2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
As in almost all of Paul's letters, he includes his prayer for the church. Paul is concerned that the Thessalonians would be worthy of God's calling and that they would see fruit from their work and faith so that Jesus would be glorified in them and they would be glorified in Him. Paul picks up on his favourite theme: grace. The only way that Paul's prayer will be answered is because of the grace of God in Christ Jesus.
This prayer is packed! His first request is that they would be made worthy of the calling of God. This is obviously only by the grace of God and it is no wonder that Christ would be glorified if this prayer was answered - it would be a testament to his power and the completion of his work. The catch is that we are probably least worthy of the calling when we feel the most worthy of the calling. I saw Narnia: Caspian last night (I know, I'm behind in my movie watching - that's what having a child and living on one income will do to you) and the line that stood out to me was when Prince Caspian said, "I'm not sure that I'm ready." Aslan replied, "That's what makes me sure you are." The same goes for our calling - we are at our best and most worthy when we realize that we are not ready and not worthy because that forces us to lean and rely on the One who is and who can make us worthy.
The second request is that every desire for goodness and every deed prompted by faith would be brought to fruition. Can you imagine?! This ties closely to what the Psalm says about God giving me the desires of my heart and what Jesus says about asking for anything in his name. The key is at the beginning of the request: "by his power..." There seems to be two mindsets that people fall into: it is all up to me and my efforts or I can just sit back and do nothing because it is all up to God and by his strength. Paul agrees with both - work hard with a complete reliance on God's power. His power will bring to fruition my work as long as my work is motivated by my faith in God's power ("every deed promtped by faith").
The ultimate desire is the glory of Christ. I am only worthy of God's call when I am seeking Christ's glory and not my own. My deeds and desires will only be brought to fruition when they are motivated by Christ's glory and not my own. I must not serve myself. I must not even serve this church. I must serve Christ above all else. It is for Christ and his glory!
God, may this be true of me.
Showing posts with label 2 Thessalonians 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 Thessalonians 1. Show all posts
Friday, August 1, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
justice will be served... eventually
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
The key words in this passage are judgement, just, punish, trouble and belief. The main theme is the judgement that will come when Christ comes to earth. Paul is reminding the church that Christ has not forgotten them and that justice will be served but it will be served according to Christ's timeline and his agenda, not ours. Paul's hope is that his reminder will help the church to persevere and not abandon hope and faith in the middle of the trials that they are facing.
This passage teaches me patience. I am sometimes eager for justice and, by my attitude I am saying that I know better than God how and when to bring judgement. God is the judge and he is just, but he is also patient and gracious. Sometimes my attitude is too much like Jonah's - I deserve God's grace and patience but nobody else does. Sometimes I appeal to fairness - that it isn't fair that people who break the rules and live for themselves have more than I do. God has to remind me that the fact that what I have isn't "fair" either. God has to remind me that I am dependent on his grace and that I don't deserve to know him or have even the faintest hope of eternity with him. He also has to remind me that my brand of justice is inferior to his because mine depends more on my mood and my selfishness. God's depends on truth, righteousness and goodness. When I can remember this, there is no one else I'd rather have sitting on the throne of judgement than God.
The key words in this passage are judgement, just, punish, trouble and belief. The main theme is the judgement that will come when Christ comes to earth. Paul is reminding the church that Christ has not forgotten them and that justice will be served but it will be served according to Christ's timeline and his agenda, not ours. Paul's hope is that his reminder will help the church to persevere and not abandon hope and faith in the middle of the trials that they are facing.
This passage teaches me patience. I am sometimes eager for justice and, by my attitude I am saying that I know better than God how and when to bring judgement. God is the judge and he is just, but he is also patient and gracious. Sometimes my attitude is too much like Jonah's - I deserve God's grace and patience but nobody else does. Sometimes I appeal to fairness - that it isn't fair that people who break the rules and live for themselves have more than I do. God has to remind me that the fact that what I have isn't "fair" either. God has to remind me that I am dependent on his grace and that I don't deserve to know him or have even the faintest hope of eternity with him. He also has to remind me that my brand of justice is inferior to his because mine depends more on my mood and my selfishness. God's depends on truth, righteousness and goodness. When I can remember this, there is no one else I'd rather have sitting on the throne of judgement than God.
Friday, July 25, 2008
is Paul bragging?
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
Paul continues his typical pattern of his letters - after the greeting he moves into why he is thankful for the people he is writing to. The key words are faith, love, growth and perseverance. Paul specifically commends the church in Thessalonica for their growing faith and their increasing love for one another. Paul boasts boasts about Thessalonica to the other churches because they are persevering in the middle of persecution.
This has always been a struggle for me because the Bible clearly speaks against pride and, in today's language anyway, whenever we talk about boasting or bragging it has to do with pride. How can Paul boast about this church without committing the sin of pride? Let's be honest, we hear this from parents (or at least we'd like to hear this from parents) when they are talking about their kids - "I am so proud of you!" There are times that I feel emotions about my students that I can only describe as pride. So, is pride always wrong? Is it ok to be proud of someone else?
I think Paul was able to boast about others because he recognized that while he worked hard and was faithful to God's call, ultimately he had very little to do with the growing faith and perseverance of the church. God was the one who made it grow. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 3 - he planted the seed, Apollos watered it and God makes it grow. So when Paul boasts about a church, it is because he recognizes that it was God's work - he is actually bringing glory to God by pointing out the evidence of his work in that church - and because he is so excited that he was a part of God's work. The difference with me and most parents who talk about being proud of their kids is that they are saying that they are actually proud to be associated with their student and if they didn't perform in the way that they have, they wouldn't be as happy to be connected to them. When I brag about my youth group and my students in it, there is a significant part of me that takes credit for the work that God is doing - as if the students wouldn't be where they are now if it wasn't for me. I sometimes feel that same way when I hear parents talking about how great their kid is - as if it has nothing to do with anyone else except the parents.
I think I hide my arrogance and pride pretty well (in fact, I'm proud of how well I hide it - grin!) but I know my heart. I know how proud I am and how quick I am to take credit for God's work in people's lives. God, please humble me. Remind me that while I may plant or water, you are the one that brings growth. When I boast, may I boast like Paul - to point out what you are doing so that you will receive all the glory and with absolute awe and delight that you would somehow use me in your work!
Paul continues his typical pattern of his letters - after the greeting he moves into why he is thankful for the people he is writing to. The key words are faith, love, growth and perseverance. Paul specifically commends the church in Thessalonica for their growing faith and their increasing love for one another. Paul boasts boasts about Thessalonica to the other churches because they are persevering in the middle of persecution.
This has always been a struggle for me because the Bible clearly speaks against pride and, in today's language anyway, whenever we talk about boasting or bragging it has to do with pride. How can Paul boast about this church without committing the sin of pride? Let's be honest, we hear this from parents (or at least we'd like to hear this from parents) when they are talking about their kids - "I am so proud of you!" There are times that I feel emotions about my students that I can only describe as pride. So, is pride always wrong? Is it ok to be proud of someone else?
I think Paul was able to boast about others because he recognized that while he worked hard and was faithful to God's call, ultimately he had very little to do with the growing faith and perseverance of the church. God was the one who made it grow. Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 3 - he planted the seed, Apollos watered it and God makes it grow. So when Paul boasts about a church, it is because he recognizes that it was God's work - he is actually bringing glory to God by pointing out the evidence of his work in that church - and because he is so excited that he was a part of God's work. The difference with me and most parents who talk about being proud of their kids is that they are saying that they are actually proud to be associated with their student and if they didn't perform in the way that they have, they wouldn't be as happy to be connected to them. When I brag about my youth group and my students in it, there is a significant part of me that takes credit for the work that God is doing - as if the students wouldn't be where they are now if it wasn't for me. I sometimes feel that same way when I hear parents talking about how great their kid is - as if it has nothing to do with anyone else except the parents.
I think I hide my arrogance and pride pretty well (in fact, I'm proud of how well I hide it - grin!) but I know my heart. I know how proud I am and how quick I am to take credit for God's work in people's lives. God, please humble me. Remind me that while I may plant or water, you are the one that brings growth. When I boast, may I boast like Paul - to point out what you are doing so that you will receive all the glory and with absolute awe and delight that you would somehow use me in your work!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
a new greeting
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4
This letter begins in almost the exact same way that the previous letter does, right down to an interesting way of addressing the church. Normally Paul emphasizes that the church or the people he is writing to belong to God (for example: "to the church of God in Corinth" or "to God's holy people in Philippi"). Here, as in 1 Thessalonians, Paul addresses the letter to "the church of the Thessalonians in God..." I am not sure what the significance of this change is, if any, but it is interesting to me that both letters to the Thessalonians contain this exact same address.
Paul greets his audience in his usual way: grace and peace. I've learned, in preparing for my sermon this week, that "peace" calls to mind the ancient Hebrew greeting of "shalom" which is more than the absence of conflict but the welfare and prosperity of the whole person and nation. Shalom is a blessing that calls on God to restore things in this world to the way they originally worked in the Garden of Eden. Paul is reminding us that this is still the hope of the disciple of Christ - that one day, through the finished work of Christ, all of creation will be restored to peace and that right now in our own soul, spirit and body we can experience that peace in our relationship with God, within ourselves, in our relationships with each other and in every circumstance of life.
I also learned that the Greek word for grace is very close to the traditional Roman greeting of "Hail" or "Rejoice" (also translated "greetings" because it was used so often as a greeting). Paul takes the traditional Hebrew and Roman greetings and gives them a new look, a new meaning: grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This has made me think about the words that I use to greet people. It is usually something along the lines of "How's it goin?" or "How are you?" The problem is that what is supposed to show concern and care for the other person has become an empty phrase because I use it so much. I think the same thing happened with Paul's greeting - we read it so often in his letters and recognize as the preamble to what he really wants to say so we glide right over it with out pausing to consider what he means by it. Grace and peace are hugely important to Paul - they are almost always his first prayer for the readers of his letter and, at least in the letters to the Thessalonians, they are his last prayer as well: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace... the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all."
This letter begins in almost the exact same way that the previous letter does, right down to an interesting way of addressing the church. Normally Paul emphasizes that the church or the people he is writing to belong to God (for example: "to the church of God in Corinth" or "to God's holy people in Philippi"). Here, as in 1 Thessalonians, Paul addresses the letter to "the church of the Thessalonians in God..." I am not sure what the significance of this change is, if any, but it is interesting to me that both letters to the Thessalonians contain this exact same address.
Paul greets his audience in his usual way: grace and peace. I've learned, in preparing for my sermon this week, that "peace" calls to mind the ancient Hebrew greeting of "shalom" which is more than the absence of conflict but the welfare and prosperity of the whole person and nation. Shalom is a blessing that calls on God to restore things in this world to the way they originally worked in the Garden of Eden. Paul is reminding us that this is still the hope of the disciple of Christ - that one day, through the finished work of Christ, all of creation will be restored to peace and that right now in our own soul, spirit and body we can experience that peace in our relationship with God, within ourselves, in our relationships with each other and in every circumstance of life.
I also learned that the Greek word for grace is very close to the traditional Roman greeting of "Hail" or "Rejoice" (also translated "greetings" because it was used so often as a greeting). Paul takes the traditional Hebrew and Roman greetings and gives them a new look, a new meaning: grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This has made me think about the words that I use to greet people. It is usually something along the lines of "How's it goin?" or "How are you?" The problem is that what is supposed to show concern and care for the other person has become an empty phrase because I use it so much. I think the same thing happened with Paul's greeting - we read it so often in his letters and recognize as the preamble to what he really wants to say so we glide right over it with out pausing to consider what he means by it. Grace and peace are hugely important to Paul - they are almost always his first prayer for the readers of his letter and, at least in the letters to the Thessalonians, they are his last prayer as well: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace... the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all."
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