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Growing in love for others is the result of deepening one's relationship with God. God is love so the closer we get to Him the more of His love penetrates our heart. It is the love we receive from God that creates the desire to love Him back. John 14:15 says to love God is to obey His commandments.

There are many ways we can appear spiritual, healing the sick, raising the dead, serving as a deacon/elder, worshipping with our hands up, falling down in the Spirit. Yet, our religious works are dead if not motivated by love (1 Cor. 13). Jealousy, envy, control, pride are often rampant amongst church leadership, true Kingdom leaders are known for one main character and that is love. Being Apostolic, Prophetic, performing miracles is nothing but clanging symbols without love.

Paul was most impressed with the Thessalonians because their faith was flourishing and their love for one another was growing. One of the most frustrating parts of the ministry is the lack of volunteers. Love is the motivating factor behind faith increasing. Faith and love are verbs meaning action words. So if we want to see more action by those we lead, we need to display to them God's love more. Churches can be full of people doing all sorts of religious things and yet really not connected to each other. Ministries need to scale back and keep things simple where growing in relationship with God and each other is the main emphasis.
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As it says in verses 11 and 12 in order to live worthy lives where God is honored by the choices we make and the words we speak as leaders we need to provide the right environment. Ephesians 4:16 says each part of the body supplies grace to the other parts, so therefore to be enabled we need to be growing in God's love together as His body. If we want more of God we need to connect closer with other growing believers. Our issues will never be resolved isolated it is the body of Christ operating together that frees each member from the iniquities that can so easily beset them.

​Sunday September 8th
1st Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:28
I had a conversation recently with Linda Hart, because she is the head of our prophetic team.
I told her that I had these two dreams on back to back nights, and I wondered what they meant.
In the first dream I was a teepee, waiting for the pow-wow to begin. In the second dream I was the big top, waiting for the circus to start.
I wondered if there was a reason why I was waiting for something to start in both of my dreams.
Linda told me, “You just need to relax, God is obviously showing you that you are two tense!”
 
In chapter 4 we find that the Thessalonians were also waiting, waiting for Jesus to return, and the Apostle Paul has to remind them that they shouldn’t lose hope while they are waiting.
 
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Those verse are often read at funerals, to remind us to have hope in the resurrection, when we will be reunited with our loved ones for all of eternity, and the fact that Jesus would someday return and draw all believers to be with Him,
But, just like people today, it’s possible that the Thessalonians were wondering “when” that was going to happen. So in chapter 5, Paul starts off by addressing that question:
 
Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day.
 
“Just like a thief in the night”
“Destruction will come upon them suddenly!”
 
Jesus gives a similar warning in Matthew 24:44 
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him."
That’s part of the great tragedy of our world today- so many people are completely unprepared to meet the Lord. Not only are they unprepared - they are actually proclaiming that there is "Peace and Safety" all around – Nothing to worry about! No judgment to face! You can just live any way that you want to. You won’t have to answer for it!
That’s why Paul says in verses 6 and7
“So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep; sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.”
That’s not just a warning about drinking. Paul is also warning that we can’t allow anything in our lives that will diminish our alertness. Alcohol is just one example.
Just like alcohol will inhibit a person’s ability to think clearly and make good decisions, we need to avoid any form of sin or distraction that affects our ability to make proper moral and spiritual decisions.
That’s why in verse 8 Paul again encourages sobriety:
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Does that language remind you of anything? It’s very similar to the “full armor of God” that Paul talks about in Ephesians 6. (the breastplate and the helmet)

Verses 9 and 10 remind us that as believers our ultimate destiny is to be with Jesus forever:
“For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.”
So we know that we’re going to live with Jesus for all of eternity, but how are we supposed to live with each other in the meantime? Paul starts to answer that in verse 11:
“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.”
That’s definitely a good place to start – build each other up instead of tearing each other down!
Paul also encourages the members of the Thessalonian church to respect their leaders, saying in verses 12 and 13:
“But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”
Anyone who is in leadership can tell you what a blessing it is to feel love and appreciation from fellow church members.
And then notice in verse 14 that Paul adds this:
“We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
Paul obviously knew that certain members of the church weren’t going to be as loving and supportive as others, and he felt that the responsibility for ministering to the weaker members should be shared by the entire church, not just the leaders. He says “brethren”, help each other to grow, and work out your struggles together.
He continues that teaching in verses 15-18:
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Paul’s advice when it comes to dealing with less mature brothers and sisters is to be patient, to always look for the good in each other, and to pray for each other without ceasing. Those are very good suggestions for all of us to follow, because ultimately the church is a family, and families need to take care of each other.
It follows naturally then that Paul reminds the church family at Thessalonica in verse 19:
“Do not quench the Spirit.”
Why do I say that it follows naturally? Because if we aren’t flowing together in love as a church family, then it means that the Holy Spirit is being “quenched” or limited in our church.
In scripture, the Holy Spirit is often likened to a fire, and we know that fires can be extinguished or snuffed out.
We certainly don’t want the lack of love for one another to become a hindrance to the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our church, do we?
The next “family matter” that Paul addresses with the Thessalonians is not to despise prophecy within the church.
20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good
Why do you think Paul had to warn the church against “despising” prophecy? Isn’t prophecy a good thing?
I personally think that something bad had happened in that realm with the Thessalonian church, because in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 Paul says,
“Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”
Do you see what might have happened there? Somebody had come into the Thessalonian church and “prophesied” to the people that the Day of the Lord had already come and gone! And these people claimed to have a letter from Paul backing up their false prophecy.
That’s a problem for sure. Wouldn’t you agree?
So we have to ask ourselves, what would cause people to despise prophecy? Bad prophecies, false prophecies, fleshly prophecies, unscriptural prophecies – those kinds of errors can cause people to doubt true prophecies.
That’s why Paul says in verse 21 “examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.”
Which is similar to what John says in 1 John 4:1
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Here at Praise we are careful to follow all of the scriptural guidelines regarding prophecy so that you can have confidence in the prophetic words that you hear. And on top of that, we encourage each of you to judge the prophetic words for yourself, to see if God wants you to receive and respond to them.
And regardless of whether or not you consider yourself to be a prophetic person, verses 22 and 23 are for the entire church family:
“Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
When Paul uses the word sanctify, he’s saying that we all need to “clean up our act”! Because sanctification is a process of purification that allows us to be fit for use by our King.
And he says that we need to let God “sanctify you entirely”. How entirely? Spirit, soul, and body – does that leave anything out? I don’t think so.
Compare what Paul is saying here to these other verses from 2nd Timothy 2:20-21
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
Our goal should be to conduct ourselves as a “vessel of honor” so that we can be useful to our Master, our Lord Jesus Christ. And in order to be a vessel of honor we need to be sanctified. Think of it this way, you don’t use a dish until it’s been washed first!
Sanctification of our human imperfections is not only possible, it’s a promise. God is faithful and will accomplish it, as we are promised in verse 24,
“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
In the final verses of his letter, Paul prays for these believers and asks the church to pray for him as well:
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you

​There is a song that was released in 2019 that became popular probably because people can relate so well with it. Here is the chorus:

'Cause I got issues

But you got 'em too

So give 'em all to me

And I'll give mine to you

Bask in the glory

Of all our problems

'Cause we got the kind of love

It takes to solve 'em

This is written between two people in love but it can speak to us as believers that we all have issues, and we need to not judge but support each other, trusting that God will work them all out through His love in time.

We just finished the Advance series from the book of Acts. It was a real charge to move forward, but easier said than done, because of our issues.

This next series is entitled Issues and the journey will take us through the Pauline Epistles in Chronological order. In Paul's missionary journey's he would spend time in a particular city, raise leaders, and then continue on, normally because he was forced out by persecution. With humans follows problems, and since travel was not like it is today, Paul had to rely on writing to address these issues as they arose.

My hope is as we journey with Paul through his epistles we will discover our own issues and gain the wisdom on how to move through them so we can truly advance ahead and take greater ground for the glory of the Kingdom of God.

Here in 1 Thessalonians, Paul, as we will see in all his letters, starts off with encouragement. Focusing on what is good before dealing with what is not so good. This is a wise leadership tool, always start positive, building up first, before dealing with the issues that need to be resolved. A good leader is not just one that can point out problems but one who can lead people towards solving them without feeling discouraged.

Paul spent this first chapter reminding the Thessalonians what the Lord has done and how they have been an example to others through their faithful witness. One of my mentors would turn people's issues into humor so that the listeners would be laughing first and then realize, 'ouch,' he is talking about me, I need to repent and change my way of thinking. It is a highly effective correctional model. Get people to laugh, agree, and then take ownership of their own problems.