Stay in God's Love and Christ's Perseverance!

Good morning to all on this Sunday before Christmas. All is well in the East Coast Kong household.  I am getting over both bronchitis and conjunctivitis that has had me at 70% capacity for over 2 weeks. I finally had a night's sleep without coughing. Freddie and his family are sailing to Mexico on their Christmas trip and Waine. Aleron and I are planning on going to Orlando to see the babies during Christmas. God is good and in His Heaven and all is right with the world.

I am continuing my journey in Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians 3: verses 1-18. His last letter reads, " As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.  But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. 

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.  For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”  We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.  And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer. 

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.  I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

Wow! This chapter is an answer to prayer. I have had a heavy burden for some of my employees who bristle at working. Some of them are believers AND they believe they should not have to work AND be cared for by me. They bristle against admonition to work honestly for the wage they are paid. They profess with their mouth to know Christ yet their idleness is not a reflection of God's principles as outlined by Paul in this chapter. As Paul says here they are disruptive and negative in their thinking during the week but pew jumping, tongue clucking Christians on Sunday. I have had a heavy heart for them. My impression of all Christians is that we should be hardworking and generous and not idle or lazy. I am genuinely confused when you confront idle and disruptive Christians that they can literally look you in the  face and say "I am doing the best I can". What ever happened to I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me?

I am rebuking Satan on their behalf. The devil is a liar. I profoundly believe that Christians are to be victorious not because of our works BUT because of God's love and the Perseverance of Christ. It took unearthly courageous and conviction for Christ to become sin so that I might live with God. What profound Love!  Hallelujah! In being my brother's keeper I do not condone the behavior of idle Christians however I can rebuke Satan on their behalf. God does not desire that any Christian live in despair--we are to live in abundance 1st from and in our hearts and then in this physical world. We are to live like the child of the King--victorious in all aspects of our lives.

If this day does not find you in abundance of heart, soul, mind and body then turn your face to God through Christ such that the devil can be rebuked and the Holy Spirit can guide you BACK to your true life. Don't buy the hype of despair and disruption. Christ was born, lived and died so that we might live life and more abundantly. Stay in the love of God and Christ's Perseverance.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

 

Don't Believe he Hype!

Good  morning to all on this beautiful Sunday in December. We are having record warm weather in Georgia. It was in the low 70's yesterday. Waine is able to play golf with short sleeved shirts. I trust everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. Freddie and his family and Aleron were in Thomaston with us and Freddie made the entire dinner. It was delicious of course. I heard this radio article during Thanksgiving week about celebrating "Friendsgiving Day". There are folk out there who would rather be with friends than family. I thought that was odd. How do you create lasting memories with folk that are not your family? Warts and all my family is my tribe and I am grateful for them.

I am continuing my journey in second Thessalonians 2 verses 1-17, "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,  not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 

 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie  and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. 

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.  He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." Amen and may God Add a blessing to the reading and hearing of  His Word.

Paul  was encouraging these young Christians NOT to be deceived that the raptured had taken place. Satan's counter attack on the young church was to spread rumors that Christ had already come to claim His church and therefore the "eternal" life of "Grace" through "Mercy" had already taken place. Not so! Satan is the great deceiver--the great "confuser" that takes portions of the truth to distort the Truth. For instance, God created the family from 1 man and 1 woman. We now live in an age where people would have you believe that the family can be composed of 1 man and 1 man, 1 woman and 1 woman, who then should have legal rights. Laws are being written to uphold an alternative family structure which in essence means that society is negating the Family as created by God to uphold a family created by man. This is the work of Satan and Satan alone whose entire existence is predicated on destroying the order created by God. Don't believe the hype!

As Christians it is our job to spread the Truth. I don't know why a man desires other men or women desires other women. I don't involve myself with  that debate. All I know is what God teaches in His Word. Sodom was destroyed because of their sinfulness and debauchery --one of the hallmarks of which was the lust of men after other men. When nature is turned on itself then you know that sin abounds. I believe firmly that when the order of life as God intended is upended then sin is in play. I see many Christians trying to compromise their view of homosexuality, Hollywood is trying to make us believe that it is ok if love is in play. That's when we need to go back to the basics--the Word of God. The truth is that we are all sinners saved by Grace AND we all need to repent and let the Love of God change us from the sin nature we are born with to the spiritual nature that comes through the sacrifice of Jesus for us. Don't believe the hype! God hates sin--He loves us as sinners and as sinners we are to repent and CHANGE.

As we move into this Advent Season, let's remember the REASON for the Season and proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all men and women. It is our job to present and the Holy Spirit's job to convict. We are to love all with the Love of God. Do something to defeat Satan today. Let the Love of God cover you and cover others.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie