“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God…” (Revelation 3:12a)

            The church is being built up together as a temple for God to dwell in, and we, like living stones, are each part of its construction.  Those who overcome stand as pillars within that temple.  Pillars stand for strength and for beauty.  They are both beautiful and functional.

            Their lives preach a lesson we all need to hear: the brother battling cancer, the sister struggling with the trials of old age, the couple mourning their lost child, and the family enduring through a layoff and season of scarcity.

            Live a life of perseverance, and you serve a purpose in the household of God as well as a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness.  The world needs more overcomers.  Christians who endure through trials and suffering stand as a testament to the sovereignty of God.  They endure and trust in Him.  The church needs pillars like that to hold the rest of us up.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“I know your deeds…” (Revelation 2:2a)

            When Jesus spoke to the church in Ephesus, it was with intimate detail He described their spiritual state.  He knew them from close up.  Jesus is not some distant overseer, managing His people from afar.  He is aware of our goings in and out and the details of our actual lives.

            He knows your deeds.  He knows where you dwell.  He knows you.  He sees the small deeds of love and tiny acts of pettiness.  He is aware of both our suffering and our oppression of others.  Whatever life we live – it is known.

How would you act if you remembered He is watching?

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“To Him who love us and released us from our sins by His blood…” (Revelation 1:5b)

            Every lock has a release mechanism, some way for the latch to disconnect and open when actuated by the right key.  Jesus is the key to release you from your sins.  He has disconnected you from their consequences and shame.  If you are in Christ, your sins are no longer attached to your soul – they don’t need to define you.

            Jesus has released you from their shame.  He has forgiven you.  Can you accept His forgiveness?  Or are you still carrying the chains of shame around with you even though the shackle has been unlocked?  By faith, we accept forgiveness.  You’ve been released.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam…” (Jude 13)

            One of the most disturbing trends of wickedness is the glorification of sin.  It is not enough to merely commit wickedness; it must also be flaunted: from the public exposure of nakedness by the fashion industry, to the honor sins such as promiscuity and homosexuality are given in sitcoms, to the “bravery” attributed to transgender activism.  Rebellion against God is not content to simply exist; evil requires our acceptance and approval in the public square.

            Wickedness honors what is shameful like foam cast up by the waves.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men for not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:2)

            Why is there evil in the world?  Why is there suffering?  Why do bad things happen to good people?

            Not all have faith.

That’s the Bible answer.  Sometimes the answers to complicated questions are gloriously simple.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

            The church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (see Ephesians 2:20) who were sent out by Jesus and the Father (see Matthew 10:40) and guided by the Holy Spirit (see John 16:13-15).  Paul told the Thessalonians to hold fast to those traditions because they weren’t just manmade ideals – they were God-breathed truths.

            When we read the letters to the churches, we are seeing the same revealed mysteries they did, and we are exposing our hearts and minds to the same wisdom that shaped the lives of those who stood at the foot of the cross or sat at the feet of the apostles.  What a gift that we have the Bible!  God wrote down the mysteries, so we would always have access to His good news.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…” (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

            The above verse defines why hell is so hellish.  It is not so much what hell has as what it does not.  Hell is devoid of the presence of God and the power of His glory.  Imagine a world with no blessings because the Giver of every good and perfect gift is not there (see James 1:17).  Imagine a world where the rain never fell to water the ground because He was not there to cause it so.  Imagine a world without beauty because the Creator of what is glorious is not there to cause it.  Imagine a world where evil goes unchecked and righteousness has no champion.

            Hell is like darkness – it only requires the absence of Light to be what it is.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Brethren, pray for us.” (1 Thessalonians 5:25)

            There are two easy questions to check our confidence in prayer.

1. How often do I pray privately?
2. How often do I request prayers from others?

            It costs us something to ask others to pray for us.  It requires humility, vulnerability, and a strong enough conviction in the efficacy of prayer to embolden us to solicit them on our own behalf.

When was the last time you were going through something and you texted a friend asking them specifically for prayers?

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“the Lord is the avenger in all these things…” (1 Thessalonians 4:6)

            The Thessalonian congregation was coming out of a very different world – one where idolatry, sexual sin, and lust were commonplace and culturally-acceptable.  To treat their bodies with impurity and to objectify others was commonplace.

I imagine Thessalonica’s cultural arguments were similar to the ones we hear today: What’s wrong with sexual freedom if it makes you happy?  Shouldn’t folks be free to love whom they want and when they want?  Monogamy is so old-fashioned.

            There is nothing new under the sun, and all the new arguments for sin are just old ones repackaged, but sin still causes suffering, and the Lord is the avenger of these things.  Sexual sin still leads to misery, and uncontrolled lust will always wreak havoc on lives.  A society that embraces promiscuity and sensuality also embraces divorce, broken homes, shame, and generational pain.

            There is a price to pay for sexual impurity, and the toll is not light.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“for now, we really live if you stand firm in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8)

It is hard to read these words and not see the connection Paul had with those he taught.  Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians practically drips with his affection and earnest concern for the people of Thessalonica.  He speaks of barely being able to endure waiting to hear of their well-being (3:1), of giving thanks for them always in his prayers (1:2), and rejoicing that they had turned to God from idols (1:9). Would it surprise you that Paul had known these people for little more than a month?  Read Acts 18, and you will see that Paul was driven out of Thessalonica very quickly.

Paul’s affection for them wasn’t created by quantity of time but by the quality of his heart and the shared connection they had through Jesus.  When Christians meet, they are instantly family – the common bond of the Savior can knit strong bonds quite quickly.  What a gift!  God is very good to His people.  There is much to rejoice over in the family He has sanctified through His Son.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites