Closing Words....

1 Thes. 5:23-28 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. [24] The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

[25] Brothers, pray for us. [26] Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. [27] I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

[28] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

All....

It's a recurring theme in the Bible that all we have belongs to the Lord. Not some. Not most. Not nearly everything. But all, completely, whole.

Sometimes I wonder how I can give over everything - it seems impossible to completely eliminate all the elements of selfishness from my soul and replace it with total selflessness. But then I remember that Jesus stands with me and is faithful, and every temptation I face he will be faithful to me and show me a way to escape or to flee. With this in mind it becomes easier to set my mind to commit all to him, to work to seek after holiness so that on that day I can be presented as blameless before the Father.

1 Thes. 5:19-22 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; [20] do not treat prophecies with contempt. [21] Test everything. Hold on to the good. [22] Avoid every kind of evil.

Sometimes you see in people that the spark of God has gone from their lives. You know how these people used to be - the phrase we would often use is to 'be on fire for Jesus' -but that flame has burned itself out. It is sad.

I wonder what we blame for that. I wonder what the person himself would say. But I wonder if it is because we lose touch with Jesus, with our faith communities and with our sense of mission. I think it comes down to a choice - we have to choose to keep feeding the flames of our spiritual lives. Keep a sense of prayer and devotion in our lives. Be a regular participant in the body of Christ. Find someway to live at the edge for Jesus. Because if we allow ourselves to be submerged in mediocrity we'll turn down the heat to that which is comfortable. The fire will not burn, but will be contained, then extinguished.

Presence

1 Thes. 5:16-18 Be joyful always; [17] pray continually; [18] give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

It's hard to be joyful all the time. There is much pain in the world, and even when the pain is absent very often there is the numbness of monotony. Sociologists tell us repeatedly that by every indicator we are becoming more and more unhappy....

So it is hard to be joyful - that is if we equate joy with the absence of pain and the presence of happiness.

Yet the Bible writers tell us that joy is not the absence of pain but the presence of God. To be joyful always is to be continually walking with God, through the good and the bad. Paul advises us not to give up seeking his face, but to continually seek his presence, seek his comfort. Even when things are bleak, to know you are walking with God, in the centre of his will for your life is a comforting place to be - because actually that is when you need it most.

Following....

1 Thes. 5:12-15 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. [13] Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. [14] And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. [15] Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

The New Testament is stuffed full about instructions for leaders. But there isn't so much said directly about how we follow them. Often we are critical and fail to encourage them. Often we are resentful. Often we do not really follow them. But here Paul acknowledges that leading is hard and often lonely, so he encourages the rest of us to support them. Maybe we need to cut out the grumbling, and learn to walk alongside those who are called to lead us.

Thief....

1 Thes. 5:1-11 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, [2] for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. [3] While people are saying, "Peace and safety", destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

[4] But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. [5] You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. [6] So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. [7] For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. [8] But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. [9] For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. [10] He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. [11] Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

When I was a Kid the thought of the second coming used to sacre me. I had been taught to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture - I'm more ambivelent about this now - so the idea of being left behind use to terrify me....

So in the fear, I missed what the Bible witers were really saying: that those of us who are living in the light of God actually have nothing left to fear. God will care for us, whatever pans out. Having responded to the love of the Gospel it is our task and response to live as children of light. Then maybe more of those who need to respond in this way will live as children of light too.

Triumph....

1 Thes. 4:13-18 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. [14] We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. [15] According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16] For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever. [18] Therefore encourage each other with these words.

I've often pondered why Jesus died and then rose again. Why is there significance in the ressurection? And I think it is about the announcement it makes, the triumph of God being proclaimed to the Cosmos at large. Because while my sins, and the sins of all those who call upon the the name of the Lord, were atoned for at the Cross, it is the ressurection on the third day that proves it and brings hope.

It is the hope that death will not triumph, though we may die. That we too will rise with Jesus. What a great hope to carry through the rest of my time here on Earth.

Avenue....

1 Thes. 4:9-12 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. [10] And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

[11] Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, [12] so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Our actions will influence the reputation of Jesus amongst those we meet and interact with on a dialy basis - so we must learn to be good team players in our situations, able to perform our jobs well and dilegently. This is as much of a witness as the words we say about salvation, because it is these actions which open up the avenues of trust on which our friendships and witness are based!

Pure....

1 Thes. 4:3-8 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; [4] that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable, [5] not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; [6] and that in this matter no-one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. [7] For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. [8] Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

There is a call to holiness that runs throughout the New Testament. It is clear from the Bible writers that what we do with our bodies matters, that there is no seperation between body and spirit. It is almost as if we are called, individually and as communities, to reflect the character of God to those areound us in all things - not just sexuality. We must mirror the character of God - being faithful, being pure and being loving all at once....

1 Thes. 4:1-2 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. [2] For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

You can look at following God in two ways.

One is to live according to a list of rules and to view the Bible as giving us that list. Everyting we do is measured against that list. We compare ourselves to it. we keep score as we compare ourselves to others. I wonder how different this approach is to following the law that Paul counselled us not to.......

Or we can see the Bible as showing us how to ;eve and serve each other, and learn to act out of grace and compassion, always preferring the needs of othersbecause our hearts have changed to mirror Jesus'..... I think this way is living a life which pleases God.

Joy

1 Thes. 3:6-13 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. [7] Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. [8] For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. [9] How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? [10] Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
[11] Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. [12] May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. [13] May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

It's the joy that's contained here which is beautiful. Paul just seesm to be expressing his delight that the church has been faithful. For any of us who are involved in leadership it is a joy when those we have led are going on in their own faith. I pray that this is joy that I feel in increasing abundance in years to come.

Leaving....

1 Thes. 2:17-3:5 But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. [18] For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us. [19] For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? [20] Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

[3:1] So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. [2] We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow-worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, [3] so that no-one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. [4] In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. [5] For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.

The word torn has violent and damaging conotations - as if Paul and his companions were so linked to the the small church that when they were parted it was like they had been ripped away, perhaps even unwillingly. It speaks of love and devotion to each other, of lives that have become so entwined that it is hard to see where one stops and another begins.

I wonder if we have formed those bonds with the people we are in faith communities with. I don't believe that we are always tied to each other forever - but I do believe that we should act as if we are, so that when we are called onwards there is excitment about what lies ahead, but also pain at what is being left behind. It will be a sign that what we are leaving counted, that it mattered.

We live in a culture which is very transient. With people's work carrying them around the country it is natural that our faith communities will vary from one year unto the next. But if we are leaving we should make sure of one thing - we will be missed when we go.

Sorry the posts have been irregular over the last couple of weeks, as I have been unwell....

1 Thes. 2:13-16 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. [14] For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, [15] who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men [16] in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.

I am thankful for the words of v13....

Often I have to stand before groups of people and share the Gospel message. Now I preach nearly every week. I get excited about sharing the Gospel with people - when people get saved there is always a sense of electricity that makes me tingle. But preaching the Gospel is one of the most nerve wracking things I do - it's like playing an away match at football, everything just seems harder. So when the Bible tells me that these are God's words and they carry his power it lessens the burden I feel. I'll still try to do my best - but it is God at work and not me. And he is sovereign.