You can find our conversation on 1 Thessalonians in our Launch from Antioch post.
2nd Thessalonians is filled with encouragement for Christ-followers in tough times. Their faith was expanding and satan was working hard to diffuse their focus through fear. Apparently someone had decided to claim that what Paul had taught them about the Day of Lord was incorrect – or miss-timed. While others were attempting to twist the truth and replace these faithful believer’s hope with fear, Paul encourages them toward what is known to be true. He appeals to Daniel the prophet as well as Jesus‘ words in Matthew 24 to debunk this unsettling teaching, and to help the Thessalonians to remain lazer-focused as they lived out the truth.
While this course-correction takes about a quarter of the book, the Thessalonians are reminded about living hopeful, disciplined lives. It appears that living lazy as a believer is not valued by God. It is all about living intentionally. By and large these followers were industrious in their lives and in their faith. Paul wants to preserve this powerful combination.
How many times in history has deception and discouragement from our adversary slowed or even stopped His followers? It is easy to become distracted. Check this out:
“If we are going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things – praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting with our friends over a pint and a game of darts – not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They might break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”
– C.S. Lewis on living in an atomic age (1948)
Very interesting…
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