Posts that reference the book of 1 Thessalonians

Paul finishes his first letter to Thessalonica with a list of instructions in 5:11-22 for how we relate to each other in the body of Christ. A To-do list.

1. Comfort each other – We don’t have to worry about the future.
   
2. Edify one another – Be each other’s cheering section as we navigate this life.
   
3. Recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you – Respect a and appreciate your pastors. It’s a tough job.
   
4. Esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake – Hold up your ministers because of the responsibility they’ve been given.
   
5. Be at peace among yourselves – Wanna help your leadership out? Do your best to squash conflict.
   
6. Warn those who are unruly – “Unruly” in Greek is essentially those who are AWOL. Bad things can happen when you ditch.
   
7. Comfort the fainthearted – Bolster the timid.
   
8. Uphold the weak – Uphold means support, not talk down to, the weak. Weak in faith, that is.
   
9. Be patient with all – People need grace.
   
10. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone – Vengeance, paybacks, and getting even don’t belong in the body of Christ.
    
11. Always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all – This is essentially the outworking of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
    
12. Rejoice always – In some circumstances, an eternal perspective is needed to find the joy.
    
13. Pray without ceasing – Ensure your relationship with God is set for prayer anytime. Recognize you are always in His presence.
    
14. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you – Note: it is “in” everything, not “for” everything. There are things to be thankful in every situation.
    
15. Do not quench the Spirit – Don’t interfere with what the Spirit is doing in your life or in others’ lives.
    
16. Do not despise prophecies – You don’t get to ignore the parts of God’s word you don’t like.
    
17. Test all things; hold fast what is good – Test them against Scripture. Do they agree? Does Scripture support them? Hold tightly to the things that pass.
    
18. Abstain from every form of evil – If it doesn’t pass, stay away from it, from them.

That to-do list should keep us busy.

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:3

There’s nothing wrong with peace and safety.
But we should understand who “they” is.
Not “you” fellow believers.
Not “we” Paul and his crew.
But “they” outsiders, unbelievers, even enemies.

“They” face sudden destruction.
“They” will not escape.
“They” are false prophets.
Not only are “they” indifferent to God, His word, His judgment
But “they” deceive others.

Positive thinking.
Raising your self-esteem.
Manifesting abundance.
Practicing gratitude.
Visualizing desired outcomes.

“Peace and safety.”

The reality is we will answer to a holy God
Who is coming to judge
To set things right
To cleanse and restore.
We can meet Jesus Christ as Savior or as Judge.

Will you listen to Him or to “them”?

Paul gives an outline of eschatology, that is, the theology of the end times.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

Jesus doesn’t delegate this to anyone else.
In Acts 1, the angels promised He would return in the clouds.
The shout and the voice are the commands of a general.
The trumpet is the call to attention.

And the dead in Christ will rise first.

The dead are not forgotten.
They won’t miss out.
They are given special consideration.
We can be reassured by this.

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

The rest of the believers
Will be caught up like Philip in Acts 8:39 or Paul in 2 Cor. 12:2-4
In the Old Testament, clouds meant the presence of God.
To meet the Lord, like a bride is received by her groom.

And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

So that’s how
After that
We shall always be with the Lord, in His presence.
The way it was meant to be.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Don’t let this be a source of confusion,
Anxiety or fear,
Or even worse – arguments and division.
How ever, whenever, Jesus Himself will descend and call us to Himself.
That’s the plan.

For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. 1 Thessalonians 4:7

The Greeks lived in a sexualized culture.
Immorality, prostitution, pornography,
Adultery, religious cult sex, homosexuality.

Following Christ meant living counter to that culture.
It meant living a life set apart
A sanctified life.

But they were also called to live holy lives,
Lives that adhere to God’s moral precepts.
Lives marked by righteousness.

We live in a sexualized culture as well.
God’s standards haven’t changed.
Neither has His calling.

It is not a call to a relative morality–
Moral compared to everyone else.
It is a call to an absolute standard.

Absolute commitment.
Absolutely sanctification.
Absolute holiness.

[S]o that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 1 Thessalonians 3:3

In the verses before
Paul has sent Timothy
To encourage and establish them.

They (and Paul) weren’t suffering hardship
Because God was displeased
Or because they were failures.

On the contrary

The believers in Thessalonica
Were standing strong,
And their testimony was well-known.

The world will oppose believers.
Always.
Jesus told us as much (John 16:33).

We are destined for opposition
For suffering
And affliction.

It’s important to remember–
It’s not because we’re doing things wrong.
It’s because we’re living authentic Christlike lives.

The world hates us.
But it hated Christ first.
And in return for their hatred
Christ loved and gave His life for His enemies.