2 Thessalonians 3:6-10

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10  In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.  For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you,  nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it.  On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.  We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

As a spiritual father to the new churches he started or pastored, Paul expressed his desire to set an example or to serve as a model of appropriate Christian behavior.  To the Thessalonians he is concerned about idleness as he has been in other of his writings.  In his first letter to the believers in Thessalonica, he told the church to warn those who are idle.  (1 Thessalonians 5:14)  In writing to Timothy, Paul also counseled the young widows to remarry because they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house.  And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.  He believed if they were busy having children and managing their homes, they would give the enemy no opportunity for slander.  (1 Timothy 5:13-14)  Paul did not trust people to handle down time.  He expected them to be busy doing the work of the Lord and to earn their keep, not expecting others to take care of their needs.  To set an example for the church, even though Paul was a preaching and teaching apostle who could have expected the church to support him, he worked with his own hands whenever possible to earn his way and so he would not be a burden.  We see a glimpse of Paul's commitment to serving as an example in this account: After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.  There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.  Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.  (Acts 18:1-4)

Paul does not merely suggest to these new believers that they avoid idleness, he commands that they avoid every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.  Earlier in the letter, he wrote, We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.  (2 Thessalonians 3:4)  Paul writes to a church he believes in and knows they will read his words with spiritual ears in tune with the Holy Spirit's leading, looking to God to lead them to do what He desires.  Paul backs up his statement about idleness with his own life by reminding them of how he lived when he was with them.  He knows they will remember his works and his attitude, his desire to labor and toil to pay his own way, even though he would have had the right to cease from laboring and expect the people to minister to his needs.  He says, he wanted to be a model for the church.  Having said this, he is in a strong position to bring up a subject that he has obviously discussed previously.  He reminds them of a "rule" he gave to them when he was with them: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”  Reading between the lines, we can surmise that the problem of idleness is not something new to this church.  Apparently, they have dealt with individuals for a while who want to let others do the work, while they partake of the fruit of the labors of the workers.  Paul is saying the church is not meant to function this way.  Yes, the church is a family, a community of believers where each supports the others and where burdens are shared; but no one who is able to function in the body gets a free ride.  Everyone provides as he or she is able.  When Paul describes the body, he says we cannot remain infants in the church.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  (Ephesians 4:15-16)  Every part is necessary, every part is important.  Working as a whole, we glorify God and the gospel message goes forth.

We attend a small church of around a hundred members located in a poor area of town.  Oftentimes people come, seeking financial aid.  Our pastors listen to their stories, and often provide temporary assistance and direct folks to appropriate agencies.  If the needy come at the beginning or during the service, we invite them to worship with us and speak with them afterwards.  Although these folks occasionally come back for a week or two, when the money is no longer available and when we suggest ways of obtaining answers to the problems such as finding a job or working on dysfunctional behaviors, we do not see these people again.  We live in a society where many people are saying, "Help me.  Help me."  But they often do not want anyone to say,  "Let's try to find a way out of your situation, a way you can change your life with God's help."  It is so much easier for us to blame our problems on everyone else.  It is easier to say, I am this way because of my parents or my ex-husband or my boss who fired me or my many health problems.  The church let me down and I don't know why God has allowed so many bad things to happen to me.  Jesus is the answer.  He said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  He also told the disciples He would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would teach us all things.  (John 14:6 & 26)  So whatever we lack, we can ask the Holy Spirit and through the power of the cross, we can rise up in victory.  Paul knew this when he instructed the church not to tolerate those who would take advantage of the goodwill of others.  He said encourage them by asking for their best work, by telling them you expect their best work just as each person is giving his or her best to the gospel mission of spreading the Good News.  This remains the mission of the church today.  We no longer share all our money and our food with each other, but we do share our faith.  We must bring out the best in each other, the best worship and praise, the best Bible study and prayer.  May we not lose heart but rise up with hearts full of praise and hands raised to the One who gave his all!    

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5  Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.  And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith.  But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.  We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.  May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Paul requests prayer from the Thessalonian believers for his protection from wicked and evil men who wish to hinder the spreading of the Good News.  Obviously, Paul believed in the power of prayer to bring down the strongholds of Satan.  He also knew his battle was not merely against the principalities and powers that were visible, but against the unseen principalities and powers in the satanic domain.  These evil powers held a stranglehold on the Gentile world and culture that kept people in darkness, serving the evil one.  The Holy Spirit was using the prayers of the newly birthed Christians to elevate Jesus in their cities and their culture as the Savior of the world.  When Jesus spoke of the kernel of wheat falling into the ground and dying and bringing forth much seed, He said, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”  (John 12:32)  Jesus, the light of the world, was dispelling the darkness in the Gentile world.  As an instrument of God to the Gentiles, Paul needed the constant prayers of his converts to keep at bay the works of Satan, for he knew not everyone has faith, not all in their communities would receive the message of God with open hearts.  As Jesus urged his disciples to stay awake in the Garden before his arrest, Paul urged his new converts not to become lethargic but to pray earnestly for the work of God to be done not only in their city but throughout the Gentile world as the message of God's salvation plan spread to all people.     

Prayer is act of faith, transmitting our thoughts and desires to God as we trust him.  Prayer is also listening to the voice of God and believing in his perfect will for us.  Prayer represents communication with the heart of God.  If we lack faith in God, our prayer life will be stilted and dry, a ritual, lacking depth and reality.  We will have only a one-way communication.  Our lips will move, but God's lips will be still.  We will hear our voice and not his still quiet voice.  In today's verses, Paul reminds the Thessalonians of a precious truth that as human we may sometimes forget.  We might waver, But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.  He accomplishes these wonderful deeds in our lives because God is a loving and attentive Father not a silent, distant, or disconnected Father as some of our natural fathers have been.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He speaks to our inner souls.  He tells us He is near to us and will never leave us.  God reveals his love by the way He speaks to us.  When we listen to the Holy Spirit, we hear words of love, kindness and comfort.  We read in the Old and the New Testaments that God is near to us through his presence and the Word written in our hearts.  I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. . .Then I said, “Here I am, I have come — it is written about me in the scroll.  I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”  (Psalm 40:1-3 & 7-8)  The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.  (Romans 10:8) The message of Christianity is that we are not alone here in this universe.  We are not self-created beings; neither did we evolve from inanimate material.  No, we were created in his image with the possibility to hold God's Spirit in our innermost being.  We have a transmitting system already hooked up into our brains.  All that we need to hear him is an open heart and a born-again spirit. When we say, "Come Lord Jesus, come," He is already there.

Paul asked for prayer many times in his letters.  Why pray if everything seems static.  Why pray if God's hands are not moved with compassion.  Paul believed in change: he knew God had delivered him many times and had transformed countless people's lives.  He wrote to the church at Colosse: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  (Colossians 3:12-14)  Prayer is an act of faith, putting to practice what we know, saying, "Father, Father, hear my request; answer my needs; give me your peace; lift up my head."  When we pray, we clear the lines of communication: we clear the plaque that is stopping the flow of the knowledge of God, his intentions.  We allow God to release the perfect flow between him and us.  We allow the oxygenated blood from his throne room to fill our deprived, anemic existence.  We start to realize HE IS REAL, TRULY LOVES US, and WE ARE HIS CHILDREN.  We start to please the Father because only faith pleases the Father, and prayer is the purest form of faith.  IF WE TRULY BELIEVE HE IS LORD, WE WILL BE IN COMMUNICATION WITH HIM CONSTANTLY.  There will be no down time, for we will drink the living water and feast on the bread of life, knowing without him we will not survive.  He is our portion, our life, our peace, our eternity--EVERYTHING.  Jesus prayed because He knew the Father heard him and He desired strength from him.  He also prayed because He came not to do his own will but the Father's will.  This is our example.  Paul tells the church to pray without ceasing: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  Paul says these words because if we are joyful and thankful and praying continually we will be in constant touch with the Creator, our loving Father.  We will be children of light and love, sharing the living water and the bread of life with thirsty and hungry people.  Pray today and hear his voice!  

 

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17  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. 

Paul tells the Thessalonians, 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.  Today, as with these new believers, we who are loved by the Lord represent the Holy Spirit calling us out of darkness into the light, using the voice of God through the Word, either written or by word of mouth.  The Holy Spirit's work in us sanctifies us continuously, perfecting us, and presenting us before the Father through Christ perfect sacrifice for our sinful lives.  We now stand completely holy because of Christ's finished work at the cross for us.  Paul wrote to the church at Colosse of the mystery of Christ, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.  (Colossians 1:27-28)  Paul knew Christ was our righteousness.  Jesus Christ alone is the door to eternal life; He alone pleases the Father; He alone makes all things new.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”  Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.'"  (John 3:3-7)  Jesus tells Nicodemus that whoever believes in him as the Christ will have eternal life.  This message was the truth Paul received from Christ himself on the way to Damascus, and it is the only message he preached to the world, for he was not ashamed of the power of God resident in the message that turned his life around.  He knew the truth that Jesus saves would transform lives from sinners to saints.  I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  (Romans 1:16)  

This message Paul preached often seems too simple for our complex world.  Man's basic sin nature, his self-will and need to excel and to conquer drive him to strive for more or everything with little thought or consideration for God's unmerited grace, given freely to all who would receive.  Man desires an important place in the salvation equation, a key role to play.  When human beings formulate religions, we see their religious fervor adding to God's plan: grace plus works; Christ plus self-made righteousness; salvation plus showy self-sacrifice.  If a person is not religious, he or she designs an attractive afterlife of eternal bliss.  Operating in the flesh without the pure truth of the Bible, each person will devise his or her own salvation plan made IN MAN'S OWN IMAGE.  Of course, with sinful humans in charge, providence will always bestow a glowing eternity--that great condo in the sky.  The person who creates his or her own reality always comes out all right for that is what he or she desires providence to create--perfection.  In reality, mankind creates a palatable god, a god people can easily understand and accept, and a god that does not demand anything in return that is not in the manmade plan.  The aspect of Christ doing the righteous work of redemption alone is mostly an anathema to the world.  The blood of Jesus as a cleansing agent and an acceptable propitiation for our sins does not square well with man's self-centeredness.  We do not want to admit we are sinners.  But if we are, we want to know how one man's sacrifice can cleanse all of us from sin: how could God be satisfied with just one man's sacrifice?  The answer is clear: If this "ONE MAN" is the Son of God, HE ALONE PLEASES THE FATHER.  Through him alone all things were created.  He is the light AND LIFE of all things.  When God allowed him to go to the cross, He literally allowed life as we know it go to the cross.  When death was written over life, the means of creation went to the grave.  But as the old died, a new life came forth when the Holy Spirit came and Christ rose from the dead.  The truth of Jesus' words rang around the world and reverberated to heaven's gates as, You must be born again emanated from the resurrection.  He paid the price for the old with his life, and He birthed the new through his resurrection.  Praise God, HE LIVES, WE LIVE! 

Because we live in Christ, we follow him, we serve him.  Paul speaks of God's work beyond the resurrection as the sanctifying work of the Spirit.  After the new birth, the Spirit of God takes this nascent life that is found in our carnal bodies and makes us continually clean by the Lamb's flowing blood.  Just as in a normally functioning body, the blood brings life--the body that was once dead, now finds life.  The blood of the Lamb cleanses our temple, and we who believe in Christ's work on the cross are forever cleansed vicariously by Christ's blood.  Jesus said, IT IS FINISHED.  Yes, the saving and cleansing work of Christ's sacrifice at the cross is finished.  New birth and holiness were made possible through Jesus' death and resurrection.  However, the work goes on in every believer through the mighty work of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus told his newborn followers to tarry in Jerusalem until the fulness of the Holy Spirit was revealed on this earth.  He said, For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 1:5)  All of God's children should tarry in his presence for the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to empower us with the love and mercy of God.  The Spirit changes us daily into God's glorious image, making us instruments of his divine power.  On the day of Pentecost, Peter said: Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!  No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.  (Acts 2:14-18)  Jesus told his disciples He had to go away so He could send the Holy Spirit to each believer to be our personal Comforter.  Dearly loved brothers and sisters, the Spirit will give you boldness, a power to live daily in God's image, to reflect his glory.  As Paul said, 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.