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1The 3,1-11

(121a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Content with your way of life >> Content in any circumstance

1The 3,1-7

(1j) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Carrying a false burden >> Weighs you down as you walk in the flesh – Paul had the constant burden of the Church resting on his shoulders (2Cor 11-28). This burden was legitimate, until he became obsessed with it. He began thinking about all the work he put into the Church, and all the jail terms and beatings he received, and then envisioned everyone simply walking away from their faith after all he invested into them. Paul started seeing other visions, not sent from God, about all his labor turning to dust and began to panic, sending Timothy to investigate the spiritual health of the people, like John the Baptist sending for a word to confirm that Jesus was the Christ shortly before his execution. Paul was a man of faith, believing God could take care of his own church, but on occasion he had doubts, yet there is nowhere in Scripture indicating that God reprimanded Paul for this, rather commending him for his concern.

(20g) Sin >> Doubt is the consequence of the fear of death

1The 3,1-6

(14l) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers fill in the gaps >> Messengers help in communications – Without Timothy Paul would have struggled without any means of knowing how things were going with the Church. He needed to know if God’s people were growing in the Lord, not stuck in bitterness or some other trap of Satan. Although Timothy’s part was to communicate between Paul and the Church, perhaps his greatest accomplishment was to simply encourage Paul in his distress.

1The 3,1-5

(188c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Growing pains >> Growing outwardly

(209h) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Righteous saved with difficulty >> Fulfill your calling with difficulty – In Act 9,10-19 God sent a man named Ananias to pray for Paul, but he had questions, asking God why He would select such a man to be His servant, a blasphemer and a persecutor of the Church. God told him, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." What happened here does not necessarily correspond with the old saying, ‘what goes around comes around.’ That is, Paul was not being persecuted because he was once a persecutor of the Church. Rather, Paul was destined to suffer because he was bringing the gospel to the world. In other words, his suffering wasn’t the result of bad karma from the past; Jesus wasn’t getting even with him for persecuting His Church, making him go through the same sufferings that he inflicted upon the saints in his earlier days. Instead, Paul had the right mixture of traits and abilities that God wanted to harness for His own purposes, even before his conversion, though he was misguided. For instance, even while he persecuted the Church he had a clear conscience, in that he thought he was doing the right thing. Paul had prioritized and protected his conscience throughout his life, and by that criterion he served God, unlike many of his Pharisee colleagues, who defended their religion from the true faith. We could almost say that Paul didn’t have a religion in that he actually believed in what he was doing. He had a genuine faith in God, except that he was wrong in his thinking, indoctrinated from childhood. Jesus paid him a visit and turned him into one of his greatest evangelists this world has ever known, and for this reason he suffered, not because of what he did to the Church prior to his conversion, but because of his zeal; he brought the truth to a world that hates God and established Churches under the nose of Satan, who was helpless to do anything about it. Paul was perfectly aware of what was ahead of him. He didn’t walk blindly into affliction, but knew what was coming when he opened his mouth and breathed the word of God into the ears of his persecutors. See also: Paul the zealot; 1Cor 15,5-8; 144b

1The 3-1,2

(9h) Responsibility >> Strengthened by the sword of His Spirit >> Through His word

(107d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Word creates faith >> Believing the word creates faith -- These verses go with verse 10

(139b) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Encouragement >> The adversity of our brothers encourages us

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1The 3-2

(29i) Gift of God >> God is on our side >> God identifies with us >> Jesus is our brother

(115k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through obedience of faith >> Through diligence

1The 3-3

(97i) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Giving attention to the wrong things

(219j) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> God’s calling is our destiny

(239b) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers "remind" their students >> Recalling the circumstances

1The 3-5

(24b) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anxiety >> Fear of losing the fruits of your labors – Paul not only endured the physical suffering of persecution, but he also suffered a great deal of anxiety regarding the Churches. He worried that all his blood, sweat and tears were in vain. Paul’s great fear was to go through all this trouble only to have the Churches fall away from the faith. Paul was totally committed; he sacrificed his entire life, but he was afraid the Churches would worship the golden calf, as Israel did in Moses' absence. He was more than willing to accept suffering and affliction so long as he was making converts and those converts kept the faith. He could take being stoned, unmercifully whipped, beaten with rods, starvation, exposure and lost at sea, but he couldn’t take the mental torture of the Churches being disobedient to God. However, the Thessalonians were faithful in Christ and so were many other churches in those early days.

(101i) Thy kingdom come >> Ambition >> Be an ambitious businessman for God >> Investing spiritual currency

(160j) Works of the devil >> Temptation to walk in unbelief >> Tempted to abandon your convictions

(170k) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Vanity >> Vain effort >> Effort frustrated by failure – Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the level of suffering and persecution he had to endure in order to bring the gospel to those who would believe in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation. There was a huge price he had to pay in his flesh for the accomplishment of bringing the gospel to the known world. The man was beaten mercilessly multiple times; he was thrown in prison and subjected to terrible conditions. A comprehensive list of his sufferings is found in 2Cor 11,23-30. He sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage the brethren while he was away, for fear the tempter came and stole away their faith and all Paul’s efforts would be in vain. According to this verse it appears that people's fear of death is motivated by a sense of futility, fearing they will go to the grave with their life counting for nothing. Even Paul had this sensation tingling down his spine.

(207b) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish By Losing Your Faith >> Perish in deception

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1The 3,6-10

(81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church

(101g) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal >> Zeal comes from a grateful heart

(226c) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> God crowns us with glory for sharing our rewards

(228a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God comforts you in times of adversity >> He comforts you in your suffering – Paul was not just seeking the reward of heaven, but on earth he was comforted, knowing he had a purpose in this life, and though he had to suffer, so do a lot of people in their pursuit of accomplishment, and in their success all their suffering is rewarded, just like a woman in childbirth. If she can get through the long pregnancy and the pain of childbirth with a healthy baby, then all her suffering is worthwhile, but if the child dies, her suffering is in vain.

1The 3-6,7

(123h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Ministry of the saints >> Caring for each others needs – It is the Churches faith that made Paul’s suffering worthwhile. Their faith was like gold to him, and so it was to God. Both Paul and God felt the same about many things, which is what made him such a spiritual man, and made him very effective in conveying the gospel. He trained his mind to understand, believe and love the truth.

1The 3-6

(76k) Thy kingdom come >> Desires of your heart >> Desiring to be among the people of God

(125ba) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Faith and love in equal measure – Paul used the words “Faith and Love.” These two words are often mentioned together in the Scriptures for good reason. Faith is the spiritual substance of God, and love is the manifestation of faith. The two of them can easily be understood as one and the same, like two members of the trinity, Father and Son, the same but different. A person who has faith in God also has love, and a person who demonstrates love is showing faith, as it says in 1Jn 4:8, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Love is a manifestation of Jesus Christ, which is the exact purpose of faith. Our faith knows that God is in the world in that He abides in us, and our love manifests that reality in the world.

(127b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >> Be kind like God >> Kindness is meeting the needs of the saints

(156d) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Loving your fellow man is evidence of salvation >> Love the brethren

(143i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Popularity >> Sought commendably >> Being sought for your relationship with God

(156d) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Loving your brother is evidence of salvation

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1The 3-7,8

(207ca) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> God will accept you into heaven if you overcome – We know there is a teaching in the Church that says we cannot lose our faith, suggesting that we are eternally secure, and in the proper context our salvation is secure, so long as we believe to the end, even if we must die for our faith. With this attitude in mind we need not worry about our salvation, but for those who believe in eternal security and have intensions of entertaining sins of their bondage and live as common heathens while claiming to believe in Jesus, their faith is less secure than the person who serves God with a whole heart. See also: Eternal security; 226f

(226f) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Eternal rewards – Paul always thought in terms of both this life and the life to come. He did not disregard this life but considered it important, mostly because this is the time we have to save souls. He was a soul winner, and his primary motivation was to preach the gospel that others may be saved. His other concern was that he was storing up treasures in heaven as Jesus commanded (Mat 6,19-21). This should be the mindset of every Christian. All our interests should be on producing fruit for the Kingdom of God and for the personal motive of storing up treasures in heaven. It is like a football player whose primary goal is to help the team win games, but he also has an interest in his personal record: how many sacks, how many catches, how many touchdowns, etc. If he doesn’t produce, he may be kicked off the team, and if he does produce, he stands to make more money. This was Paul’s thought process too. Through suffering he gave birth to the Thessalonian Church, and so long as the church remained spiritually healthy he was happy, but like a woman who would give birth to a child and just a few days later suffered Infant Death Syndrome, this was the kind of thing that most concerned him. Paul said, “Now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.” “If” implies a condition; the entire sentence is built around is two-letter word. If the Thessalonians don’t fall away from the faith, the eternal treasures that Paul and his associates have been storing for the life to come will be secure, but if the Thessalonians fell away from the faith, then what good is all the work they put into them, and how could God reward Paul and his crew for the work they did? Would God reward them for trying? God could hardly blame Paul for what the Thessalonians did, but neither could He give Paul a full reward if the Thessalonian Church were not present with him in heaven. See also: Eternal security; 207ca

1The 3-7

(165l) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The hardship of affliction

1The 3-8

(97k) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> Standing firm together in the faith – Paul was saying that if the people of God stood firm in the faith, the apostles and missionaries who brought the gospel to them would really live, but if the Church fell away from the faith, Paul and his friends would turn gray and return to dust before the time. Christians usually don’t just quit believing; deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons carry them away, and they begin to believe things other than the Bible, things dreamt by unprincipled men, who feel they have authority in themselves apart from God's word to make up stories and spread it far and wide. All the work and hardship, all the pain and suffering and all the dedication and commitment of Paul and his associates were rewarded, in that 2000 years later the Church is still here. It has lived and grown among a multitude of religions and variations of ancient beliefs and emerging ideas. The truth of God is still with us; we have the Bible and can read what God would say to us. We don’t go by what people speak from their fleshly minds who follow deceitful spirits; we trust God for the strength of faith to believe the truth, that we may successfully enter the gates of heaven.

1The 3-9,10

(7h) Responsibility >> Defend God’s cause >> Protecting the Church

(9g) Responsibility >> Strengthen us by the sword of His Spirit >> Through prayer

(99l) Thy kingdom come >> Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) >> Persevere in prayer

(125d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of investing in the kingdom >> Investing in a life of service – It was a daunting task to fully give thanks to God for the incomprehensible joy he enjoyed from the Church’s stability in the faith. What did the Thessalonians do to make Paul so happy? They just continued serving the Lord. That was all he wanted, and that is all God wants from us. Paul prayed day and night most earnestly that he might see their face and complete what is lacking in their faith. This is the only thing he knows to somehow pay back the Thessalonians for the joy they have given him. This is true also with God. Jesus most earnestly desires to see us face-to-face, as He continually intercedes with the Father on our behalf to complete what is lacking in our faith. In heaven the moment our eyes lock with His our faith will be complete. The level of love that Paul had for the Church was unsearchable, and so it is with God. Paul had deep feelings and a deep spirit that searched the mind of God, and he loved His people with a love that was incorruptible. Paul wasn’t very concerned about what was lacking in the Thessalonians, because there will always be lack if there is room for growth. He couldn’t wait to see them so he could impart to them his faith in the form of truth and wisdom that disseminates from the Holy Spirit, so that their relationship with the Lord might deepen all the more.

1The 3-10

(44d) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Complete >> Finish the course

(107d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Word creates faith >> Believing the word creates faith -- This verse goes with verses 1&2

1The 3-11

(105h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Led by the Spirit >> Into The will of God >> Led to the right people – Verse 11 seems to be the theme of this chapter, if not the entire book of 1st Thessalonians. The Lord was drawing Paul and his companions to the Thessalonians as a metaphor for God drawing the Thessalonians to Himself. The next chapter talks about the rapture, which is Christ literally drawing the children of God to Himself.

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1The 3-12,13

(11m) Servant >> Paul’s example of love for the Church

(30k) Gift of God >> God’s favor qualifies you for heaven – “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1Pet 4-8), preparing us for heaven. This verse shows the concerted effort of both God and the believer becoming partners according to 2Cor 6-1, “Working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” God causes love to rise in our heart, but if we don’t walk in it, then His work in us is in vain. He creates the desire in our heart and we respond with love to our immediate family members, then to our fellow saints, and last to our neighbors in the world.

(42a) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Blameless before God >> Prepare for His return – This is Paul’s whole desire and purpose, that he might present the Church to God at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He looked forward to the coming of Christ, believing He would come in his own lifetime. The way to preserve the Church for the day of Christ is through love and unity. We can be doomsday preppers and spend all our money on supplies; build an underground bunker and fill it with guns, ammunition and canned foods. We could go though all that trouble and expense preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ, or we could love the brethren. People will collect weapons to defend themselves from looters during those days, but we don’t need weapons; we need love. In the last days when everything falls apart before Jesus comes the fastest way to get killed is to defend ourselves by killing people (Rev 13-9). The Bible doesn’t instruct us to hurt or kill anybody or to buy weapons or to be doomsday preppers; it instructs us to walk in love. That might get us killed faster than anything, but it is a ticket straight to heaven, knowing we did the will of God. The doomsday prepper will meet God without faith in Him and live to regret it, but the one who walks in love knows what he did was pleasing to the Lord. Whether or not we make it through endtimes doesn’t really matter; we will go to heaven by Rapture or by death just the same. If a person gets murdered in the last days doing the will of God, he will join the ranks of martyrs, who are promised a better resurrection, so it is a win-win situation for us. No doomsday preppers will be martyred, who amass an arsenal of heavy weaponry and use it against their fellow man, because they are not walking in faith. The one thing the Bible reiterates more than anything else is that God wants to find us in the last days doing His will. People think about the apocalypse and all the horror it entails, but the only thing that should concern us in those days is being pleasing to the Lord, because we are about to meet Him. See also: Last days (Global economic collapse); Mat 24,37-39; 215g

(60c) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The second coming / End time revival – It is the manifestation of God’s love that establishes our heart in holiness before our Heavenly Father at the coming of Jesus Christ with all His saints. Paul is saying that these things must happen throughout all time and history, but especially at the second coming of Christ. Coincidently, we know that apostasy is prophesied for the last days (2The 2,1-4), and it is already here, so we can’t have both, or can we? Paul is saying that we can have both apostasy and the demonstration of God’s love, with the result of His people being established in the faith, and placing it within the period of endtimes, suggesting that both apostasy and revival will be happening at the same time.

(74a) Thy kingdom come >> The heart >> God wants you to bless your brother from the heart – The best way for God to establish our heart in holiness without blame is to increase and abound in love for one another and for all people. Love covers a multitude of sins (1Pet 4-8 taken from Proverbs 10-12). We can unwittingly commit sin and make up for it by loving the brethren. Some of the sins we commit are against our conscience and not against our fellow man. Maybe we cussed or drank a beer, defiling our conscience. Drinking alcohol is not a sin if we do it with moderation, but if we think it is wrong then for us it is wrong (Rom 14,14-23). The best way to compensate for the sins we commit against our conscience is to walk in love toward the brethren. Be kind to people and God will overlook our stupidity.

(98c) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> The lord establishes us

(104f) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the Father >> Being in the presence of God

(129h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> love perfects unity >> Genuine love

(133f) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> The body of Christ is holy >> God has made His people holy

(229b) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> Growing In Numbers Corresponds With Spiritual Growth >> Kingdom grows in strength

(237f) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The Rapture >> Rapture of the blameless

1The 3-12

(216g) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God forces us by His love

1The 3-13

(228h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works in you to keep you in His will

1The 4,1-12

(10c) Responsibility >> Bring order to the Church >> Dealing with immorality – Paul was talking about immorality in the Church, not in the world, prefacing this with an exhortation to the Thessalonians and to us that we should live uprightly before the Lord, for if we act like those who don’t know the Lord, who’s to say we do know Him? He calls us to sanctification, set apart from godlessness. There are many sins, but immorality is perhaps the most destructive in that it always involves other people, influencing every aspect of their lives; and ultimately, those who do not repent could lose their faith. We cannot believe in Jesus and walk in sin at the same time, for the two oppose each other. Either sin kills our faith or faith deadens our temptation to sin.

1The 4,1-8

(4i) Responsibility >> The choices you make >> Accountable for your sinful nature

(11a) Servant >> Standard for a servant >> A changed lifestyle – This passage pertains to a changed lifestyle as a result of our faith in Jesus Christ. However, there are people who adhere to the doctrines of easy-believism who say God is our friend, which He is, and that He welcomes anybody, which He does, and that anyone who believes in Him for eternal life can be saved, which is also true. Nevertheless, there seems to be a problem in Christendom of distinguishing between the holy and the profane; the Church has replaced godliness with an overemphasis on grace. That sounds almost impossible, but go to some churches, especially Evangelical and Baptist churches, and all we will hear is grace, grace, grace. That seems like a good thing, yet we all know that man has the ability to corrupt virtually anything, and in that case people are teaching that sanctification is no longer necessary because God accepts us through the blood of Christ, but what does Heb 12-14 say? "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord."

(92l) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Our holy conduct along the narrow way – If we wonder what sanctification means, we shouldn’t anymore, because Paul explicitly defined it. If we remain faithful, God promises His kingdom to us and imparts a measure of faith so we can believe in Him through the Holy Spirit; but if we resist sanctification, we regress to believing a mere set of doctrines, and our faith erodes until it disappears altogether.

(113m) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Guard the anointing – God lit our lamps once, but allowing our faith to wear to a nub, it is very difficult if not impossible to return to faith once the flame completely smothers; and if we put ourselves in a place that God must relight our lamp, the Bible simply doesn’t say He is willing to do that. God holds us responsible for the gift of faith that we received when we first believed, representing our salvation; God requires us as good stewards to keep the lamp burning in our heart, because we don’t have any way of relighting it. God is reluctant to relight our flame after we have shone distain for Him and let it die. Accepting a life of bondage without seeking freedom from sin is evil, like a field that has gone fallow and produces thorns and thistles; it is close to being cursed and ends up being burned (Heb 6-7,8).

(135b) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Immorality >> Fornication – Unethical means there are things people do that are wrong, whereas immoral means that too, only it is a word that has been set apart to specify sexual sins. Paul is commanding us to set ourselves apart from worldliness, so we don’t sexually violate one another in the Church.

(138k) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> The discipline of exhortation

(184f) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace of God >> Spending His grace on your pleasures >> Trying to take advantage of God’s kindness – It does not end well for those who would abuse the grace of God; Paul said that He avenges Himself on those who sin against the truth, posing as Christians and upsetting the faith of many. They teach by their lifestyles that they can live however they want and still be Christians because they believe in a set of doctrines. We page through the Scriptures but can't find this rendition of the gospel anywhere. Although the Bible teaches that we are retched sinners, and in believing that Jesus died to take away our sins we are forgiven, it doesn’t teach that it is hopeless to repent so not to bother trying. Many so-called Christians today are living in an ungodly manner while they wait for heaven; this is not how the Bible teaches we should show faith and patience toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that repentance is attainable, and that God expects it of us. He has given us a measure of faith, and we are to protect it. We are to live for Christ by protecting the indwelling Holy Spirit from sin through perpetual repentance.

(204d) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> The apostasy – Paul was never satisfied with the Churches’ progress; if they were doing well, he wanted them to do better. We will always have room for a deeper, fuller relationship with Jesus who dwells in us. There will always be a lack of commitment in our faith; there will always be room for growth. So long as Paul was alive, he would continue to push them to seek God for a closer relationship with Christ, because someday the Church would cease serving Him, and he wanted God’s people in his day to testify against future generations who would defect from the Lord, considering Him no longer fashionable. Many sound doctrines remained in place for centuries before they were eventually misinterpreted and replaced by gibberish, designed to allow people to walk in their flesh. These are the doctrines of demons that have led the Church into apostasy.

1The 4,1-7

(247i) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> Things that please God

1The 4-1,2

(72l) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> Authority makes you accountable >> Parents are responsible for their children

(239c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers "remind" their students >> Repeating instructions -- These verses go with verses 9-12

1The 4-1

(86j) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word >> Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Walk the truth

(102b) Thy kingdom come >> Ambition >> Ambitious to fulfill God’s calling >> To please Him – Paul confirmed that the Thessalonians were faithfully walking with God, but he wanted them to excel still more. Paul would never be content with their walk but would push them to walk closer to Jesus, always wanting them growing. What isn’t growing is dying, like a ball thrown straight up; it’s either ascending or descending with a very short transition in midair. That moment when it stalls lasts less than a second, so it spends the vast majority of its time in motion, and so do we. When we think we are maintaining status quo, we’re actually descending. We always know when we are growing, and we always lie to ourselves when we stop growing and start to die. We make up all kinds of stories to put ourselves in a good light, but the fact is, there is always room for growth. Someone might say, ‘I don’t know how to grow anymore. What would I have to do, read the Bible more, pray more, love the brethren more, get a ministry and help the poor, or preach Jesus on the streets?’ Growing in the Lord has to do with all those things, but those are just activities that we hope will promote growth. It is like watering a plant; we don’t know if the plant will grow if we water it; we’re not really in control of that. Maybe it needs more fertilizer; we guess what the plant needs, so we do a few things, yet sometimes it dies and we don’t know why. Paul connected walking with God to pleasing Him. We can do all these things and still feel distant from God. How can we feel closer to Him? Let’s face it; if we don’t feel Him, we’re not experiencing Him. We will have those days, so we don’t worry about them, but we are concerned if we never feel Him. We must be brutally honest with Him about our sins and the true contents of our heart and try to see what He sees in us. We read the Bible and pray, until He reveals something about His word to us, then we let that become our prayer, until He tells us how to apply it, and let that be our ministry to worship Him and serve others.

(137l) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Maturing with our brothers >> Maturity is tested by our relationship with others -- This verse goes with verse 10. Our number one goal in life as Christians is to build up one another in the faith, and we edify one another through the word of God and prayer, allowing God to administer the revelation of His truth, which we use to edify believers in the Church.

(222k) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Do not give what is holy to dogs >> Give to him who has >> Whoever has shall more be given – Paul is giving the Thessalonians what they already have. “Whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance” (Mat 13-12). Like a snowball effect, as the Thessalonians obeyed the Lord, they continued to increase in fruit and knowledge. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, much as they increased, Paul taught them all the more to remain faithful, but to those whom he had given instruction and they did not heed, “whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” Consider a mountain with a small lump of snow teetering at its peak, depending on which way it falls makes a big difference at the bottom of the mountain, being miles from the other side. The less Paul instructs them, the less they think they’re sinning and the less they seek the freedom of Christ, and the less they bear fruit and the less they understand. It is a snowball effect that rolls in the opposite direction, rolling faster, gaining momentum and distance in the wrong direction from God's will. There will always be room to grow for those who seek the wisdom and knowledge of God and strive to apply these things to their lives, but to those who find no need to apply the truth, their knowledge of God will diminish until they won’t know what they believe. See also: Snowball effect; Rom 6-9,10; 38e

1The 4-2

(68a) Authority >> Doing God’s work under His authority >> Ministry of helps >> Help God’s people

(73b) Authority >> Respect your leaders >> Those in charge of the word