Thessalonians Words ~ Day 9: Believe

Day 9: Believe

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe." 1 Thessalonians 2:13

"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." 2 Thessalonians 2:13

To believe something is to have faith in the truth of that thing. In his letters to the Thessalonians, Paul repeats over and over his confidence in their faith that they believe the truth, the gospel of Christ. In the two verses above Paul points out a number of things about their belief.

First, is what they believe. They believe the message Paul shared with them is actually the word of God, not merely human words. The gospel message Paul preached to them was received by them and accepted, or welcomed, by them. Although receiving and accepting are similar terms, there is a slight variance between them. The Greek word used for received is one used of taking in something with the mind, while the Greek word used for accepted is to take hold of something and embrace it and take it upon one's self. It is more about taking in something with the heart and letting it become a part of one's self.

Second, is what that belief does. First we see in 1 TH 1:13 that for those who believe, the word of God is at work in them. In this verse the word work in Greek is energeo, from which we get our words energy and energize. The word of God provides us with energy. It empowers us in our heart, soul and mind. We see this spoken of elsewhere in the Bible:

"Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4. The word of God is the bread that provides nourishment, sustenance, and energy within us.

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrew 4:12. The word of God penetrates our innermost being, doing God's work within us. 

Take a look at Psalm 119 sometime and see that in 8 of its verses the Psalmist writes that we are enabled to live a pure life, are preserved and strengthened, are shown God's goodness, receive direction and understanding according to the word of God. (Psalm 119:9,25,28,37,65,107,133,169). That is in addition to the many other terms used in Psalm 119 for the word: law, precepts, decrees, commands, etc.

The second thing that belief does is it brings salvation. In 2 TH 2:13 Paul reminds the Thessalonians that God chose them to be saved. How? "Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth" the gospel of Christ.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." 1 Peter 2:2

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." 1 Peter 1:23

When we believe in the truth of the gospel of Christ we receive salvation and with that the work and power of God in us. Here is another good reason to study, hear, and know the Word of God!

Today we will learn about the many, many tools at preceptaustin.org. Go to the Bible Study Techniques page to find out about the rich tools this site has to offer.

Thessalonians Words ~ Day 8: Love

Day 8: Love

Love flows throughout both of Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. Whether he speaks of God's love for them as His children, Paul and the disciples love for them, or their love for others, it is a constant thread in these letters.

We first come upon the word love in verse 3 of chapter 1 in the first letter, where it is combined with faith and hope. Faith, hope and love are often called the three most eminent Christian virtues. All three are evidence of one's salvation in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life. Ten times these three virtues are listed together in the New testament letters: Romans 2:3-5; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:5-6; Colossians 1:5; I Thessalonians 1:3 and 5:8; Hebrews 6:10-12 and 10:22-24; 1 Peter 1:3-8 and 1:21-22.

Of the combination of faith and love, John Calvin said they were "the sum total of godliness". Love, as we saw with the word faith on our first day of the challenge, is a fruit of the Spirit, but also something we have a responsibility to nurture and grow. And so Paul prays that  love will continually increase and grow in the lives of the Thessalonians (1 TH 3:12; 2 TH 1:3).

In fact, love is something that Paul repeatedly commends the Thessalonians for. It would appear that, based on the comments in Paul's letters, that they are a loving community that is known far and wide for how they love each other and love those outside of their community.

• Their love prompted their service. 1 TH 1:3
• Paul called their love "good news", the same word used for the gospel. 1 TH 3:6
• They were known for their brotherly love, not only in their church but to churches throughout Macedonia. 1 TH 4:9-10, 2 TH 1:3

Paul reminds the Thessalonians repeatedly that they are loved by God and that God produces love in them (1 TH 1:4; 2 TH 2:13, 16; 3:5). God is love (1 John 4:8,16). Love is God's nature. It is God's love for us that keeps our faith firm, that provides us with stability and confidence. It is God's love for us that builds the desire in us to love Him and to love others. Love is our response to His love for us.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10

"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

God's love is sacrificial and unconditional. He does not force it on us. He does not make us earn it. It is a gift. We are called to respond. Either we yield to it and accept the gift, allowing it then to transform us. Or we don't. The choice is ours. May we embrace God's gift of love fully and allow it to transform us into Christ-followers, who like the Thessalonians, become known for our love for each other and for extending it to those in our community, by sharing our lives and the gospel.

Today we will look at how to use the Lexicon tool on the study Light site. You can find the instructions for this tool on the Bible Study Techniques page.

Thessalonians Words ~ Day 7: Coming

Day 7: Coming

One of the themes running through the letters to the Thessalonians is the Second Coming of Christ, also known as the Second Advent. There appeared to be great confusion in the Thessalonian church about Christ's second coming. Had it already happened, what about those who die before it happens, how to live while they wait for it, etc. While the second letter to the Thessalonians contains more direct details of the Second Coming (and we'll explore them in later words), it is interesting to note a pattern in the first letter regarding the Second Coming. At the end of each chapter there is a reference to the Lord's Second Coming.

"They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." 1 TH 1:9-10

"For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" 1 TH 2:19

"May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." 1 TH 3:13

"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." 1 TH 4:16-17

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." 1 TH 5:23-24

What is also interesting, for those of us who like finding patterns, is that these five occurrences at the ends of the chapters are the only places in the first letter where Paul mentions Christ's return. He will wait until his second letter to go into more detail about it.

Since the first occurrence is our verse for today's word, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, I'll focus on it. In Paul's description of the Christ-followers in Thessalonica, he says three things about them:

• They turned to God from idols. The expression of their faith.
• They serve the living and true God. The expression of their love.
• They wait for His Son from heaven. The source of their hope.

In this verse Paul also clarifies who it is who is coming:

• God's Son.
• Whom He raised from the dead.
• Whose name is Jesus (which means savior)
• Who will rescue us from the coming wrath.

Paul uses both Jesus' human name and His name as Son of God, highlighting both His humanity and His divinity. The gospel message it that Jesus Christ, the Son of God came to earth to live among us. He was crucified on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind, to rescue us from the power and condemnation of sin.. He died, but was resurrected from the dead, and later ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God. He gave us His Spirit to live within us and enable us to live for God, planting in us hope that inspires us to live this life in expectation of the life to come, and of the return of Christ, when He will make all things new again.

One of my favorite authors and commentators, John Stott, points out one more thing in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10. He notes that "waiting" and "serving" are hand-in-hand here. He says,

"This is at first sight surprising, since 'serving' is active, while 'waiting'is passive. In Christian terms 'serving' is getting busy for Christ on earth, while 'waiting' is looking for Christ to come from heaven.Yet these two are not incompatible. On the contrary, each balances the other. On the one hand, however hard we work and serve, there are limits to what we can accomplish. We can only improve society; we cannot perfect it. For that we have to wait for Christ to come. Only then will he secure the final triumph of God's reign of justice and peace. On the other hand, although we look expectantly for Christ, we have no liberty to wait in idleness, with arms folded and eyes closed, indifferent to the needs of the world around us. Instead, we must work even while we wait, for we are called to serve the living and true God."

Today we continue to explore the study tool websites listed on my Internet Bible Study Sites chart. Head over to the Bible Study Techniques page for a look how I use the tools on the Net Bible site. As I said yesterday, these sites can provide us with tools similar to the Bible software that seminary students and pastors often purchase. Finding and learning how to use the tools on these sites opened the door for deeper Bible study for me, and they helped increase my love for studying God's Word.

Thessalonians Words ~ Day 6: Model

Day 6: Model

My daughter has always been a very busy child. She began to walk at 9 months and never slowed down. Getting her to sit still in her highchair was a chore. I remember the first time I saw my daughter imitate me. She had placed one of her dolls in her highchair, and although I could not make out her words, her wagging finger in the doll's face spoke volumes! Seeing our children model our behavior or words can be an eye-opening experience. For parents, every instance of our children modeling us may not reveal us at our best, this is not the case with Paul. Paul's idea of modeling begins with Christ.

When Jesus began His ministry on earth, He came at a time when the leading religious group for God's people, the Pharisees, had made following God about a very long list of behaviors. These behaviors were supposed to be reflections of a holy life. Instead they became a grueling list of 613 laws that everyone was supposed to follow. They created a way of life that was impossible to live up to and so it became a burden to the people, and a way of "lording over" the people to the Pharisees. The laws became mere outward behaviors that lost connection with the heart.

Jesus enters the scene inviting others into His way of life with the simple words, "Follow me". He was not simply asking people to come along with Him, but to be devoted to Him and to learn and imitate His way of life. Jesus modeled the Father's way of life in the midst of everyday life. His followers watched how He lived and interacted with people. Many of His teachings and lessons took place as they were going about life, using everyday things like farming and children to teach them the ways of the Kingdom. He described His way of life this way:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Follow Me, Learn from Me.

Paul then took up his ministry with the same mindset. He followed the example of Christ's teachings and life, and then modeled it for the people who ministered with him, and to those he taught as he planted churches all over. He shared his life with the people he shared the gospel with as he says in the Thessalonian letters (1 TH 1:5; 2:8). A theme in many of his letters.

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

"Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church." 1 Corinthians 4:15-17

"Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do." Philippians 3:17

Paul commends the church at Thessalonica because they are imitating Christ's life seen in the way Paul and his disciples live among them, and then they are modeling it to those they live among. 

"You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere."  1 Thessalonians  1:6-8

Not only that, but Paul says they are modeling it to other churches throughout the regions of Macedonia and Achaia as well. For a church to be a model, it must have leaders and individuals in it who are living out the ways of Christ. There are some important reasons here for God's call on us to live out our faith in the midst of a Christian community. We need leaders and others in our lives who will show us what living a holy life looks like. We need to be intimately and frequently involved with people who are modeling, imitating, following Christ, and living as examples of His life. And the church needs us - each one of us - to be those who are living out the ways of Christ as best we can. We are each a little bit ahead of someone else and can lead and teach with our lives. And then together, we are all needed to help build up our churches to show Christ to the world.

In the midst of the pain and suffering, the tension and frustration, the overwhelm of sickness and death we face in our current situations today, we need to show others who Jesus is. We all need to know His compassion, love, hope and joy. We can extend His kindness, His willingness to serve and help others. We cam to offer others His gifts of compassion, love, mercy, grace, and peace. Every issue and situation seems to cause more division and arguments right now. Jesus came to break down barriers and to bring peace. We are called to imitate Him.

Wherever you are on your journey of faith -just beginning or having walked with Christ for a long time - you are further along in the journey than someone else. I pray that we will all find God's grace as we strive to imitate Christ to those around us. Strive to be His model to someone else in your life.

For the next few days we will take a detailed look at how I use each of the Internet Bible study sites I listed in the chart I introduced yesterday. Head over the the Bible Study Techniques page for a look at Bible Gateway and their incredible search engine for the Bible. Seminary students and pastors often have to  invest in expensive Bible software to be able to study the Bible in depth. We may not want or be able to invest in expensive programs, but we can get some of the same benefits from these wonderful sites that have been developed on the internet. I remain thankful to the developers of these sites who bring these tools to us to help us open God's Word to greater meaning and significance. Finding and learning how to use the tools on these sites opened the door for deeper Bible study for me, and they helped increase my love for studying God's Word.

Thessalonians Words ~ Day 5: Lord

Day 5: Lord

Jesus is Lord. This is the confession that makes us Christ-followers. It is the expression that declares our belief in, and allegiance to, Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Jesus is Lord exalts Him to His Divine place as the Son of God, and as God Himself.

Let's look at what that word would have meant to Paul's Jewish and Gentile believers in the church of Thessalonica.

Lord in Greek is kurios (Strong's #2962). It's basic meaning is master, owner, one who possesses authority over another. Biblically it means the Supreme One who possesses absolute authority. The word "Lord" is used over 9000 times in the Septuagint, which is the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament. In the Septuagint it is the Greek word used for the occasions in the Old Testament where God is called Jehovah or Yahweh. In the New Testament kurios is used over 700 times and Jesus is referred to as Lord more frequently than any other title. Lord signifies Jesus' divine nature.

When the Jews heard Paul use the title Lord Jesus Christ, they were hearing literally that Jesus is God and the Christ, the promised Messiah. When the Gentiles heard Paul use the title Lord Jesus Christ, they heard that Jesus is King. In both cases, the title Lord given to Jesus, was meant to call the hearers to action:

Bow down and exalt Him.

Worship and obey Him.

Here is a quick rundown of just some of what the Thessalonian letters say about the Lord:

• The church is established in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1TH 1:1; 2 TH 1:2
• Hope is found in the Lord. 1 TH 1:3
• His people are to imitate the Lord. 1 TH 1:6
• Jesus, the Lord, is Savior. 1 TH 1:10; 5:9
• The Lord is the substance of the Gospel message. 1 TH 1:8; 2:8; 3:2; 2 TH 1:8; 3:8
• The Lord enables us to love (1 TH 3:12); to grow in holiness (1 TH 3:13; 5:23), to live in pleasing ways to God (1TH 4:1-2). 
• The Lord strengthens our hearts and encourages us (1 TH 3:13; 2 TH 3:16-17
• The Lord will punish those who are in sin. 1 TH 4:6, 2 TH 1:8
• The Lord is faithful. 1 TH 5:24; 2 TH 3:3
• The Lord is the Lord of peace. 2TH 3:16
• The Lord's name will be glorified in His people when He returns. 2 TH 1:12, 2:14 He is coming again! We will dig into this more on Sunday.

Jesus is Lord!

Today I have posted a chart on the Bible Study Techniques page called Internet Bible Study Tools. This is the chart of the Bible study tools I use most often online. It will tell you what each site offers and what I use on that particular site most often. In the days ahead I will show you how I use some of those online tools.