Gary Gleans

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.     He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.     Brothers, pray for us.     Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.     I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.     The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. The closing of this letter includes Paul’s prayer for his readers as well as a final summary of what he wants them to do.  We should always desire God’s best for our brothers and sisters in Christ and should always be faithful to pray for them accordingly.  God’s best will always involve responsibilities that we are expected to fulfill.  Both Paul’s prayer and exhortation focus on relationships with both God and man.    FINAL INTERCESSION: Paul’s prayer is directed to the God of peace.  This is an interesting and surprising way for God to be addressed.  Man’s sinfuln

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.     Do not quench the Spirit.     Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.     Abstain from every form of evil.     Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.     He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.     Brothers, pray for us.     Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.     I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.     The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.   Final instructions are important.  They provide some key reminders that will enable followers of Christ to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  This passage includes both positive and negative instructions that Paul wants to leave in the hearts and minds of this precious church.  These are

We ask you, brothers,   to respect those who labor among you and   are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.   Be at peace among yourselves.    And we urge you, brothers, admonish   the idle, encourage the fainthearted,   help the weak,   be patient with them all.    See that   no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always   seek to do good to one another and to everyone.   Church life is all about relationships.  There are relationships between the leadership and members as well as the community at large.  Each of these relationships is unique and must be handled with special care according to the instructions of God’s Word.  The world around us is marked by broken relationships.  The church is called to stand in stark contrast to this reality.  Instead of using relationships for selfish gains, we are called to love and serve one another in all the different levels of our relationships.   HONOR THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH:

Now concerning   the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.    For you yourselves are fully aware that   the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.    While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then   sudden destruction will come upon them   as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.    But you   are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.  For you are all   children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.    So then   let us not sleep, as others do, but let us   keep awake and   be sober.    For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk,   are drunk at night.    But since we belong to the day, let us be sober,   having put on the breastplate of   faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.    For God has not destined us for   wrath, but   to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,   who died

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep,   that you may not grieve as others do   who have no hope.    For   since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him   those who have fallen asleep.    For this we declare to you   by a word from the Lord, that   we who are alive, who are left until   the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.    For   the Lord himself will descend   from heaven   with a cry of command, with the voice of   an archangel, and   with the sound of the trumpet of God. And   the dead in Christ will rise first.    Then we who are alive, who are left, will be   caught up together with them   in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so   we will always be with the Lord.    Therefore encourage one another with these words.   Death is a reality for which all of us must prepare.  We all experience the death of loved ones that serve as a constant reminder o

Now concerning   brotherly love   you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been   taught by God   to love one another,   for that indeed is what   you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to   do this more and more,   and to aspire   to live quietly, and   to mind your own affairs, and   to work with your hands, as we instructed you,   so that you may   walk properly before   outsiders and be dependent on no one.   The Christian life is not a complicated one to figure out.  What God expects of us is simple to understand.  Unfortunately, it is hard for us as sinful, fallen people to practice.  God calls us to love others when we naturally want to focus on ourselves.  God calls us to a life of quiet and trusting service when we are far more prone to be frantic and worry about the circumstances around us.  Paul’s reminders are very helpful to us in this busy and selfish culture.   LOVE CONSTANTLY: Love for one another i

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you   received from us   how you ought to walk and   to please God, just as you are doing, that you   do so more and more.    For   you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.    For this is the will of God,   your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;   that each one of you know how to control his own   body in holiness and   honor,   not in   the passion of lust   like the Gentiles   who do not know God;   that no one transgress and   wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is   an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.    For   God has not called us for   impurity, but in holiness.    Therefore   whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God,   who gives his Holy Spirit to you.   This church has multiplying faith that is spreading and strong even in the face of great persecution.  Paul has been assured of their affect

But   now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of   your faith and love and reported   that you always remember us kindly and   long to see us, as we long to see you—for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction   we have been comforted about you through your faith.    For now we live, if you   are standing fast in the Lord.    For   what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,   as we pray most earnestly   night and day   that we may see you face to face and   supply what is lacking in your faith?    Now may   our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus,   direct our way to you,   and may the Lord   make you increase and abound in love   for one another and for all, as we do for you,   so that he may   establish your hearts blameless in holiness before   our God and Father, at   the coming of our Lord Jesus   with all his saints. The relationship between Paul and this chu

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing   to be left behind at Athens alone,   and we   sent Timothy,   our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,   that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that   we are destined for this.    For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction,   just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.    For this reason,   when I could bear it no longer,   I sent to learn about your faith,   for fear that somehow   the tempter had tempted you and   our labor would be in vain.   Since Paul was unable to return to the city, he did the next best thing by sending Timothy.  The purpose of the trip seems to be twofold: to help encourage the church during times of persecution and to receive information as to how the church was doing.  Certainly, carrying the letter we now study was another reason for this trip.  Paul’s lo

But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time,   in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire   to see you face to face,   because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan   hindered us.    For what is our hope or   joy or crown of boasting   before our Lord Jesus at his   coming? Is it not you?    For you are our glory and joy.   Ministry has its delights and difficulties.  There are many aspects of being a minister of the Gospel that fill us with love, joy, and hope from the relationships that are forged in ministry.  However, there is also great opposition to our efforts that comes from ungodly men as well as from the forces of evil in the spiritual world. There can be no doubt that the benefits, both now and for eternity, far outweigh any difficulties we might experience.  Paul ministry experience could be described by these three statements.  I believe most ministers can relate with them.   AFFECTION FOR BELIEVE

And   we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received   the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it   not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God,   which is at work in you believers.    For you, brothers,   became imitators of   the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For   you suffered the same things from your own countrymen   as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and   the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and   oppose all mankind   by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always   to fill up the measure of their sins. But   wrath has come upon them at last!   The Word of God requires a decision.  Unfortunately, not everyone decides to follow and obey the Word of God, but that is still a decision.  Some people may become hostile to the Word of God and seek to persecute those who submit to God’s Word.  This too is a decision that is being made about the