SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/14/2014 11:24 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Introduction to Shoe-Leather Faith
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 1
Thessalonians 4:9-12
I wrote in the SD from yesterday that I would be trying
to complete two SD,’ today, one from Jeremiah 25, and one from the forth
chapter of 1 Thessalonians. With this
said this SD will be a bit different that others as it will not have all of the
things that I put in most of my SD’s. I
have decided to quote the introduction to John MacArthur’s commentary on this
chapter that he wrote which includes verses 4-9 of chapter four. I have listened to his sermon on this section
and believe that the points that he makes on the introduction to the sermon and
also incorporated in his commentary are greatly beneficial to all who read
them.
“Christianity is a shoe-leather faith—a living, practical
faith that hits the streets in normal, everyday life, affecting everything from
believers’ simplest attitudes and most mundane actions to their profoundest
thoughts and noblest deeds. Although any
religion should affect the way its adherents live, no false religion—no matter
how high its ethical standards—can genuinely transform the lives of its
followers in a way that restrains the fallen flesh. Only by belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ
does the power of God transform lives so that what believers profess they are
able to live. The apostle Paul’s
continued insistence that the Thessalonians live that way was the motive for
the practical expressions in this passage.
“An unsettling situation within the church at
Thessalonica intensified his concern for the Thessalonians’ spiritual
growth. From the beginning, their church
was genuine, and Paul recognized that ‘Constantly bearing in mind your work of
faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in
the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His
choice of you’(1Thess. 1:3-4; cf. 2:13).
They were soon a model church in their region; they ‘became an example
to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord…sounded forth from
[them], not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place [their] faith
toward God [went] forth, so that we [had] no need to say anything’ (1:7-8; cf.
2 Cor. 8:1-5; 2 Thess. 1:3-4). However,
at the conclusion of Pauls commendations there is the hint of a problem.
“The apostle had taught the Thessalonians about the
return of Christ, and they eagerly anticipated that glorious coming
(1:10). However, they were apparently
overly anxious about the Lord’s return and wanted to make sure they did not
miss it. Their zealous preoccupation
with Jesus’ coming led to the mistaken notion that temporal responsibilities no
longer mattered in light of His return.
Thus Paul had to give them substantial instruction to correct their
misunderstandings and unhealthy responses to the promise of the imminent return
of the Savior (4:13-511; 2 Thess. 2:1012).
“A zealous but balanced anticipation of the return of
Christ is a good thing. The apostle John
had such an earnest expectation for the Parousia in his conclusion to the book
of Revelation: ‘He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming
quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus’” (Rev.
22:20). The apostle James told his
readers, ‘Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of
the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts,
for the coming of the Lord is near’ (James 5:7-8). The apostle Peter wrote, ‘But according to
His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which
righteousness dwells. Therefore,
beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in
peace, spotless and blameless’ (2 Peter 3:13-14). Paul desired that the Corinthians would be
‘awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Cor. 1:7).
“But the Thessalonians were allowing their excitement and
enthusiasm for the second coming of Christ to overshadow the ordinary
responsibilities of life. They seemed to
lose their balance and composure (2 Thess. 2:2; 3:10) and became so zealous and
agitated concerning eschatological events that they neglected their everyday
duties. Such an unbalanced perspective
on Jesus’ return, however, contradicted the Lord’s teaching, for example, in
the parable of the ten minas, in which He sought to correct the disciples’
mistaken idea that ‘the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately’ (Luke
19:11; cf. 24:21; Acts 1:6). As He
introduced the parable, Christ indicated how believers ought to live in view of
His coming earthly kingdom: ‘A nobleman
went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then
return. And he called ten of his slaves,
and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come
back (Luke 19:12-13). Christians are to
carry on with their everyday lives and responsibilities until Christ returns.
Because of the Thessalonians’ skewed and unsettled
outlook concerning the return of Christ, Paul needed to bring them down to
earth and give them four practical exhortations for the life until Jesus comes;
love each other more, lead a quiet life, mind your own business, and work with
your hands. Obedience to these commands
would be a more appropriate testimony to unbelievers than the Thessalonians’
extreme preoccupation with the Lord’s return, which preoccupation came at the
expense of caring for life’s responsibilities.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: As I look at the
introduction of this chapter I am reminded of when I first became a believer
and how I wanted to tell who ever would listen to me that the Lord was soon
coming back in the rapture of the church.
When I joined a church the Pastor sat me down and told me that there
were other doctrines in the Scripture that I needed to study, and that is what
I have been doing ever since. I still
love returning to the study of the end times and there are times when the Lord
will bring people into my life that I can share this precious truth with them.
6/14/2014 12:08 PM
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