What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
Today's Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians - Gratitude, Spiritual Resilience, and Living with Joyful Faith
Gratitude, faith, and resilience—what do these powerful words have in common with the early Christian community in Thessalonica? Get ready to discover a deeply moving narrative as we explore Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy's heartfelt letter to the Thessalonians. This episode captures the unwavering spirit of a community that embraced the gospel with genuine warmth and stood firm amidst trials. Reflecting on Paul's yearning to reconnect with the believers and his encouraging push for their continued growth, we underscore the profound message of spiritual resilience and the enduring hope rooted in Jesus Christ.
In the latter part, we delve into Paul's profound final exhortations to the Thessalonians, urging them to live with harmony, diligence, and patience. We highlight his call for continuous joy, prayer, and gratitude as expressions of God's will. The discussion also emphasizes the need to respect prophecies while discerning their truth, and to hold steadfastly to what is good. Concluding with a blessing for complete sanctification and a reaffirmation of God's steadfast faithfulness, we set the stage for our next exploration into the book of 2 Thessalonians. Join us for an inspiring look at the timeless lessons from 1 Thessalonians!
May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know? Alright, in today's Bible reading we're going to be reading through the book of 1 Thessalonians. If you're ready, let us begin.
Speaker 1:Paul, silvanus and Timothy To the Church of the Thessalonians. And God, the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake, and you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything, for they themselves report concerning us, the kind of reception we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, jesus, who delivers us from the wrath, to come.
Speaker 1:1 Thessalonians 2, for you. Yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated in 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 please men, but to please God, who tests our hearts, for we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor was that pretext for greed, and God is our hearts, for we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor was a pretext for greed, and God is our witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands of it as apostles of Christ, but we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our labor and our toil. We work night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you. While we proclaim you the gospel of God, you are a witness, and God also. How holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct towards you, believers, for you know how, like a father with his children, we exhort each one of you and encourage you and charge you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 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 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 displeased God and opposed all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved. So it was always to fill the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last.
Speaker 1:But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person but 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 our joy or our crown of boasting before our Lord, jesus Christ that is coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 3.
Speaker 1: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 co-worker 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 were 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 come in and tempted you and our labor would be in vain. 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 reasons, brothers, in all our distress and afflictions 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 your faith. Now may God and the Father himself and our Lord Jesus Christ 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. That he may establish your hearts, blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Speaker 1:1 Thessalonians 4. Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. 1 Thessalonians 4. Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you receive 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 that the instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus for this is the will of God for sanctification. That you abstain from sexual immorality. That each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and in honor, but not in passions of lust like the 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 regards this disregards not man, but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Speaker 1: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 the 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 your own hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and not be dependent on no one. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do when they 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 the 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 a command, with a 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.
Speaker 1:Verse Thessalonians 5. 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 suddenly, destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape, for you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief, for you are all children of the light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So let us not sleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 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 the helmet of 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.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1:Be at peace among yourselves and we urge you, brothers admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak and be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone, evil for evil, but always seeks 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 and do not despise prophecies, but test everything, hold fast to what is good and abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful and he will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have these letters read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. And that ends 1 Thessalonians and our time for the day. Tomorrow we'll start 2 Thessalonians. Until then, have a great day and goodbye.