Purposes of the letter
Timothy came back to *Corinth with news about the church at Thessalonica. He told Paul and Silas that the church was strong but that there was much *persecution. Some people were saying bad things about Paul and his friends. These people claimed that Paul’s intentions were false. Then the Christians had many questions and were in need of more teaching. So the purposes of the letter included:
1.To express the joy that the writers felt and to give thanks to God for the good news that Timothy brought.
2.To tell the Thessalonians how much they loved them. And to tell them that they cared about them. The writers wanted to encourage them as they tried to live for the *Lord Jesus.
3.To answer the false things that the *Jews and other people had said about Paul and his friends. These people said that Paul had come to make a profit from those who believed his message. They said that the message was not from God, but that Paul had made it up. They said that the fact that Paul had not come back showed that he did not really care about the Christians.
4. There were questions about Christians who had died. They wanted to know what would happen to those Christians when Jesus came to earth again. The authors wrote about this (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and taught some more about the return of the *Lord Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).
5.To teach that those who trust in God must not be guilty in matters to do with sex (1 Thessalonians 4:4-8). Such *sins were common in the city in which they lived. info from here
1 Thess 5:16 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
This by far has been the toughest year of my life to date. I have recently found myself being disobedient to my Savior in this area. It is very difficult to see the Sovereignty of God when going through a trial sometimes and we as humans have the natural susceptibility to complain a lot. I know the Lord has been working in my heart through His precious Word. I this year really have had the privilege of grasping(in a sense) the Doctrines of Grace along many other essential things to the Christian Faith. I at times would get angry when I think of the fact the I have been in church my entire life and never came in contact with expository preaching, the 5 solas, doctrine of election or the like. I have to be honest here and say that I do not know many solid black churches in my area. I attend a primarily white church and have learned more about my Savior and His Gospel in 8 months than my entire "Christian Experience." This is due to of course God's sovereign hand but also placing true men of God or true shepherds in my life.
This really is heavy upon my heart because last night I had a wonderful black family from Vancouver Washington call me and ask little old me some questions about my blog and "The Faith." I suddenly recalled when I was in their shoes and felt as if I was going crazy since the things the Lord was showing me in His Word did not line up with the charlatans of our day. My God what a tragedy!! Their is a famine the the land for the Truth of God's Word to be preached in accuracy and authority. I for nothing I had done or could ever do have been pre-selected to be a vessel of His glory along with many others in this land. What a great honor and burden at the same time. An honor because I get to be the "herald boy" of the Only True God! A burden because we have the reality that so many are perishing daily.
We can never forget what God has done for us and must remember where He has done for us. I can recall reading through the Old Testament many many times and to hear a prophet or person of God proclaim the Gospel message, they were always reminding the Israelites of what the Lord has done for them. This is lacking in our day because if you go to typical church and ask them about the History of The Faith-you might get a blank stare. It is so important to know what you believe and why your believe it!
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
Here is a good commentary of this scripture from our Arminian(LOL) friend Wesley.
Rejoice evermore - In uninterrupted happiness in God. Pray without ceasing - Which is the fruit of always rejoicing in the Lord. In everything give thanks - Which is the fruit of both the former. This is Christian perfection. Farther than this we cannot go; and we need not stop short of it. Our Lord has purchased joy, as well as righteousness, for us. It is the very design of the gospel that, being saved from guilt, we should be happy in the love of Christ. Prayer may be said to be the breath of our spiritual life. He that lives cannot possibly cease breathing. So much as we really enjoy of the presence of God, so much prayer and praise do we offer up without ceasing; else our rejoicing is but delusion. Thanksgiving is inseparable from true prayer: it is almost essentially connected with it. He that always prays is ever giving praise, whether in ease or pain, both for prosperity and for the greatest adversity. He blesses God for all things, looks on them as coming from him, and receives them only for his sake; not choosing nor refusing, liking nor disliking, anything, but only as it is agreeable or disagreeable to his perfect will.
*****Also if anyone out there knows of any solid churches in the Vancouver Washington area please email me the information, thank you.*************
