Good morning. Back to
Thessalonians: in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in
Christ Jesus. Like the rejoicing, it does not say to give thanks that it
happened, but to give thanks in the midst of it. It is not optional – it is
God's will. As I've said before, things have happened throughout my life that
were not things to be thankful for at the time – but I would not be here, if
they had not happened. Be thankful that God is in control of everything. It may
not look good now, but it will in the end. Do not quench the Spirit. Of course
that has happened in a lot of churches; some of them even Pentecostal. There
have been so many abuses in the past that pastors are afraid of what might
happen. Do not despise prophetic utterances; but examine everything carefully,
hold fast to that which is good. Again with abuses in the past, it is easy to
be skeptical about prophecies. However when they are real – it is after all God
speaking. We are to examine what is said, and hold fast to that which is good.
If we're not sure, put it on the shelf. If it is true, it will be verified
later. Abstain from every form of evil. Elsewhere the Bible tells us to not
even give the appearance of evil. We don't want it to even look like there's
something wrong going on. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
entirely. He is the one that has to do it. We cannot do it in our own power. In
fact too many times we don't even want to be sanctified. That would mess up our
"fun". It is not just in one or two areas of our lives, God wants to
sanctify us entirely – every area of our lives. Father thank You that the
reader is sanctified in every area of his/her life. He/she gives thanks in
everything to You.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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