08 July 2018
Two-Minute Features | 15 July 2018 | 01 July 2018

The Thessalonians were Not of this World (TMF:930)

Friday, July 13, 2018
Peace to Live By: The Thessalonians were Not of this World (TMF:930) - Daniel Litton
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       1 Thessalonians 1:10: “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (ESV). I already discussed how the believers were waiting on Christ’s return. But it is important to note that by believing in Jesus, we are set apart from the rest of the world, and God’s wrath against sin in the future is no threat to us. We are not like those who are thrown into the Lake of Fire, like I just talked about, but we are those who will be with God forever. Again, back in John 17, Jesus said to the Father, speaking of his disciples, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:16, ESV). Anyone who does not believe in Jesus, who is not a Christian when he or she dies, will be separated from God and punished for sin for all eternity. That’s not narrow-minded, that’s just the reality of the situation, and that’s why we as Christians share the Gospel with others. Jesus Christ is the only true God.

These Believers Came from False Gods, Part 2 (TMF:929)

Thursday, July 12, 2018
Peace to Live By: These Believers Came from False Gods, Part 2 (TMF:929) - Daniel Litton
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       People do turn from their previous religion to the one and only true God. To be clear, in reality there aren’t multiple gods in existence. There is only one true God, the Christian God. So, the idea that people of multiple religions should get along as they are or coexist doesn’t make sense. That’s not what Jesus taught us, and that’s not love. Jesus has said, ““I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV). Thus, there are no other paths to God, or religions, which are true. And true love is guiding people to the real God so that they can escape an eternity of hell, not just making them feel comfortable in their current state so that they comfortably go to hell when they die. It is written by the Apostle John elsewhere for the future: “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15, ESV).

These Believers Came from False Gods, Part 1 (TMF:928)

Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Peace to Live By: These Believers Came from False Gods, Part 1 (TMF:928) - Daniel Litton
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       God could just bring people to himself without a messenger, but he doesn’t chose to do things that way. Rather, we as Christians work in cooperation with God as he brings people to himself. And these believers had stopped believing in the false gods they once had believed in. It is true that many who come to God come from other religions. Often, here in America, when a person comes to God, he or she will already have a background in Christianity. That’s what the person was taught as a child; that was his or her upbringing. But as various people come into the United States, we are starting to see a growing trend of more people coming to God from other religious backgrounds here in the States. God wants people from all nations, or backgrounds, to come to him. And he will save people from every nation and tribe of the earth. In Christ there is no distinction based on race or ethnicity. Nonetheless, people do turn from their previous religion to the one and only true God.

The Thessalonians were Disciple-Makers (TMF:927)

Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Peace to Live By: The Thessalonians were Disciple-Makers (TMF:927) - Daniel Litton
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       Verses 8 & 9: “For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (ESV). These disciples of Thessalonica had become disciple-makers themselves by sharing the truth with others. Certainly, that should be one of the goals of every true church of Jesus Christ, that of making more disciples. But, it is not actually the church that causes people to become followers, but rather God calls people to himself through the work of the members of the church. Jesus told us to go and share the Gospel—for this is his method by which he had chosen to have the message of the Good News proclaimed. So, God uses the work of his saints to bring more and more people to himself. God could just bring people to himself without a messenger, but he doesn’t chose to do things that way. Rather, we as Christians work in cooperation with God as he brings people to himself.

The Believers Had an Underlying Trust in God (TMF:926)

Monday, July 09, 2018
Peace to Live By: The Believers Had an Underlying Trust in God (TMF:926) - Daniel Litton
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       They had an underlying trust in God, which was their joy as the Holy Spirit bore witness to each of them individually that they belonged to God. And because of this power of God shown in them, the Thessalonians then became examples to many other believers in other cities and providences. If we go over to chapter 2 and verse 14, we read this: “For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews” (1 Thessalonians 2:14, ESV). So, actually, this church had imitated the other churches in Judea. And all of this was under the umbrella of suffering, which is pretty amazing. Here in America, we as individuals within the church often have a hard time getting motivated to do church activities. And we don’t usually face outward pressures, at least pressures which are even comparable to those this church faced. But the believers in Thessalonica did what they did even under outside persecution.