Let's review...
The church at Thessalonica was a flagship church of sorts. The people of that group displayed exemplary spiritual behavior in many ways. We studied about that in chapter one.
In the first half of chapter two we find that Paul has some strong attachment to these people. In fact, the context we used, (and the picture that Paul paints), was that of parenting. We discussed the things that you try to do as a parent and we talked about how some of those roles are "gentle and nurturing", but other roles are more forceful and challenging. Typically, society may group those into the "mother" and "father" roles. Some families fall right in line with that model, some don't. I mentioned briefly on Sunday that the functionality of a family has less to do with who does what role, (structure), and more to do with the fulfillment of the roles. If children are getting the gentleness, instruction, firmness, compassion, etc. etc. etc. that they need, then it does not matter quite so much who does it. Even single parent families can be very functional (not that its an easy thing).
Paul addresses these people like a parent- both a mother and a father. Paul expressed the gentleness and compassion of a mother in verse 7. In fact, the phrase, "like a mother caring for her little children" could have been translated along the lines of "like a nursing mother caring for her children (emphasis mine- that's twice in two weeks!!! Woot!!)
In verse 11 Paul comes along sounding like a father- talking of how he has tried to be encouraging and how he has challenged the people to a life worthy of God!
So, in these few verses we see how Paul has cared for these people in a great variety of ways- tender like a mother... challenging like a father... And like I said on Sunday, I am not sure if after reading this part of the book I think, "Gee, I understand parenting better in light of 1 Thessaolonians 2" or "Gee, I understand 1 Thessalonians 2 better in the light of parenting." Or maybe it is both- whatever. I am not sure its a bad thing any way you go.
One of the things we have to remember as we look at the rest of chapter 2 is that is was not an easy thing to boldly believe in Jesus at the writing of this letter- at least not in Thessalonica. Look at some of the language Paul uses as he writes this letter:
1:6 - severe suffering
2:14 - suffered from your own countrymen
2:14 - suffered from the Jews
2:15 - drove us out
2:15 - hostile to all men
2:16 - in their effort to keep us from speaking
2:18 - but Satan stopped us
3:3 - trials
(all word references are NIV)
You cannot come away from this book without the knowledge and the feeling that the atmosphere of the time was not exactly conducive to Wednesday night small group or Sunday morning bible class! So here we have the challenge for this church (and, I believe, for us). If we are to continue to grow in a hostile world, how will we do it? How will we continue? How will we survive?
Paul offers some help in the second half of the second chapter. None of it is really surprising, but all of it is valuable, and all of it is good to remember on a regular basis.
The Word of God:
Paul mentions the response to the Word. (2:13) It all comes down to the attitude with which these people treated the Word of God and the teachings. They received the Word and gave it due respect. The "internalized" it to the point where they lived out the things they learned from the Word. They accepted the Word as truth and built their lives around the truth they found there. As we walk through a world that is hostile to the truth, let us be as respectful and diligent about the Word as the Thessalonians.
The People of God:
We all have said it- "I don't know where I would be if not for the love and the kindness show by my friends- those all around me who care." (At least, I hope we have all felt that at one time or another) These Thessalonians could not have endured the difficulties had they not stood together. 1 Thess 2: 14-15 paints that picture of a group of people, firm in their belief, standing together in the face of opposition. That is one of the things I love so much about our class- I feel like I am standing firm, surrounded by people who believe that same as me. And there is, indeed, some safety in numbers.
The Hope of God:
We have spoken a fair amount about hope lately. And that's OK. Without it we are lost. In verse 17-19, Paul turns his eyes (and ours) toward the hope and the glory before us. Paul was training this church to be forward looking- to always remember the glory of God that is coming. We will see more of this as we progress through the book. There is nothing like the hope of something better to help one get through the difficult moments. Again, I say that we have the same challenge- to remember that we are "holding on" until the return of the Lord. We are often blessed with good things here on this earth- family, friends, relationships, black raspberry pie, but nothing here is better than what is coming, and it is especially good to remember that when things are hard. Remember Zoom.
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
New Testament Pasta...
We have returned to the New Testament with the start of our study of the Thessalonian letters. I am excited about our study- partly because of the motivations I find in the letters. The Thessalonian church was a good example of a group of people who responded to the gospel of Jesus Christ in a manner worthy of our study and imitation.
Last Sunday we looked at the motivations that drove the activity of the Thessalonians mentioned in verse 3. Paul says that he continually remembers:
...their work produced by faith
...their labor prompted by love
...their endurance inspired by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ
The Thessalonians who responded to the gospel message turned away from idol worship and focused their attention on Jesus. Because of this change, they experienced the same kind of persecution that we read about and studied in the book of Acts. It could not have been "easy" for them to be a Christian. It was "work". It was hard. But their faith in Christ made the transformation complete. Their faith made them able to do what was necessary to remain in Christ.
They were on only receivers of the message, but they were transmitters as well. Once they had the truth in their hearts, they could not hold it in. They were so clear in their example that Paul says that the Lord's message "rang out" from them. Wow. There's a challenge. Does the Lord's message "ring out" from me?
The had a quality of hopefulness about them that comes from waiting for something wonderful. When you have something you are looking forward to, you can endure a lot of things. Things might not be perfect at the moment, but if you have something coming that you value, then the "less than perfect" current circumstances don't seem so bad. Hope is such a critical element of life. If we cannot picture things being different or better, then our energy level and motivation just drops like a sack of hammers. This early church lived in hopeful expectation of the Lord's return. Yikes... another challenge! I am not sure I think about what is to come often enough. I want to work on making that hopeful anticipation a bigger part of my day to day.
This church was exemplary for a number of reasons. I look forward to studying the rest of the text!
Just Keep Swimming....
Jon
Last Sunday we looked at the motivations that drove the activity of the Thessalonians mentioned in verse 3. Paul says that he continually remembers:
...their work produced by faith
...their labor prompted by love
...their endurance inspired by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ
The Thessalonians who responded to the gospel message turned away from idol worship and focused their attention on Jesus. Because of this change, they experienced the same kind of persecution that we read about and studied in the book of Acts. It could not have been "easy" for them to be a Christian. It was "work". It was hard. But their faith in Christ made the transformation complete. Their faith made them able to do what was necessary to remain in Christ.
They were on only receivers of the message, but they were transmitters as well. Once they had the truth in their hearts, they could not hold it in. They were so clear in their example that Paul says that the Lord's message "rang out" from them. Wow. There's a challenge. Does the Lord's message "ring out" from me?
The had a quality of hopefulness about them that comes from waiting for something wonderful. When you have something you are looking forward to, you can endure a lot of things. Things might not be perfect at the moment, but if you have something coming that you value, then the "less than perfect" current circumstances don't seem so bad. Hope is such a critical element of life. If we cannot picture things being different or better, then our energy level and motivation just drops like a sack of hammers. This early church lived in hopeful expectation of the Lord's return. Yikes... another challenge! I am not sure I think about what is to come often enough. I want to work on making that hopeful anticipation a bigger part of my day to day.
This church was exemplary for a number of reasons. I look forward to studying the rest of the text!
Just Keep Swimming....
Jon
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Interjected Pasta...
In the last two weeks we have interjected a quick study of Isaiah 40:31. We will move on to a study of I and II Thessalonians beginning this Sunday. But for now, a few recap thoughts about Isaiah 40:31...
What a wonderful passage! It's not news, but this is a fabulous source of promise and hope! The scripture addresses especially those who are struggling at the moment, but it has application for all of us at all times.
We discussed how all of the promises in the passage are conditional- they all hinge on a choice made by the believer. The promises come to "those who hope in the Lord..." We discussed this but there is an important distinction here- this is not a "those who keep a positive attitude" or a "those who keep a smile on their face" kind of thing. (Nothing wrong with having a positive attitude or keeping a smile, but there is more to this...) This condition involves planting our aspirations and dreams for the future firmly in the hands of Jesus Christ. You can put your hope in the Lord in the middle of the worst thing you have ever experienced. You might not be smiling, but you have this conviction that things can and will be better- you KNOW if because He promised it. And that makes this hope different than any other hope in all eternity. It is sure. The Hebrew writer said it this way; "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."- Heb 6:19 (emphasis mine- I always wanted to write that!)
Having said all that, what are the promises? Isaiah sums them up by saying they "will renew their strength." I would venture to say that there is not a one of us who cannot identify with the need for renewal once in a while. Everyone needs time off, time away, vacation, rest, a change of pace... we don't have to get spiritually deep to understand the process of getting "weary" and needing rejuvenation. The beauty of this promise is that God promises that when we need it, times of renewal will come. When we grow weary, when new challenges present themselves, when disaster strikes, God provides the new strength needed to keep moving.
And that brings us to the details of this renewal spelled out in the passage. The scripture promises we will "soar on wings like eagles", "run and not grow weary", "walk and not be faint".
Sometimes the flow of life will be effortless- it will seem easy. We will be blessed with the perspective that comes from being "up high".
Sometimes we will just feel solid. We are running and we feel like we can keep running. We're not "soaring", but we're OK. We are blessed with the ability to keep going at a "good pace" and not feel tired. I would say that I spend most of my life here- running... doing OK... at least that is my own assessment. (God or my wife might tell me something different)
Sometimes the only thing we can muster is the next step. We don't really feel a direction or a plan. It is hard for us to see where everything is going. We just do not have the strength to do much but survive. Even then we are blessed with the promise that God will not let us just "pass out" and get "stuck". God will help us keep moving even if it is only one step at a time.
The promises found in Isaiah 40:31 cover the cycles of our lives. None of us are full time "soarers". None of us are full time "walkers." We are imperfect people of cycles. And we live with a God who is with us in the midst of all of it.
In class I shared the book "Zoom" by Istvan Banyai. If you are interested in the book you can see the author's website here and you can find the paperback version at Amazon here.
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
What a wonderful passage! It's not news, but this is a fabulous source of promise and hope! The scripture addresses especially those who are struggling at the moment, but it has application for all of us at all times.
We discussed how all of the promises in the passage are conditional- they all hinge on a choice made by the believer. The promises come to "those who hope in the Lord..." We discussed this but there is an important distinction here- this is not a "those who keep a positive attitude" or a "those who keep a smile on their face" kind of thing. (Nothing wrong with having a positive attitude or keeping a smile, but there is more to this...) This condition involves planting our aspirations and dreams for the future firmly in the hands of Jesus Christ. You can put your hope in the Lord in the middle of the worst thing you have ever experienced. You might not be smiling, but you have this conviction that things can and will be better- you KNOW if because He promised it. And that makes this hope different than any other hope in all eternity. It is sure. The Hebrew writer said it this way; "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."- Heb 6:19 (emphasis mine- I always wanted to write that!)
Having said all that, what are the promises? Isaiah sums them up by saying they "will renew their strength." I would venture to say that there is not a one of us who cannot identify with the need for renewal once in a while. Everyone needs time off, time away, vacation, rest, a change of pace... we don't have to get spiritually deep to understand the process of getting "weary" and needing rejuvenation. The beauty of this promise is that God promises that when we need it, times of renewal will come. When we grow weary, when new challenges present themselves, when disaster strikes, God provides the new strength needed to keep moving.
And that brings us to the details of this renewal spelled out in the passage. The scripture promises we will "soar on wings like eagles", "run and not grow weary", "walk and not be faint".
Sometimes the flow of life will be effortless- it will seem easy. We will be blessed with the perspective that comes from being "up high".
Sometimes we will just feel solid. We are running and we feel like we can keep running. We're not "soaring", but we're OK. We are blessed with the ability to keep going at a "good pace" and not feel tired. I would say that I spend most of my life here- running... doing OK... at least that is my own assessment. (God or my wife might tell me something different)
Sometimes the only thing we can muster is the next step. We don't really feel a direction or a plan. It is hard for us to see where everything is going. We just do not have the strength to do much but survive. Even then we are blessed with the promise that God will not let us just "pass out" and get "stuck". God will help us keep moving even if it is only one step at a time.
The promises found in Isaiah 40:31 cover the cycles of our lives. None of us are full time "soarers". None of us are full time "walkers." We are imperfect people of cycles. And we live with a God who is with us in the midst of all of it.
In class I shared the book "Zoom" by Istvan Banyai. If you are interested in the book you can see the author's website here and you can find the paperback version at Amazon here.
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Patriotic Pasta...
...only because it is being written on the 4th of July.
Last Sunday we took a look at Jacob's prayer in Genesis 32. As we have established, Jacob was a sneaky, conniving kind of guy for the first part of his life, but at Genesis 32 we have hit the part of the scripture where there is a change in Jacob, and the Jacob we see after chapter 32 is not the same Jacob we have seen to this point.
In chapter 32 Jacob faces a "terrifying" situation in his life and we have his prayer to God recorded. There are some things that are worth imitating from this prayer- we discussed them on Sunday and I will mention them briefly here:
1. Jacob's Prayer Was To The Point
Jacob's request was that God would save him from his brother Esau. Jacob did not beat around the bush- he asked directly for what he desired. We can do the same. We do not need to couch our request in flowery words or a certain "prayer speech". Just lay it out on the table. God knows anyway. It was Charles Spurgeon who said that we should come before God with "Real Business".
2. Jacob Expressed a Real Sense of Humility
Jacob knew he was undeserving of the blessing of God- both the blessings he had already received and the ones he was asking for- and he said so to God. We truly have to come to that same place in our heart if we hope for our prayer to have any credibility before God. If there is any hint of "you owe me..." in our prayer, then we lose the power of our prayer.
3. Jacob's Prayer was Argumentative
Not in the sense we think. Not in the sense of our kids arguing with each other or a kid arguing with a parent. Not in the negative sense that the word indicates. Rather, Jacob's prayer made a case for his request. The case is not based on our own merit, (see #2 above), but it is based on the character of God and what we know of Him. Jacob made a case by invoking these arguements:
- Covenant (Gen 32:9)
Jacob "reminded" God that He had made a covenant with Abraham and Isaac. God did not really need reminding, but Jacob brought it up to point out that the covenant could not be broken. He called upon God's faithfulness in this case.
-Obedience (Gen 32:9)
Jacob knew he was doing what God had instructed. He was returning to his "homeland" as God had instructed. Since he was acting within the bounds of obedience, that could be claimed as a part of his case.
-Mercy (Gen 32:10)
God had shown Jacob mercy in the past. Jacob appealed to God's mercy and ask that He continue to show his mercy in this coming "crisis"
-Promise (Gen 32:12)
Closely related to covenant (see #1 above) One thing God cannot do is break a promise. When we find promises in scripture, we can claim them before God
I should mention that this is not a comprehensive guide to "How to Pray". There are many aspects of prayer- intercession, adoration, thanksgiving, supplication- that we have not even touched here. But, in terms of bringing our requests before God, I think that we find some practices that are worthy of our imitation.
The other item that we did not get to on Sunday, (too much pasta), is what happened right after the prayer. First we need to know that in chapter 33, Jacob's prayer is answered. Esau is not angry with Jacob and the brothers are reunited... and it feels so good. (Couldn't resist) But before that, Jacob has to wrestle.
The night before he met Esau, Jacob has an encounter with an angel. They wrestle all night. When the angel sees that he cannot overpower Jacob, he touches Jacob's hip, wrenching it, and causing Jacob to limp for the rest of his life. (Gen 32:22-32)
I find the whole encounter fascinating and confusing. I have not done much in depth study on this one, and we could probably make a week or two out of this if we wanted to, but that is not my plan for right now.
I think, (and I stress I THINK- don't really have a ton of research backing this), that there are a few things that come from this. Jacob's prayer was answered, but not without struggle. Maybe it is that way with us as well. God is willing to answer our prayers, but it may not come the way we think- it may come after much struggle. There is a lot I do not know about God, but I do know this- He knows better what I need and how I need it than I do. He has proven that over and over and over. And if the things He has for us come after struggle, then so be it. And, sometimes it is struggle that marks you for life. Jacob limped for the rest of his life after this encounter. All of us have struggles that mark us for life. But when we hold on through the struggle and do not let go, God blesses us. That is exactly what happened with Jacob. He was blessed because he was not overcome by the struggle.
Sara Groves is one of the best Christian song writers and performers out there. On one of her early albums, she has a song entitled "Painting Pictures of Egypt". The song is up there in my top ten of songs with astounding lyrics. In the song, there is a part where she says:
If it comes too quick
I may not recognize it
Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?
If it comes too quick
I may not appreciate it
Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?
Oh my.
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
Last Sunday we took a look at Jacob's prayer in Genesis 32. As we have established, Jacob was a sneaky, conniving kind of guy for the first part of his life, but at Genesis 32 we have hit the part of the scripture where there is a change in Jacob, and the Jacob we see after chapter 32 is not the same Jacob we have seen to this point.
In chapter 32 Jacob faces a "terrifying" situation in his life and we have his prayer to God recorded. There are some things that are worth imitating from this prayer- we discussed them on Sunday and I will mention them briefly here:
1. Jacob's Prayer Was To The Point
Jacob's request was that God would save him from his brother Esau. Jacob did not beat around the bush- he asked directly for what he desired. We can do the same. We do not need to couch our request in flowery words or a certain "prayer speech". Just lay it out on the table. God knows anyway. It was Charles Spurgeon who said that we should come before God with "Real Business".
2. Jacob Expressed a Real Sense of Humility
Jacob knew he was undeserving of the blessing of God- both the blessings he had already received and the ones he was asking for- and he said so to God. We truly have to come to that same place in our heart if we hope for our prayer to have any credibility before God. If there is any hint of "you owe me..." in our prayer, then we lose the power of our prayer.
3. Jacob's Prayer was Argumentative
Not in the sense we think. Not in the sense of our kids arguing with each other or a kid arguing with a parent. Not in the negative sense that the word indicates. Rather, Jacob's prayer made a case for his request. The case is not based on our own merit, (see #2 above), but it is based on the character of God and what we know of Him. Jacob made a case by invoking these arguements:
- Covenant (Gen 32:9)
Jacob "reminded" God that He had made a covenant with Abraham and Isaac. God did not really need reminding, but Jacob brought it up to point out that the covenant could not be broken. He called upon God's faithfulness in this case.
-Obedience (Gen 32:9)
Jacob knew he was doing what God had instructed. He was returning to his "homeland" as God had instructed. Since he was acting within the bounds of obedience, that could be claimed as a part of his case.
-Mercy (Gen 32:10)
God had shown Jacob mercy in the past. Jacob appealed to God's mercy and ask that He continue to show his mercy in this coming "crisis"
-Promise (Gen 32:12)
Closely related to covenant (see #1 above) One thing God cannot do is break a promise. When we find promises in scripture, we can claim them before God
I should mention that this is not a comprehensive guide to "How to Pray". There are many aspects of prayer- intercession, adoration, thanksgiving, supplication- that we have not even touched here. But, in terms of bringing our requests before God, I think that we find some practices that are worthy of our imitation.
The other item that we did not get to on Sunday, (too much pasta), is what happened right after the prayer. First we need to know that in chapter 33, Jacob's prayer is answered. Esau is not angry with Jacob and the brothers are reunited... and it feels so good. (Couldn't resist) But before that, Jacob has to wrestle.
The night before he met Esau, Jacob has an encounter with an angel. They wrestle all night. When the angel sees that he cannot overpower Jacob, he touches Jacob's hip, wrenching it, and causing Jacob to limp for the rest of his life. (Gen 32:22-32)
I find the whole encounter fascinating and confusing. I have not done much in depth study on this one, and we could probably make a week or two out of this if we wanted to, but that is not my plan for right now.
I think, (and I stress I THINK- don't really have a ton of research backing this), that there are a few things that come from this. Jacob's prayer was answered, but not without struggle. Maybe it is that way with us as well. God is willing to answer our prayers, but it may not come the way we think- it may come after much struggle. There is a lot I do not know about God, but I do know this- He knows better what I need and how I need it than I do. He has proven that over and over and over. And if the things He has for us come after struggle, then so be it. And, sometimes it is struggle that marks you for life. Jacob limped for the rest of his life after this encounter. All of us have struggles that mark us for life. But when we hold on through the struggle and do not let go, God blesses us. That is exactly what happened with Jacob. He was blessed because he was not overcome by the struggle.
Sara Groves is one of the best Christian song writers and performers out there. On one of her early albums, she has a song entitled "Painting Pictures of Egypt". The song is up there in my top ten of songs with astounding lyrics. In the song, there is a part where she says:
If it comes too quick
I may not recognize it
Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?
If it comes too quick
I may not appreciate it
Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?
Oh my.
Just Keep Swimming...
Jon
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