Some Thoughts on 1 Thessalonians

In the adult Bible Study that I lead, we have been looking at the shorter Letters from Paul and other Apostles. So far, we have finished Titus and 1 Thessalonians. It's been slow going with some classes having been canceled due to weather or holidays. Nice that we do not have to worry about specific time constraints.

One of the things that I have noticed in my preparation for the Bible Studies is that there is a lot one can learn from each of these 'Minor Letters.' Just like the Minor Prophets that I did a series of studies on while in Qatar last year, though they may be short, they are still very rich in theology. The Bible Studies that I have led have been fairly in depth. But, of course, we do not cover all that we could have.

Paul probably write 1 Thessalonians in approximately 51 AD, while in the city of Corinth (Life Application Study Bible, NASB. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, MI, 2000. p. 2110-12.) From what I read in the Book of Acts, 1 Thessalonians, and several different commentaries, after Paul, Timothy and Silas had been forced out of Thessalonica (see acts 17:1-9), they eventually arrived in the city of Corinth. Due the circumstances with which they had been forced out of Thessalonica, Paul and his companions were very concerned with how the churches in Thessalonica were doing. Eventually, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how they were doing. After a while, Timothy returned form this trip with news as to how well the house churches in Thessalonica were doing, as well as a number of questions that they had. Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians in order to encourage them and answer a number of these questions.

There are four main themes in 1 Thessalonians. They are persecution, Paul's ministry, hope, and being prepared (for Christ's Second Coming). According to the notes in my Life Application Study Bible, 1 Thessalonians can be divided into two main parts. The first one, 1 Thess. 1:1-3:13 is about faithfulness to God. The second part, 1 Thess. 4:1-5:28 is about 'Watchfullness for the Lord.' That is, maintaining an attitude of being ready for Christ's imminent return.

For those who have studies Scripture and have read about the Early Church, persecution was something Paul and the Apostles experienced on a regular basis. It would range anywhere from verbal harassment, to physical attacks, to imprisonment, even death. Quite frankly, Christians all over the work are experiencing persecution, just like the Early Church. For those of us in America, it will often be in the form or verbal harassment from family, friends, co-workers, etc., when we take a stand against sexual immorality, sanctity of life, the right to worship, etc. In other countries, persecution takes many darker, more evil forms. You can read more about the Persecuted Church at Open Doors.

To me, one of the key words in the first section of 1 Thessalonians 1:4, "...beloved by God, His choice of you." The Greek word used here (translated as '...His choice') is εκλογε (ek-log-ay'). It is where we get the theological word 'election.' It is defined as:

 1. the act of picking out, choosing
• of the act of God's free will by which before the foundation of the world he decreed his blessings to certain persons
• the decree made from choice by which he determined to bless certain persons through Christ by grace alone
 2. a thing or person chosen
• of persons: God's elect
(taken from here.)

"Why is this so important?" you might be asking. To me, much. The idea that God has chosen us to serve Him and be His representatives on Earth is incredible and awe inspiring! Think about it, the God of all Creation, Who is not limited by time as space (things that He created) was to have a personal relationship with each of us. We are that important to Him. God, being holy, righteous, loving and forgiving, brings people to Himself through other believers. While facing harsh persecution, including being cut off from friends family, loss of work and income, even imprisonment and death, such encouragement can help a person endure the trials and tribulations.

And that is something that Paul really emphasizes. As Followers of Christ, we are to expect to experience persecution. Though it may not be as horrific as what some people in the Middle East experience, those of us in the 'Free World' will still experience it. Sometimes it will only be in the form of people making fun of us for our faith, or looking down on us for our 'old fashioned moral beliefs.' For me, passages like this and Romans 8:28-39 are of sweet encouragement. No matter what kind of problems I face, God will see me through. He called me for a personal relationship with Him for a reason, my life has purpose, there are things God wants to do through me, lives He wants to touch through my life, and He will see things through to the end.

Is that not wonderful news? It is to me.

Asking The Right Questions

This morning after church, we had a congregational meeting to discuss some important future plans. Two years ago last January, our church burned down. There was, praise God, no loss of life. Just the loss of the church. Almost from the start, some people were already talking about how soon we could start rebuilding.

At this time, some plans have been drawn up and a lot of money has been set aside for building the new church. It isnot fully funded yet. But we have some moeny set aside already. We have a good start; but, I am concerned that our focus is not where it should be. My greatest concern is that there is too much of a focus on the physical building, a physical church, but not much thought on being the church to our community.

What do I mean by "being the church?" Much, actually. Being a Christian is more than just making verbal confessions, carrying a Bible, with you all of the time, more than just memorizing Scripture, and attending worship worship at a church. It is much more than that. It is, first and foremost, a personal relationship with God throughthe life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. But, it doesn't end there. Not by a long shot.

Being a Christian means being a Follower of Christ. It means living a life of obedience to not just how God wants us to live morally, but also with how He wants us to serve Him and others. I think that my current life is an excellent example.

As many of you might already know, I work at a State prison here in Nebraska as Custody Staff. It is not a job that I actively sought out. In fact, when I have been job hunting, I have sought out a ministry position. Working in a church or a Christian organization is my heart's desire. I attended seminary ad got a Master's of Divinity (2000 at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary) because that is where I felt God was calling me. But yet, I am working someplace totally different.

Not just that, but personality wise I am in a very challenging place. As an INFJ, I excell in theological study, teaching, and ministering to people. But yet, God is choosing to use me in a place very much outside of what come to me naturally. The last few weeks have been even more vividly so. Over the last year, as I have learned more about the personality that God has given me, I have begun to better understand why I have always been sensitive to my emotional surroundings. Keeping that in mind, it might come to a shock to you that God has been keeping meposted in visiting. My job in visiting, as Custody Staff, is to enforce rules with Inmates and the visitors.  On top of all that, during the visiting periods are a huge, volital mix of emotions. Just a few of them are anger over bad d3cisions, grief over damaged and destroyed relationships, grief over shattered dreams, anger over not being in contol of one's life, etc. The more people who are together, the greater the intensity of these feelings. Yesterday, I had three big groups to deal with, with one being an almost to compacity of the large room. By the end of the day, I felt like I was a 110 volt motor that had been plugged into a 220 volt outlet. Being "very exhausted"was a gross understatement. One might logically ask, why would a loving God put someone like me in an environment that was so draining?! I wrestle with that a lot.

God has given me a few glimpses here and there. Over the 7+ years that I havemworked at this particular prison, God hasnused me to greatimpact many lives there. Both staff and inmates. It doesn't always appear like I do. But, I doget glimpses at times. For example, as I was getting ready do do my searches on a group of Inmates before their visiting session, they were already grumbling about how long it would take. Then one Inmate said, "Hey, I know Underwood... He's cool..." That is all he said. Might not seem like much, but I felt a large amount of the building anger and frustration drop. They all chose to cooperate and, when another staff member arrived to help, things ran very smoothly.

Why did I share this story? Over the last 7+ years, I have had to live in utter dependence to God for strength and with guidance for doing my job. A lot that I do as Custody Staff does not come naturally as an INFJ. It has been a huge struggle on many ocassions. But, from time-to-time, God gives me glimpses of how He has touched lives through me. But, tnis is only because I prayerfylly choose to be God's instrument.

For us as a church, I see us at a crossroads. Will we focus on our physical needs of having our own church building now,; or, will we prayerfully seek to learn how to be The Church to our community? One is a road of easy decisions. One is a road of very difficult introspection and decisions. And, the worst th8ng of all, living uncomforably.

I do not know why God has me where I am at. Working at the prison has been a growing experience, but also a painful one. It is definitely not what I want and would have chose on my own. But, my desire to be obedient to God has beenthe reason why I have stayed so far. And, I believe that we, as a local church, is facing a similar kind of decision. We greatly need God's help in making the right decisions for doing His will. It is a great strugglento be obedient as an individual. The more people who gather to seek His Will, the more conflict and confusion can arise. Especially if each is seeking what makes them, as an individual, feel safe. But, since when has God called us to do things that make us feel safe? I think that Abraham, Moses, Dietrich Bohnhoffer, Frederich Douglas, Maartin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc., would argue that our comfort is not God's greatest concern.it is our obedience. Let us prayerfully contemplate that.

Hypocrites Are We All

I was talking with a friend a while back and he said something that got me thinking. He is a spiritual person, but he does not like “organized religion.” He also said that every church that he has been to is full of hypocrites. I didn't say anything at the time, but it did get me thinking. And, to be honest, the church is full of hypocrites, each and everyone one of them. In fact, each and every one of us is a hypocrite. Some people are more honest and straightforward than others. But, in reality, all of us fail to fully and perfectly follow through on everything that we say.

This is nothing new to me. Over the years, while talking with people who no longer attend church regularly, often state that they do not because 'the church is full of hypocrites.' But yet, before we go any further, let's define “hypocrite” so that we are all dealing with the same understanding. According to the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/), hypocrite is defined as:
1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings

In a perfect world, we would as act exactly as we say we believe. For example, if one claimed that he or she thought lying was wrong, they would always tell the truth. That would be the case even with never telling a “white lie” (does this color look good on me? “Yes” when in reality, they don't think so), exaggerating the truth about something (fish story), or when they were trying to protect an innocent person. In reality, we all lie at times. Some lie on a regular basis and rarely tell the truth. Others try very hard to be honest and up front all the time. But, everyone 'fudges the truth' at least once in a while. It's either because we want to please someone else or we want to protect something that we perceive as important to us.

In Matthew 5:20-24, Jesus had some very harsh words for us. Though many people think that they can please God by not doing 'bad things,' Jesus said it wasn't. God judges us by the attitudes of our hearts. He used the example of physical adultery verses actually committing adultery in one's mind/heart (lusting after a person). For Jesus, as Scripture teaches was God 'in the flesh,' (John 1:14), simply thinking about doing something contrary to the 10 Commandments was enough to be guilty of rebelling against God. You didn't have to actually act out on the desire, just entertain it in you mind/heart.

How many of us, when we feel wronged, wish that the person that we perceived (correctly or not) to have wronged us that something evil will happen to them? All of us are guilty of murdering others in our heart. How many of us, when seeing someone go by with a new phone, computer, car, or what ever, do we find ourselves wishing that we had that particular item? All of us are guilty of coveting what is not ours in our hearts. I could go on and on, but I hope that all of us get the point. I use 'us' because we all do this. We all commit these sins in though, word, and deed each and every day. Some people flaunt it when they do it. Others try to be subtle or hide it. No matter what each of us believes is 'good' and what is 'bad,' we all break these 'laws' in thought, word, and deed. Each of us, every day.

The Apostle Paul was just as guilty as all of us. He is celebrated as one of the greatest missionaries in Christian history, especially in the early days of the Christian Church. He traveled far and wide, planting churches in many cities across the known world. Many of his Epistles (letters) were saved and guided Christians over the centuries. Sometimes he wrote in a gentle and caring voice. The Epistles to the Philippians is a good example of that. Other times, he wrote with harsh words and strong criticism, as is reflected in the Epistles to Galatia and Corinth. Many people look up to his example and strive to be imitators of him, which is not a bad thing. However, he was not without fault.

In Romans 7:14-25, Paul writes about the struggles that he goes through on a daily basis. You see, he was a hypocrite to some extent. Although he strove to 'do the right thing' all the time, his sinful nature would get in the way. He didn't use it as an excuse for doing evil. On the contrary, he did so to emphasize his humanity and need for a Savior. It was only by reliance on God's Grace that he could improve in his life (sanctification). He emphasizes on Chapter 8 of Romans of the need of each of us “do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4b). This is an on going process. While we are still on this earth, we will always be affect by and influenced by our own sinful nature. No matter how closely we walk with Christ during our time on this earth, we will all still wrestle with our sinful nature. It won't be until we die and are in Heaven that we will no longer fight this battle.

It does sadden me when people, a church, or even a whole denomination claims to be Christian, but yet their actions state something different entirely. A popular saying (questionable whether Francis of Assisi actually said it) is, “Preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.” In a nutshell, our actions (and I would dare say, our thoughts) need to line up with what we say we believe. This is very sound advice, to some extent. We should be living as we say we believe. But, not totally the case concerning evangelism, though that is something I will explore more thoroughly in another blog entry. Although we will never always live what we believe, there is a huge different between striving towards a particular goal and actively saying one thing and doing another.

Now, there are some things that people say we are 'hypocrites' for doing which are not quite true. One thing that comes to my is the issue of homosexuality. Many people say that, since many churches teach that homosexuality is a sin and many denominations will not ordain someone who claims to be a homosexual, we are 'hypocrites.' Now, if a church teaches that 'God hates fags,' then I would definitely agree with you. Scripture is absolutely clear that Jesus sought out, even spent time, with people who were living apart from God. People like prostitutes, tax collectors, etc. He never condoned (agreed with) what they did, but He still reached out to them. He wanted them to give up their sinful lives and follow Him. Some did, some didn't. Paul writes eloquently in Romans 5:6, 10, Paul clearly states that Jesus gave His life to redeem all who put their trust in Him. Jesus loved the sinner (each and every one of us), but hates sin. As a holy and righteous God, sin separates us from Him. But, He took our place so that we could have a relationship with Him. And, He has charged us with doing the same thing. We are to love and invite those who are broken, hurting, living in sin, to find hope in Christ. We are to love the sinner but not condone the sin.

Some people do a very poor job in doing this. They condemn the person as they condemn their lifestyle. Some people do it out of ignorance or because they were taught poorly. Other people do it because it makes them feel important, or at least superior. Such people are similar to the 'righteous man' that Jesus spoke harshly about in Luke 18:9-19. We are to lovingly reach out to others and help them come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Not treat others harshly because they are living in (xyz) sin. Now, things are different for those who claim to be a Christian but are living in sin, but I will discuss that at another time.

In closing, we are all sinners in need of God's Grace. As a friend once described it, “A Christian is like one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.” Just as God showed us love and mercy, we are to do the same. Just as God calls us to give up our sinful ways, we are to encourage others to do so. It will never be easy. That is why Jesus has said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” We need to do a lot more encouraging and mentoring as we reach out to others. Only when they see the love of Christ being lived in our lives (and see how He has changed us for the better) will they want to have anything to do with our 'religion.'