Day 17 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5

2  Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? [1]

In the first chapter of this second letter to the church in Thessalonica Paul addresses the second coming of the Lord. He does so in detail and now in this second chapter we know his reason. While it would appear that there was great confusion about when the Lord would return, we now can see that some false prophets who had infiltrated the camp, bringing a report or letter, caused the confusion saying that the day of the Lord had already come. It is bad enough to have a false report spread through the body that brings confusion, but it is worse still to have that report attributed to the leadership. Paul, of necessity, must now correct the report and remind the body of what he taught them while he was with them.

Paul corrects and alleviates the confusion by focusing on deception (one of the principle tools in the devil’s inventory) and the obligation of the body to guard against it. There are many today claiming to have some fresh prophecy or some newly inspired interpretation that is intended by the enemy of our souls to deceive and lure the body away from the Lord. Remember Jesus taught that the devil’s job is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Deception is just one powerful tool he uses to accomplish that task. However, we often make the enemy’s job easier by our willingness to accept easy pat answers to hard difficult questions without doing the hard work of study and prayer.

Paul finds it a bit incredulous that the Thessalonians would be deceived by such a report when he had taught them about the coming of the Lord while he as with them. But their deception reminds us that God’s “people perish for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). What we don’t know or cannot remember will always get us into trouble and make us susceptible to the enemy’s devices. Let us covenant today to do two very important things: study for ourselves and remember what we have been taught.

Dear Lord, we confess that we too often look for easy answers and fail to study and pray. There have been times when we have heard things taught that did not sound correct but we had no knowledge by which to judge them. Forgive us for the times we have let our guard down and allowed ourselves to be deceived. Help us to better organize our day so that we can spend time with You reading Your Word, listening to You speak and communing with You. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 2 Thessalonians 2:1–5.

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Day 16 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12

5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. 11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[1]

As we have seen, the Thessalonians were a people known for their faithful endurance of persecution. Their faith in God and the love they have for one another has grown so much that Paul boasts about them to all the other churches. As a result they will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which they suffer. It is not uncommon to ask, when enduring persecution, whether the faithful endurance was worth it. Paul tells his readers that they will be vindicated when Jesus comes again for He will return in dramatic fashion with fire and warring angels that will execute judgment upon those who have persecuted them.

Paul tells us that vengeance belongs to God and that He is the One who will exact it (Romans 12:19). Such knowledge should gives us hope and confidence as well as relieve us from the burden of feeling we have to respond to the persecution we endure. I know well the temptation to respond to the hostility the body of Christ endures on a daily basis. It seems that the persecution only grows more and more intense, but the response our flesh desires to give belongs not to us but to the Lord. Our response is to ensure that Jesus is glorified in our lives.

Just as the Thessalonians were living in an age of intense persecution so too are we. Our faith is constantly colliding with the dominant culture and it often appears that the culture prevails. Paul commends the Thessalonians for their faithfulness but then lets them know that he is praying for them. We, too, are to be commended for the manner in which we stand faithfully holding to the testimony of Jesus, but we also need to pray so that we do not grow weary. So I pray for all of us that we might continue to stand.

Dear Heavenly Father, You know the difficulties and challenges to our faith we face everyday. You know the places where we are tempted and tried. We need Your power to continue to stand in this hour. We confess the weariness and frustration of having to always defend our faith. Give us hope and courage to remain faithful, and so that Jesus is glorified in us and we in Him. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 2 Thessalonians 1:5–12.

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Day 15 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

1   Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. [1]

As Paul begins his second letter to the church in Thessalonica, he commends them for two things: their ever increasing faith and their love one for the other. It strikes me that these are two things that should characterize the church today, and in many places it does. However, there are places in the post-modern church where these two things are not emphasized and do not characterize the church. In these places the church has become much more about business and activity for the whole family than it is about building faith in God and love for one another.

I grieve over a church that has been a recreational activity rather than a place to worship and exalt the Lord. In many places the church has become such a finely oiled machine that it is no longer readily apparent whom we are worshiping. If Jesus were to be taken out of the church altogether in these places the church would not cease to exist and would continue as if nothing had changed. The Thessalonian church became so proficient in growing their faith and learning to love each more and more that Paul boasted about it to the other churches.

Would not it be wonderful if the churches we attended and/or led were known for ever increasing faith and love for each other? The Thessalonian church discovered what it took to persevere through their trials and tribulation. It was not an award winning choir, an enviable Christian education department, or even a powerful preacher. It was their faith in God and their love for one another. The days in which we are living are evil and will continue to become even more so. We will suffer from persecution and trials of all kinds. Jesus, himself, told us that we would have trials but we could be encouraged because He had overcome the world (John 16:33). We need a faith strong enough to see us through and a love for one another strong enough to stand with and for one another. Let us, therefore, build our faith in God and His Word, and our love for the people of God so that we will be able to stand in the day of trial.

Lord, like the man who brought his son to you to be healed, we believe but ask that you help our unbelief. We confess that much of our faith is routine and not genuine. We are guilty of going through the motions much of the time. We fail to pray. We fail to study and we fail to demonstrate our love for our sisters and brothers. Help us today to grow in faith and love. Move us past the perfunctory to that which is genuine and sincere so that we might be ale to overcome every trial we endure today and the days that are yet to come. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4.

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Day 14 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

1 Thessalonians 5:16-28

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 25 Brothers, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. [1]

As Paul concludes this first letter to the church in Thessalonica he moves his exhortation from ethical back to a religious emphasis. In rapid-fire succession he admonishes his readers to do several important, even critical, things before he pronounces benediction upon them. They are to have joy, even in their suffering. Being joyful, having joy is a consistent theme of his letters mentioned over two dozen times as Paul, himself, learned to rejoice in all circumstances. They are to pray without ceasing and give thanks in all situations, yes, even in their hardships and trials. Then comes three exhortations that probably belong together: “do not quench the Spirit;” “do not treat prophesies with contempt;” and, “test everything.”

Many believers relish professing that the Spirit leads them. They claim to be true Trinitarians, but in actuality are only ‘binarians.’ They are perfectly comfortable with God the Father and God the Son, but are squeamish about God the Holy Spirit. They are “Holy Ghost shy.” Seldom are they truly led by the Spirit and allow themselves to become exited and enthused by the Spirit. Do we dare talk about prophecies? I confess that I have had enough prophetic word spoken over my life, but I dare not treat them contempt. I, therefore, test them to see if they conform to the Word of God and accord with what God has already spoken in my life.

One of the deficits of the post-modern church is that its claims of being led by the Spirit cannot stand up against the Word of God, and a biblically ignorant church accepts whatever they hear without testing it to see if it is accurate and true. Of all the instructions Paul gives his readers here, these two words, test everything leap from the page. Read your Bibles and learn the Word for yourself. In an age where so many claim to operate under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit remember that God will never contradict Himself, so test everything against what He has already spoken. Doing so will enable us to hold on the good and avoid every kind of evil.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for leaving us such wonderful words of encouragement and instruction. We confess that we have not always been the diligent students of Your Word that we should. We have accepted whatever we heard trusting that those who spoke it were faithfully imparting it. We recommit ourselves today to thoroughly studying Your Word for ourselves. By the inspiration of Your Spirit and the teaching of faithful servants fill in the gaps of our understanding so that we might lead the victorious lives for which You created us. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 1 Thessalonians 5:16–28.

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Day 13 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. [1]

Paul continues his admonition to the Thessalonians to encourage one another even as he encourages them. They are to honor and respect their leaders “in the Lord,” “live in peace with each other,” “warn the idle,” “encourage the timid,” and more. While he provides all these small but important directives concerning their relationships with one another he spends the majority of his words asking them to respect their leaders “in the Lord.” The qualifier “in the Lord” is important because it indicates a particular kind of leader with, I think, a particular kind of accountability. This type of diligent and faithful leader should rightly be respected.

We live in a time when people just do not have the respect for leaders and in some instances the disrespect may seem justified. There are some leaders who have come to their positions through impure and unholy motives, who lord their position over the people and who seek monetary gain. These types of leaders do not need our respect, but the ones in the Lord who work hard among us and admonish us we are to respect and hold in the “highest regard in love because of their work.” By respect Paul means more than just having “deep feelings of admiration for a person because of their qualities” or offering them polite greetings when we encounter them. Paul wants his readers to “avoid harming or interfering” with their leaders, and “to agree to recognize and abide” by their decisions; and, this is where showing respect is complicated. For many today, the leader is a faithful servant who is all too rarely recognized for the good they do or followed as they obviously follow the Lord.

I can remember a time when even non-believers would respect ministers enough to guard their speech and hide their illicit behavior. I have had members who did not want me to drop by their homes unannounced because they wanted them to be prepared in such a way as to receive me ‘properly.’ Now people think of ministers as just people doing a job, the church as just another building, and that we are responsible to no one, except ourselves, for whatever we do. Today, resolve to start showing leaders “in the Lord” the respect they deserve.

Lord, too often we have been guilty of trivializing what leaders do among us. Treating them like just another person, we have not acknowledged their gifts or anointing. We have not followed their counsel or heeded their advice. We have not incorporated the lessons we have learned from them into our daily living. Forgive us today for our lack of respect. As we seek to encourage one another more and more enable us to respect our leaders in You even more, especially those who are over us and admonish us. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 1 Thessalonians 5:12–15.

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Day 12 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

1 Thessalonians 5:5-11

5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. [1]

“We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” Have you noticed that those who have a mind to do wrong tend to do their dirt at night under the cover of darkness? Several years ago while my wife and I were in New Orleans we visited Bourbon Street, which is notorious for all kinds of illicit and immoral behavior. Apart from the pictures on the doors of the clubs advertising the activities that took place on the inside, Bourbon Street appeared to be a quiet laid-back idyllic street. But as day gave way to dusk all sorts of people came out of the woodwork and things began to get suddenly very strange, and it was time to leave.

Paul writes that we are children of the light and the day, therefore we are to be alert and self-control, “putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet,” not being “like others who are asleep.” In most places Paul uses sleep as a euphemism for the death of believers, but here sleep refers to those who are unconscious to the necessary distinction between what it means to live in the light and day instead of darkness and the night. In the same way there are many among us who can be said to be asleep. They do not see how the one is incompatible with the other. They think that they can “have their cake and eat it too,” living in the dark but perpetrating in the daylight.

What is our responsibility toward our sisters and brothers and the household of faith? As has been the theme of much of this book thus far, Paul says that we should encourage one another. But this encouragement is a little different from encouraging one to hang on despite persecution. It is encouragement to live and walk in the light, and as such it does not happen often in the modern church because of a false sense of propriety. We believe it is not our job to get into another’s business and it is not. But when we see a sister or brother walking in darkness we have an obligation to encourage them to walk in the light, to live in the day. Let us resolve today to leave no one behind.

Dear Father, a false sense of propriety and gentility causes us to wink at the danger of emerging sin in our brother and sister’s life. Where we could have and should have encouraged another to righteousness we held our peace and let brother or sister fall. Forgive us for being too timid to risk relationship to lift up another of your children. Forgive us for being too self-absorbed to show concern for and encourage one another. Give us a passion to rescue the perishing and to reach the lost at all cost. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 1 Thessalonians 5:5–11.

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Day 11 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

1 Thessalonians 5:1-4

5   Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. [1]

The Apostle Paul sincerely believed that Jesus would return during his lifetime. That belief fueled much of what he wrote causing many misinterpretations of his theology over the centuries. Obviously Jesus did not return but he still waited, as do we. Over the course of time there have been many attempts to predict when he would return giving rise to all sorts of tragedies when the predictions proved false. Why would people want to predict when Jesus is to return? Perhaps so they can be certain to be ready at the appointed time while they continue to live the lives that please them. It is rather like how some tend to wait to the last moment to pack before a trip or cram before an exam.

These are two different attitudes toward the return of Jesus, and only one of them makes sense. Paul never predicted the return of Jesus, but rather lived his life as though he was going to return at any moment. This other view is somewhat like playing Russian roulette; the click of the chamber without an accompanying explosion gives one a false sense of confidence. No, I prefer to stand with Paul and be ready. He tells his readers that the return of Jesus will come like a thief in the night. No one expects their home to be broken into, even if they live in a high crime area. So to protect themselves from such an eventuality they take precautions. They get a big dog with a loud bark, an alarm system, security cameras, and bars on the doors and windows, and steel doors. All of these things may give the resident confidence but they do not guarantee defense against a determined thief and so are surprised when they have their homes broken into.

We are to take precautions to prepare ourselves for the return of our Lord and King, but we will not be any more able to predict when he will come than a resident can predict when a thief will break in. The difference is that we should not be surprised when He comes because we have lived our lives in expectation of his imminent return. The saints of old, in my community, should to say, “I’ve got my ticket in my hand and I’m ready to go.” Such was not so much an expression of longing as of readiness. They were saying that whenever the midnight train comes they were ready to get on board. What can we say?

Lord, We want to be ready to go with You when you return. Convict us by Your Holy Spirit of those things in our lives that pose obstacles to our readiness, and give us courage to release them to You. It is in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4.

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Day 10 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. [1]

One of the most difficult concepts for believers to grasp is what happens when one dies. An unbelieving world thinks and lives as though this life is all that there is. They profoundly believe that when dies their bodies decay, go back to dust and there is nothing more. So when someone dies the grief that is expressed is often inconsolable. For those who believe, however, there is an entirely different concept. This life is not all that there is. We believe and know that there is eternity waiting on us and we trust that we will spend that eternity with the Lord.

Paul addresses this concept by describing what will happen when the Lord shall return again. Those who have died in the Lord are described as sleeping versus having died and at the sound of the trumpet will rise from their sleeping to meet the Lord in the middle of the air, then those who remain on the earth will be caught up together with those who had been asleep and the Lord. Paul says that these two groups shall be with the Lord forever. We are then to encourage one another with these words.

Now whether Paul is right or not is not the question. There are many theories about what will happen when people die, where people go when they die, and what will happen when Jesus returns. Paul is not entering that debate but rather seeking to provide encouragement to his readers who have been enduring harsh persecution. Many were martyred because of their faith. Was it all for nothing? Is there something to hope for that is better than what we presently experience? For all of our advances life here on earth cannot compare with what awaits those of us who die in the Lord. Persecution can discourage believers to the point that we are prone to wonder: “What is the point?” Therefore, we need to encourage one another to remain faithful because eternity with Jesus waits.

Lord, we confess that we often place too much emphasis and energy on living life here on earth and not enough on preparing for heaven. We have focused on storing up as much treasure here instead of storing it in heaven. While we do not want to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good, enable us today to have a more balanced and realistic view of life now and life to come. Help us to see that eternity waits and to be prepared for it so that we spend it with you, and then let us care enough about each other to encourage one other with these words. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.

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Day 9 – 21 Days in Thessalonians

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

1 Thessalonians 4:6-12

6 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. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. 11 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, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. [1]

These six verses are a continuation of the previous six where Paul writes that it is God’s will that believers should be sanctified. The process of sanctification involves living pure and holy lives, abstaining from all kinds of sexual immorality and controlling our bodies in a way that is holy and honorable. By doing so we distinguish ourselves from the heathen who do not believe. Paul now adds another element to the equation by admonishing his readers concerning the treatment of their sisters and brothers, and then reminds them that he has warned them that God punishes all such sin.

What strikes me about this passage is verse eight, “Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you His Holy Spirit.” When holiness is taught it is not uncommon for the teacher to experience resistance. Some believers having heard the clear teaching of scripture will discount it suggesting that what they heard is just the opinion or the interpretation of the instructor. They might even retreat to the tired attribution of God as being too good and kind to place any such demands or threaten such punishment. They think, and the instructor may think, they are rejecting the instructor but in actuality are rejecting God.

I see two important implications in this verse. First, Paul wants his readers to understand the seriousness of what he has written. If they refuse to receive it and be instructed by it there will serious repercussions from the Lord. Second, the instructor should not bear the burden of concern that the student receives the instruction. They will have to answer to God and not to the instructor. But further than that I believe that the instructor needs to understand their responsibility, for which they will be held accountable, is to teach and preach the whole counsel of God without watering it down to make it more palatable. Let we who teach and we who receive take the Word of God more seriously.

Dear heavenly Father, we are guilty of picking and choosing what we wish to accept and reject from Your holy Word. Enable us by Your Holy Spirit today to accept Your whole counsel; that which hurts us as well as that which heals us. Forgive us of any duplicity in teaching or learning. Set us on the solid path of holiness and purity. We commit our hearts, our minds, our souls and even our flesh to You today. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 1 Thessalonians 4:6–12.

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Day 8 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

1 Thessalonians 4:1-5

4  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. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;[1]

Our nation and world has become so accepting of almost any and every lifestyle. In one sense it is not surprising that the world so be so licentious, but this same mentality has successfully invaded the church. Paul urges his readers to live to please God, which is in fact what they were doing. But today rather than living to please God we tend to live to please ourselves. There does not seem to be the same level of passion for the gospel or for walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

According to Paul, God’s will is that we should be sanctified, meaning to be set apart for sacred usage or to be made pure and holy. It is interesting that Paul then ties such sanctification to the avoidance of sexual immorality and the control of our flesh. Such is the great issue of our time. Our discussions, even in the church, around sexuality focus on self-fulfillment when we should be concerned with what will please God. It is the heathen that live in passionate lust not the people of God. To teach in such a way today, however, is dangerous. Paul would be called hateful, insensitive and unloving. What has happened to us? We used to hear sermons in church with titles like: It’s Holiness or Hell! But now we have acquiesced to the standard of heathen society.

How can we live in such a way that will please God? Paul’s answer is simple, but not popular. Separate yourself, which is what it means to be holy. He says we “should learn to control [our] own [bodies] in a way that is holy and honorable.” We learn by study and practice, by example, by what we see and hear. We learn by receiving instruction and by being led and guided. In the process we will have some failure but we can get back up and back into the journey. There are many who are living their lives in such a fashion, but the days require that we live to please God more and more, and as we do so those watching us will see that there is a better way: the way of holiness.

Dear Father, we confess before you the desires of our hearts and minds that grieve rather than please You. We have allowed ourselves to be drawn away from holy living by following what we have seen and heard around us. The pleasures of sin draw us and we struggle to stand. Fill us today with a passionate desire to commune with You, to please You in every way. Take away the dissatisfaction with holy living and replace it with a greater love for You. Help us to make the hard decisions concerning what we need to cut out and off in our lives so as to be singularly focused on You. Enable us to listen to the leading of Your Spirit rather that of our flesh so that we might live today in a way that is holy and honorable. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 1 Thessalonians 4:1–5.

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