For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” 11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 NIV) Misunderstanding regarding the second coming and this issue seem to be…
Category: Bible Comments
Love and Perseverance – 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. (2 Thessalonians 3:5 NIV) I often think of Christians being defined by their trust and obedience, but Paul pairs two distinctive characteristics together in his letter to the Thessalonians. It isn’t that Paul isn’t concerned about trust or obedience. He seems to assume…
Be Stubborn – 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thessalonians 2:15 NIV) The second definition of stubborn on dictionary.com is “fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute:”. When we describe someone as stubborn we are generally…
What Are You Looking For? – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
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, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be…
Trouble – 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. (2 Thessalonians 1:5 MSG) This isn’t trouble that the Thessalonians have brought on themselves through sin and rebellion. Paul goes on to describe a people who are growing in their faith and living it out by loving…
Simple Instructions – 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) It is like Paul is running out of scroll material or time. This section is filled with some of the simplest and clearest instructions that Paul provides anywhere. There are…
Wear a Helmet – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, 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…
Hope for the Living and the Dead – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
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…
The Pursuit of a Quiet Life – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Recently in my “What’s Missing” post I talked about how we measure church success. Check out this post below for some additional thoughts on this. Here We Go Again: Willow Creek and Pastoral Accountability I wonder how Paul would write this portion of his letter to the Thessalonians today. Most of us, even those of…