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The Proof

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2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 We ought and indeed are obligated [as those in debt] to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing exceedingly and the love of every one of you each toward the others is increasing and abounds.4 And this is a cause of our mentioning you with pride among the churches (assemblies) of God for your steadfastness (your unflinching endurance and patience) and your firm faith in the midst of all the persecutions and crushing distresses and afflictions under which you are holding up. 5 This is positive proof of the just and right judgment of God to the end that you may be deemed deserving of His kingdom [a plain token of His fair verdict which designs that you should be made and counted worthy of the kingdom of God], for the sake of which you are also suffering.

Two things really stand out in this passage: growing faith and suffering. Growing faith will cause you to overflow with thanksgiving especially when you consider those who have suffered along with you. Growing faith will even cause you to overflow with thanks for those who have caused you to suffer. The Christian worldview in the West thinks it a strange thing to suffer for Jesus. Often the idea is dismissed when comparing themselves with other saints who live under oppressive regimes. Regimes and governments that are anti-Christ, and antagonistic to Jesus and all who follow Him. We fail to realize that Jesus and any, and all who chose to follow Jesus were under probably the most religious system the world has ever known. They believed in similar things. They participated in worship, prayer, fasting, tithing, Bible reading, and teaching. Yet, many were anti-Christ, and antagonistic to many of the things Jesus taught. He was considered extreme, and because of this He was rejected. Rest assured if they reject Him, they will reject Him in you – if you are growing in faith.

1 Corinthians 1:23 states: We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the salvation of men] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom;2 For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.

Paul only preached Jesus crucified? If you take the time to consider that thought: preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified – it should cause you to question, Is that all he preached? Chapter 2 makes a similar claim: For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified. Think about it. All he taught, day in and day out, was the crucifixion of Jesus. But is that what Paul meant by that phrase? Absolutely not. Paul’s message was based on the crucified life Jesus lived. From the day Jesus was conceived, to the time He could understand the whispers and the gossip of the villagers surrounding His virgin birth – Jesus was living the crucified life. In fact you could easily surmise He was crucified, everyday, as He sought to do the will of the Father; to obey Him without compromise. Now imagine, in the midst of all these things, and much more, not only your faith growing and increasing, but your love. Paul commended the Thessalonians for both their faith growing, and their love increasing, and abounding. If these early followers of Jesus did it surely Jesus had done it before them.

Paul added that all of these things taken together was proof that you were worthy of entering the Kingdom of God. In an age of sloppy, and cheap grace, this statement is startling. Salvation is free, but I have been freed to grow in faith, thanksgiving, love, and suffering. Cheap Grace adherents would be incredulous over this statement. Rather than a statement of fact it would be turned into a question: I have been freed to grow in faith, thanksgiving, love, and suffering? Another way to think about this is by asking, Are you growing through suffering? Are you growing through sacrificial obedience, surrender, and love? Now that is preaching Christ crucified. That is knowing Christ crucified. Are you knowing Him?

Fig Leaves and Face Masks

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1 Peter 4:17 For the time [has arrived] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be] the end of those who do not respect or believe orobey the good news (the Gospel) of God?

Through the stay at home orders of our state governors, and social distancing we have discovered how vulnerable we really are. In the midst of this revelation fear comes to the surface shining light on the fact that exposure seems to be at the core of the human condition. From Adam and Eve hiding behind fig leaves, or hiding behind a mask, our fears expose where our trust lies.

The recipients of Peter’s letter were no different as they faced an unseen enemy that caused great suffering, and death to all they loved. Suffering and death could be avoided through conformity to the fear, but delayed the inevitable suffering of eternal separation, and alienation from God and all that is good. Facing the fear, and the suffering could only be endured through the gathering called church. Church could be as small as 2-3, or as large as 5000 ( Book of Acts). Here at the Church, or the House of God, the members of the Family of God learned obedience and prayer. Obedience and prayer accompanied one another as sincere worshippers sought to identify with the sufferings, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus obeyed – they obeyed. He prayed – they prayed. Thus judgment began in the House of God as they discovered obedience. Obedience led to prayer, prayer to confession, and confession to repentance. Their sinful nature, and ours, was and is brought into the Light of Jesus’ sacrificial life. The avoidance of surrender to obedience and prayer only exalted what God had judged at Calvary’s Cross and ultimately will be condemned at the Great White Throne Judgment. The Final Verdict will be witnessed by all those who resisted, ignored and consciously rejected the call of God’s Spirit to identify with His Son. The question is, Are we identifying now with Jesus – or are we hiding behind a mask, avoiding the Final Verdict? Only identification, obedience, and prayer will reveal whether we chose His Blood or a mask.