paul received from the church in regards to confusion about what happens to Christians who had died and "the day of the Lord" which he touched on in 1 Thessalonians 4-5. Paul will get to that right after this greeting.
But for the moment, I just want to reflect on the greeting.
Church. What is it today? What was it like back then?
The other day I was web surfing and I came across this item which is links to a series of articles about what we know of the early church. Unfortunately, one can only read excerpts of the articles unless you have a subscription. More searching yielded this item which is a full article not requiring a subscription.
In brief, the article mentions that a "typical" church in the olden day did the following things: prayer and fasting, baptism, greeting kiss, Lord Supper/Communion/Eucharist, provide assistance to the needy and indeed, they had a "sermon." Here is the excerpt in the article describing this part of the church meeting:
Imagine believers going about their daily lives running into other believers saying, "I heard a letter from Paul arrived yesterday! They are going to read it on Sunday!! Make sure you can be there!!!"
Think about the excitement of one of the literate members of the community being asked by the leader of the church, "I want you to write a copy of the latest letter from Paul! We need copies so we can pass them around to other churches so they can benefit!"
Perhaps one of the wealthier members of the church would say, "Here take some of this money so you can buy the best papyrus to make the copies!"
Imagine the sweat on the brow of the copywriter! He doesn't want any mistakes. He finishes the copy and asks another literate member of the congregation, "PLEASE look this over and check for any mistakes!"
Image source: http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/exhibits/papyri_james/1_2.html
What would it have been like as the believers packed into a home for a meeting and the leader stands up with the letter from Paul and starts reading it aloud?
For us today, we take for granted the Bible. I confess to occasionally yawning during the sermon and playing the game of "roast pastor" at lunch skewering the sermon. Lord, have mercy!
I suppose maybe I'm "romanticizing" how excited the early believers were.
But as I reflect this morning, I am struck by my own lack of anticipation.
Lord, you have assembled the church. It is made up of flawed people like me who are so often ungrateful, selfish and not fully focused on you. Yet, you in your grace, keep pursuing me and reminding me of who you are. Keep after all of us at the church I'm at. Help our church to be a light to the people around us. Increase our anticipation of what you will do. Give us courage to live for you. Amen.
Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Scholars suggest that 2 Thessalonians was written shortly after 1 Thessalonians probably in response to the latest report Paul received from the church in regards to confusion about what happens to Christians who had died and "the day of the Lord" which he touched on in 1 Thessalonians 4-5. Paul will get to that right after this greeting.
But for the moment, I just want to reflect on the greeting.
Church. What is it today? What was it like back then?
The other day I was web surfing and I came across this item which is links to a series of articles about what we know of the early church. Unfortunately, one can only read excerpts of the articles unless you have a subscription. More searching yielded this item which is a full article not requiring a subscription.
In brief, the article mentions that a "typical" church in the olden day did the following things: prayer and fasting, baptism, greeting kiss, Lord Supper/Communion/Eucharist, provide assistance to the needy and indeed, they had a "sermon." Here is the excerpt in the article describing this part of the church meeting:
And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those who live in cities or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president in a discourse urges and invites [us] to the imitation of these noble things.This picture started me thinking about the level of anticipation the Thessalonian believers must have had when news of a letter from Paul had arrived!
Imagine believers going about their daily lives running into other believers saying, "I heard a letter from Paul arrived yesterday! They are going to read it on Sunday!! Make sure you can be there!!!"
Think about the excitement of one of the literate members of the community being asked by the leader of the church, "I want you to write a copy of the latest letter from Paul! We need copies so we can pass them around to other churches so they can benefit!"
Perhaps one of the wealthier members of the church would say, "Here take some of this money so you can buy the best papyrus to make the copies!"
Imagine the sweat on the brow of the copywriter! He doesn't want any mistakes. He finishes the copy and asks another literate member of the congregation, "PLEASE look this over and check for any mistakes!"
Image source: http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/exhibits/papyri_james/1_2.html
What would it have been like as the believers packed into a home for a meeting and the leader stands up with the letter from Paul and starts reading it aloud?
For us today, we take for granted the Bible. I confess to occasionally yawning during the sermon and playing the game of "roast pastor" at lunch skewering the sermon. Lord, have mercy!
I suppose maybe I'm "romanticizing" how excited the early believers were.
But as I reflect this morning, I am struck by my own lack of anticipation.
Lord, you have assembled the church. It is made up of flawed people like me who are so often ungrateful, selfish and not fully focused on you. Yet, you in your grace, keep pursuing me and reminding me of who you are. Keep after all of us at the church I'm at. Help our church to be a light to the people around us. Increase our anticipation of what you will do. Give us courage to live for you. Amen.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28
Call me an oddball but I'm kind of fascinated by how the New Testament letters come to a conclusion. This is kind of the place where the writer tosses out a few last thoughts to encourage and challenge the readers.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 brings the letter to a close.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
Sanctify. Not a commonly used word outside of religious circles! Check out the dictionary for its meaning. Excerpt:
You might have heard of Rick Warren and his book the Purpose Driven Life?
I read his book a couple of years ago. He believes the five purposes of our lives are: worship (relationship with God), discipleship (living in a Christ-like manner), fellowship (being involved with the lives of other followers of Jesus), ministry (offering service to other people) and evangelism (telling people about Jesus who aren't yet following Jesus).
Interestingly, St. Paul mentioned that this involves your whole spirit, soul and body.
We often get into lingo that separates things by saying, oh, that is a spiritual matter and that is not a spiritual matter. In some ways that is true but they are still connected. I'm not a theologian but from the years of hearing sermons, the distinction is thus: body is the physical part of our existence, the spirit is the part of us that is the divine spark that allows us to know God and the soul is the intellect, emotion and will.
I suppose one can get into an abstract discussion of whether the soul and spirit actually exist. That is beyond the scope of this blogger! I suppose the difference between us humans and the rest of the created life forms on earth is the spirit and the will. Only humans appear to need or want to worship god! And only humans appear to have a free will. Other life forms more or less just respond on instinct. I suppose skeptics of free will use their free will to believe that our belief and exercise of free will is illusionary! Again, well beyond the realms of this blog ... I'll leave that for real philosophers. I'm just an arm chair one.
IN any case, we are set aside for a purpose!
Brothers, pray for us.
I can't say I understand how prayer works!
Imagine you are in the heavenly realms and prayer requests from a billion people arrive on your prayer email inbox. How do you answer them?
Bruce Almighty was a funny but thoughtful film in 2003 and one of the scenes was Bruce deciding to answer all the prayer requests with a YES with humorous and chaotic results.
So, I don't know how prayer works. I just am told by the Scriptures that I should pray. And if I'm changed by praying that's great. If the situation is changed by praying, super.
I think of prayer mainly trying to bring my heart in-line with the heart of God.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
Ah, the famous give us a kiss passage!
Remember, this was a Mediterranean culture! You know how expressive people are in that world! In some places it is two kisses and in some places it is three?
Here in please don't invade my personal space America, a handshake will do nicely. Maybe a "side" hug. For people you know better or who are more touchy feely types, a full hug.
I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
In the olden days, most people couldn't read. Thus, the leaders of the church would read aloud the scrolls and letters so the people would learn about God and how to live and follow Jesus.
Imagine, a little church in those days what an exciting thing it would be to have one of the church leaders announce: today, we got our own copy of Paul's latest letter! Let's all meet on Friday night at farmer Jacob's house and we will share a meal, pray and read the latest letter we got!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
We live and walk in grace as much as we live and walk by breathing air!
Lord, help me to realize you have set me apart for a sacred purpose. My life means something because you have taken a hold of it. Help me to be seeing the bigger picture in life and praying for all the little details. Guide me to be a person of encouragement of others by a meaningful touch and the sharing of the Word. In need your grace daily. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 brings the letter to a close.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
Sanctify. Not a commonly used word outside of religious circles! Check out the dictionary for its meaning. Excerpt:
1 : to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use : CONSECRATEImagine that? You and I, when we become part of God's family, are set apart for a sacred purpose!
You might have heard of Rick Warren and his book the Purpose Driven Life?
I read his book a couple of years ago. He believes the five purposes of our lives are: worship (relationship with God), discipleship (living in a Christ-like manner), fellowship (being involved with the lives of other followers of Jesus), ministry (offering service to other people) and evangelism (telling people about Jesus who aren't yet following Jesus).
Interestingly, St. Paul mentioned that this involves your whole spirit, soul and body.
We often get into lingo that separates things by saying, oh, that is a spiritual matter and that is not a spiritual matter. In some ways that is true but they are still connected. I'm not a theologian but from the years of hearing sermons, the distinction is thus: body is the physical part of our existence, the spirit is the part of us that is the divine spark that allows us to know God and the soul is the intellect, emotion and will.
I suppose one can get into an abstract discussion of whether the soul and spirit actually exist. That is beyond the scope of this blogger! I suppose the difference between us humans and the rest of the created life forms on earth is the spirit and the will. Only humans appear to need or want to worship god! And only humans appear to have a free will. Other life forms more or less just respond on instinct. I suppose skeptics of free will use their free will to believe that our belief and exercise of free will is illusionary! Again, well beyond the realms of this blog ... I'll leave that for real philosophers. I'm just an arm chair one.
IN any case, we are set aside for a purpose!
Brothers, pray for us.
I can't say I understand how prayer works!
Imagine you are in the heavenly realms and prayer requests from a billion people arrive on your prayer email inbox. How do you answer them?
Bruce Almighty was a funny but thoughtful film in 2003 and one of the scenes was Bruce deciding to answer all the prayer requests with a YES with humorous and chaotic results.
So, I don't know how prayer works. I just am told by the Scriptures that I should pray. And if I'm changed by praying that's great. If the situation is changed by praying, super.
I think of prayer mainly trying to bring my heart in-line with the heart of God.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
Ah, the famous give us a kiss passage!
Remember, this was a Mediterranean culture! You know how expressive people are in that world! In some places it is two kisses and in some places it is three?
Here in please don't invade my personal space America, a handshake will do nicely. Maybe a "side" hug. For people you know better or who are more touchy feely types, a full hug.
I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
In the olden days, most people couldn't read. Thus, the leaders of the church would read aloud the scrolls and letters so the people would learn about God and how to live and follow Jesus.
Imagine, a little church in those days what an exciting thing it would be to have one of the church leaders announce: today, we got our own copy of Paul's latest letter! Let's all meet on Friday night at farmer Jacob's house and we will share a meal, pray and read the latest letter we got!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
We live and walk in grace as much as we live and walk by breathing air!
Lord, help me to realize you have set me apart for a sacred purpose. My life means something because you have taken a hold of it. Help me to be seeing the bigger picture in life and praying for all the little details. Guide me to be a person of encouragement of others by a meaningful touch and the sharing of the Word. In need your grace daily. Amen.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
Some parts of the Bible are harder to understand than others. Some parts are straightforward. Am looking at 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 today and this is one of those how you should live straightforward passages. Not always easy to live out but very clear on what is the right way to do things!
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
The first batch of challenges in regards to how people should treat those who are in leadership in the church setting:
respect those who labor among you ...
esteem them very highly in love because of their work ...
In the English language, I don't sense a huge difference between those two words. Any English majors out there reading this blog? 8-) Both words, to me, don't convey a lot of emotion but more thoughtful reflection. For instance, one might have respect for a tough-as-nails drill instructor but might not have much feelings. Would a Greek lexicon help?
Respect is Strong's word number 1492. The definitions listed are to see, to ascertain and to know. Esteem is Strong's word number 2233. The definitions listed are to lead and to consider. Did that help?
Anyway, seems to be similar words and in any case the thing we should do in regards to those who lead in the church.
Then Paul gives a series of exhortations on how to live with one another:
Be at peace among yourselves
admonish the idle
encourage the fainthearted
help the weak
be patient with them all.
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil
seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
Very much in line with the teachings of Jesus.
Then Paul has challenges about how to face the circumstances of life:
Rejoice always
pray without ceasing
give thanks in all circumstances.
Tough ones for me to do consistently as I can, at times, be a whiner!
Finally, Paul has some commands in regards to things of an explicitly spiritual nature:
Do not quench the Spirit
Do not despise prophecies
but test everything
hold fast what is good.
Abstain from every form of evil.
I often wrestle with the question of how does the Spirit work in our lives? How personal should we expect God to be? In what ways does the Spirit intervene in our lives?
As for prophecies, what does that really mean?
We have "special revelation" in the form of the guidance in the Bible. We have "natural revelation" in the form of conscience and reason. Is there "personal revelation" in the form of prophecies? If so, in what way does this happen?
In any case, it would seem Paul is from Missouri (the Show Me state) with his admonition, test everything.
Lord, I look over this list of things and I know I fall short every day. Forgive me when I think only of myself and lose sight of the needs of others. I need help to live this out. I often get discouraged by life's circumstances. Yet, I should know better because I can walk in your wisdom. Grant to me insight into what happens day-to-day to see where I can grow and develop in me a better BS meter that recognizes what is good from what is evil. Amen.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
The first batch of challenges in regards to how people should treat those who are in leadership in the church setting:
respect those who labor among you ...
esteem them very highly in love because of their work ...
In the English language, I don't sense a huge difference between those two words. Any English majors out there reading this blog? 8-) Both words, to me, don't convey a lot of emotion but more thoughtful reflection. For instance, one might have respect for a tough-as-nails drill instructor but might not have much feelings. Would a Greek lexicon help?
Respect is Strong's word number 1492. The definitions listed are to see, to ascertain and to know. Esteem is Strong's word number 2233. The definitions listed are to lead and to consider. Did that help?
Anyway, seems to be similar words and in any case the thing we should do in regards to those who lead in the church.
Then Paul gives a series of exhortations on how to live with one another:
Be at peace among yourselves
admonish the idle
encourage the fainthearted
help the weak
be patient with them all.
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil
seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
Very much in line with the teachings of Jesus.
Then Paul has challenges about how to face the circumstances of life:
Rejoice always
pray without ceasing
give thanks in all circumstances.
Tough ones for me to do consistently as I can, at times, be a whiner!
Finally, Paul has some commands in regards to things of an explicitly spiritual nature:
Do not quench the Spirit
Do not despise prophecies
but test everything
hold fast what is good.
Abstain from every form of evil.
I often wrestle with the question of how does the Spirit work in our lives? How personal should we expect God to be? In what ways does the Spirit intervene in our lives?
As for prophecies, what does that really mean?
We have "special revelation" in the form of the guidance in the Bible. We have "natural revelation" in the form of conscience and reason. Is there "personal revelation" in the form of prophecies? If so, in what way does this happen?
In any case, it would seem Paul is from Missouri (the Show Me state) with his admonition, test everything.
Lord, I look over this list of things and I know I fall short every day. Forgive me when I think only of myself and lose sight of the needs of others. I need help to live this out. I often get discouraged by life's circumstances. Yet, I should know better because I can walk in your wisdom. Grant to me insight into what happens day-to-day to see where I can grow and develop in me a better BS meter that recognizes what is good from what is evil. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)