Day 84 - 1 Thessalonians 1:1 - Philemon 25

In today's section, we read:

• Paul's 2 letters to the Thessalonian church, encouraging them amid persecution to live godly lives, and to correct a misunderstanding about Jesus' return
• Paul's 2 letters to Timothy, his much loved spiritual son, who has been entrusted with a ministry in the church in Ephesus
• Paul's letter to Titus, who has been entrusted with oversight for the church on Crete
• Paul's letter to Philemon, urging him to accept a run-away slave, who has subsequently became a believer

Some thoughts from today:

An outline of 1 Thessalonians:
Paul gives thanks for the faith of the Thessalonian believers, which is confirmed in various reports that he has received, most recently from Timothy who was sent to them when Paul and Silas could not go themselves
Paul recalls his visit there, where he made no claims on the believers
Paul encourages them to live holy lives pleasing to God
Paul encourages them by speaking of the resurrection which will take place when Christ returns
In the meantime, Paul encourages them to be joyful, be thankful and to never stop praying

Just imagine what it would have felt like to have received this letter, and to read this first chapter, so full of praise and encouragement - "We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:2-3)

1:10 - "You are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment" (1:10).

Chapter 2 gives us a good insight into Paul's motivation and how he continued in spite of hardship and opposition - "our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery"' (2:2-3), "our purpose is to please God, not people" (2:4), and most memorably, "we loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too" (2:8).

What an amazing promise there is in 2:12 - "He called you to share in his Kingdom and glory". The God who made the stars, created the world and who cares for the billions and billions of people in this world, has called us to share in His glory. It's too wonderful to begin to comprehend really.

Not only has God called us, but he doesn't just leave us to get on with it - "this word continues to work in you who believe" (2:13).

4:8 is a reminder that it is not just a case of living in a way that "we don't hurt anybody", but remembering that sin is turning in the opposite direction from God, and rejection His perfect plan and will for our lives, and saying we know better.

In 2:4, Paul writes that his aim is not to please people, but to please God. Yet when we do that, we will win the respect of non-believers (4:12).

5:9-11 - "For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."

5:15-22 read almost as if Paul were sending a telegram, paying by the word. There is so much packed into those few lines - be joyful, thankful, pray constantly, don't stifle the Holy Spirit, test everything, stay away from every kind of evil.

5:24 sums up our dependence on God for the fulfilment of these promises and the confidence we can have in them - "God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful."

An outline of 2 Thessalonians:
Paul gives thanks and encouragement to the Thessalonians who are facing persecution
Paul explains some of the events which will happen before Christ returns, and urges the believers to stand firm
Paul asks the church to pray that the Good News will spread and urges them to avoid idleness, but live hard-working and fruitful lives

1:5-6 show that God has the ultimate control and perspective in our situations, "God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you."

1:12 is the greatest encouragement and an indication that anything is possible with God, "the name of our Lord Jesus will be honoured because of the way you live, and you will be honoured along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ" - cf 1 Sam 2:30.

2:13-14 - "we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The theme of this letter is basically that God comforts and strengthens and encourages us throughout our suffering, and that worse will come before Jesus returns. In the meantime, we should remain clear-headed, clinging to what we know to be true, and diligently working hard to live lives pleasing to God.

An outline of 1 Timothy:
Paul urges Timothy to guard against false teachings and to rely solely on the sufficiency of Christ and his sacrifice
Paul's instruction for order in public worship and guidelines for leaders in the church (elders and deacons)
Warning against false teachers and encouragement to Timothy to stand firm against it
Instructions for different groups in the church - widows, elders and slaves
True riches comes from obeying God not the wealth of the world

I was struck by the constant reminder that what we read and learn about God must have an effect on the way we live, or else it is useless - "the purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions" (1:5-6).

Paul, here in 1:12-17, is a good example of the truth of Lk 7:47, where Jesus says that a person who is forgiven little, loves little, but whoever is forgiven much will love a lot.

The Gospel in a nutshell - 2:5-6 "there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone."

We are reminded that we need other believers and have a responsibility to them, and we cannot do this on our own - "this is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth" (3:15).

4:8 - "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” I don't think this an excuse to get fat and flabby though!!

6:6 - "true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth". 6:17-19, "Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life."

6:15-16 - "At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honour and power to him forever! Amen."

An outline of 2 Timothy:
Paul expresses his concern for Timothy and encourages him to continue as he has started
Paul urges Timothy to continue standing firm, to avoid fruitless arguments and rely on God to change peoples hearts back to the truth
Paul warns that hard times are coming when people will reject God, but God's people can rely on God to keep his promise of salvation, and has left us scripture to help us through

There is an echo of Phil 4:13 here in 1:7 - "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

There is no danger that we should get carried away with how wonderful we are, as Paul reminds us that it is all from God - "God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Saviour. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News" (1:9-10)

1:12 - "I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return."

2:11-13 - " This is a trustworthy saying: / If we die with him, / we will also live with him. / If we endure hardship, / we will reign with him. / If we deny him, / he will deny us. / If we are unfaithful, / he remains faithful, / for he cannot deny who he is."

2:19 - "But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”"

3:8 - According to Jewish rabbinical teaching, Jannes and Jambres were two of the foremost magicians in Pharaoh's court who stood against Moses.

3:12 - "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

3:14-17 - "you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."

I hope I will be able to echo Paul's words in 4:6-8, "As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing." Also, 4:18, "the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom."

An outline of Titus:
Paul reminds Titus that he was left in charge in Crete to complete the work already began
Instruction on the qualities required of elders
Reminder of the need for good teaching, which promotes godly living
A call to remember the difference God has made by saving us

1:2 - " This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began."

1:15 - " Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted."

2:12-14 - "we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

3:4-8 - "When God our Saviour revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

An outline of Philemon:
Paul gives thanks and prays for Philemon
Paul please for Philemon to take back Onesimus, a runaway slave

One verse from today - "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline" (2 Tim 1:7)