THE CHRISTIAN WALK

Monday, August 7, 2023

A LAWLESS PRECURSOR

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.

Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 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, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness 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.

2 Thessalonians 2:3b-12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus hasn’t returned yet. It was true during the days of the Apostle Paul more than 2,000 years ago and it’s still true today. We looked at this in yesterday’s message from the opening verses of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2.

What’s also true is that He, Jesus, is going to come back at a time unknown to anyone except God (Mark 13:32). Therefore, it’s a fruitless effort to try and calculate the exact time of His second coming as people have tried to do and will most probably always try to do.

Now, the scriptures make it clear that no one knows the day or time when Christ comes back to judge the world but it does let us know that there were be certain events that happen in advance of His return. One example of this is found in today’s passage as we continue to look at 2 Thessalonians 2. Look as Paul speaks further about Jesus’ second coming:

Here we find God’s word making it clear that the day of the Lord, that time of Christ’ return, won’t happen until a great rebellion breaks out led by a yet to be revealed “man of lawlessness” who will be in step with Satan and his evil works. While this person remains unnamed, we will be able to recognize them when they do come because the scriptures tell us this about him:

1. A time of rebellion will be occurring.

No one really knows what this rebellion will look like but we can assume that it will be happening spiritually on a global scale.

What will that rebellion look like?

We can see that it is a revolt against God to the point where the man of lawlessness will establish himself as a substitution for the Lord. The scriptures tell us “he will oppose” and “exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped”, setting himself up in God’s temple” and “proclaiming to be God”.

Any rebellion will have a powerful leader at its front and in advance of Jesus’ return, the one spearheading the rebellion will be the man of lawlessness.

2. The man of lawlessness will possess unique might and ability.

If someone is going to mimic God and strive to get people to follow them, they would need to be convincing to those they are deceiving and leading astray.

In today’s passage, we learn that the man of lawlessness will “use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie and all the ways that wickedness”. He will seem convincing to those who don’t know the true God, those who are “perishing” because they “refused to love the truth” that would save them. This rejection of God and His promise of salvation through Jesus left them ripe for deception.

3. God will assist in the facilitation of those deceived by the man of lawlessness.

As a form of His punishment for the rebellion, God will send “a powerful delusion” on those who refuse to place their trust and hope in Him, those who “delighted in wickedness” instead of believing in the truth. This delusion will lead those rebelling to “believe the lie so that all will be condemned”

God doesn’t take anyone disrespecting Him lightly.

4. The man of lawlessness is “doomed to destruction”.

Just as Satan’s complete destruction and defeat is already sealed (Revelation 20:7-10) so too is the man of lawlessness. Despite the special power he will display in performing the signs and wonders that draw people to follow him, ultimately God will bring His unmatchable force to bear and ultimately destroy the one who tried to impersonate Him.

Ultimately, no one who partners with Satan to carry out wickedness against God will escape His wrath and punishment. As believers in our Lord, we can rest assured that the ultimate victory comes through Him and His Son Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

Sunday, August 6, 2023

A FALSE NARRATIVE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we begin to look at the second chapter of Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica. As we saw briefly in the first chapter and will see fully in this one, the focus of the Apostle’s message is on the second coming of Jesus.

To understand this, we first need to know that He departed. We find this in the first chapter of the Book of Acts:

On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Then they gathered around Him and asked Him, “Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. Vv.4-9

So Jesus ascended to Heaven and as we learn at the very end of Mark’s Gospel, He assumed a position seated at the right hand of His Father God:

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and He sat at the right hand of God (16:19).

There, Jesus still sits in authority over everything in Heaven and on earth.

“All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” Matthew 28:18

Okay, so we know where Jesus is based on the inerrant truth of the scriptures. But how do we know He is coming back?

Well, He told us so while He walked the earth.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3

Jesus promised He would return for those who believed in Him, taking them to be where He is which we know is Heaven. And since Jesus is perfectly righteous, He doesn’t lie. Everything He says comes to be true and He has never broken a promise that He made.

With this, we know He is returning but here’s what we don’t know. We don’t know and won’t know the day when He will return. He said so Himself.

“About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” Mark 13:32

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Luke 12:35-40

Jesus is coming back and no one knows when that will be except God. Period.

So why go into all this?

Because there have been people falsely predicting the coming of Jesus or even professing He has already returned since He ascended. Yes, the issue goes all the way back to biblical times as we see in our passage for today from the opening verses of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. Look again at these words of Paul:

Friends, no matter how clear the scriptures are on any subject, you can bet that Satan is trying to twist the words or play on the free thinking of people to try and deceive and lead them astray. He’s been doing it for the ages and he is very skilled at what he does.

Take the Thessalonian church for example. It hadn’t been established long before some people started spreading false messages, ascribing them to Paul and his fellow missionaries, regarding Jesus’ return. The messages were around Jesus having already come which is what Paul is saying when he says, “The day of the Lord”.

Think how disturbing this would have been to the new Christians who were taught that Jesus would return to take them to Heaven just as He promised. If Jesus had already come and the Thessalonian believers were still on earth, then either they were unworthy of salvation or Jesus didn’t tell the truth. I think we can see that either thought would have been spiritually devastating. This is why Paul wanted to write this second letter to put the people at ease and to ward off the attempts to mislead. His urging was to now let anyone deceive them in any way.

Unfortunately, there are still people trying to sow seeds of deceit in Christian circles today. They will try and convince others that they have somehow calculated the exact day and time when Jesus will come back. Anyone who does this should be rebuked and rejected for they are in defiance of the very words of Jesus, the One returning. When He said that only God knew the day and time, He meant it and while we may know God some, we aren’t one with Him. So none of us knows what He knows and the scriptures don’t say He will inform anyone in advance of sending His Son back to judge all creation.

So what are we to do with this warning?

1. Turn to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God fully for understanding and discernment. You will never be led astray when you do this.

2. Rebut anyone who postures themselves as being in the know about something the Bible says they have no knowledge of. Again, the Holy Spirit and the scriptures will expose falsehood when we use them as intended.

3. Get to work for the cause of the Gospel with even more urgency as ever. Since no one knows the day or time of Christ’s concern, we should be expending total effort toward bringing the good news of salvation through Jesus to any and all people. It’s a better use of our time and energy than getting caught up in false messaging regarding Jesus’ return.

4. Be thankful and rejoice, knowing that Jesus will do what He said He would do, coming back for those who placed their belief in Him so to take them to where He is, our eternal home in Heaven.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

Saturday, August 5, 2023

A PRAYER TEMPLATE FOR ALL BELIEVERS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Paul believed in the power of prayer. There’s no disputing this truth as we see him consistently telling all the churches he wrote to that he was lifting them up to the Lord. The Apostle knew he couldn’t be everywhere at once to mentor and guide the new Christian believers who were multiplying by the day but he knew that God was with them, ever omnipresent and all capable of doing anything that was needed to provide and protect.

Like most prayers, Paul would tailor his petitions to God based on the specific needs of the church. As we continue to look at the opening chapter of his second letter to the church in Thessalonica, we see him reaching out to the Lord with the following hope for his Thessalonian brothers and sisters in Christ:

Here we find a template we can use to pray for all Christian believers in the world today. It follows this framework:

1. We pray for the way the Christian believer lives daily.

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call.

All Christians are required to answer the call of Jesus which is found in what we know as the Great Commission. Here’s what our Savior commanded in the Gospel of Matthew:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

This is the life Christian believers are called to, a life of striving to make disciples daily but sharing the Gospel and helping others know they have a Savior named Jesus who offers them the opportunity for eternal life. All that is required is to simply believe in Him.

As Christians, we need to be in prayer for one another every day, asking that our lives might show that we are living worthy of the incredible responsibility we have been given through Jesus’ calling.

2. We pray for the power of God to equip us with what we need to carry out our calling.

May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.

No Christian has the necessary strength, wisdom, or discernment to do what Jesus has called them to do. It’s by God’s design that human beings can’t reach a place of complete self sufficiency. We all have an inherent dependency on the One who made and sustains us.

And so when we respond to Jesus’ call to make disciples through faith and obedience, we need to pray for one another that God will impart His power with pinpoint accuracy so we might “accomplish all the good things” the Holy Spirit leads is to do. The Lord never calls us to anything He isn’t going to see us through and so we pray with confidence that He will give us what we need, when we need it.

3. Ultimately, we pray for the name of the Lord Jesus to be honored.

Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

When we live out our lives worthy of the Great Commission calling we have received, allowing God’s power to give us everything we need to make disciples and help the lost become saved, then the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is honored and praised. He is the One we seek to serve and glorify with our lives as the work we do in submission to Him and His Gospel tasking is never self serving. The life of a Christian never is because Jesus’ life was defined by self sacrifice and we’re to live as He did.

Indeed, Christian believers aren’t to steal away any of the admiration and tribute that is to be with the Lord Jesus and Him alone. There’s no need to because we have the promise of glory when this life is over, a glory that comes when Jesus returns and takes us to the place He has prepared for us, to the Kingdom of Heaven where we are co-heirs with our Savior. Consider these words from the eighth chapter of Romans:

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. Vv.14-17

Christian believers need to pray that the work they are doing for the cause of Christ is bringing honor to His name. Jesus should always be the One who is in the spotlight in everything that we do now while we wait for the proper time when we will share in His glory.

So there you have it, a prayer template all Christ followers can use to lift one another up as we collectively do as Jesus called us to do.

First, pray that the lives of Christians would be worthy of the calling they receive.

Next, pray that God will empower all Christians to do the good things they are called to do in Christ through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, pray that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ would be honored through the Gospel work we do every day.

I hope you will join with me in incorporating this model for prayer into your daily devotional routine.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

Friday, August 4, 2023

A COMING JUDGMENT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power. When He comes on that day, He will receive glory from His holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about Him.

2 Thessalonians 1:7b-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After His resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples one final time before He ascended to sit at God’s right hand, exercising all authority over everything in Heaven and on earth. He told them to go to Jerusalem where they would receive the Holy Spirit before taking the Gospel first to Jerusalem, then Samaria and Judea, and then to all the ends of the earth (Acts 1:1-9). And as we know, the disciples followed Jesus’ direction to the tee.

But Jesus didn’t ascend to remain in the heavens. Rather, He will be coming back again, this time to judge the world. He told us so Himself as we see in the Gospel of Matthew:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’”

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’”

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’”

“Then He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’”

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?’”

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’”

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus is coming back and the souls of the dead and the living will face one of two eternal outcomes.

Those who placed their belief in Jesus will be counted among the sheep while those who rejected Him will join the group of goats. The former who Jesus calls the righteous will go onto everlasting life while the latter, the wicked, “go away to eternal punishment”.

In other words, you don’t want to be a goat.

Thankfully, the Christians in Thessalonica had placed their faith in Jesus as Savior and so their eternal future was secure. As we look at today’s passage, we find the Apostle Paul reminding the believers of this truth:

The day of Jesus’ return will be the best day ever for the sheep and the worst day ever for the goats, those “who don’t know God” and refused “to obey the good news” of Jesus. Those who believed in Him will enter into the most divine worship experience ever, giving Jesus the full glory and praise that He deserves.

I don’t know about you but as a disciple of Jesus, I so look forward to the day He comes back. But until then, there is still much work to be done here to help the unsaved change course and put their hope in the only One who can save them, Jesus who is the Way and the Truth and the Life...and the only One who can bring a person to God the Father for all eternity.

Thanks be to God for His love and the gift of His Son!

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

Thursday, August 3, 2023

ASSURED PERSECUTION, ASSURED VICTORY

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

And God will use this persecution to show His justice and to make you worthy of His Kingdom, for which you are suffering. In His justice, He will pay back those who persecute you. And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-7a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It’s not easy being a Christian. It isn’t.

Why?

Because as soon as a person chooses to believe in Jesus, they also choose a new life that will always run counter to the ways of the world and sometimes radically so.

In his second letter to the church on Corinth, Paul wrote this regarding the incredible transformation that happens when someone places their trust and hope in Jesus as Savior:

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (5:17 NKJV).

Old things have passed away and these old things are the ways a person used to live before becoming a new creation in Jesus. To further describe what this change looks like, consider these words from the first two verses of Romans, chapter 12:

Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Note here the need for total surrender of one’s former self as they offer themselves up as a “living sacrifice” which is “holy and pleasing to God”. A Christian can’t “conform to the pattern of the world” anymore; they are to instead be “transformed by the renewing” of their mind, a renewal that is carried out by the Holy Spirit.

So why the need to cover this?

Because a Christian needs to know that they come into direct opposition of the world when they choose to align their lives with the life of Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit. And this opposition often spawns the act of persecution. It’s been true since Jesus walked the earth.

Indeed, Jesus was persecuted throughout His adult ministry, culminating with His unjust arrest and conviction, brutal beating, and horrific crucifixion. Before He was nailed to Calvary’s cross, Jesus had this to say to anyone who would choose to follow Him:

“Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.” John 15:20

Now, the Apostle Paul experienced these words in two ways: first as a persecutor and then as the persecuted.

We first hear about Paul by way of his other name, Saul, in the first verse of Acts, chapter 8. He had approved and supervised the execution of Stephen, one of the seven Christians chosen by their peers to serve in support of the twelve disciples so they could dedicate their time to Gospel ministry.

Saul was a fervent Jew who actually thought he was doing good in eradicating the Jesus movement in and around Jerusalem. That is until he had a very personal encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).

What was the end result of this encounter?

Saul became a new creation for here’s what he did as soon as he had regained his sight:

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once, he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. Acts 9:19-22

Those in the synagogue were astonished at what they witnessed because Saul was a new man in Jesus. An enemy before, he was now an advocate who would dedicate the rest of his life to carrying out the Great Commission and bring the Gospel to anywhere that God led him.

Going back to Damascus, how did the Jews handle this new Christian Saul?

We find out in the scriptures:

After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall (9:23-25).

Jews hatching a conspiracy to kill the new Christian convert Saul.

Sound familiar?

It should because the same playbook was used to kill Jesus and later the aforementioned Stephen.

Immediately after choosing to believe in Jesus, we find Paul experiencing persecution and all Christians will in the course of their life in one form or another. Jesus promised it would happen and all His promises come to be.

This is what led Paul to write these words to his protégé Timothy in his second letter to him:

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2 Timothy 3:12

It was a truth Paul knew all too well on a personal level.

With this, we look at our verses for today from 2 Thessalonians, chapter 1:

As was the case with the new Christian churches in the first century, attacks happened with regularity, especially from member of religions that were far more established. This threat was born mostly from a place of power and pride as the other belief systems began losing believers to Christianity.

And so Paul sought to encourage his brothers and sisters in the midst of persecution, letting them know that they were supported by a mighty, just God, a God who would make them worthy of His Kingdom as a reward for the work they were doing through His Son and the suffering that came with it. The Apostle also wanted the Thessalonian Christians to know that their assailants would not go unpunished for the persecution they imposed, both in the short and long term. All who attacked those who served in His name would be held accountable.

Going back to Jesus, He said more words to help the persecuted church, past and present. Consider this from His Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

No matter what suffering anyone who serves Jesus goes through for the sake of His name and the cause of the Gospel, salvation is assured, a salvation that includes eternal rest from persecution. Until that time, believers are to persevere and be glad if they are mistreated because of their Christian work because they are sharing in the same experience that Jesus did, a life experience that culminated in Him ascending into glory.

Friends, that same glory was assured for the Thessalonian Christians as much as it is for all those who believe in Jesus today. So let us boldly go forth in our work Jesus called us to, fully aware of the resistance and rejection that will come from the world but also fully aware of the gift of everlasting life awaiting us, a time when we will say goodbye to the world and hello to the magnificent, majestic Kingdom of Heaven.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

THE POWER OF PRAISE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we begin a study of Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica and its members, the Thessalonian Christians. Whereas 1 Thessalonians is believed to have been written somewhere around 49-51 A.D., theologians believe this shorter letter was penned just afterwards, around 51-52AD, and also from Corinth.

As we see in today’s opening verses from chapter 1, Paul also lists Silas and Timothy, just as he did in the first letter. The opening message from 1 Thessalonians, The Power of Remembrance and Appreciation, offers background on these two faithful ministers of the Gospel (https://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-power-of-remembrance-and.html).

Note how Paul then makes it a point to identify his target audience as the church of the Thessalonians, adding an important tag:

...in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Thessalonian church wasn’t just another body of believers who places their hopes in a litany of gods, each with their own powers and specialties. No, the believers in Thessalonica who formed the church were in the one and only God, the God Almighty who also came to earth and walked it as Savior of the world in the form of the Lord Jesus. Christ and God were one (Matthew 10:30) and this is who the church worshipped. It’s what made them a Christian congregation, a congregation that Paul and the others wished the Lord’s grace and peace upon.

With the opening out of the way, we find the Apostle immediately turning to words of support and encouragement for his brother and sisters in Thessalonica, and in doing so, showing us the power found in praise. Beginning in verse 3, he writes:

The Thessalonian church wasn’t perfect. There hasn’t been a church that has been. When you add this fact to the truth that the Thessalonian church had just been established into a Christianity religion that was new in its own right, you can see that there could have been any number of criticisms that Paul could have started with. Certainly, the church today faces enough condemnation and it’s now more than 2,000 years later. How much more would fault have been found in the first century?

There surely was plenty but as we see, the Apostle doesn’t immediately go into correction-mode. Rather, he focuses on the good things the church was doing and gave thanks for that. It had to be very uplifting for the Thessalonian Christians to read these positive words as Paul commends them for the following:

1. Their faith.

Your faith is growing more and more.

Go back to the day you decided to be a Christian. It wasn’t like you were immediately transformed into some super-believer. Rather, your faith and the understanding of the Lord and your responsibilities to Him were things that grew over time and indeed are still growing.

As we address new believers today, we should make sure we laud them for the way their faith is increasing as they develop as Christian believers.

2. Their love.

The love all of you have for one another is increasing.

If there was one thing that would indicate that the members of the Thessalonian church were going in the right direction under the leading of the Lord, it would be the love they showed toward God, one another, and others.

For as their faith was growing, so too was their comprehension of the scriptures and God’s overall salvation plan, a plan that was centered on the matter of love (John 3:16). God, then incarnate as Jesus, answered a question on what was the greatest commandment with these words, actually highlighting two:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39

In other words, love is at the center of the two commands that the Lord labels as number one and two on the list.

First, Christians are to love God with everything that they are and everything that they have. And then, with all their love centered on God, His love can then flow through them to others, allowing them to love themselves as well as their neighbors.

The Thessalonian believers were doing this and Paul didn’t hesitate to praise them for it.

3. Their perseverance through persecution.

Among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

As mentioned prior, the Christian belief system was the new kid on the block in the first century. It was in direct competition with other religions, mostly polytheistic, that weren’t interested in sharing territory.

And so the newly minted congregations in Jesus Christ were constantly in defense mode, under consistent attack and forced to endure trials. It wasn’t the more comfortable setting that most Christians enjoy today, for sure.

Taking this widespread persecution into consideration, now look at what Paul said to his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. Because out of all the other fledgling congregations, Paul singled out the Thessalonians and boasted about their ability to endure through the assaults on when they believed.

Not only were these words encouraging but they would have served to further strengthen the resolve of the Thessalonian Christians, giving them the spirit to continue to stand firm for the cause of Christ and the Gospel.

Friends, imagine yourself as a member of the church in Thessalonica, perhaps a bit beaten down and working hard every day to try and grow in the midst of elements who tried to bring them down.

How would you feel in reading these words from someone who had the reputation of being the greatest Apostle, one who had endured more than his fair share of persecution himself?

I think you would see your spirit and energy lifted, knowing you were succeeding, not through your own work but rather from the work of the Lord you served.

In the end translation, there is power in praise and while there is always room for analyzing and identifying areas of failure, the church needs to always be intentional in paying tribute to the good things it is achieving collectively and the hard works of believers who are contributing to this good things happening.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

FINAL REQUESTS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

1 Thessalonians 5:25-28

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s message, the penultimate message in our study of 1 Thessalonians, we saw where the Apostle Paul had a special for his readers, the believers in Thessalonica, and that wish carries to us today.

What was the wish?

You may remember that it was for God to sanctify the Thessalonian Christians so that their spirits, souls, and bodies would be kept blameless up to the time when the Lord Jesus returns. We know that sanctification leads to a person being holy as God is holy, set apart from the world and its sinful ways. Paul wanted that for his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica and the Lord still desires it for us today.

And this brings us to the final verses of chapter 5 as Paul closes out this letter. There we find the Apostle offering up a series of requests, not just for the Thessalonians but for anyone else who would read this in the future. Look again at his words here before we look at each specific matter he encourages:

Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Vv. 25-28

Request #1: Pray for us.

Paul spent a great deal of time in prayer, interceding for all new Christian churches but especially the ones he had a personal involvement in. He knew that Satan would come and attack the fledgling congregations with the hope of destroying them but he also knew that the Lord was more powerful than the enemy and would always lead the church to victory if they just remained faithful and focused on Him.

In this first request, we find the Apostle asking for the believers in Thessalonica to reciprocate intercession for him and the other missionary servants assisting him. The Thessalonians were very aware of all the dangers Paul had faced and continued to face for the cause of Christ and so they should have been more than willing to lift up prayers for safety as well as for the Lord to continue blessing the Gospel work that was happening.

Today, we should also ask others to pray for us as we pray for them. Part of the beauty of Christian fellowship is this wonderful willingness to turn from self to take on the needs of others. We should always seek to intercede for those we know because the Lord is ever ready to receive our prayers and act upon them.

Request #2: Greet all of God’s people with a holy kiss.

Different cultures have different ways to greet one another. In biblical times, it wasn’t unusual for people to share a kiss when they met. In its essence, a kiss isn’t anything less than a way to express love and friendship toward another person and in its holy form, it’s not meant to be construed as sexual or sinful like the kiss that Judas placed on Jesus to betray Him (Luke 22:47-48). Holy means it is of God and His love so at its root, a holy kiss is nothing more than extending God’s love to another person.

Today, many countries still exchange kisses culturally, typically either one, two, or three groups of kisses, first on the right cheek and then the left with the exception of Italy where the exchange starts on the left. And while the starting point and number of kisses may vary, what hasn’t changed is the meaning of the holy kiss, still carried out more than 2,000 years after the days of the Bible.

Request #3: Have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

Any letter is of no good if it goes unread. It is a waste of the time spent by the writer to put a message down on paper.

As we have seen through the study of 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul had much to share with the Christians in Thessalonica, providing spiritual wisdom and guidance that would be critical to their growth and survival as a church. He wanted to make sure every believer received his direction that was grounded in the Lord Jesus and so he made sure to give clear instruction that everyone was to hear his written words.

I believe Paul’s command still holds true today as we approach the scriptures and this epistle in particular. We need to make sure that we read it and then share it with others so they can hear the very word of our Lord, the word that is our daily spiritual bread (Matthew 4:4).

Request #4: The grace of God be with you.

Where would anyone be without the grace of God found in Christ Jesus?

Lost and hopeless, that’s where.

This is why we should always be asking for the grace of the Lord to be with everyone, on fellow Christian believers who have already received such grace and on those who have yet to believe, those in sin who are unsaved, those who are sitting in the crosshairs of His judgment. For the latter, our prayers should be that they come to find and experience the amazing pardon that comes by simply believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Until that time, they are on the road to Hell and no one should wish that on anyone.

Friends, what an amazing journey this has been through the first of the two letters Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. Tomorrow, we will begin looking at the second but until then please pray for me and this ministry, greet me daily with love and fellowship through a virtual holy kiss, make sure you read Paul’s letter to Thessalonica as well as all other scriptures to all the brothers and sisters, and through this all, may the grace of God ever be with you.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com