DO THIS! (PART 5)

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

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

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

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong.

1 Thessalonians 5:15a

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

The Bible is full of commands from God, “Do this!” statements that serve to ensure His people live as He wants them to. We find a whole list of them as Paul prepares to close his first letter to the church in Thessalonica and they are forming the foundation for this series. So far we have looked at the following orders from our Lord:

1. Live in peace with one another.

2. Warn those who are idle and disruptive.

3. Encourage the disheartened, help the weak.

4. Be patient with everyone.

Today, we look at number 5, a call to avoid retaliation.

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong. 1 Thessalonians 5:15a

As we have seen in other demands from our Lord, no one is excluded from what He wants. Here, we see that nobody is to pay back wrong for wrong and nobody means just that nobody.

The Christian believer is to make sure that nobody turns to revenge and that means they are to control their own behavior as well. And yet, people seem inclined to want to get even before they turn the other cheek as Jesus commanded during His Sermon on the Mount teaching:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Matthew 5:38-42

Now, this bold statement by Jesus was contradictory to the way the Jewish people were being instructed by the Jewish teachers of His day. Yes, there was a statement in the Mosaic Law that might seem to encourage revenge if interpreted improperly. You can find this in the Book of Exodus:

“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” 21:22-24

Note here that this statement is about a specific situation, a fight leading to a pregnant woman being struck and that incident leads to her giving birth prematurely. This is different from God saying everyone or nobody in that it’s not all inclusive. Rather, it is simply a call for proper justice in a certain matter. We know there’s not a blanket call for equal retaliation in the Law because we go to the Book of Leviticus and find this from the Lord:

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:18

As we see in culture today, people take a section of scripture and use it out of context to try and justify their actions and beliefs. If the Pharisees and Sadducees would have just consulted the God they claimed they were faithful to about the matter of an “eye for an eye”, they would have been corrected for in the end translation, no person has a right to bring judgment on another. Judgment is to be reserved for God.

Consider this from the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the Romans:

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Romans 12:19-20

Here, the Lord’s exclusive right to judgment is reinforced. Only He gets the chance to avenge and repay someone for their wrongs. No one else is qualified unless the Lord uses them as an instrument of His punishment.

So what are we to do instead?

We are to treat our enemies well, like we would treat someone who is dearly loved and cared for. If he or she is hungry, we are to feed them. If thirsty, we are to give them “something to drink”. Any action of goodness would be completely unexpected by the adversary and the hope would be that it would drive the enemy to repentance as they felt the conviction of God raining down like “burning coals’ upon their head.

Need another scripture passage to further reinforce today’s “Do This!” command. Consider this from Peter in his first letter:

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (3:9).

The Lord calls His people to bless others in His name as they carry out His will and way every day. Instead of responding in kind to someone who wrongs you, choose to bless them instead in obedience to the word of God. For if you do, the scriptures assure that you will “inherit a blessing” in return. In other words, blessing someone who the world would say isn’t worthy of being blessed will be rewarded by a God who operates opposed to the world’s ways.

And so the next time someone does something wrong to you, no matter the circumstance, remember God’s command and let Him handle the matter. In the meantime, give your antagonist the last thing they would ever expect. Show them the love and grace of the Lord who wants them to leave their sinfulness behind and exchange it for a better way of living, the way of Jesus that they have witnessed through your actions.

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

DO THIS! (PART 4)

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

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

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

Be patient with everyone.

1 Thessalonians 5:14c

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

Patience.

It’s something that seems to be a constant struggle for us as God’s people, right?

At the core of impatience is our unwillingness to wait and living in a society where we can get things instantaneously doesn’t help.

You want food quickly?

Just go through a drive through at a fast food restaurant and pick it up or go into anyplace that has grab-and-go options.

You want money without going into a bank?

There’s an ATM almost everywhere these days where you can get cash in a flash.

You want to pick up snacks or drinks without wading into a large grocery store?

We have convenience stores that are much smaller and let you get in and get out.

Tired of sitting in traffic?

We now have express lanes that will allow you to fly by people sitting in gridlock for a fee.

And now, we find self-checkout lines being all the rage in almost every retail outlet you go to.

Why have they become so popular?

Because stores are making money hand and fist off of people’s impatience. People would rather check themselves out than wait for a store employee to serve them.

Yes, impatience is a big problem and unfortunately, our worldly reluctance to wait spills over into our spiritual life. For how many believers today, pray to the Lord over a need they have or an intercession for someone else and expect that a result will happen right away?

Too many, I’m afraid.

You see, the ways of the world often allow us to control whether or not we will wait or not. We have a choice.

But we don’t control the Lord. We never dictate terms to Him as if He is somehow subordinate to us. Rather, He hears our petitions and acts in His perfect time and His perfect way. And sometimes, He makes us wait because He is trying to teach us patience, one of His fruits of the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22-23a

If you struggle with patience, turn it over to the Lord and ask for Him to produce more of that fruit in you. He will always bring a harvest into your life and when he does, you will find one more application of patience come into play.

For you will see that you are patient in your dealings with people, especially people who seem to test your level of tolerance.

We all know someone like this, right?

Maybe they are a family member or a co-worker or even someone in your church. Internally, you have developed such a degree of aggravation with that person who seems to always get under your skin that you try to just avoid them as if it will somehow correct the root problem of impatience with people. But avoidance doesn’t really fix anything because the problem isn’t the person you are steering clear of. The problem is really you.

Need an example?

I was teaching a small group at my church and we gained a new member. He would come into class and immediately started to dominate the discussions. No matter what I was taking about as a theme, he found the need to chime in and this didn’t sit well with one of the longer term group members.

That member came up to me after class several weeks after the new person had joined us and complained, insisting that I do something to stop the other person’s in-class behavior. He was the only one who had an issue with it.

As I always do, I let the Spirit form my response and told the complaining member that he should work to develop patience and tolerance. I suggested that the new member, known to be very introverted socially, had a need to be heard and perhaps the only time he felt comfortable in expressing himself was in our small group, a group where I encouraged participation. It was healthy for the new member as he was not only able to speak about his thoughts but also feel he was a part of our group.

Further, I suggested to the veteran member that if this person would leave our group, another person might join like him and if that happened, the complaining would just regenerate. Or there was a real possibility that the veteran member might encounter other people like the man who aggravated him in different settings outside the church. No matter the place or the time or the circumstances, my point was that the impatience would return unless it was addressed through the Lord, the only One who can help us overcome the things we struggle with in life.

Are you like this man who was in my small group, a proclaiming Christian who has a real problem with dealing with certain types of people?

Perhaps you need to heed the command from the Lord that is the fourth such order found in the fifth chapter of 1 Thessalonians. It simply demands that we “be patient with everyone” and when God says “everyone” that means every single person. There isn’t an option to not be patient with anyone.

My prayer today is that you will take the time to identify your weaknesses in this area. Think about the people who you have difficulty dealing with and ask the Lord to give you an injection of spiritual patience. He will always deliver.

And one final question and thought on this matter before I close. First the question:

How many times have you given the Lord reason to be impatient with you?

Maybe you don’t want to answer that.

Friends, like the ancient Israelites, we have failed our God over and over and over again, and yet, He still loves us and shows us a grace more amazing than we can comprehend. If He can show this level of patience towards us, we can (and need to) show it to anyone He brings into our life.

He calls us to be patient with everyone and with His help, we can do just that.

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

DO THIS! (PART 3)

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

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

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

Encourage the disheartened, help the weak.

1 Thessalonians 5:14b

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

Live in peace with one another.

Warn those who are idle and disruptive.

These are the first two things we’ve learned that Christians are to do as they live out life as the Lord intended during our study of the fifth chapter of 1 Thessalonians. Today, we add another exhortation:

Encourage the disheartened, help the weak. v.14b

Jesus believers are called by Him to carry on the Gospel work He started (Matthew 28:18-20). That makes us His hands and feet as we go forth to ensure His ministry continues until such time as He returns, just as He promised.

Look at the ministry of Jesus and you will find compassion, caring, and love at the core, especially for those who were experiencing difficulty. He healed the sick. He drove out demons. He brought salvation to those who were excluded prior to His coming. And He even brought people from death to life.

No one who truly knows the life of Jesus could say that He didn’t encourage those who were disheartened or help the weak. He was perfectly obedient to the will and word of His Father God who we know He was one with (Romans 10:30). Here’s what we learn from the scriptures regarding God’s concern for those who were and are disheartened:

You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry. Psalm 10:17

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:2

If you are a person who is disheartened today, I pray you will find comfort and support in these wonderful promises because the God who made you, knows you and is here for you. He is aware of your situation and has heard your cries for help. And in His appointed time, He will heal your heart and bind up your wounds and rescue you from your crushed spirit.

God has never broken a single promise He has made. Not ever. Let your mind be filled with the assurance that He will do what He says He will do and be encouraged.

If you know someone who needs encouraged, share these words with them. For in this way, you too can be obedient to the command to “encourage the disheartened”.

The second command we see in today’s scripture passage is to “help the weak”.

Who are the weak?

I believe there is a very broad application to the word for there are many life circumstances that can lead to weakness.

A person can be severely afflicted with illness or disease and find themselves physically weak.

Someone could be dealing with difficult circumstances regarding finances or relationship(s) and find themselves mentally stressed or anxious to the point of severe mental health weakness.

And one could consistently struggle with sin because they may be spiritually weak and unable to withstand the attacks of Satan.

Need some biblical examples regarding help for the weak?

Go to the twenty-seventh chapter of Acts and you will find Paul on a ship that was supposed to go to Rome but found itself in the midst of a terrible storm at sea, one that seemed as if it would never end.

The ship’s crew was so paralyzed by fear and worry over possibly capsizing and dying at sea that they wouldn’t eat. Their emotional weakness quickly crossed over to their physical health, so much so that we find Paul addressing the problem head on:

Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”

After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. Acts 27:33-36

Note here that Paul first provided words to address the mental weakness of the crew by assuring them that they wouldn’t “lose a single hair” from their heads, another way of saying that they wouldn’t perish at sea. What he did next completely modeled the way of Jesus.

For we read that Paul “took some bread” and “gave thanks to God in front of them all” and then he broke the bread and ate it. As a result of the Apostle’s deep faith in God, despite the calamity that raged around the ship, the entire crew gained encouragement and they ate themselves.

Later, we know that although the ship would wreck, all onboard made it to the island of Malta and not one crew member died, just as Paul had promised.

We can go back to the Old Testament and see how God commanded His people to ensure the weak were cared for. Consider this from the Book of Exodus:

“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it.” Exodus 23:10-11

This order from God to His people is known by several names like Harvest Rest, Land Sabbath, or Sabbatical Year. All mean the same thing.

For every seventh year, the land wasn’t to be plowed or planted. It was to be left unused and any food that was still produced could be eaten by the people, particularly the poor who were financially weak.

In the New Testament, we find James, the brother of Jesus, sharing these words about caring for the marginalized in society:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. James 1:27

As we worship and serve Him, God wants us to care for those who are in deep need. In biblical times, women who lost their husbands and had no children to care for them afterwards found themselves without anyone to provide for their needs. Ditto for children who had lost their parents. Both groups were vulnerable and in danger of perishing without charity from others. This is why James writes these words.

Today, we could insert the homeless or the elderly who are shut in or wallowing in assisted living within this category. The Bible calls us to take action and do something to make a difference in their lives.

And then, there are these words found in the Gospel of Matthew, spoken by Jesus Himself:

“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.’” Matthew 25:34-40

Here, the weak are the hungry or the thirsty and this could be a physical or spiritual hunger or thirst. They are the stranger, the unclothed, the sick, or the incarcerated. All are in places of weakness and need. All are people we are expected to help because we are Christians who are to model the life of Christ Jesus, the only human being who perfectly helped the weak.

Friends, we live in a time where there are a lot of people who are disheartened or weak. There’s plenty of work out there for the Lord’s people to engage in so let’s go and do something to make a difference, helping and encouraging the needy in obedience to the scriptures.

Tomorrow, we will look at Part 4 of this series.

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

DO THIS! (PART 2)

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

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

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

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive.

1 Thessalonians 5:14a

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

If you want to know how to live the Christian life, you have to read the Bible. It’s a must.

When you do this, you will find plenty of guidance on the behaviors the Lord expects you to adopt...and they aren’t optional. One such place for this is toward the end of Paul’s first letter to the believers in Thessalonica, a passage that serves as the base for this latest series of messages titled “Do This!”.

In yesterday’s opener, we saw where the Lord commands His people to “live in peace with one another”, learning that the success in carrying out this expectation was to first be at peace with Jesus who is the Prince of peace. In other words, any hope for a shared peace among the people of the world rests in the commitment of people to put Jesus and His peace first.

Today, we look at the second thing we are called by the Lord to do.

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive (5:14a).

Now, as I have often encouraged through my Bible teaching and subsequent writing, it can be extremely helpful to look at different Bible translations so to gain a better understanding of what the Lord is calling us to do. When we do this with the first part of verse 14, here’s what we find:

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. NLT

My friends, we beg you to warn anyone who isn't living right. CEV

And we exhort you, brothers: warn those who are irresponsible. HCSB

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly. NKJV

Through this examination, we find common ground in two things we are to do and improved clarification as to who the audience should be.

First, the commonalities.

This calling from the Lord is an exhortation and imploring. It goes out to all who are in the Lord, both brothers and sisters. Each of these verses communicates a sense of urgency to act and to warn others. In other words, this command demands that all of God’s people caution a targeted group of people.

Now, simply looking at the NIV translation would have Christians only addressing those who are “idle and disruptive” but when we consider the other renderings of this same passage, we add depth to who is to be warned. For not only are the idle and disruptive to be alerted but also the lazy, unrighteous, irresponsible, and unruly.

Think about the call to live in peace with one another. Anyone who chooses to be disruptive or unruly violates that calling. They should be notified about God’s word and His expectation for the way people are to live. For how will unbelievers know unless they are told by those who are informed in the Lord?

We are also to warn those who are unrighteous, those who are living in sin. No matter how many times we may have talked to a sinner or sinners about the sure judgment of an angry God who hates and despises sin, we can’t give up. We need to continue to sound the alarm until they get it and repent, wanting to get right with their Lord just as Jesus did in His ministry.

Additionally, we are ordered to hone in on the irresponsible and ensure they know that the Lord expects a regimented, ordered life, a life where He dictates behavior through His word, will, and Spirit. The Christian life is not a haphazard, disjointed one where anything goes and a person should just do whatever they desire. Rather, God calls us to live the life that His Son Jesus lived, a life that was always planned and dictated by God in every way. No action was taken that God didn’t first endorse because Jesus was One with His Father God in every way (Romans 10:30).

Finally, living in and through Christ isn’t a lifestyle for the idle and lazy. Jesus called all His disciples to action, commissioning them to go and make disciples, to baptize new believers, and to teach them everything that He commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). Believers are expected to get to work and labor hard for the Lord and His purposes. It is why we are here on this earth, to serve Him and others until that time when either this life ends or Jesus returns, whichever comes first to usher us into the assured salvation promise we have received.

The Bible tells us to “Do This!” today, to warn the idle and lazy, the disruptive and unruly, the unrighteous, and the irresponsible with the hope that they will change their ways and live in and through Christ Jesus. For if they do, they will always know they are living in a way that’s pleasing to the Lord.

Tomorrow, we add the third expected Christian action to the list.

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

DO THIS! (PART 1)

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

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

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

Live in peace with each other.

1 Thessalonians 5:13b

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

At the end of Paul’s first letter to the believers in Thessalonica, we find him providing a series of exhortations or “Do this!” statements intended to remind his brothers and sisters about the responsibilities and behaviors they were to display in their Christian living. These demands will frame each message in this series and so let’s look at number one:

Live in peace with each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:13b

You may remember these words from the prophet Isaiah as he foretold the coming of the promised Messiah, Jesus:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 9:6

We know Jesus carried many titles but for the purpose of this message and the first “Do this!” statement, we are most interested in our Savior known as the “Prince of Peace”.

In biblical times, a prince was a male ruler and Jesus identified as a Prince, capital “P”, established the supremacy He would hold as a leader upon His coming. Indeed, Jesus was placed in authority over everything in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) and currently reigns in power over all things while sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

And so we know that Jesus is the Prince of everything and that includes peace, something I think we all crave today as it seems conflict and unrest rage around us daily. If we are going to have any hope of bringing calm and serenity to our lives and then share that peace with others, we need to turn first to Jesus and gain the peace that only comes from trusting and believing in Him and the salvation God gave us through His Son. Look at these words from the fourth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Vv. 6-7).

Jesus said He was One with God the Father (John 10:30) and so anything a Christian could gain from the Father would also be accessible through the Son. We’re reminded in Philippians that we need to simply trust the Lord, laying all the burdens that would hijack our solitude at the foot of the throne. Then, unencumbered by the weight of our worries, the Lord fills us with His peace which is like no other peace anyone has experienced, a perfectly divine and perfect peace underscored by Isaiah when he wrote:

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4

Personal peace, a peace that is easily accessible and attainable by anyone to then pass onto others. This is the key to achieving today’s command to “live in peace with one another”. It starts with everyone seeking and finding peace in their own lives first and then with all living in the peace of the Lord, it becomes easy to live in peace with one another. It’s simply a matter of enjoying a life of peace with those having the same experience.

Can you imagine a world like this, a world where everyone lives in perfect peace with one another?

It seems impossible until we remember that we serve a Lord who specializes in making the impossible possible. Let’s hold onto hope and pray over the matter of sharing peace under the auspice and influence of the Prince of Peace.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at the second message in this series.

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

RESPECT AND APPRECIATE CHURCH WORKERS

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

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

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

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13a

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

Churches don’t function in a vacuum. You may enter into one on Sunday and enjoy a great worship experience, filled with wonderful music and a well prepared message from the pulpit, but a lot of work went into making that hour to hour and a half happen and many of the people behind the scenes remain unrecognized for what they do.

Musicians and singers have to rehearse and practice. Audio/visual workers make sure the graphics are displayed on time so everyone will know the words to sing, the scripture verses being highlighted, or the church events that are happening.

The church is kept tidy by someone with the responsibility to clean it and make it presentable to the congregation.

Typically, there are people stationed at the doors of the church and the entrance to the sanctuary to happily greet those attending service. Often times a volunteer has prepared coffee which is available in the welcome center.

Many families attend church and small children can be looked after and cared for by volunteers while the parents worship. This offering will usually extend to teens in middle and high school.

And pastors put a lot of thought, prayer, and preparation into the Bible-based sermons they deliver each and every week.

As we look at our verses today from the fifth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, we find the Apostle exhorting the Christian believers to respect and appreciate those who work in support of their worship and service experience. Look again at his words here:

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Vv.12-13a

When you go to worship this week, and every week thereafter, remember these words from Paul to the Thessalonian Christians and put them into practice. Intentionally acknowledge and thank those who “work hard” and “care for you in the Lord”, holding them “in the highest regard” out of love for the work that they do.

Trust me when I say that it will mean the world to them and to the Lord who has called them to His service.

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

OUR TWO GREATEST ENCOURAGEMENTS (PART 2)

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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

According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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 forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, 5:1-3

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

Our two greatest encouragements.

First, anyone who places their belief in Jesus Christ as Savior will be saved and have victory over death. At the time when this earthly life ends, there is a time of rest before a triumphant, magnificent, glorious entry into eternal glory comes.

And it will come because Jesus promised it.

“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 didn’t just ascend into Heaven to sit at His Father’s right hand in authority over everything (Acts 1:9) and abandon all those who placed faith in Him. No, He is coming back and this is our second greatest encouragement. Look again at our verses for today as we look at the closing verses of 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4 and the opening verses of chapter 5:

According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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 forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. Vv. 4:15-18, 5:1-3

At a time not known to anyone but God, the Lord Jesus Himself “will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God”. The scene will be momentous and remarkable as will what happens next because “the dead in Christ will rise first” to meet Him “in the air” and then those “who are still alive” in Christ will rise “will be caught up with them in the clouds”.  Together, all believers will “be with the Lord forever”.

Can you imagine this spectacle, this miraculous and amazing assembly in the air?

If you’re a Christian, you are going to be a part of it, the day your salvation comes in earnest and you inherit your portion of the very Kingdom of God.  

We may not know what lies ahead in our earthly life up to its end when we enter into rest unless Jesus returns first but we do know our ultimate future and it will be the best life experience ever, one that will be everlasting.

Friends, God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Let this promise as well as the known return of our Savior Jesus to take us to where He is going for all eternity to be your two greatest encouragements.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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