Home Archives for 1 Thessalonians

Let’s Take the Gospel Viral

2

Often, in comments on my blog, or sent in private emails or messages, I’m commended and thanked for boldly sharing the Gospel and revealing the evil in our culture. Recently, someone wrote and thanked me for my boldness and passion and encouraged me to keep sharing the words she felt the Lord was giving me. “You’re a voice in the wilderness,” she said.

I thanked her, but jokingly reminded her of what happened to John the Baptist who was the original voice in the wilderness and ended up with his head on a platter. I asked her for prayer as I continue to write blogs, books, speak, and have a presence on social media for presenting the conservative Christian voice and viewpoint.

When responding to similar comments on my blog, or included in my blogs, I challenge, “Where does God want you to be bold?!” It’s the responsibility of every Christian to speak truth to evil and articulate God’s perspective in contrast to the world’s ways in our conversations and actions.

Speaking truth to evil wasn’t just my assignment from God, it’s the call to every believer. That means you if you’re reading my words right now.

Every Believer a Minister!

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone. Col. 4:5-6 NLT

For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. Col. 1:27 NLT

Ministry isn’t restricted to within a church or a Christian organization – ministry is a lifestyle. How you live daily displays the Gospel to the many who may never read the Bible or hear about Jesus.

I remind everyone: Go be a voice in your own wilderness. I can only reach the people in my sphere of influence, and maybe a few extra when someone shares my posts, blogs, or books. But God is speaking to each of you just like He speaks to me. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit living inside of us. You have an audience all around you.

You don’t have to write a blog or books, have a website, be a public speaker, or even be on social media. You have friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, mentees, mentors, a community, church . . . where you can speak boldly to support our Savior, our Gospel, our country, and take a stand against the lies and atrocities plaguing our government, schools, families, and precious children.

Paul Gave Us Wise Counsel in His Letter to the Thessalonians

In 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, Paul was commending the church in Thessalonica for their evangelism and outreach. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.”

Let’s stop right there. Paul is saying if you know the Gospel, then God has chosen you to share it because you now have the Holy Spirit with the knowledge and compassion for unbelievers who will experience the tribulation and be thrown into the lake of fire if they haven’t repented when Jesus returns!! That should wake everyone up who loves people, maybe even a relative.

Paul goes on to say: You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

Substitute in your own state, city, county for Macedonia and Achaia. Are you a model to all believers and unbelievers in your sphere of influence? Would people know you’re a believer by your words and actions?

Here’s the verse that holds the power you have as a Christian in this very fallen world. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. 1 Thessalonians 1:8

We must ask ourselves if our faith in God is known everywhere, not just with our fellow church worshippers, but with everyone we talk to and every place we go. A big calling you say? Well Jesus and Paul both tell us it’s completely doable with the power of the Holy Spirit living in each Christian’s heart.

Paul concludes his praise of the Thessalonians with: Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Is that what Paul would say about your church? Right now, we live in a world consumed by evil and the tragedy is the deafening silence of so many pastors, Christians, and churches. We’re letting this happen right around us for fear of being canceled or targeted by those who have fallen prey to Satan’s schemes. Well, if we don’t speak up, then whom?

This is not a political battle; it’s a spiritual battle not being fought between Republicans and Democrats but between good and evil, believers and nonbelievers. If we truly believe that God is on our side, then what can mere man do to us? Do you believe that?

 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise—11 in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:10-11

When I wrote Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten  and Everyday Brave: Living Courageously as a Woman of Faith, encouraging Christians to make a difference in our culture, I had no idea how fast our country would be moving toward destruction. I could see the atheistic direction the progressive liberals were leading the culture and our nation that was festering a great divide between conservatives and liberals, but I expected a better response from the church.

Conservative Christians need to find their voice and take the initiative to push back on evil liberal progressive socialists trying to push God out of America and become their own gods. Good can never unite, deny, or compromise with evil. It’s time for a revival of God in America and that starts with you, me, and our churches!

Jesus came to seek and save the lost and when He returned to heaven, He left us with the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us to continue His work here on earth. We all come from a background of some kind of brokenness before we knew Christ, sometimes even after, but that doesn’t negate our calling in fact it helps us relate better to those who are struggling now like we did in the past. Just like Paul says in his testimony, once I was blind but now, I see.

Every Believer Anointed!

Christians don’t live with superiority; we live with authority straight from our Creator in Matthew 28:18-20. “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The door is still open to maintain our religious freedoms, but Satan is working hard to close it. We’ve actually seen Roe vs Wade reversed and Planned Parenthood defunded and moved out of many states including in Idaho, but now Satan is trying to divide children from their parents and rob the innocence of the young.

This is our time. This is our moment. Don’t waste it. Let your faith in God and the Gospel go viral. Let revival and restoration of the Truth begin with you! When Jesus returns for His church, the door will close on heaven for all unbelievers.

 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Rom. 13:11

“Blessed Lord, teach us to surrender ourselves unreservedly to the Holy Spirit . . . So we are in You, and You work through us.” Andrew Murray

You Can’t Avoid a Tornado When It’s Coming at You!

Hal Lindsey has wise words for encountering those who supposedly hate Jesus and thereby hate His followers. Hal says our goal is not to outwit them or make them look foolish, but to win them to Christ.

“We must not respond by hiding. We should not hide our eyes, pretending that this is just another societal phase, and that all things continue as they have from the beginning. Neither should we hide by retreating into our homes, never venturing beyond our “safe” neighborhoods, and by hunkering down in churches that refuse to engage the world.”

Hal continues, “When a tornado is ripping apart your home, hiding your eyes does not make you safer. There comes a point when you can’t pretend that everything is normal. If a church preaches God’s word, Satan’s world system will attack it. Your neighborhood may seem quiet on the surface, but it is almost certainly being invaded by drugs, pornography, and hate.”

Hal reminds us: “Hiding is fear-based, and our response must be faith-based. Understand what’s going on. But don’t forget that the most important part of any situation is that the God who created all things is still in charge. So, do what He says.”

Jesus gave us explicit instructions. “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44 NKJV

If you received this blog by email, please leave a comment here on the website. I read and answer all comments.

April 24, 2023
Return to top of page

How to Celebrate a Peaceful Joyful Post-Election Thanksgiving

4

A resounding and fervent prayer request from our Bible study group prior to Thanksgiving following an election, went something like this: Please, Lord, help us to be a light on Thanksgiving with the eclectic group of people attending with differing political and faith beliefs.

Whether it was all family, all friends, invited guests . . . or a combination . . . most of us were apprehensive how the day would turn out.

In the fragile aftermath of the recent volatile election, I imagine many of you are having similar concerns and conversations. I remember my mom cautioning that if you want to keep the peace, never talk about religion or politics. As a kid, I never understood that warning. Believers are supposed to tell everyone about Jesus. Since being a Christian is our first identity . . . how could we not talk about our Savior? Isn’t everyone entitled to his or her own spiritual and political opinion?

Then I grew up!

If you follow me, you know I’m bold about my first role in life: being a born-again Christian. All other roles come second. But as I wrote in Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten: “Bold doesn’t mean obnoxious. It simply means not being afraid to speak the truth, even in the face of adversity: ‘Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold’ (2 Cor. 3:12).” For example, if someone asks what I do, I answer, “I’m a Christian author and speaker.” They usually ask what I write, and I say, “Christian living nonfiction.” My response often opens the door for further discussion of the types of books I write and my faith.

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. Philippians 1:20 NLT

So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. 2 Timothy 1:8 NLT

Is Thanksgiving a Religious Holiday?

That could be an awkward question in some circles.

I was with a group of people and mentioned how I hoped people would set their differences aside on Thanksgiving Day, and one person said, “It’s just a time for eating a lot of food, watching football, and shopping online anyway.”

Me: “I’m pretty sure the first pilgrims who celebrated Thanksgiving didn’t have TV or Amazon.

Another responded: “Well at least Thanksgiving isn’t a religious holiday.”

I asked: “Who then are we thanking?”

Complete silence.

Of course, the answer is: God.

Abraham Lincoln made it an official national holiday “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe.”

The English colonists we call Pilgrims celebrated days of thanksgiving as part of their religion. But these were days of prayer, not days of feasting.

Yes, it’s a time of family and friends gathering, but as we sit around the feast together, we can’t thank each other, or aliens, or the “big bang” for giving us life, the sun, the moon, the trees, the ability to grow the food, the earth, the waters, the sky, sweet babies, and all the blessings we enjoy.

We read in Genesis that God spoke everything into being, and yet, many of us will be sharing turkey and dressing with people who don’t believe or discount the existence of God. They don’t know where they’re going when they die, or where everything we enjoy on earth came from . . . and maybe they don’t even care.

They’ll walk out of the room when we pray before the meal and may try and bait us into an argument over who we voted for and why. Or what happened to the expected “Red Wave?” Maybe after a few drinks, their conversation will turn ugly, even though innocent young eyes are watching how the “adults” interact.

My husband and I pray beseeching God to prepare us to be a light in the darkness . . . not to avoid the darkness because that would be the cowards way out . . . but to help us respond as if Jesus was standing behind us speaking through us. You’ve all been in situations where it seemed like Satan was standing behind or speaking through the other person . . . at least I have . . . so how can we have Jesus reflect through us? Granted, the other people might not recognize Jesus . . . but they’ll see there’s something different about us.

Biblical Ways to Have a Peaceful Joyful Thanksgiving

As I prayed and talked to the Lord, here’s a list I came up with. I’d love to hear your ideas too.

Don’t worry what to say. “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” Mark 13:11 (Jesus was talking to his disciples if they were arrested, but I think it could apply to us too if we felt our faith was being tested or put on trial.)

Speak kind words. “Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Pr. 16:24 NLT

For your part, maintain peace. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Don’t instigate or respond to leading antagonistic discussions. “Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.” Pr. 26:17 NLT

Play with any children present. “We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.” Ps. 78:4 NLT

Don’t drink. “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18 NLT

Smile, Smile, Smile. “Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” Psalm 42:5 The Message

Listen. “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.” Pr. 12:15 NLT

Take a deep breath and think before you speak. “There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.” Pr. 29:20 NLT

Less is more. “The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?” Ecc. 6:11 NLT— There’s “A time to be quiet and a time to speak.” Ecc. 3:7 NLT

Silently pray in your mind. “Pray continually!” 1 Thess. 5:17

Have a secret sign or word between you and someone else that signals: Let’s change the subject or move into the other room. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” Ecc. 4:9

When you’re Hosting, pray and thank God for each guest. Ask to be a blessing and to share joy. Pray over your home and each chair at the table. Before the meal, pray as you normally would, your guests know they’re coming to a Christian home. “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:9

If you’re a Guest—As you walk up to the home, pray to be a blessing and that God will stir up the fruit of the Spirit in your heart. If you’re hosts don’t pray before the meal, bow your head and pray over your food as you normally would. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23

Thanksgiving is a day for harmony and focusing on God and giving Him thanks and praise in whatever way He leads. Fiction writers have a saying: “Show don’t tell.” Which simply means, you don’t always have to speak Jesus with your words, you can show Him with your actions and people will want what you have!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 NLT

Past Thanksgiving Blogs

Here are a few past Thanksgiving blogs you might enjoy reading. I do give thanks for each one of you who have followed me on these Monday Morning Blogs, and I pray you have a joyful, peaceful, and God-filled Thanksgiving Day.

Acquiring Overshadows Thanksgiving

What Are You Most Thankful For?

Love Your Body During the Holidays

I also have a Bible study Face-to-Face with Euodia and Syntyche: From Conflict to Community that discusses many biblical ways to resolve conflict peacefully.

Thanksgiving Tablecloth Idea

In Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, I share a way to use your tablecloth as a conversation piece and make memories for generations to come. Here is an excerpt from the book. I hope it gives you some ideas. I’ll be taking our Thankful Tablecloth with us this Thanksgiving to my daughter’s house.

When my breast cancer journey started, I became keenly aware of making memories with my family. At times like that, you think seriously about your mortality and the legacy you want to leave with your loved ones. You appreciate each new day of life. The sun rising every morning is an act of God to celebrate.

 Holidays like Thanksgiving have new meaning. Typically, Thanksgiving is a celebration where family and friends gather for a feast, and everyone says what they’re thankful for in the past year. But after finishing the dishes and putting away the leftovers, how many really remember what everyone said?

The Thanksgiving following my first breast cancer surgery in 2002, I had an idea of a Thankful Tablecloth. I purchased a Thanksgiving themed tablecloth with plenty of white space and a box of wash-resistant colored markers. After Thanksgiving dinner, I brought out the markers and asked everyone—kids included—to find a spot on the tablecloth to write what they were thankful for that year, sign, and date it. We traced handprints for the tiny ones with their name and age.

Today, we have years of thankful messages to read every Thanksgiving and remember the many acts of God’s goodness to us and the people who joined us at the celebration table each year. If we go to someone’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, I ask if I can bring our Thankful Tablecloth and markers.

When I go to be with the Lord, I pray my family will continue bringing out the Thanksgiving Tablecloth as a reminder through the generations of how good God has been to our family and friends.

If you receive this by email, you can leave a comment here.

PS: My plan right now is to take a sabbatical from my Monday Morning Blogs until the New Year so don’t be alarmed if there’s not a blog in your inbox on Mondays until then. Of course, the Lord could always prompt me to write one and surprise you; but if not, I thank all of you for letting me chat with you on Monday Mornings. Dave and I wish each of you a blessed Christmas celebration of our Lord’s birth and a glorious New Year.

November 21, 2022
Return to top of page

Thoughts on Applying 1 Thessalonians to Parenting By Janel Thompson

0

My daughter-in-law, Janel Thompson, sent the family an email sharing what God revealed to her about parenting while studying the Book of 1 Thessalonians in the Bible. Read 1 Thessalonians yourself and then enjoy and reflect on what God might be telling you about your parenting or grandparenting. I would love to hear your comments. Janel writes:

I’ve been reading 1 Thessalonians with a different perspective. In the past, I’ve read it as Paul’s letter to the church. I’ve also read it as if I were part of the church Paul was writing to and how I could apply his words to my life. But this time, I read it with the eyes of a parent writing it to our kids, and it took on a whole new meaning. I don’t intend to change what Scripture says or make it say something it doesn’t, but I believe the Bible is living and active and God speaks to us in different ways at different times to teach us what we need at different seasons.
I want to share this with you because it was so fresh to me: encouraging, inspiring, and humbling. Oh my, I can truly say like Paul that I have not obtained any of these things, but I have a vision into what the future as a parent can be like.

Starting in 1 Thessalonians 1, it struck me that Paul wrote this letter to the church as both a “brother in Christ” and a parent. Parents all hope to be, “brothers in Christ” with our kids, but we’ve walked ahead of them in life and are called to lead and guide them to a personal relationship and walk with God. As Christians, I believe parenthood becomes our ministry and mission for the rest of our lives. The way we guide and influence our kids changes, but our call to love, encourage, guide, and care for them never goes away. They will move away, but like Paul, we’re never without an important role in their lives.

The following verses and thoughts came to mind as I read the first 3 chapters of 1 Thessalonians. I hope that you are encouraged and inspired as I was.
The parallel between Paul’s writing and parenting started with reading the end of 1:5 and the beginning of vs. 6, “We lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord.” The word imitators made me think of how kids pick up many behaviors and attitudes from their parents. I find myself doing things my mom did and I see our kids mimic ways of coping and acting that my husband and I do. It’s scary that our kids imitate us! When I read this verse, I thought, God, please allow our kids to imitate only what will draw them closer to You. I know they’ll pick up many of our bad habits and attitudes, but by God’s grace may we also be able to model for them ways to live that please the Lord.
As my mind turned to our kids, I went back and read vs. 4, For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.” I thought: We need to cement in our kids’ minds that they are loved and chosen by God! We love them, but God’s love is perfect; and when our kids feel let down and disappointed by us, they can know that God’s love is perfect.

Paul continues talking to the church about the things they watched Paul, and the others with him, go through. Paul lived with the people of the church for a time so they saw how he dealt with struggles, which provided a model for coping with their own struggles. Again, I saw the way this parallels parenthood. We can’t hide our struggles from our kids. Even though they may not know the details, they see how we react to stress. As our kids get older and mature, we should be open with them, because they’ll face “adult” decisions and struggles, and by talking to them about how we’re seeking God’s direction and wisdom processing through decisions, we can equip them to not be surprised by struggles they’ll face as adults.

Chapter 2:4 says Paul and the others were “men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.” As parents, it’s empowering and humbling to think that we as a couple are approved by God and entrusted to parent our kids and guide them to Christ. In verses 7,8,11,12, Paul says they loved the church so much they enjoyed sharing their lives together. They were gentle as a mother caring for a young child and dealt with them as a father. They encouraged, comforted, and urged the people to live lives worthy of God who calls them.

Then I came to two different verses that I pray can be true about each of our kids.
“We also thank God continually because when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:19-20).

Chapter 3 talks about a time when Paul was no longer with the church, but he still cared about their wellbeing and sent Timothy to “strengthen and encourage” them in their faith (vs. 2). This is similar to when our kids are no longer home all the time with us: in sports, school, Sunday school, and youth group. Even though we aren’t the only input in our kids’ lives, we still can influence who impacts them and expose them to other kids with a strong faith, so they can learn from others as well.

Paul expresses such intense feelings for the people he is writing to. “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” (1Thess. 3:9). This is just the kind of thing we would want to say about our adult children. My husband and I went through a class at church that talked about having a “deparenting plan”. A plan as to how we will slowly help our kids become adults so they need less and less of our “parenting” and can rely more and more on their relationship with God to help them make wise decisions. This verse expresses how we will feel to see our kids as growing adults wise and walking with God.

Then I love the last verses in chapter 3 because as a mom, I never want to lose touch with our kids. I never want them to be out of touch with them. Paul had these same feelings for the church when he wrote. “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you” (1 Thess. 3:10-11).

In closing, Paul’s prayer in verse 13 is a prayer I will pray for each one of our kids, “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

We are far from being perfect parents—we scream and lose our minds and screw up—but reading these verses gave me a vision for how it can be as parents of grown children, as well as prayers to pray for God’s grace and guidance.

December 2, 2011
Return to top of page
Return to top of page · Copyright © 2024 Crown Laid Down Designs All Rights Reserved · Our Privacy Policy