Bible Question: I have to teach a lesson for my bible class on 1Thesselonions4 can you help me? |
Bible Answer: Hi, basketball chick! Here's the breakdown on 1 Thessalonians 4: Paul speaks to the Christians and admonishes them to live in a manner pleasing to God: (1-2) Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. Paul reminds them that it is God's will that they (all Christians) refraim from satisfying the wickedness of the flesh; that Christians remain holy, serving God in the Spirit, controlling the impulses of the flesh; that Christians' behavior must be always in Jesus, without selfishness and guile, specially towards fellow Christians--and he warns that Jesus will punish the sinners. (3-8) It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. Though Paul commends them in their charity and love towards the Brothers, he isists that they (all Christians) do more and more; taking into special consideration those who lack in society; he also calls them to be self-sufficient so that there is no need amongst them so that the gentiles (those of the world) would not rule them over any material needs that they may otherwise incur; yet, while promoting self-sufficiency, Paul calls them to aspire to a quiet life (a life devoid of extravagance), in Jesus! (9-12) Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. Paul visits the worries of the Believers who have lost loved ones... he assures them (all Christians) that those who die in Christ will be resurrected in Christ! Jesus is our Living Hope--in Him we will be born into a new existence, both the ones who have experienced physical death and those who are found still alive at His Second Coming! In this, our Faith in Jesus, he advises us to encourage one another... to assist each other in our Christian Life! (13-18) Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. God Bless! Angel |