SOAP - 8/19/08 (1 Thess 5:23-24)

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Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Brothers, pray for us.

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."

Observation

Paraphrase:

"In closing, may God, the God of peace, help you to live a life that is separate from those in the world. What I mean by this is, that you as a whole person be kept blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you out of the world and he is faithful to help you be holy.

Please continue to pray for us.

You need to swear before the Lord that you will read this letter to everyone.

May the grade of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

What is God saying?

The mark of a Christian is a life lived differently from those of the world. This "separation" or "sanctification" does not come from anything we can do. It comes from God. Jesus, who is not only a Savior but Master as well, has a perfect plan for our lives and it is only through him that we can live it. People say things like this all the time, but what does "through him" really mean? It means we need to completely give ourselves over to his rule. Scripture tells us how we are to live. To put it very simply we are to live lives of love. It is put simply but the living a life of love is not as easy. This is where God's Holy Spirit is so essential to the Christian life. God gives us the power through his Spirit to resist the temptation to live selfishly. In essence, God has really empowered us by giving us the choice. Sometimes it doesn't feel like we have much of a choice, but God has promised that he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle. We always have a choice. The choice becomes easier as we live our lives for God and in line with his perfect plan for us.

We are blameless because of Jesus sacrifice, but wouldn't it be great to have a life that reflects blamelessness when Jesus returns. We need to get started now!!!

What is God saying to me?

I write, and write, and write about it but how much really changes. The real struggle is giving everything to him and allowing my mind to be shaped by the fact that most of what is done here on earth doesn't really matter in the long run. I keep having this driving impulse to live for the here and now. Life has gotten too fast and too busy. I feel like everything should come now and not later. I need to slow down and I need to look ahead.

I do feel this happening to a certain extent. The other day I went shopping because I had some birthday money burning a whole in my pocket. I thought about all the different things I could get with my money. Movies, games, fiction books, etc... Do you know what I ended up buying? I bought a four books that would help me teach my college classes. What has happened? I beginning to see beyond the here and now. I am beginning to see what lies ahead. I'm getting older. How funny!!

Application

It isn't about me anymore. My life is secure. If I were to die today I know where I would go. I have no doubt about it. So why do I need to focus on the here and now? I don't. Now I'm not saying that I need to be come so futurely minded that I am no good in the present, but I am saying that I need to allow my view of the future to shape what I do in the present. What it comes down to is being more bold, which I do believe I has been happening, but I need to be even bolder. One of my SHARE principles is "Everyday has opportunities." The opportunities abound every day. I need to cease the opportunity!!!

Here's an application that is even more personal, and I'll be honest, I really struggle in this area. My family is very concerned about my health. I have diabetes and I do not take care of myself the way I should. I love food, I'm not disciplined (meaning I don't take my medication or exercise regularly), and I still feel a little invincible (though I have to admit that the older I get the less invincible I realize I am). When it comes to this area in my life I continue to live selfishly. I don't think about the future food, I don't think about the time when discipline will be natural, and I don't think about when I will truly be invincible. Instead, I think about how great something tastes and I eat it like I might never taste it again. I confess, I am not holy when it comes to this area. Not only am I not holy but I really struggle with completely giving this area over to Jesus. Let me say this. I know I need to. I know I need to not be so concerned about food and be more concerned about my health and being around longer for my family. I guess what I am really saying, or in essence asking, is...please pray for me!

Prayer

Father, my sins are the hidden ones that others do not see, or I think others do not see. I struggle being completely holy and blameless. I want to be set apart from the world and I want to not have to struggle with doing what is right. Please help me. I am crying out to you. I need your intervention. Paul says that you "will surely do it." Do what? I believe he is saying that you will surely help us be set apart and blameless. Help me to stop resisiting you and do what needs to be done. Thank you for listening to my prayer. I am trying to be your humble servant.

SOAP - 8/18/08 (1 Thess 5:12-22)

Scripture

"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 highly 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 evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 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 the prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."

Observation

Paraphrase:

vs. 19 - 22

"Do not prohibit the Spirit from working in you. Do not reject the word of God spoken to you. Test all things of a spiritual nature, and that which is good keep. Stay away from that which is evil."

What is God saying?

This passage is one of the toughest to discern in 1 Thessalonians. There is no clear indicator of what Paul is exactly saying here. What does he mean to "quench the spirit." Many of our charismatic brothers believe that "quenching the spirit" means to resist his prompting to manifest some spiritual gift such as speaking in tongues, prophecy or healing. I can't accept that definition.

In trying to discern what this phrase means I need to go back and look at what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit in John. John 6:63 says "the Spirit gives life." 14:16 calls him the Counselor and in 17 he is called the Spirit of truth. Verse 17 goes on to tell us that he lives with us and in us. In verse 26 Jesus says that he will teach us and remind us of everything Jesus said. In 15:26 Jesus says the Spirit will testify about him. In 16:12 he is once again called the Spirit of truth and Jesus says that he will remind us of the truth being limited to speaking only what he hears and taking from what is Jesus' and making it known to us.

Seeing what Jesus himself had to say about the Holy Spirit gives us an idea of how we are to not quench Him. If you will notice the job of the Spirit has much to do with communicating to us. He communicates truth, he teaches, he reminds us, etc... We can definitely quench the Spirit by not listening to him. I believe there are three ways he speaks to us. He speaks to us through our conscience, he speaks to us through the Bible and he speaks to us through others.

Paul says to not despise prophecy. Prophecy can have a few meanings, but over all it is God communicating to us. Now I am not going to say that God doesn't speak outside the Bible. It is clear that the Holy Spirit has different means of communication, but I will say this, the Bible is God's infallible word. Anything that is spoken, whether it be through the conscience or through man, needs to line up with Scripture. Many Christians have become so jaded when it comes to "prophecy" because of the many, many abuses (i.e. Lakeland Revival with Todd Bentely). We have to remember, prophecy is God's word to us. So in a very literal sense Paul is commanding us today not to despise God's word which many of us do when we listen to one thing the Bible says but ignore something else.

Sometimes it will be very hard to discern whether something was truly spoken by the Spirit or not. The best way to tell is to observe the outcome. If the outcome is good it is from the Holy Spirit, but let me caution us on this. Many times what we deem as good may not be what God deems as good. Just as the "prophecy" must align with Scripture so must the "good" that results. I have often described love as doing the best and right thing for a person. I could probably use a similiar defintion for good. Good is the right and best result that aligns with Scripture. If the result is evil then flee from it!!!

What is God saying to me?

I know God speaks to me through the Holy Spirit. I also confess that there are times I refuse to listen. It kind of hits home when Paul uses the word "despise." To think that I might despise something of God sends a shiver down my spine. I would never say I despise anything of God, but when I refuse listen to the Holy Spirit as he reminds me of what God's word says, in a very real way, I despise or reject God's word and in a sense I reject him as well. I need to be more attentive to what his word says and I need to listen closely when the Spirit speaks.

There will be times when people will speak to me, or maybe my own conscience, and I will question whether it is the Spirit or not. It has become easy for me to reject such things, but I need to learn to test such things. I need to ask myself "Does this line up with Scripture?"

Application

I still struggle with my pentecostal brothers and sisters. I have been exposed to the charismatic side so much that I have come to disregard almost all of it. I think that by doing this I may disregard the Spirit at times, and in essence deny that he can still work and move in ways that don't fit my understanding. I need to be careful not to write something unexplainable off but test it to be sure it is or isn't of the Spirit.

Prayer

Father, I admit that I limit your supernatural work in my life because I am too logical most of the time and not experiential enough. Please help me to find the balance. It is not my desire to "quench" or "despise." It is my desire to serve and follow. Help me to be a follower of your word. Help me to listen to what it says. I pray this not only for myself but for all who are your servants. Thank you for listening to my prayer.

SOAP - 8/11/08 (1 Thess 5:12-22)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

"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 on repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 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."

Observation

Paraphrase:

vs. 14

"We strongly encourage all of you to do the following. Help those who are idle see the folly in being so, encourage those whose faith is weak, and support and strengthen those who are weak in every other way. Above all, have patience with everyone."

What is God saying?

One word comes to mind. LOVE. The greatest commandment of all is simply to love. Everything in this passage is an action of love.

What is love though? We live in a culture that mistakes an emotional feeling for true love. Love does involve feelings, but more importantly, love is action. It is doing the right and best thing for another person. So it shouldn't be any surprise that Paul says "admonish the idle." The word admonish, as defined by Websters, is "a: to indicated duties or obligations to [and] b: to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner."

There are many reasons why people would have been idle. Each case of idleness needs to be examined to figure out how to respond. Some were idle because of pure laziness. Laziness is a disease of selfishness. Christ died so that we wouldn't have to be bound to our selfish behavior. For others, as can be seen in Peter's second letter, laziness was a result of a belief that Jesus was returning very soon within their life times. Even then Peter recognizes that the root of such thinking is selfish. He goes on to exhort the letter's readers to "...be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace." In other words "Do something in line with what you believe!!"

Today we are all tempted to be lazy. Some of us think we have plenty of time to tell others about Jesus, but reality may say otherwise. We need to encourage one another to work hard in telling the world about Him. If we really love one another, we won't let each other get away with being lazy.

God tells us to "encourage the faint-hearted," or those who have weak faith. True love should compel us to constantly be encouraging one another. All of us go through periods where our faith is not as strong as we desire it to be. We are human beings battling a human nature that tends to give into selfish desires. Sometimes it just seems easier to gripe and moan and complain about our situation and harder to have faith that God is in control. If God wanted us to go at life alone then he would have only created one of us, but that wasn't his plan. We need each other, if for nothing more then to be an encouragement during life's roughest parts.

To love on another also means to allow our strengths to compensate each other's weakness. We can be weak in so many different ways. We can be weak spiritually, physically, socially, financially, etc... God has given us gifts to use in conjunctions with the rest of the body. Our gifts are to edify our brothers and sisters in the body. Gifts are not just those that are listed in Scripture. Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. The main point here is that if our gift can help stregnthen then we need to do it.

The phrase here is more literally translated "hold fast to the weak." A weak person can hold themselves up. It takes someone who is stronger. God wants us to use our gifts to make each other stronger.

Above all we are to be patient with one another. All of us know that is extremely easy to get irritated with those who seem to be constantly in need. This person needs to be corrected, that person needs encouragment, this person needs help... In reality, aren't we all very needy people? God is so patient with us. We really need to be patient with others. Does this mean we allow them to take advantage of us? By no means!! What it means is we look at every situation as if we have never seen the situation before and we do what is right and what is best for the individual.

What is God saying to me?

I fail miserably at doing any of this, especially when it comes to my own family. Being a pastor means I work with a wide variety of people. I get to the point where I believe "I've seen it all." When I come to that point I really become blind to the real needs of others. I need a constant renewal going on in my heart. I so desperately need to see people the way God sees them. Especially my children.

Application

How can I be more loving especially in the ways mentioned here? How can I admonish the idle, encourage those whose faith is weak, help those who are in need and above all be patient? Only through the grace and power of God!!!

One of the things I think I can, and do need to, work on is being more encouraging to my children and wife. Maybe I should say be more patient, but I think both of these can work hand in hand. I need to step back and take a look at what my family does. I need to see the good and encourage the good. I need to see the bad and first be patient because patience will help me to help them.

Prayer

Father. All I want to ask today is for your power to help me put myself aside and put others first. I want to be like you. Thank you for listening to my prayer.

SOAP - 8/4/08 (1 Thess 5:12-22)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

"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. 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."'

Observation

There are quite a few things in this passage so I might spend a few days on it.

Paraphrase:

"Brothers and sisters, please respect your pastors, elders and ministry heads. See how valuable they are and love them because of the work they do. Put aside selfishness as you work together."

What is God saying?

First, as I paraphrased this I wanted to make sure that we understood just who Paul was talking about. "Those who labor among you" are those who do the ministry in this church, particularly those who lead. Obviously the pastors and elders (lay-pastors) are among those who do ministry, but we tend to forget that those people who lead particular ministries (ministry-heads) should be included in this list.

So what does this passage mean? Let's start with what it doesn't mean. It doesn't mean that people in the church need to blindly follow their leaders. This has happened in the past, it is happening now and it will happen in the future. Wherever it happens trouble eventually follows. God has given us brains and he expects us to use it. The only time it is acceptable for a person to follow blindly is when following God. God is the only perfect being, but when men, who are not perfect, are followed blindly they loose all sense of self-control and humility and usually end up causing disaster.

With that being said I must also issue a warning. People who are constantly antagonistic towards authority are just as guilty of self-worship as those leaders who lead the blind. There are two extremes when it comes to leading/following. The leader can be self-absorbed or the follower can be self-absorbed. Both eventually lead to tragedy.

So where's the balance? God has placed specific people to lead specific ministries within the church. Most of the time, these people have a gift for that particular area they are leading. Once in awhile there will be someone who is trying to be faithful by assuming a leadership position they don't have a gift in waiting for the right person to come along. Leaders should be humble, and yet they should be able to lead a team of people based upon their gifts. Most leaders in the church, at least in our church, have been placed in leadership because the pastors and elders have seen good leadership qualities in them.

Leaders don't need to be criticized for everything they do!!! They are trying to lead to the best of their ability and they are trying to be faithful to God. Yes, all leaders need to continue developing in their leadership skills. It is very, VERY important that a leader has a group of people who will follow his lead, but also encourage him/her to develop into a better leader. Leaders have enough stress and pressure as it is trying to get things accomplished. They don't need people on the team who AREN'T A PART OF THE TEAM!!!

So Paul says, "Hey. You need to encourage the leaders. You need to love the leaders. You need to be a part of the team!!" I don't know if you noticed but Paul says "Be at peace among yourselves" right after he gets through encouraging a proper attitude towards leaders. Why? Because there are always people on a team who, even though they may not realize it, are the ones always causing strife and slowing down progress towards the end of a project. Paul says "Stop antagonizing!! But work together!! Follow the leader, encourage the leader, love the leader and get on board with the team." Antagonism comes from a selfish heart.

What is God saying to me?

This is just a reminder to me. I am part of a team that has a leader. I need to be constantly encouraging him, loving him and being a part of his team. If I disagree with something I need to first take a real good look at why. I really need to check and make sure that my selfishness isn't at the root of "the problem." If I can see, logically, where there is an issue then I need to lovingly address the issue.

I am also reminded of my responsibility as a leader. The cool thing about being a part of a team is everyone can have input. A good leader listens to his followers and knows how to correlate the different gifts (ideas) of people on the team. I have discovered that when I open up an item for discussion the end result is usually better then my original idea. Working together to accomplish things for God is really fun!!! I don't need to be the dictator of my team because sooner or later I won't have a team and all fun (and joy) disappear.

Application

I've pretty much said it. I need to be an encourager and a part of the team. It is important for me (and for anyone who is a part of the team) to let their leader know how much they are appreciated. So I'm going to drop Louie a little note telling him just that.

Prayer

Father, I know how tempting it is to be critical of everything a leader does, and I know how devastating such criticism can be to all parties involved. Help me to be a wise, loving, encouraging and faithful follower. Help me to take the example of Jesus as he followed you and apply it to my life. You are my ultimate leader and you have placed over me other leaders. Help me to be balanced as a follower. Help me to not blindly follow, but help me to wisely follow. I want to be like you in every situation in my life. Thank you for hearing my prayer.

SOAP - 7/30/08 (1 Thess 5:1-11)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

"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 for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

Observations

Paraphrase:

"I really don't need to write to you about when Jesus is going to come back. You know full well that his coming will be like that of when a thief comes to rob you. A thief seems to come when people feel safe and secure. There is no expectation of his coming, but you are not like these people. You know that Jesus is coming, even though you don't know when. Your eyes have been opened unlike the rest of the worlds giving you the opportunity to be ready for when he comes. Those whose eyes are closed are not prepared for Jesus's return. Because you are, live your lives in full expectation of Jesus' return. Live full of faith, love and confident expectation that we will be saved when Jesus comes. God's plan for us is not destruction but salvation through our Master Jesus who died so that we might have real life through him. So continue to be an encouragement to one another and help each other continue to grow as you have been."

What is God saying?

It's true, Jesus is coming, but the we don't know when. It's like when you hear that a relative is on their way but you don't know exactly when they will arrive. So you get the house in order and keep it in order even though day after day passes. You know they are coming and you want to be ready for their arrival.

I am sure there was huge temptation to just sit and do nothing with the thought that Jesus was coming, and in their minds, coming in their lifetime. Paul wants to correct this thinking. Even though they are aware of Jesus' immanent return it doesn't give them the right to do nothing. In fact, this is false thinking. To do nothing is the same thing as doing nothing to prepare for your relatives arrival.

Paul says "You want to get ready for Jesus's coming? You need to continue to live faithfully, live lovingly and live hopefully." These three things, faith, love and hope, should influence every aspect of life. Every action should be motivated by our faith, our love for God and others, and our confident expectation of being in heaven with Jesus after he comes to take us with him.

What is God saying to me?

We have been waiting for over 2,000 years for Jesus to come back. I really think this has led many of us Christians to act like the early Christians in this passage. We think "He hasn't come back yet and he probably won't come back in my lifetime. I get things ready later on." I know you are saying "But I hear people saying all the time 'I believe that Jesus is coming back in my life time.'" Honestly though, if people believed that wouldn't there be an obvious difference between your life and theirs? I'm not saying every person who says such a thing is being a hypocrite, but I am saying MOST everyone who says this or who has said it are: INCLUDING ME!!! And so we come full circle.

God is saying "Listen. I know it has been a long time since Jesus said he was coming back, but the passing of time doesn't make it any less true. You need to be ready because you don't know when it is going to happen. Don't be like those who think everything is okay only to have their homes robbed by some thief. Be prepared like those who expect a thief to try and break into their home!"

I am struggling with having this kind of an attitude, but it is the attitude I am supposed to have. I know this is what God is saying to me.

Application

So how do I apply this to my life? I need to be sure that my life is being lived in faith. love and hope. My purpose is to glorify Jesus by becoming more and more like him. I need to have faith that when I share the Gospel of Jesus God will use whatever happens to me to his advantage. I need to share the Gospel with love. There are too many Christians who claim to share the Gospel in love but instead they are condemning and judgmental and this is the way it comes across. I need to live my life in confident expectation that no matter what happens to me as I tell the world about the Gospel I will eventually be with Jesus in the end.

Prayer

God, I have to confess to you that I have a lackadaisical attitude when it comes to your returning. I am sorry when I have said I believe you are coming in my lifetime when my life has not reflected my "belief." I really want this belief to influence my life. I want to be like you. I want to share the good news with those around me. I want to live a life of faith, love and hope. Thank you for listening to me.

SOAP - 7/28/08 (1 Thess 4:13-18)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

"But we do not want you to be uniformed, 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."

Observations

Paraphrase

"We don't want you to worry about those Christians who have died. The people of this world have no hope and therefore grieve when they lose someone, but we believe in Jesus who died and rose again! If Jesus died and rose again then their is hope. God will cause all those Christians who have died to come back when Jesus does. We know this to be true because God has revealed it to us and so we pass it on to you. We who are left behind (waiting for Jesus to come) will not precede those who have died. Jesus will come from heaven with a sound of the trumpet of God and he will command with the voice of an archangel and the Christians who have died will rise first. Then we who are alive will rise and together we will meet Jesus in the sky, and we will at that point be with him forever. Use what we are saying to encourage one another."

What is God saying?

First off, Christians during this time period seem to have had an expectation that Jesus was going to come in their lifetime. There must have been some question about what happened to those who died before Jesus came back. Paul needed to set the record straight. This might explain why this passage seems so out of place with what he has been talking about so far.

I think the biggest thing God is saying in this passage, at least at this point, is we who are Christians don't need to grieve as heavily as those who don't have a hope for the future. I had to ask myself though, why would people in the world grieve the loss of a loved one? I thought of a couple of answers. One, because if this is all there is to life it is a shame to end it, but more importantly I think the reason is a selfish reason. We just don't want to see people go because we want them in our lives.

For we who are Christians we know that this isn't the end. We also know that what is beyond is better, even if we don't fully comprehend. We understand that when a loved one who was suffering dies they are no longer suffering but experiencing something totally awesome.

It is strange that this is the passage that came up in loo of Louie's father having passed away. I know that he is grieving for the loss of his father, but I also know that, through personally talking with him, he is filled with joy that his father is now in the presence of God.

What is God saying to me?

At this point I am not grieving the loss of anyone. I have had two grandparents pass away in the last few years and I imagine that my other two will be passing away soon. The relieving thing is they all know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. When my grandfather and grandmother went to be with the Lord I didn't feel like it was a sad occasion but a joyous one. Please don't get me wrong. I am using the word "joy" for a purpose. We can be sad but still have joy. Joy is not synonymous with happy. Happy is a feeling. Joy is a state of mind. When my other two grandparents go I will feel a since of relief for them. No more foggy thinking. No more creaking joints. No more... You get the point.

But what about those who don't know the Lord. The fact is, we don't know when anyone is going to go. There are people in our lives who need to hear the Gospel and challenged with it. I believe that we will grieve more deeply then the world grieves when people we know pass with out knowing God. There is an urgency here. Paul and many of the Christians of his day thought Jesus was coming back soon. Now two thousand years have passed and with their passing has come a lethargy. We need the zeal that Paul exhibits. We need to have the mindset that Jesus could come back any day. We need to be sure we are doing everything possible to help all we know to come into a saving relationship with Jesus.

Application

I am starting to view this part as one of my least favorite parts. Why? Because it convicts me. Not to mention that I try to write something I can do here for everyone to see. I will be honest, not too many people have been asking me about how good I am doing on applying these Scriptures to my life. It is a sense of relief, but on the other hand I know I need that accountability. So if you are reading this you have my permission to question me on how I am doing. It can be personally, it can be on the phone or it can be through email (ythpstr1@gmail.com).

I don't have that urgency to tell others about Christ like Paul. I want it. I want my life to center around this one priority. So here is my application. I want to talk to every teen in this youth group who is not baptized by the end of next month (August) about their relationship with Christ. I want to make sure they have heard it from me. There it is. Please keep me accountable.

Prayer

Father, I have not made telling others about you a priority. I confess this to you and I want to repent. I want to turn my life around, but I need your help to do this. I am constantly struggling with my selfish desires and am many times only concerned with myself. Please help me to be a selfless person like you. Thank you for listening to my prayer.

SOAP - 7/24/2008 (1 Thess 4:9-12)

Scripture

"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 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 you hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."

Verses that stuck out:

"...concerning brotherly love...do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands...so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."

Observations

Paraphrase:

"I want to write to you concerning your love for one another. I don't need to write you and tell you that you are supposed to do it or how to do it for God has already taught you how. In fact, you are doing it very well and it shows in how you have loved all fellow Christians through Macedonia. No, instead I want to encourage you to allow your love for one another to continue to grow and be exhibited through your actions. Make it a point to not be too active. Focus on what you need to do and do what it takes to get it done!! This is what we taught you when we were with you. If you do these things you will be a good reflection of Jesus and you will not have to depend upon anyone else."

Okay, so I took a lot of liberty with this, but I also looked up a few Greek words to do it.

What is God saying?

I know that this section is usually the longest section, but I don't think I need to go into an extended discussion of what God is saying through this passage. I think it is pretty clear. We are called to love one another. When we focus on other things outside of this calling we loose focus of it. Paul says to "love more and more." When our lives become to busy (and there is a lot that we can do) we become too focused on ourselves. We forget that we are called to show the world who Jesus is. So we need to be careful in what we get involved in. If we can constantly remember what we are supposed to be doing then we are good, but as soon as our activities overshadow our view we need to drop something in order to see clearly.

So don't get to busy, focus on what needs to be focused on (showing Christ to the world), do what needs to be done and work hard at doing it! That is the message! Plain and simple.

What is God saying to me?

Every single one of us knows that life can be extremely busy, but for what purpose? I am tired of all the stress that comes about from things that don't really matter in the long run. I need to really take a good look at my life. Where am I so busy that I have become focused on the task instead of being focused on showing Christ? In reality, this is just another trap of Satan trying to get our mind off of what is important (God) and on what is not that important (ourselves).

I'm not saying that we have to drop everything we are involved in, but if what we are involved in is causing headache, heartache and any other kind of ache (besides a godly discontent) then we should look at dropping it. Our purpose is to be like Jesus and I think that the more we focus on this the more fulfilling life will be.

Let me get a little more personal. Our kids are involved in a lot of different things. Five kids and lots of activities can be one big pain!!! Why are we doing all these things? The way we approach these activities will determine how they affect our life. If, for instance, we have the kids involved in sports in hopes that one day they will earn a scholarship through it or do it professionally to make a lot of money then we have started the headache immediately, but if our perspective is that of our family trying to show others who Jesus is and at the same time having a little fun then we are not going to take it so serious where it completely stresses us out. If our kids have a natural ability and God chooses to use it then great!!!!

So God is saying "Brian!!! Look at me!! Where's your focus? I want you to ask that every time you get involved in something. Why are you doing it? If you are doing it for me and for the love of others then your doing it for the right reason. If you are doing it solely for you, then quit or I might have to take a spiritual 2x4 and make you quit!!! Why? Because I love ya bonehead!!!" Okay, maybe he wouldn't put it that way.

Application

This one is going to be a hard one to do and I really need those who are reading this blog to keep me accountable on this. I really need to sit down and evaluate what I am doing. I am going to set a date to have this done by. Let's say...the end of the month. Ask me by the end of the month if I've done the evaluating that I am supposed to do.

Prayer

Father, I admit to you that I allow "life" to get in the way of what I am really suppose to be doing. I confess that when I do this I am not showing you to others, I am showing me to others. I am the less desirable of the two. Please help me to maintain a right focus. Whatever I am involved in please help me to see it as another way to show people who you are. If I loose this focus please remind me...gently...of what I am supposed to do. If I don't listen then I expect the spiritual 2x4 to be used. Thank you for reminding me of this today. Thank you for listening to my prayer.

SOAP - 7/22/2008 (1 Thess 4:3-7)

You will notice that I am doing a part of the passage I did yesterday. I didn't want to ignore what Paul actually has to say about "sanctification," "sexual immorality," and "transgressing and wronging our brother."

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 4:3-7

"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 no 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."

Verses that stuck out to me are:

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification...abstain from sexual immorality...control [your] body...[do not] transgress and wrong [your] brother...because the Lord is an avenger...God has...called us...in holiness."

Observation

Paraphrase

"The will of God is for you to live a holy life. You need to stay away from all sexual acts that are wrong. Treat your bodies with respect by learning how to control yourselves. The world lives by uncontrolled desires because they don't know God. You do!! Do not intentionally sin in this way for when you do you hurt each other. We warned you before and we will warn you again. God will take vengeance on anyone who does these types of things. God didn't call you to be like the rest of the world, he called you to be different from it."

What is God saying?

What is sanctification? The word means to be holy or, more literally, set apart. If something is holy it is has been set apart from all other things for the express purpose of being used only in conjunction with a god. For instance. Zoroastrians worship in fire temples. Within these temples are holy fires. The sole purpose for their existence is to give Zoroastrians and "image" of God to worship. They are used for no other purpose but this. They don't cook on them, they don't use them to light candles, etc... It is kept burning solely for its purpose. It has been sanctified.

So how does that apply to human beings? When God called us out of the world he called us to be separate from it. Now you and I know that being separate from the world doesn't just happen over night. There are those who try but end up failing miserably. Being separate from the world is a process that Jesus takes us through. Paul writes elsewhere that we are being perfected or completed. It's a process. Does that mean we can intentionally sin? By no means! We still have to try and stay away from doing what the world does.

The next question I would pose concerning this passage is does being sanctified only mean abstaining from immoral sexual acts? A casual glance at this passage might lead me to believe this, but I think Paul is addressing an issue that Timothy might have reported on when he came back from his visit with the Thessalonians. Paul starts out reminding them that God wants them to live a holy life and then focuses on one aspect, that of living sexually pure.

Sexual purity is one of the BIG issues that plagues mankind no matter where you are or what age you are in. Sexual temptation is huge!!! Among both guys and girls. Guys tend to look at it as instant gratification whereas I think girls look at it as a way to "connect" with a guy, although in today's society the issue for younger girls may be they look at it as a way to find love through getting pregnant and having a baby.

No matter how you look at it, it is big!! We Christians try to hide the fact that we struggle with temptation and sin. We think, for some reason, that once we become Christians we should be perfect, but the fact is, if we were perfect we would no longer need Christ. One of the biggest sins that causes pastors to fall is sexual sin. We have to be honest with ourselves and admit that we struggle.

Sexual immorality takes on different forms but the one that Paul specifically seems to address is adultery. I've never talked to people who have committed adultery so I have to admit that I am pretty ignorant when it comes to the reasons why, but as a pastor I am supposed to know a little something about this sin. In what I've read and heard adultery usually starts at home. It is the becoming unhappy with one's spouse. It is the feeling of rejection, no love and disrespect. I would say that for the most part people don't look for a person they can cheat with, but when someone starts showing the struggling spouse the attention they don't feel they are getting from home they begin to develop feelings for this other person. Feelings can lead us into a train wreck when we let them go unbridled. Remember what Paul just said about the world. They live by the passion of their lusts.

Usually the person that one cheats with is someone that is close to the family or a coworker. With this in mind is it any wonder Paul says that when we do these types of sin we are actually wronging our brother. I can see how in the church setting it would be very easy to develop feelings for another man or woman who exhibits the traits they wish to see, or fail to see, in their spouse.

God has called us to a higher standard of living. Sexual immorality is rampant in our culture and we need to be the ones to set the example. We need to guard ourselves in such a way that it minimizes sexual temptation and helps us to keep our minds where they should be. God wants us to have a plan of action when it comes to sexual temptation (or really any kind of temptation).

What is God saying to me?

This is such a personal question for a blog!!! Let me say this. I am a guy who struggles like every other guy. It is important that people understand this. Like I said, there are too many pastors out there who want to deny that they struggle with sexual temptation and then end up falling. I never want to be one of those guys. I can say this, I have one accountability tool in place, but I need to develop more.

Application

Okay, so I said I had one tool in place. The tool is Covenant Eyes. This is an internet tool that monitors the websites you go to. You install it on your computers (laptop, home computer, etc...). It doesn't limit the websites you go to, but just monitors them. At the end of a period it sends an email to people you have designated as accountability partners letting them see the sites you have accessed. I have two people designated as my accountability partners. There should actually be a third one, my wife. I've been a little afraid to make her one because I know that she will hold me to closer accountability then the other two guys, but I think it is time to designate her as one. So that is what I am going to do.

Prayer

Father, I don't want to be like the people of this world. I don't want to be ruled by uncontrolled passions. If there is one uncontrolled passion that I would want to be ruled by it would be an uncontrolled passion for you. Please help me to "control my own body." Help me to continually develop systems that help me to avoid temptation and giving into temptation. You are my God and I want to fully serve you. If I continually give into temptations and sin I know I cannot fully be serving you. Jesus said that we can only serve one master. You are the master that I choose. Direct me please. Thank you for listening to my prayer.

SOAP - 7/21/08 (1 Thess 4:1-8)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

"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 body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like 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."

Observation

Verses that stuck out to me are:

"...we ask and urge you...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 this is the will of God, your sanctification..."

"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."

Paraphrase:

"Now let me get to the point of this letter. Please listen to us as we ask you, in our Lord Jesus, to live in the manner we taught you; a manner that pleases God. To an extent, you are doing this, but we want to urge you to do it more and more. We gave you specific instructions through our Lord Jesus. It is God's will that you continually set yourself apart from the world. Refrain from doing immoral sexual acts. Each one of you needs to control his/her body. This is a holy thing which the world does not do (a world that does not know God), and it is honorable not to give into the passionate lusts which lead to such acts. When you do these things you are intentionally sinning against your brother and you shouldn't be. We told you (warned you!) when we were with you that God would avenge such acts. God has called you to be apart of the world, but to be separate from it. If anyone disregards this they are not disregarding man but God who has given you the Holy Spirit who reminds you not to do these things."

What is God saying?

It think that this letter was written for two reasons. One, as a father who is proud of his children and two, a letter of encouragement to do the right things. I would guess, by the tone of this passage, that Timothy might have brought back a report that someone in the church had committed adultery. Like I said, I'm only guessing, but the rest of the letter is instruction or clarification on some things.

What is interesting is to see how Paul approaches the Thessalonians. Even if he had some burden weighing on his heart that he really wanted to address he begins by expressing his love. If it were me I'd probably jump right to the rebuke, but I know of and teach a method of confrontation that is not to dissimilar to what Paul does here. I call it the hamburger approach. I don't remember who taught it to me but it goes something like this. A hamburger is comprised of three main parts: a top bun, a meat pattie and a bottom bun. When in situations of correcting or rebuking we need to approach people by sandwiching the correction/rebuke inbetween love. We start out by conveying love, we hit the problem and we end with love.

There are a couple of reasons why we do this. First, it conveys to the person we are correcting/rebuking that we are doing it because we love them. Second, it reminds us that we love the other person and we correct/rebuke in an attitude of love. Without conveying love we can jump right to the issue and miss the point completely. The point is to restore a person, not tear them down. Paul does this with the Thessalonians.

So I see God saying "Correct and rebuke out of love. When you do either of these things always show love." In essence, what we really are doing is encouraging people to continue to transform. I love how Paul says "You have been doing these things, but do them more!!!!" We never stop growing in our likeness of Christ. This is really what "santification" is. Sanctification means to be made holy. It is a never ending process and in reality it simply means to become more and more like Jesus.

Christians have no excuse to not be growing more like Jesus. God gave us the Holy Spirit. He is our moral conscience. If we choose not to do something God has commanded (love God and love one another) we make think that what we are doing is against a person but in reallity it is against God. When we don't listen we blatanly ignore the Holy Spirit.

What is God saying to me?

I have the hamburger method down pretty good...that is until it comes to my own children. I think God is telling me that I need to apply this method across the board. I am really not doing them any good when I get on them about things out of anger (and selfishness). I need to remember that the reason I am correcting them is not because I think they need to be, but because in doing so they will become better people. I need to do it out of love and help them grow to be more like Jesus, but I have to remember that in order to help them do this I need to be growing more like Jesus. I'm not a completely sanctified (holy) person. I am still in the process myself.

Application

So I need to work on not jumping down my kids' throats when they do something wrong but correct or rebuke them out of love. I need to take a step back from the situation, think of all the great things my kids do, and help them do better things because I love them for who they are. Not only need I do this with my kids but I need to do it to everyone.

Prayer

Father, when it comes to my own children I know I don't treat them like I treat other people. I often treat them harsher for not good cause. Yes I love them and want to see them do the right things but many times when I get on them about something I do it because it has in some way affected me. Please help me to correct them out of love and a yearning to see them be committed followers of you. I need your help in doing this. Thank you for hearing my prayer.

SOAP - 7/17/08 (1 Thess 3:11-13)

Before I began I would like to say I was very tempted to skip doing this today. It was a busy day and it is now 10:17pm by my computer clock, but I want to be faithful and I was really looking forward to this time today. So here I am, tired, but spending time with God nonetheless.

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

"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."

Observation

First off, I have to say when Paul prays we need to listen. I love the Prayers of Paul and here is a short prayer for the Thessalonians.

Paraphrase:

"Now may our Father God, and Jesus Christ our Lord, enable us to visit you, and may he cause your love for one another (and for all) to increase and overflow as much as ours does for you. We pray this so that when our Lord Jesus comes back, with all his holy ones, you will be able to stand before God with a blameless heart."

What is God saying?

Love is the mark of a Christian. Jesus said "Love one another as I have loved you," and "The world will know you are Christians by your love for one another." It also says in the Bible that "love covers a multitude of sins."

Our B.C. (before Christ) years were filled with selfishness. In discipleship today we read this verse in Ephesians that said "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world...we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind..." All that we really lived for was ourselves. Within philosophy there is an argument concerning whether altruism is a reality. The argument says that even the good things we do are done out of thinking about how they will affect us. In a sense this is what Paul was saying to the Ephesians. "We all lived only for ourselves and no one else...and you know what? All of us were DEAD!!!"

The major difference between then and now is we can truly live altruistic lives. We can truly love others without even thinking about ourselves. God wants us to become more like him. This means we need to learn to put others above ourselves. Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourself. Do not only look to your own interests but look to the interests of others. Have the same mind as Christ!"

What will our hearts look like when that final day comes? Will it still be filled with selfishness or will it reflect God's own selfless heart. How do we make sure we have God's heart? We start doing things for others. We start loving others the way they need to be loved. One of the best ways to love one another is to limit our judgment of them. Only God has the right to judge others. Can we judge the fruit of others? Sure, but we also need to judge where they are coming from. Some people don't know any better when they do something. They need to be taught. Some people misunderstand and therefore they act out on their misunderstanding. We need to correct these people. Others know they are or are not supposed to be behaving in a certain way. We need to rebuke these people. We always need to be training others (and ourselves) to love. All these actions are done out of love.

Take time to think about what it truly means to love others. I tell the teens that loving others is doing the right and best thing for them. We constantly need to be asking ourselves "what should I do that is the right and best thing for that person?"

What is God saying to me?

I'll be honest. I judge just the rest of humanity and I really need to work on this. God gave me a sort of epiphany one day when preparing for the teen leadership class. I already shared it in the previous section. In 2 Timothy Paul says that "Scripture is profitable for correcting, teaching, rebuking and training." If it doesn't involve one of these then I don't need to be judging. James writes extensively about judging people in his letter. We are not to judge people based upon how they look. We are not to judge others based upon a first appearance. We are to look at a person's actions and decide whether they need to be taught, corrected or rebuked (and everyone needs to be trained), but we are to do this based solely on two principles. First, is this person a believer. If they are not they don't need to be rebuked or corrected, they need to be introduced to Jesus. Second, does this person know he or she is supposed to be like Christ. If the answer is yes then we need to find out if they know what Jesus is like. If they have a misunderstanding, we need to correct them. If they understand but choose not to be like him, we need to rebuke them. If they have no clue at all concerning what I am talking about they probably need to know Jesus.

I look at what I wrote and I think that what I am saying can be somewhat misinterpreted. None of us, including me, should make a judgment (write someone off) because of their actions. I might disagree with you smoking, but I shouldn't assume you are not a Christian or that you really don't know you are not a Christian just because you smoke. All of us are dealing with issues. All of us are undergoing a "transformation" and being "completed." We all have things we need to work on. Our job is to help each other learn to be more like Christ. What was Jesus like? Jesus was all about love. He was all about helping those in need. He didn't judge people based upon things they did on the outside. I mean come one, he hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors...SINNERS!!!

Did you ever stop to think about the disicples and what kind of guys they were? They were Galilean fishermen!!! They were on the bottom of the Jewish totem pole. Rough around the edges. They probably swore. Thy probably drank. They probably told dirty jokes. They were GUYS!!!! I am not saying Jesus took part in these revalies, but I am saying that he met them where they were and changed them. They underwent a transformation with Jesus. We all are undergoing transformation. We need to understand this. We need to LOVE LIKE JESUS!!!

Application:

Our church is going to be starting a rehab program known as Celebrate Recovery. I was joking around with Melissa (she and her husband are starting it) and she said "Are you ready for the type of people who will be coming here? Because you better be!!" (something along those lines). I have to tell you, I have been giving some thought to this and up until now I wasn't ready. What kind of people are going to be coming to KCC? The sick kind. The kind who are hung up on some habit that is destroying their lives. Let me put it a different way. We are going to be having Galilean fishermen coming to Kingman Christian Church. You know what? I am a Galilean fisherman. Oh, I may not look like it from the outside, but I'm telling you, I really am one.

Jesus transformed those fisherman that were with him. We need to do the same. There will be hopefully hundreds, if not thousands, of hurting individuals coming through our doors over the next few years. Every single one of us, me, I need to greet them with open arms and show them the love of Christ.

The same goes for youth group. We have had some rough characters coming to youth group lately. The kind who don't want to listen, who don't want to understand, who just want to have fun and yet they keep on coming. They need Jesus. I need to greet them with open arms. I need to lead the way in showing the rest of the youth group and leaders how to do this.

Prayer

God, I admit to you that I am a judgmental person at times. I try not to be, but it happens. I want to be like you Jesus. I want to love the "unlovable" and show them a better way. I want to introduce them to you. Please help me to do this. Please help me to not look at what is on the outside, but what is on the inside. Every person that I run into is a being who is made in your image. A being who has infinite value and worth. Please help me to see this always. Thank you for hearing my prayer.

SOAP - 7/16/08 (1 Thess 3:6-10)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 3:6-10

"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 faith?"

The verse that stood out to me was verse 7 "for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith."

Observation

Paraphrase:

"But now Timothy is back with us and has brought us very encouraging news concerning your faith and love. He tells us that you think about us always and long to see us, and we long to see you. I can't tell you how much this news is comforting us during our trial here. Knowing that you are standing fast in the Lord makes it all the more bearable and gives us reason to keep going. How can we thank God anymore then to continue on? You have brought us great joy! We continue to pray for you always, and we pray that we might finally be able to come to you so that if you are lacking in faith over our troubles we may be able to put such unfaithfulness to an end."

What's God saying?

When you do something that you feel is important you want to see a return in some way. For the person who invests his life in building a business he will want to see it grow and make money. The person who invests their life in helping others wants to see not only people benefiting but their lives being changed. It is no different when it comes to the Gospel. In fact, those who invest themselves in spreading the good news see it as being the most important and life changing message anyone could ever hear.

Here is Paul and his companions facing some sort of trouble. I can only assume that the trouble has to be a result of their passion to spread the good news about Jesus. (I did a little research...Acts 17-18. Paul had been in Thessalonica on his second missionary trip. He went from there to Berea then to Athens and then to Corinth. He sent Timothy to the Thessalonians when he himself was in Athens and Timothy came back while he was in Corinth. While in Corinth he was seized and brought before Gallio who was the proconsul of Achaia. He probably wrote this letter during this time.) What was going through Paul's mind? We think of Paul as the "Super Apostle" who would never let anything get in his way or discourage him, but Paul was a man. I think he might have been frustrated. Was all this worth it? Ealier God had told him to "not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you" and here he was in trouble. Did God go against his own words? (We find out that Gallio wanted nothing to do with Paul and so he eventually lets him go.) Paul had to have been discouraged to say the least.

If I were in this situation what would it take to encourage me? I'd be wondering if I really was devoting my life to the right thing. I'd be asking myself if I was really making a difference. Paul had already been worrying about those he left in Thessalonia. If I were him and recieved the news that they abandoned the faith would it tip the scales in favor of quitting? This was a critical moment in Paul's life as a missionary for God!

The greatest encouragement would be to hear exactly what Paul heard. Those he had left in Thessalonica (and he left them rather abruptly, Acts 17:1-9) were continuing with their faith. This made what he was going through worth it.

People need to be encouraged by seeing fruit resulting from their labor.

What is God saying to me?

Looking at if from a different perspective, who in my life has dedicated themselves to developing me as a Christian and a servant of Christ? My grandmother who took my spiritual developement into her hands until my dad remarried. My mother who made sure we were involved in church and who set an example when it came to time with God. My youth leaders when I was in youth group. Pastor Mark who really started my discipleship. Mr. Mac who was my missions professor and mentor in college. Pastor Walt who taught me much of what I know about ministry today. These are all people who have invested their lives in helping others.

Do these people get discouraged? Do they ever wonder if they made a difference? Do they think about quitting? I imagine they do. They are only human. They need to be encouraged, but how can I encourage them? By staying in touch with them. Letting them know that their work in me wasn't in vain. Letting them continue to see God working in and through my life. It is interesting how a little encouragement goes.

I hope and pray that I will always have those people I have invested myself in encouraging me through allowing me to see God working in them. It really does make all the difference. It gives meaning to what I have dedicated my life to.

Application

I made a committment yesterday to get in touch with all the college students that have been a part of this ministry at KCC. I have been doing that, and it has been good. New names come to mind all the time. Now I am making a commitment to getting in touch with those people who have been influential in my life and letting them know how much I appreciate their dedication to God. I want to show them what is happening in my life as a result. I would like to do this by the end of the month.

Prayer

Father, your plan is a perfect plan. Your nature exemplifies fellowship. It shows us the importance of being in long-term relationships here on earth. May I be an encouragement to those who have invested their lives into me. Help me to continually be encouraged as I keep in touch with those whom I have invested my life into. You neve leave or forsake me, please help me to be the same. I love you Lord. Thank you for your word. Thank you for teaching me. Thank you for listenening to my prayer.

SOAP Study - 7/15/08 (1 Thess 3:1-5)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5

"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."

Verse that stood out to me was verse 5 "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."

Observation

Paraphrase

"As a result of all I have written so far when we got to Athens we could not bear not knowing how you were doing. So we stayed in Athens and sent Timothy, our brother and coworker in spreading the good news about Jesus, to you. He has been sent to help and encourage you in your faith because we know that it will be tempting for you to react negatively to the troubles we are facing and possibly lose faith. We need to remind you that when we were there with you we told you this day would come. It should come as no surprise that we are suffering right now. I couldn't bear the thought of your hearing about our troubles and not knowing how you were reacting. I was afraid that you might have given into Satan who uses every advantage he can to tempt you. My fear was that you might have given in making all of our hard work among you useless."

What is God saying?

What is an evangelist? I think we have misinterpreted what an evangelist is because Paul's missionary life is summed up in just a few chapters of a book. We get the impression that as he was traveling he would just stop at a town for a few days and go on. The truth of the matter is, he would stop at a town and spend years helping the Christians there. This has led to a false view of evangelism. The evangelist is someone who comes to your church for a period of time that most likely will not extend beyond a month or so and then they leave to never be heard of from again. How sad.

Paul invested himself into people. He spent as much time as possible with them. I am sure that if he hadn't suffered persecution that he would have spent his life amongst one group of people because that is the type of love he had for them. God is telling us that evangelism and discipleship are really one and the same and it doesn't take place over a period of days but it takes place over a period of years in the context of relationships.

Our culture is such a mobile culture that it has become very easy to make friends and be friends as long as you are living in the same area together and then turn around, move and forget all about them. Many ministries are the same way. We introduce someone to Christ. We get them coming to church. If it is a good church it will encourage us to disciple this person. We use some short termed "discipleship material," and when it's done we think discipleship is over with and our "disciple" is now ready to go out on his own. Can I slap a huge WRONG on this concept!!!!

Jesus said "Go and make disciples." A more accurate translation of the Greek would render this sentence "AS YOU GO make disciples." What does this mean? It means as we live our lives we make disciples and discipleship is a long-term commitment.

What is God saying to me?

I am guilty of marginalizing discipleship. I think back to all the teens I have had contact with in my 10 plus years of ministry. I have to ask myself, "How many of these teens do I still have contact with?", and if I am truthful "How much do I really care about this?" I have succumbed to the false ideal that our Christian culture has developed.

What is God saying to me? Brian, you have got to have that passion that Paul had. Paul ministered in many cities coming in contact with many people. Yes I believe that amongst those people were a few who really stood out because Paul took the time to personally disciple them, but he still had a concern for the whole of them.

We have some students in college right now and I haven't been very good at keeping in touch with them. I see them when they come to church and once in awhile one might call me or I will see them online, but for the most part I don't make the initial contact with them. It is almost like once they are out of the youth group they don't matter and that is definitely not the truth.

Application

I need to remain in contact with as many of the teens as possible especially those who I have invested myself in. Whether it be through email, phone call or snail mail. Not only do I need to do this, but our church needs to do this. Someone approached me last year with the idea of sending boxes of goodies to our college students periodically to let them know we love them and are proud of what they are doing. I think we need to do this. If there is anyone reading this blog who goes to KCC and wants to be a part of doing something like this please let me know. Let's get something started. In the mean time, I want to make personal contact with all our college students by the end of this week. PLEASE HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE!!!!

Prayer

Father, I confess to you that my heart is far from being like yours. The more I read this letter that Paul wrote the more I begin to understand his passion for you and others. I want to be like Paul who in turn strived to be like you. I have said in just about every prayer I have written during my SOAP time and I want to say it again. I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF YOU!!! Only you can make me into the person both you and I desire me to be. Help me. Thank you for hearing my prayer.

SOAP Study - 7/14/08 (1 Thess 2:17-20)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 2:17-10

"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."

Observation

Paraphrase

"Even though we had to personally leave you for a short time (even though you really have been in our hearts this whole time) we desire, in fact we are very eager, to be with you once again. We have wanted to come to you--I Paul have continually wanted to come to you--but Satan has stopped us each time we tried. Why are you so important to us? When Jesus comes back we are going to tell him about you. You have been our hope and joy. You have been the crown of our ministry. You make us shine giving us great joy."

What is God saying?

If God's ultimate command to us is love, then what does the completion of love look like? It is seeing others loving and obeying God. It is seeing others doing what we have done. It is seeing those who we have invested ourselves in loving others just as much as we do. Paul was never concerned about fame or fortune. He was always concerned about the destiny of people's souls and the quality of life they lived, quality only found in living life in a relationship with God. He wanted to see people accepting, in faith, Jesus as Savior and Master. When people fully gave their heart to God and lived a life style that reflected such Paul was the most happy. He was completely filled with joy.

What is God saying to me?

What am I truly concerned about? Am I concerned about how I look? I admit that I am tempted to do this, but the truth of the matter is, I can't look any better then when I allow myself to be instrumentally used in the life of a person in bringing them into a relationship with Christ and seeing them become more like him. In essence there is nothing I can do to make myself look better than forgetting about trying to make myself look good and concentrate on helping others.

God has given us a purpose and that is to become more like Jesus. What did Jesus do? He came to reveal who God is and to bridge the gap that separates us from God. I cannot be the bridge to God like Jesus, but I can be a bridge between others and Jesus.

I want to be able to say to God on that final day "Look at all these people who came to you as a result of you using me to be a bridge to Jesus." The only thing that will really count in the end is how dedicated I was to doing this one thing.

Application

I constantly need to remember what my purpose is. It isn't about me. It is about God!!! It is about helping others come to know God and helping them walk in close relationship to him. How do I constantly remember this? By communing with God everyday so that he is always on my mind. I need to also be aware of how I am making him look to those around me. Jesus said, "If you love me then you will obey my commandments." I need to carefully obey his commands. What are his commands? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength and mind and love others as yourself. Two very simple commands that make Jesus look good. Not only do I need to make him look good but I need to engage people respectfully and strategically. They need to hear the Gospel message and be given a chance to respond.

Prayer

Father, it is my prayer that you would fill my heart with a passion for helping others see and learn who you are. Fill me with a passion to help others come to know you and grow in their relationship with you. Please help me to put my tendency to only look at myself aside. Help me find contentment in doing this. Help me to know a sense of accomplishment in my life as I do this so that I will not look in any other direction but yours. I am your servant. Thank you for hearing my prayers.

SOAP Study - 7/10/08 (1 Thess 2:13-16)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

"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 God's wrath has come upon them at last."

Observation

Paraphrase

"We also continually thank God that when you accepted the word we brought to you, you accepted it as the very Word of God and not mere words of men. Indeed it is God's word and it is working in you. Look at how you have become imitators of the churches in Judea. Your own countrymen are persecuting you just as the Jews persecuted them. Jews were the ones who killed our Lord Jesus and the prophets of old. They also drove us out. Their actions are very displeasing to God because they are opposing his message from going unto the rest of the world that those who are in it might be saved. By doing this they keep stacking sin upon sin, but God is taking care of them right now."

What is God saying?

The Jews thought they were being faithful to God (YHWH), but in reality they were hindering God's work. In doing so they were incurring God's wrath and eventually punishment. God has a perfect plan for the world. He has chosen to use us to accomplish this plan. We can be wonderful tools used to accomplish some great things or we can be the instruments of sabotage used by the enemy.

I know the focus could be "the Jews," but I don't think this is the focus at all. I think God is saying that if we don't fully trust him and give ourselves to him then we are against him. God had chosen the Jewish people. Why? God chose the Jewish people so that through them the world might be saved. It was through them that the Savior came. The problem is, they had become so blinded by their own agenda they failed to see God's agenda. If you aren't for God you are against God. If you are against God you better expect consequences.

What is God saying to me?

I have an agenda and many times I want to believe that my agenda is God's agenda. It is not only an agenda in one area, it is agendas in many different areas. I have an agenda as a husband, father, Christian, pastor, etc... I can get very caught up in my agendas. I can get so caught up in them that they become counter productive to what God has in mind.

I have to ask myself. Do I really seek God enough? Am I sure that what I am doing is God's will? I don't want to be an instrument of sabotage. I want to be an instrument of good. I want to be used by God to introduce people to him and help them grow in their relationship with him.

Application

It is so imporant that I spend time with God each day and realign myself with him. I need to read his Word. I need to spend time in prayer. I need to do things that he would do. This is the only way I can be sure that I am the tool he can use to accomplish his will and not the instrument of sabotage the enemy wants.

As I do my job as a husband, father, pastor, etc... I need to continually ask myself. Is this my will or God's will? My will benefits only me. God's will benefits others and me. The benefit might just be in knowing that I did what was good and right and having peace of mind.

Prayer

Father, I continually struggle with doing what I want instead of doing what you want. I know that I can be used by the enemy as an instrument of sabotage when I only think of myself. I admit to you, it is hard not to think of only myself. Once again, I am in desparate need of you. I need you to help me put myself aside and put others in front. I want to be used by you as a tool to accomplish your purpose. This is my prayer to you. Thank you for listening to me.

SOAP Study - 7/3/08 (1 Thess 2:9-12)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 2:9-12

"For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each of one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory."

Observation

Paraphrase

"You can remember that we were very concerned about not coming across as freeloaders. While telling you about God's good news we worked both night and day right along side of you as not to be a burden. You, and God, can testify to our actions. We tried to be as holy, righteous and blameless in our relationship with you as possible. Remember how we treated you. We treated you like a father should treat his child. We taught you what was right, we encouraged you to do right and we held you accountable in doing the right that is worthy of God. This is the same God who has given you a place in His kingdom and who has shared His glory with you."

What is God saying?

Once again, what an incredible example Paul had set. I think what is really cool about Paul is his humility. I know of pastors and other professional church leaders who expect to be treated in a special way. If it happened to Paul you would never know. He could have gone to the Thessalonians and allowed them to take care of him while he was sharing the Gospel with them, but he didn't. In fact he added to his credibility.

I think humans are naturally skeptical. There always seems to be a catch to something. When Paul came to the Thessalonians I imagine many of them felt the same way. For Paul and his companions to come with no strings attached, meaning they came and didn't expect their needs to be taken care of but, instead they worked just like everyone else to meet their needs, this just added to their credibility. They were there to do exactly what they had come to do. They came to share the Gospel.

Not only did they work to meet their own needs, but the way they treated the Thessalonians spoke volumes. During that time I am sure people were used to being bossed around. Rome was a military government. She had soldiers everywhere. People had a certain amount of freedom, but on the other hand they knew how to obey. Paul and his companions didn't come in lording it over them. Twice now Paul has used the illustration of a parent with their child. Paul and his companions weren't there just to give them a new message, but they were there to build relationships as well.

What is God saying to me?

It is real easy to approach ministry like any other job. You come in everyday at set hours and do what needs to be done, and the bare minimum at that. Those who do ministry like this are not doing ministry at all. They are doing a job. Paul could have gone to Thessalonia and said "Okay God, I'm going to tell these people about you just like you said and then we are moving on." Paul wasn't doing a job though. He was doing ministry.

I have to remember that this isn't a job, it is ministry. Yes it does involve aspects of a job but the end result is different. If I look at my ministry as only a way to get a paycheck then I shouldn't be in ministry. I have to see it has transforming people's lives. It is building relationships. It is being a mother, father, brother, friend to those around me. It is helping others become more like Christ.

Application

This is definitely an encouraging study. Passages like this are encouraging me to do ministry the way it should be done. One thing I have not done yet is make my list of people to pray for. I really need to do this. I know that if I really pray for these people that God will give me a true desire for them, but I have to really pray for them. What I mean is, I can't just pray generic prayers for them. I have to know what is going on in their lives and I really need to pray accordingly.

This also means I need to take interest in their lives. I am horrible at listening and forgetting. I can't tell you how many times someone has told me something about their lives and the next time I talk to them I have completely forgotten what they had said. Bad habit for a person in ministry. I really need to take an interest in people's lives and remember what they have told me.

Prayer

Once again, I am guilty of being more concerned with myself then with others. I would ask that you help me in two ways. First, please help me to view my ministry here at KCC as a ministry and not a job. Help me keep focused on what is important. Help me help others become more like you. Second, please help me to take an active interest in people's lives. I really suffer from the inability to remember things people have told me. Holy Spirit, please help me to put people at the forefront of my mind. Help me to pray for the important things concerning their lives. Overall, please help me to be the minister you have designed me to be. I am in desperate need of you. Thank you for hearing my prayer.

SOAP Study - 7/2/08 (1 Thess 2:1-8)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

"For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to pleae man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed--God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gosepl of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us."

Observation

Paraphrase

"You know we came to you for a reason. Inspite of already having suffered in Philippi, we still came to you to share the Gospel. We share because of our faith in God. We even shared it with you while you were going through your own conflict. What we shared was not false and we never had the intention to deceive you. God has given us the responsibility to share His Good News, and this is what we do. We do not do it for any other reason. We don't do it to please people, but we want to please God who is constantly testing our faith. It should be obvious! We didn't come trying to say things that would flatter you, how could our message be misunderstood for flattery. We didn't come to try and get money from you. God is our witness! We weren't looking for a bunch of followers who glorified us!! I suppose we could have demanded this since we are Christ's apostles, but we didn't. Instead, we came to you gentle like, like a mother who takes care of a new born infant. We love you guys so much that we not only shared the Gospel with you but we stayed and gave our lives to you. That is how much you mean to us!!"

What is God saying?

I love this passage. More than anything I see the example of how we are supposed to devote our lives to doing what God has designed us for. Paul and his companions just got through being persecuted in Philippi. If it was me I'd be a little hesitant on going to another town. I might even reason to take a break, but here is Paul, so consumed with what God has called Him to do. Even though his mission in Philippi might be seen as a failure (which is not the way he ever looked at it) he immediately goes to Thessalonica to start the sharing all over again, and to top it off it seems that the people he encountered in Thessalonica were going through a bit of trouble themselves! Nothing should get in the way of sharing God's message of forgiveness, love and hope.

It doesn't stop there though. Paul goes on to say that there could have been a bunch of motivating factors for why they decided to stay. Here was a group of people suffering. What a perfect opportunity for someone to come in and take advantage, but this was never Paul's intention. In fact, he saw an opportunity to offer hope. His motivation was not selfish (unless you want to call his love for God selfish). His motivation was God and those he lovingly worked with. There should never be selfish motives involved when sharing the Gospel.

Not only was there love for God, but after being with these people he fell in love with them. His motivation spread!! Now he was doing what he was doing for God and them. I am aware that there are people who view themselves as "evangelists" and their only goal is to get into a church, do their thing, get people saved, and get out. Paul was an evangelist, but he couldn't just go in get people saved and leave. He had to stay and invest himself into them. He grew to love them so much that he had to be sure they were headed in the right direction before he left. Sharing the Gospel is a process that requires sacrifice and commitment.

What is God saying to me?

I'll be honest. There are times when I feel like it would be so much nicer and easier to be closer to my family in Washington, or just do my job on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights and that's it. I think "Hey Lord, look at what I am doing. I'm teaching on Sundays and Wednesday, I take kids to camp and Mexico, and once in awhile I give a little advice. I'm doing great aren't I!!!" My motivation is me.

What it all comes down to is attitude. I am constantly blown away with the attitude Paul had. If anyone was near perfect it would seem to be Paul. Now we know this isn't true because he was pretty honest, and just darn blunt at times, about himself, but his motivation to do what he did had nothing to do with himself. I have to ask myself, am I doing what I am doing because of my love for God and people, or are there other reasons for me doing what I do?

There are times I think, I'd love to be out of ministry. I'll be honest. The problem is I get a little scared. I've invested all this time and money into becoming a pastor. This is what I know. What would I do if I weren't a pastor anymore? What job could I possibly get that provided for my family? I guess I'm stuck.

What I am discovering is that when I start thinking like this I have allowed myself to wander from God and consequentially, from my motivation. This last month has been such a great month. I really believe God has used this blog to help me wander back to Him. I am finding renewal. God is renewing my desire as a pastor. I am doing ministry, not for me, but for Him and for those He has called me to minister to. I want to be like Paul who was an imitator of Christ. I want to experience a growing motivation in me that mirrors the motivation of Jesus.

Application

Where does it all begin? It begins with my personal relationship with Christ. It begins in the simple developement of habits. There are two habits in particular that I am thinking of. Reading/studying God's Word and praying/talking with Him. In short, spending time with Him. The more I spend time with Him the more I feel myself changing.

I started blogging these SOAP studies last week. I can't tell you what they have done for me. My motivation at first was to set an example for the teens in the leadership class. My motivation then turned to being held accountable by those who read this blog. Now my motivation is the growing closeness I feel to God. I am not anywhere near the closeness I want, but the little taste I am getting makes me crave more.

Prayer

Father, I am almost embarrassed to write this prayer down today. I am sorry because I have not been disciplined in spending time with you, but I thank you for the encouragement today. It is my desire to grow in my relationship with you, and it is my desire to do ministry that is motivated by this relationship. I know that the effectiveness of what you have called me to do is proportionate to my closeness to you. May my effectiveness grow as my motivation grows. May my motivation grow as I grow closer to you. Thank you for hearing my prayer.