Epistle – 1 Thessalonians 4-5

Last week, we had read that the church at Thessalonica was the epitome of a good church.  There are many areas of the members there that are worthy for us to learn from.  And yet, we find Paul constantly reminding them of what they ought to do and how they ought to behave with regards to their life of faith.

In fact, if we were to read 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, this was Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians that God Himself will increase and abound their love to one another, and that thei hearts may be blameless before God at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ again.

And this leads us nicely to today’s reading …

Bible Passage:  1 Thessalonians 4-5

So despite the ‘goodness’ of the members at Thessalonica, Paul still thought it important to remind them to maintain sexual purity, to continue loving one another, leading quiet lives and walking properly toward those who are outside of the faith.

Paul further encouraged them about the faithfulness of the coming of Jesus again and confirmed that the day of the return of the Lord is imminent – and that the believers should live as children of the light, and not of the darkness.

For today, I would like to concentrate on the last part of 1 Thessalonians – 1 Thess 5:12-28.

Blessings We Need

Many a times when I read the letter to the Thessalonians, I get this deep sense of inadequacy.

I see the truth of the Bible.  I hear the commission given by the Lord.  I see the work laid down before me.

But…

There are times where I just feel that I am unable to finish the work laid out in front of me.

There are times where I just do not know where and how to start.

And there are many times when I feel both ways!

That is why I like this prayer by Paul very much…

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

1 Thess 5:23-24

The great thing about Paul is that he always recognizes that God is at the centre of all His work and that He will finish the things He begins.

We are called to be His child – not because we of something we have done or because of any special effort we have expended.

God began this good work in us and will be faithful to complete it (remember reading something similar in Philippians?).  And having the confidence that Christ will finish the work He has started, we can boldly face all obstacles in front of us as we live the lives that God wants us to.

We don’t have to feel anxious that or inadequate.  God will finish what He started.  God will help us to be able to be the Christian that He wants us to be…

The Life of A Believer

What I like about the last part of 1 Thessalonians is that Paul gives us short and sharp instructions on what a believer should be like.

My family and I were reading this passage together and when we got to 1 Thess 5:14, there was some discussion on how we can actually put this exhortation into practice…

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.

Apparently during the time of Paul, there were these 3 groups of people – the unruly, the fainthearted and the weak.  Pretty much the same as today.

But his exhortation was for the members to do something about these people.  And his exhortation is similarly for us today.  The question is… what do we actually do?

The Unruly

The unruly could also refer to those who are lazy and undisciplined.  They are the kind of people who can never get anything done; or they never follow through on anything; or they just ill disciplined in moral and spiritual things.

Paul tells us that we should warn these people.  These people need correction, direction and training.

The Fainthearted

Paul says that we are to “encourage the fainthearted”.

When I think of the fainthearted, I think back of the statement made by the apostles to Jesus during the storm, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).

Their life consists of crises and mountains that cannot be traversed; they are timid and afraid.

Perhaps they have been hurt by broken relationships, an unhappy marriage, or the loss of a job.

Again, many of us in relating to people like that find ourselves wanting to ignore them; put them aside.  They demand a lot of time; they take up our enerygy; we would rather hang out around with people like ourselves instead.

The Weak

Paul calls us to also “uphold the weak”.  Now the weak could be people whose lives are dominated by something.  It could be a bad habit that seems to control them.  Or it could be a fear in their lives that makes them unable to fully trust in Jesus.  It could be a bad temper, poverty… there are just so many things that makes us weak in our faith.

Be Patient with All Men

“Be patient with all men”.

It is certainly easier said than done, especially when you have to be patient with people you would otherwise look down on and reject.  Especially when they are unruly, fainthearted and weak.

As I read the words of the Scriptures now and write these words, I am filled with a deep sense of shame and regret.

Through the years, God has given me brethren to care for.

But this brethren can be at times unruly – he does not come to church regularly; he sometimes threatens to do somethings against the Bible – knowing full well it is wrong; he curses at perceived unjust treatment he receives…

And he is also fainthearted.  There will be late night calls and long conversations about his problems and unhappiness.  He could often not see beyond his current predicament and refuses to move on…

He has also a bad temper that he finds it difficult to control.  And his deteriorating health also leads him to question the love of the church and the leaders constantly…

I think I have been very patient with this brother.  I have spent long hours on the phone with him.  I have counselled him.  I have prayed with him.  I have done lots of things which I felt was beyond the call of duty.

There have been ups and downs.  Sometimes it would seem that he would be ok but on the other occasions, he would slip back to his old habits and weaknesses again.

Finally after years of encouraging this brother, I snapped.  After one particularly frustrating session with him, I gave him a piece of my mind and ignored him after that – despite his repeated calls or SMSes to me.

So much for being ‘patient with all men’.

When my wife asked me to explain “patient with all men” to my daughters, I talked about how Jesus is always patient with us despite our weaknesses and constant sinning (sometimes we commit the very same sin that we have just prayed to God for forgiveness within minutes of the prayer!).  And if He is not patient with us – we can imagine where we will be today.

But even as I said these words, I felt hypocritcal as I thought of that brother that I had been very impatient with…

God Uses The Unruly, FaintHearted and Weak

It would seem when we read the Bible that in many cases, God uses people who at one time or another in their lives were either unruly, fainthearted or weak.  It seems that God has an affection for such people whom most of us would reject.

Just see what Paul said about himself concerning patience:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

1 Tim 1:15-16

The patience of Jesus for Paul – despite his unruliness and weakness, produced possibly the most significant follower of Christ who ever lived.

The Paul that was chosen was initially rejected by almost all the Christians.  No one could imagine such a man could be used by Christ.

But not Jesus.  He did not reject Paul.  So why should I?

And as a final statement in this regards, we see in 1 Thess 5:15,

See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

I am learning that despite how the brother may treat me from now onwards and how he responds to my talks, there is not need for retaliation.

I should not return evil for evil but instead pursue what is good for both of us.

Simple Directions – Christian Slogans?

The directions Paul gives are simple and uncomplicated.  And as I read the rest of the verses from 1 Thess 5:16-18, this thought came to mind.

Many of them sounds like slogans which we can use in our daily lives.

Slogans are very powerful media tools used now to buy mind share in the public.

I mean, how many of us do not know which brand says “Just Do It”.

Or…

“Finger licking good”or

“We do it all for you.”

Or…

We Christians should also have our slogans.  So that we can easily remember God’s instructions and carry with them in our lives everyday to help us to the right thing.

So when you read 1 Thess 5:16-18, what slogans can you come up with?

I will try out a few… and maybe you can give me your suggestions as well…

“Rejoice Always!” – haha… that was not very difficult was it?

“Pray Always in All Ways”

“Give Thanks Always!”

Er… I think you can see that I am not very imaginative right now.  Brain dead 🙂

But these verses contain powerful directions that we will do well to keep in our heart always.

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