Thriving Through Thessalonians #9

Thriving Through Thessalonians #9

Thriving spiritually means you are doing well in your relationships with God, with Others, with the Earth, and yourself.

Thriving spiritually means you are living your life to the full.

Thriving spiritually means you have experienced that second work of Grace,

entire sanctification.

Thriving spiritually means you are using your gifts and graces to build up the body of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-28 (MSG)

19 Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep

only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil. 

23 May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it! 

25 Friends, keep up your prayers for us. Greet all the Christians there with a holy embrace. And make sure this letter gets read to all the brothers and sisters. Don't leave anyone out. 

28 The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you!

Paul writes a blessing. May God make you holy and whole, or as the King James Version translates, May God sanctify you wholly.

You have been taught that entirely doesn’t mean perfection of performance but rather it becomes your intent to allow love to motivate your thoughts and behaviors.

The first work of grace theologians call justification.

You’ve heard it before: Acknowledge, Believe, Commit.

The second work of grace comes after the first.

Egoism keeps hijacking your best intentions.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (MSG)

The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!

Your part is to acknowledge your need to be entirely sanctified, believe what God wants to do He can do, and that He can do it now, and then ask God to do it in you. 

God does the work in response to your request.

The sin nature’s power to hijack your will and force you to do what it wants, is broken.

 Do you want God’s gift of a second work of grace in your life?

I want you to thrive spiritually.

To thrive spiritually test everything.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (MSG)

Don't suppress the Spirit, 20 and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. 21 On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. 22 Throw out anything tainted with evil.

Paul tells the congregation. Don’t suppress the Spirit.

Early on in his travels Paul would go to a new town and seek out the local synagogue.  Acts 17:2

Paul would go to the spiritual meeting place of the Jewish community and he would then reason with the locals using the Old Testament explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. Paul taught how the atonement brings salvation through faith in Jesus. Acts 13:12-52

What resources did this new congregation have?

They had the Old Testament. They had Paul and possibly the writings of some of the other 11 Apostles. They had the Holy Spirit whom Jesus said would lead them into all truth.

Acts 13:15 (MSG)

After the reading of the Scriptures—God's Law and the Prophets—the president of the meeting asked them, "Friends, do you have anything you want to say? A word of encouragement, perhaps?"

I would be asking for you to tell me what you think about what was read, how to apply it to our lives. You would be giving the sermon.

Don’t believe everything you hear is from God just because a follower of God in the place of worship of God has a Word from God. 

Paul says Test what is said.

Wesleyan Quadrilateral.

Is the teaching in accordance with the scripture?

Is the teaching in harmony with the tradition of my faith family?

Is the teaching something verifiable by experience? 

Is the teaching reasonable?

To check out what is taught you will need to see if what is taught harmonizes with

(1) Scripture, (2) tradition, (3) reason, and (4) experience.

If what has been taught is contradictory to what the scripture reveals, no need to go further. The teaching falls the test.

What was taught might not necessarily be wrong, but does it harmonize with your spiritual heritage?  If not, then the teaching fails the test.

If a teaching is not reasonable its most likely wrong and fails the test.

If you cannot personally experience what is being taught, it most likely fails the test.

Chew the cherries, spit out the pits.

          keep only what's good. 22 Throw out anything tainted with evil.

To thrive spiritually test everything.