Truth from Thessalonians series Archives

Truth from Thessalonians: Doing Good

As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NLT)

You know the New Testament was written in Greek not English. Many times there is not 1 Greek word which gets translated to 1 English word in a verse. For instance, in this very verse, “dear brothers and sisters” is one word, adelphoi.

Then there’s the “of” … or “in” depending on your translation.
It’s not there in Greek

So
Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. (CSB)
As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. (ESV)
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. (NASB)
But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. (KJV)
And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. (NIV)

Don’t give up.
Don’t get discouraged or burned out.
Hang in there.

And what about “doing good”?
It seems pretty obvious that it means good works, right?
Yes, but it also carries an idea of virtue.

Do good works-
Be kind, generous, helpful, loving.
Do what is right-
Be morally pure, holy even.

So here’s a paraphrase:

Don’t let the bad things going on around you
Or the bad people doing what they do
Keep you from doing what you’ve been called to do.

Keep doing good in spite of it all.

Truth from Thessalonians: Pray for Us

By Paula Wiseman

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

The Apostle Paul had prayer requests.
Think on it for a moment.
Do we ever hesitate to ask for prayer when we need it?
Maybe we think we “should” be able to handle things…
Maybe we don’t want to “bother” people…

Not Paul.

And he asked for prayer for the thing he was best at
The thing he was known for
Evangelizing.

Notice what he requests.

That the word would spread rapidly.
That the word would be glorified.
That they would be rescued from perverse and evil men who would oppose them.

That’s actually a very good prayer for today.
Pray that the gospel would spread rapidly.
Our world is in desperate need.
Pray that the word of God would be glorified.
What a seismic shift that would be.
Pray that believers would be delivered from opposition.
Imagine if we all prayed that for each other.

Finally, brethren, pray for us.

Truth from Thessalonians: Not Shaken

By Paula Wiseman

We ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2

“Shaken” is the word used for an earthquake.
The Thessalonians not only thought they had missed the Rapture
But were left to face intense persecution.
They were confused, disheartened and disillusioned.

When we look at the world around us,
We, too, can fall into that same confusion.
Especially if we listen to voices
That instill fear and anxiety.

If you keep reading the chapter,
You find that Paul reassures his readers.
He calmly, methodically walks them through the truth.
And that’s what stops the shaking.

The antidote for the fear and anxiety
Is to go back to the truth.
God loves us. He is in control.
His plan is on track.

His promises are sure.
His word is unchanging.
Our salvation is secure.
His love never wavers.

No shaking.
No earthquakes.
Just a solid Rock.

Truth from Thessalonians: Persecution

By Paula Wiseman

And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 (NLT)

Persecution is not for nothing.
Paul had endured it himself.
So it is not hollow encouragement
To those in Thessalonica.

They had endured so far. (v. 4)
Never discount what you have gone through
In service to God.

Be assured God will repay. (v. 6)
He sees, He knows and He is keeping records.
In justice, God will set everything right.

God will provide rest to those persecuted. (v. 7)
It is that final rest in eternity.
In His presence, in His kingdom.

But for now
God will redeem the persecution,
Making us more like Christ

Don’t minimize.
Don’t despair.
Contextualize.

Truth from Thessalonians: A To-do List

By Paula Wiseman

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.

Comfort each other – We don’t have to worry about the future.
Edify one another – Be each other’s cheering section as we navigate this life.
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.
Esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake – Hold up your ministers because of the responsibility they’ve been given.
Be at peace among yourselves – Wanna help your leadership out? Do your best to squash conflict.
Warn those who are unruly – “Unruly” in Greek is essentially those who are AWOL. Bad things can happen when you ditch.
Comfort the fainthearted – Bolster the timid.
Uphold the weak – Uphold means support, not talk down to, the weak. Weak in faith, that is.
Be patient with all – People need grace.
See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone – Vengeance, paybacks, and getting even don’t belong in the body of Christ.
Always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all – This is essentially the outworking of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
Rejoice always – In some circumstances, an eternal perspective is needed to find the joy.
Pray without ceasing – Ensure your relationship with God is set for prayer anytime. Recognize you are always in His presence.
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.
Do not quench the Spirit – Don’t interfere with what the Spirit is doing in your life or in others’ lives.
Do not despise prophecies – You don’t get to ignore the parts of God’s word you don’t like.
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.
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.

Truth from Thessalonians: Peace and Safety

By Paula Wiseman

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”?