Closing Words....

1 Thes. 5:23-28 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. [24] The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

[25] Brothers, pray for us. [26] Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. [27] I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

[28] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

All....

It's a recurring theme in the Bible that all we have belongs to the Lord. Not some. Not most. Not nearly everything. But all, completely, whole.

Sometimes I wonder how I can give over everything - it seems impossible to completely eliminate all the elements of selfishness from my soul and replace it with total selflessness. But then I remember that Jesus stands with me and is faithful, and every temptation I face he will be faithful to me and show me a way to escape or to flee. With this in mind it becomes easier to set my mind to commit all to him, to work to seek after holiness so that on that day I can be presented as blameless before the Father.

1 Thes. 5:19-22 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; [20] do not treat prophecies with contempt. [21] Test everything. Hold on to the good. [22] Avoid every kind of evil.

Sometimes you see in people that the spark of God has gone from their lives. You know how these people used to be - the phrase we would often use is to 'be on fire for Jesus' -but that flame has burned itself out. It is sad.

I wonder what we blame for that. I wonder what the person himself would say. But I wonder if it is because we lose touch with Jesus, with our faith communities and with our sense of mission. I think it comes down to a choice - we have to choose to keep feeding the flames of our spiritual lives. Keep a sense of prayer and devotion in our lives. Be a regular participant in the body of Christ. Find someway to live at the edge for Jesus. Because if we allow ourselves to be submerged in mediocrity we'll turn down the heat to that which is comfortable. The fire will not burn, but will be contained, then extinguished.

Presence

1 Thes. 5:16-18 Be joyful always; [17] pray continually; [18] give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

It's hard to be joyful all the time. There is much pain in the world, and even when the pain is absent very often there is the numbness of monotony. Sociologists tell us repeatedly that by every indicator we are becoming more and more unhappy....

So it is hard to be joyful - that is if we equate joy with the absence of pain and the presence of happiness.

Yet the Bible writers tell us that joy is not the absence of pain but the presence of God. To be joyful always is to be continually walking with God, through the good and the bad. Paul advises us not to give up seeking his face, but to continually seek his presence, seek his comfort. Even when things are bleak, to know you are walking with God, in the centre of his will for your life is a comforting place to be - because actually that is when you need it most.

Following....

1 Thes. 5:12-15 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. [13] Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. [14] And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. [15] Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

The New Testament is stuffed full about instructions for leaders. But there isn't so much said directly about how we follow them. Often we are critical and fail to encourage them. Often we are resentful. Often we do not really follow them. But here Paul acknowledges that leading is hard and often lonely, so he encourages the rest of us to support them. Maybe we need to cut out the grumbling, and learn to walk alongside those who are called to lead us.

Thief....

1 Thes. 5:1-11 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, [2] for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. [3] While people are saying, "Peace and safety", destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

[4] But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. [5] You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. [6] So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. [7] For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. [8] But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. [9] For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. [10] He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. [11] Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

When I was a Kid the thought of the second coming used to sacre me. I had been taught to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture - I'm more ambivelent about this now - so the idea of being left behind use to terrify me....

So in the fear, I missed what the Bible witers were really saying: that those of us who are living in the light of God actually have nothing left to fear. God will care for us, whatever pans out. Having responded to the love of the Gospel it is our task and response to live as children of light. Then maybe more of those who need to respond in this way will live as children of light too.

Triumph....

1 Thes. 4:13-18 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. [14] We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. [15] According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16] 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. [17] 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 for ever. [18] Therefore encourage each other with these words.

I've often pondered why Jesus died and then rose again. Why is there significance in the ressurection? And I think it is about the announcement it makes, the triumph of God being proclaimed to the Cosmos at large. Because while my sins, and the sins of all those who call upon the the name of the Lord, were atoned for at the Cross, it is the ressurection on the third day that proves it and brings hope.

It is the hope that death will not triumph, though we may die. That we too will rise with Jesus. What a great hope to carry through the rest of my time here on Earth.

Avenue....

1 Thes. 4:9-12 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. [10] And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

[11] Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, [12] so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Our actions will influence the reputation of Jesus amongst those we meet and interact with on a dialy basis - so we must learn to be good team players in our situations, able to perform our jobs well and dilegently. This is as much of a witness as the words we say about salvation, because it is these actions which open up the avenues of trust on which our friendships and witness are based!