Podcasts about first thessalonians

Have you ever felt like you've just plain run out of juice? The book you've been reading seems pointless halfway through. That new sofa or lawnmower or set of wheels was pretty exciting last month, but now you're not sure what the big deal was. Even your relationships feel lackluster.Human beings aren't like cell phones or toy robots. We can't rev up with a fresh set of batteries...we need other, more meaningful fuel to refill our tanks, and the energy we seek can't be found at any store.1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray continually.”One of the shortest verses in God's Word, the Bible, this pithy reminder was written by the Apostle Paul to believers in Thessalonica, an ancient city in what is now Northern Greece. These new converts to Christianity faced persecution, but Paul's colleague Timothy reported that they were persevering in the face of challenges.Paul's letter, recorded as the biblical book of First Thessalonians, is written to inspire renewed energy in these early followers of Jesus. They were looked down upon, their motives and actions were questioned, they sometimes struggled with doubt about the outcome of their faith — and Paul wisely encouraged them to keep on praying, just as the Lord wants us to do today.Let's pray.Heavenly Father, sometimes we feel exhausted by our struggles, and sometimes we feel alone. Remind us that the greatest power in the universe — You, our Creator God, are just a prayer away. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Maybe like myself, you've had a dear friend or family member who has died and gone on to be with the Lord! While we grieve deeply and miss them dearly, we have a blessed hope to cling to! When a believer dies they're with Jesus and if we're a Christian we'll be reunited one day. Today on a Daily Walk we'll derive great encouragement from First Thessalonians chapter four. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1368/29

People today are devoted to all sorts of things… from sports, to entertainment, their job and even family. But today on Light on the Hill we'd like to encourage you to be devoted to the Lord. What does that look like? We're about to find out as we open First Thessalonians chapter five with pastor James Kaddis. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1459/29

As Christians, we talk a lot about knowing and discovering the will of God, and sometimes it might seem like an elusive target. But God wants us to know His will, and throughout Scripture He defines what it is for us. One such place is First Thessalonians. Part of our daily walk will include hardship. Let's see together where we can find comfort and peace even in hard times. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1368/29

You go to church and hear the preaching of the Word, perhaps attend a small group Bible study in the middle of the week, and have time alone in the Bible too! That's great, but we must not forget to apply what we receive! As James puts it, we're to be doers of the Word. The Thessalonians did that and it left Paul thankful! We'll be encouraged to receive, welcome and appropriate the Word into our lives today on a Daily Walk. Pastor John Randall is in First Thessalonians chapter two. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1368/29

We'll meet you in First Thessalonians chapter two. Without a doubt the apostle Paul was effective in ministry. But it wasn't by his own doing, or in his own strength. What made it effective? Find out today. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1368/29

God is a God who speaks to us. It's something He's been doing for centuries. Millennia in fact. And sometimes, sometimes he speaks to us in ways that we just don't expect. Right out of the blue. Question is – are we listening?   The Power of the Prophetic It's just fantastic to be with you again this week and yes, we are continuing this week with our look with how it is that God speaks to us today – here and now, in the twenty first century. This series is called, “How Can I hear God Speak to Me?” And today's message is about expecting the unexpected. It's interesting, way back in the Old Testament, God spoke to His people through the prophets – people like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and all those Old Testament prophets – men whom God had called to speak His message to His people. Then in the New Testament, He speaks to us, first and foremost, through His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ and the Apostles and the other writers of the New Testament Books. And He is still using those, through His Word the Bible, to speak to us today. By His Spirit, He speaks today. But interesting – the New Testament in particular, tells us how His Spirit speaks today. Sometimes it's easy to ignore that – it's easy to get all dull and boring about the way that God communicates with us but God is a stunningly creative communicator. There's absolutely nothing dull and boring about how He communicates. And one of the ways He does that is through the power of the prophetic. So today, what we are going to do is take a look at that. Now, in embarking on this today, I acknowledge that there are those amongst God's people who simply believe that there are no more prophets today – that this is something that belongs to the past and not the present. What's a prophet? Well, simply someone who speaks on behalf of God. Someone who speaks God's will into the lives of God's people. And yet, other traditions and denominations really emphasise the prophetic dimension of God's communication. And sadly, some do so to the point of abusing the prophetic. What do I mean by that? Well, I don't carry any particular baggage of denomination or tradition around when it comes to these things. My heart is simply to open God's Word, the Bible and to figure out what God says and to go with that. So that's precisely what we are going to do today. Let's take a look – this is the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth – so after Jesus has died, risen again and is sent into heaven. This is the fledgling New Testament church that he is writing to. First Corinthians chapter 12, beginning at verse 4: Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Now, here Paul is talking about supernatural gifts that are given to the family of God. And not just the special super-spiritual Christian leader type people. Have a listen again to verse 7: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. In other words, to each person; to each believer, is given one or more of these supernatural gifts. Now, I have heard people say, "Oh, well. That was for back then. It's not for now.” Umm! This passage – First Corinthians 12 – rolls straight on to First Corinthians 13; the next chapter that famous passage about love, which kind of says, "You know, you can have all the spiritual gifts under the sun but unless you use them in love, they are useless." And it goes on to explain what love is. These same people love to quote First Corinthians 13 but somehow, maybe it's because in our Western mindset; maybe we are uncomfortable with the idea of these supernatural gifts - we can't explain them rationally. Some people want to deny that this bit of the New Testament – 1 Corinthians chapter 12 – actually exists and yet they go on and rely on the next chapter. I'm not quite sure why that is. But I find nothing – let me say this – NOTHING in the New Testament that tells me that this thing on spiritual gifts – supernatural gifts – was meant for them back then and not for us here and now. Nothing! And the gifts; words of wisdom and of knowledge, extraordinary faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, discernment of the Spirit, speaking in different tongues, interpreting different tongues. One of the arguments against words of wisdom and knowledge and prophesy, is that these so-called "modern day" prophets can set themselves up above the Word of God. They can say things that don't agree with the Scriptures; God's Word. So what are we going to do with that? Well, I have to tell you: like anything else good that God gives us, you can take it and you can abuse it. Absolutely! I have seen it happen in this area, where people go for emotionalism and manipulation, where they claim to be speaking for God, but in fact, they are not at all. But just because something good from God can be abused doesn't mean that it's not a good thing from God. There are several times in my life when someone has given me a specific prophesy, just for me, and all of those, barring one exception – which simple didn't ring true as being from God to me or other people who were there at the time – but the rest of those had a huge impact on my life. I look back on them now – and most of them were key turning points in my walk with God. And you know, these weren't proud people coming out with “Thus sayeth the Lord” type of proclamations. One of the most powerful was from a man called Dennis Adams. He worked at the time for a Christian Radio Network called HCJB – it was at a conference. I had just become involved, full time, here at Christianityworks. My predecessor had taken all of our radio programmes off the air. There was almost no financial support – the ministry was almost dead and I simply didn't know what to do. I met Dennis for the first time at a Christian Media Conference. He looked at my name tag – we didn't know each other – but he had heard some of the short radio messages I had preciously put together. And almost immediately, tears welled up in his eyes and with such passion and such conviction, he said to me, "You have to start doing those radio programmes again. You just have to." That day, Dennis's words pierced my heart and because of that we spent the last few thousand dollars the ministry had on producing the first series of these radio programmes but at the time we had no idea how we were going to get onto a radio station anywhere. Well, that was almost six years ago now and today, these programmes are heard by millions of people each week, around the world. See, I know that those words that Dennis spoke to me that day were God's words; they were a prophesy and without them I wouldn't be here today. Should we discern prophesies? Absolutely! Should we think them through and pray them through? Absolutely! Should we reject any that don't ring true? Absolutely! But, friend, God's Word says that He has appointed prophets amongst His people. God's Word says that He is still speaking to us through prophets and their prophesies today. Why, oh why would we want to deny that?   Out of the Blue Have you ever heard kind of a voice out of the blue and wondered, now, where did that come from? We are chatting this week again on the programme about hearing from God. How does God speak these days and how can we hear Him. That's what we are exploring because God is still speaking and He means for us to hear Him. Now one of the ways I notice He talks to people throughout the Bible is well, it's like a voice out of the blue. I had coffee with a dear friend of mine, James, just yesterday. He was telling me about how the day before he had been racing out for a meeting and he had this distinctive impression on the way out the door; a strong impression that he should go back into his study and grab his diary. Of course, he ignored it and on the way something happened and he needed to contact the person he was supposed to be having this meeting with to adjust the arrangements. The problem was he didn't have the man's phone number on him. You guessed it – the phone number was back in the diary, sitting on the desk in his study. Now sometimes God has big things to say to us and sometimes He has just little things to say. And in my experience, if we love Him, if we are in the business of drawing close to Him, sometimes in the thick of things, while we are on the run, He speaks to us out of the blue. Some people are uncomfortable with that. There is a school of thought that God only ever communicates to us through His Word, the Bible. Well, I agree – the Bible is the primary way that He communicates with us and if anyone claims any other form of communication – prophesy, a word of knowledge, something from God out of the blue – if anyone claims to have any communication from God like that, but it's inconsistent with what the Bible says, well then, my friend, it is not from God. God never contradicts Himself, so I agree on that front. But the number of times He speaks to people in the Bible and they answer Him, "Here I am, Lord" – let's have a look at one of those today: Moses – this burnt out old wreck of a man – he is eighty years old. He had murdered an Egyptian as a young man and so, even though he grew up in Pharaoh's house, he fled out to the back of the desert and he had been tending sheep for forty or fifty years. But all of a sudden, when God is ready to speak with Moses, well, God speaks – out of the blue or at least out of a bush. Let's have a look at Exodus chapter 3, beginning at verse 1: Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up. When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of Israel has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” Was it an audible voice or was it a voice that Moses heard in his heart? Well, we don't know, but God didn't have a Bible to speak through back then – it wasn't written yet. So He spoke to Moses out of the blue, as it were. Now if you have access to an electronic version of the Bible, I suggest that you do a search on the words ‘here I am'. It happens over and over again – God speaks to people out of the blue and they answer Him, ‘Here I am, Lord.' Has it ever happened to me? Well, I have never quite been called to lead Israel out of Egypt, to be quite honest with you, but at the same time God has spoken to me out of the blue, about things that are big and about things that are small. I remember not long after I became a Christian. I was alone in my house – it was a Saturday afternoon and I was ironing down stairs. As I finished each shirt, I would take it upstairs and hang it in the wardrobe. As I was heading back downstairs I was just overwhelmed by the presence of God so I sat down on the stairs and what I experienced over the next fifteen/twenty minutes was God calling me to preach the Good News of Jesus. I thought, "Hang on, I have been a Christian like five minutes and You are calling me to do this?" And then He showed me how, over the prior twenty years, as I had been invited all over the world to speak at conferences and events in the I.T. Industry, which is what I did back then – I was an I.T. consultant – He showed me how He had been getting me ready for this, even before I had given my life over to Him. These weren't my thoughts or my ideas. This wasn't a vivid imagination at work. It was a definite ‘someone' outside of me, speaking to me and showing me this stuff – kind of an experience. Did I hear an audible voice? No, I didn't – never have. But I knew it was God. Jesus said in John chapter 10, verse 16: I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they will follow me. And that's exactly how it was for me that day. I just knew that it was God speaking. I just knew that He had called me to do this. I didn't know how it would happen – I had absolutely no idea, at that point that it would involve radio – none what so ever. That didn't come until another eight years later. Sometimes I thought I heard His voice and I don't think I got it quite right, so I always test things – I think, I pray, I see if it makes sense. And little by little, what I have discovered is that I am getting better and better at recognising His voice and listening to Him. In my day to day life, God sometimes nudges me this way, sometimes that. In the middle of the pressure and conflict sometimes, the Holy Spirit speaks strongly and directly, often with a Scripture, to me, that leads me to behave in a godly way, rather than following my natural human inclinations. And that's exactly what Jesus promised. When the Advocate comes,” He said in John chapter 15, “whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, will testify on my behalf. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Friend, God is in the business of communicating with us. When He does, when we hear Him out of the blue, let us test everything against His Word, the Bible, if it's not consistent with His Word, then it is absolutely certain this thing was not from God. But He does communicate with us in all sorts of different ways and sometimes He speaks to us completely out of the blue. It's fantastic! Let's just be ready to listen.   Feet on the Ground You know, I love the fact that God speaks to us in all these different ways. We have looked at quite a few over these last couple of weeks – ways that He speaks to us today. And we will be doing that again next week too. But as I said, I really feel the need to end today on a note of caution. The point is that not everything that someone says, supposedly in the name of God, is going to be true. And not everything that we feel sometimes, or think we hear sometimes, is going to come from God. Why? Well, we're human, we're fallible. Sometimes we get things wrong. Sometimes other people have ulterior motives. Now, this is nothing new – false prophets have been around for a long time. And sometimes the things that false prophets have to say, is stuff that we really, really want to hear – its stuff that sounds much better than the stuff that's coming from the true prophets. Listen to this – Jeremiah chapter 5, verse 31: The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests rule as the prophets direct; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?” In fact Jesus said - Matthew chapter 7, verse 15. He said: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. So, there is a risk; there is a danger. Now that doesn't mean that God doesn't speak through prophets or through dreams or visions – quite to the contrary. The biblical record is clear – He has been doing that for millennia, even though all that time, there have indeed been false prophets around. In fact, often in Israel's history there were many more false prophets than there were true prophets. And so, in the face of that, there are two equal and opposite errors that we can make. The first one is to deny the unexpected; to retreat to the safety of things that we can understand and live our lives believing that God only ever speaks to us from one source these days – the Bible – and that's it. Now if you know me you will know that I believe that the Bible is God's Word and it is the authority; the absolute truth, when it comes to what God has to say. And for that reason, it's because of what I read in the Bible that I simply can't come to the conclusion that God doesn't speak through prophets anymore or dreams or visions or words of knowledge. God's Word doesn't let me draw those conclusions. And the other error that we can make, on the other end of the scale, is to chase after the false prophets who tickle our ears with things that we love to hear. Jesus said – Matthew chapter 24, verse 11: And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. So, the answer, quite simply, is this: it too comes from God's very own word and I love this because God's wisdom is so balanced. First Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 19 to 22: Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. In other words: don't fall into either of these two errors. Don't deny what God is doing anymore. Don't quench the Spirit – don't throw the baby out with the bath water. God is still speaking today – God is still speaking through prophets. “Don't despise the words of prophets.” But at the same time, don't take everything everybody says as though it is true – especially if it tickles your ears and if that's what you want to hear. Instead, test everything, sift it and weigh it, sort through it – go to God, go to your Bible and under God's hand, decide whether it's good or bad. If it's good, hold onto it, if it's bad, abstain from it. I mean, imagine you are walking down the street – some guy in a flashy, shiny suit walks up to you and he says, "I have the best investment plans for your savings that you will ever find. Give me all your savings and I will invest them for a hundred percent return every year." Let me ask you something: you don't know this man from a bar of soap – would you give him all your savings? Would you at that point, walk to a bank, take out all your life savings and give it to this man to invest? Of course not! We would discern what he has to say; we would figure out – is this person trustworthy? Is this something that's good or should I just ignore him and walk away? And it's the same with prophesies and words of knowledge. People, God's Word calls us “not to quench the Spirit, not to despise the words of prophets but to test everything” – to sift it, “to hold fast to what is good; to abstain from what is evil.” Pretty good advice! I frankly can't figure out why people want to fall into either of these two errors – throw the baby out with the bath water, quench the Spirit, or, accept everything without being discerning. Why would you want to do that? Now, I know I am going to get some mail over this message, from both camps – that's okay. For me, it's about going to God's Word – without baggage we carry from the past and openly, honestly, faithfully finding out what it is God is saying and how He speaks to us today. That's where it's at! That's what God honours!

If you're a Christian, you're a minister! And no doubt you'd like to be effective in that ministry! I'm happy to say that you can by God's grace. In First Thessalonians two we'll look at how Paul ministered among the Thessalonians, and use that as a model for our own life and ministry! Pastor John Randall is going through First Thessalonians right now on a Daily Walk. Effective ministry starts with a willingness to endure hardship. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1368/29

We continue today our study of First Thessalonians. The church in Thessalonica was young, and impressionable, but also very energetic and eager. We're about to see the apostle Paul commend them for their walk of faith, labor of love, and for their patience of hope. Wouldn't you like to be known for that? You can be, by the grace of God. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1368/29

On today's program, we'll begin a study based on the book of First Thessalonians. I'm sure you can recall a time in your life when you needed a little encouragement, and a friend or family member was right there to deliver those perfect words at the perfect time. That's exactly Paul's purpose for writing his first letter to the church in Thessalonica. He had several goals in mind and encouragement was on the list as we'll see today. We'll begin at the beginning, as we look at the first several verses of chapter one. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1368/29

Let me ask you a question – is God still speaking to us here and now? Today? And if so – how? Well – what are the answers? If God is indeed still speaking, shouldn't we be listening? Imagine what a difference it could make, to know His will for our lives.   Is God Still Speaking? Now, here ... here is a question that these days, pretty much divides the church down the middle. Are you ready? Here it is: does God still speak today? Ooooh ... the controversy; the division that that little question creates, is huge. There are some who contend that the only way that God speaks today; the single only way is through the Bible. Read the Bible; that's God's Word; that's how He speaks. Then at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have Christians who claim to have seen signs and wonders; to have so called, "words of knowledge" and "prophesies" over their lives. I even know one man whose pastor constantly claims to have visions of Jesus. WOW man, what do you do with that? How do you understand that? And then there is little old you and me. If you are anything like me, deep inside there is a desire that burns for God – something that, well, it's hard to explain – a hunger after God Himself; a yearning that won't, that can't be satisfied by some dry, academic, cerebral answer to this question: does God still speak today? It won't be dismissed by shallow responses either. And nor will sensational claims quench the thirst after Christ Himself. And so that's why these coming weeks on the programme we are going to explore this question: does God still speak today? And if so, how? As I said, I ache to know God; to experience Him; to hear Him speak into my life. And I know that there are many, many more people on this earth who feel exactly the same. I want to live my life out completely for Him – everything I am, everything I have, all my hopes and all my dreams, to serve Him with the lot. And it's not because I'm some great guy – believe you me, I'm not. It's because I have tasted the sweetness of His love – the many splendored love of Christ, as A.W. Tozer calls it. I have tasted His goodness and His joy and His peace and do you know what – I want more! And so I want to hear Him speak because any relationship that means anything; that has any value to it is based on communication – and not one way communication, two way communication. A marriage is headed for divorce when there's a stony silence between husband and wife. If all that they do is communicate on a transactional basis, about the mundane things of life and they no longer communicate heart to heart, then friend, unless they do something about that, their marriage is headed for divorce. So the question is: Does God still speak? In my experience, He does, in a variety of ways. But experience ... experience isn't the "be all and the end all". We have emotions – they go up, they go down – sometimes we are on the top of our game, other times, frankly, let's be honest, we are off with the pixies. So whilst we may be experiencing God speaking through prophesy, through signs, through dreams ... all sorts of different ways, I believe with all my heart, the truth, God's chosen way of revealing Himself to us; providing us with a rock solid basis for understanding Him and understanding our experience, is His Word, this thing we call the Bible. Inspired by Him, written through human beings, for sure – each of the sixty six books of the Bible, written in different times in history, under different circumstances, for specific purposes but together those sixty six books are the inspired Word of God – God speaking to the generations that have gone before us and to us and the generations that will come after us. And God never contradicts Himself. He never says one thing and does the other. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if any one, whether it's you or me, claims to have heard from God in a certain way, then the question is: does the Bible say that that is how God communicates with us? Because if it doesn't, then friend, at the very, very least, I am very, very suspicious that this person has indeed heard from God. And secondly, if this person claims to have heard from God and acts on it or shares what God has allegedly said to him or to her, is the message consistent with the Word of God – the whole council of God? Because if God says one thing and some so called, "prophet" comes up with a so called, "revelation" that contradicts God's Word, then forget it. It ain't God talking! Does that make sense? When we step into the realm of God speaking with us about specific things happening in our lives or in the lives of other people, then we are stepping into territory which is rich and fertile on the one hand – if God is indeed speaking. I for one would want to hear but on the other hand, it's open to manipulation and to error. This approach is summed up in this Biblical principle – it comes from First Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 19 to 22. Have a listen – it says: Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. In other words, don't ignore God speaking through His Spirit. Don't despise the words of prophets, but at the same time, sift it; test it – hold onto the good, ditch the evil. So, is God still speaking? Absolutely! This is what Jesus said: John chapter 10, beginning at verse 1: Truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and – listen to this - the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. Again John 15:26: When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. And again, John 16:14: He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Is God in the business of still speaking to His people through His Spirit today? Absolutely! That's exactly what Jesus promised would happen – over and over and over again. It's promised in the Bible. But as we read back in First Thessalonians – whilst the Spirit is at work, speaking, declaring and we shouldn't quench what He is doing. When people claim to be speaking on God's behalf, then we had better test it to make sure that it's from God. And I guess that's at the very heart of what we are going to be talking about over the coming weeks – discovering how to hear God speak into our lives. It's powerful stuff!   The Word of God I remember when I first gave my life to Jesus – I had such an incredibly strong sense of God's presence. He wrapped His arms around me during a particularly difficult and painful time in my life and yet I was full of the joy of the Lord. And a dear friend of mine, Phil, the pastor of the first church I attended sat me down over a coffee and he said to me, "You know Berni, it's not always going to feel as good as this." And whilst in one sense, he was right, there was something inside me – well, it made me angry. I thought to myself and I said this to God, "If I can't have a close, intimate relationship with my God, each day; if I can't experience His joy and His peace, each day, then you know something, Lord, I don't think I want You." It's pretty radical stuff! And to be sure life has had its ups and downs. Sometimes circumstances are against us and sometimes everything is rosy. Sometimes our emotions are up and sometimes they are down. In those early days of becoming a Christian, they told me; Phil told me that I should read my Bible every day. Can I tell you what a turn off that was? Can I tell you what a burden it was to think that I would have to open this old, stuffy Book; this huge Book; seven hundred and seventy five thousand words, thirty one thousand, one hundred and seventy three verses, one thousand, one hundred and eighty nine chapters in sixty six Books. Written in times and places and cultures that were completely unfamiliar to me. Who or what, for instance, is Ephraim? And why was everyone sacrificing bulls and goats and doves and stuff? You get the drift! But Phil, my pastor, was a persuasive guy – real salt of the earth kind of guy and when I listened to him preaching on Sundays he made an enormous amount of sense to me. So I did something back then – I established this pattern of getting up early in the morning; something I have been doing since I was a small child anyway, because I am an early riser – while everyone is still asleep – and spending some time in prayer and reading the Bible. I was surprised – God's Word made a lot of sense. A lot of it was confronting – it was like shining a really bright light on my own immaturities and the things I was doing that weren't pleasing God. And day after day, month after month, year after year, here's what has happened to me – it's changed me. I open the Bible these days and it is God speaking to me. Now there aren't fireworks and clashes of thunder and great amazing revelations each and every day – it's not like that. Little by little, God's Word has become part of who I am. I'm not good at memorising verses – some people are - I'm just not. But what I find amazing now is that when someone asks me to get up and speak about something or we are having a discussion amongst friends about this issue or that, the recall that God has given me over His Word, is amazing. I can remember the things that God says – maybe no word for word, but pretty close – and where He says it and that makes all the difference. When someone is really bugging me and I want to tear them apart, all of a sudden the Holy Spirit says to me, “Turn the other cheek!” And wisdom from above is pure and peaceable and gentle and willing to yield and all of a sudden, God's Word is guiding my behaviour. God's Word is giving me what I need to live my life. The Holy Spirit speaks His Word right into my life when I need it. And the other thing is – sounds really mundane reading the Bible every day and I guess it is. I tend to read an Old Testament Book followed by a New Testament Book – one of the Letters, from Romans to Revelation, followed by one of the four Gospels and Acts. It's kind of how I cycle through the Bible. And I have pretty much read it all now, several times. The reason I cycle is that the different Books feed me in different ways. Some of those Old Testament narratives – the Judges and Kings and Chronicle Books – they feed me with the power and the majesty of God's faithfulness. And then the Letters in the New Testament – they teach me about real life and understanding life, in light of what Jesus has done. And then the Gospels and the Book of Acts – they take me back to the heart of my faith in Jesus. And then some of the wisdom Books in the Old Testament – Proverbs, Psalms, Lamentations – I sprinkle them throughout and it's like adding salt to everything else. And as I read through, bit by bit, I can't begin to tell you how many times I have found exactly what I need for today – the things I am going through or the things unbeknown to me that are going to confront me later on today. It's amazing how many times God has given me what I need for today from those very next few verses, in the next chapter that I was due to read. Reading the Bible sounds like a chore – it sounds mundane but the strength and the maturity and the growth and the transformation; the things that have so made my life better – I can't begin to tell you. They have come from this wonderful habit that Phil taught me all those years ago - the ability to discern whether someone else is speaking for God or not – the wisdom to know how to handle tough situations – the maturity to lay down my life. That's hard, boy, it's hard some days. All those things have come as the Word of God has become part of who I am. Genesis chapter 1, verse 26 tells us that we have been made in God's image. Problem is, our rebellion; our sin has marred that image. And reading God's Word most days, listening to what He has to say most days, is like being restored back into His original image. It's a repair job here; a cleanup job there; a new bit here ... and all of a sudden we become a different person. It is knowing the truth that sets us free and the Bible is God's way of speaking with us. If there is one thing ... just one thing that I could point to as the smartest thing that I have ever done, after giving my life to Jesus, it's opening up the Bible – that daily habit – and letting God speak His Word into my heart through His Spirit. And the tragedy is that so many people ... the people who don't do that are the very ones whose lives are all over the place because there is no foundation; there is no anchor into God's truth.   The Time of Prayer Earlier we saw that one of the main ways that God speaks to us ... in fact, THE main way is through His Word, the Bible and it's an awesome thing. And as I said back then, the simple habit of reading God's Word, even if it is just a few verses, every day, has utterly changed my life. But that's only one side of the coin in my daily time with God - because the other side of the coin is prayer. There's an amazing contradiction that so many people are living out in their lives – people who believe in Jesus. Here's how it goes: on the one hand these people really would love to hear God's voice; they would really like to know that He is there with them, that He has some practical words of wisdom for them, some guidance on the decisions they need to take – that's on the one hand. And yet these, so often, are the very same people who are too busy to sit down for twenty minutes, half an hour, maybe even forty five minutes or an hour, most days, to spend that time in prayer with God. Too busy, too busy, too busy! Well, fair enough, I know all about that! See, I'm one of these busy type "A", action oriented people – we're more focused on doing things and getting outcomes than on spending time on relationships. So anyone who says to me, ‘I'm just too busy to pray', well, I really understand; I really relate to that. But the problem that comes out of that is that we head off into our day and we confront all the issues and tensions and decisions and all that stuff – we are so immersed in it all – and then right in the middle of it, we think, "Ah, where's God? Why is God talking to me? Why isn't God guiding me? Why isn't God comforting me?" Well, I'll tell you, friend! God was waiting for you this morning; He was waiting for you to get still before Him, to spend some time with Him reading His Word the Bible, listening to what He has to say and then chatting with Him in prayer. Have a listen to this Psalm – it is one of my absolute favourites – Psalm 46: God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it will not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice and the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, he shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Powerful truth in verse 1 is that God is our refuge and our strength in the middle of all this mess. You don't have to be afraid – if the mountains are shaking, if they are falling into the sea, if there is calamity, there's upheaval, there's uproar – that's the picture in the Psalm. The sorts of things that we go through in the rough and tumble of life – we don't have to be afraid! Why? Because there's a stream flowing right through the heart of our city that makes us glad. The nations may well be in an uproar but God is God above all and when He speaks the earth melts before Him. Now, that's a great theory but when we are in the middle of this calamitous uproar; when tensions are running high at work; when we are hard pressed on every side; when we are running through life at a hundred miles an hour, how are we meant to experience this river of joy from God? How are we meant to hear Him and know Him and not be afraid because of Him when all this stuff is flying through the air? Well, the answer comes to us in verse 10 of this Psalm: Be still and know that I am God. Isn't that beautiful! Just ... with all that stuff going on ... just be still and know in your heart of hearts that your God is God; that your God is in control. I don't care who the relationship is with, if we don't take time away from the hustle and bustle, just to connect, just to spend time together, just to talk – whether it's husband and wife or work colleagues or friends – if we don't do that, then the hustle and bustle is going to distract us from the reality of the relationship with that other person. We forget, in our experience, how wonderful the love of our husbands or wives is; we forget the joy of a friendship because our dominant reality; the thing we are focused on is the busyness and the battle of life. And friend, if we want to know that God is in control, we need to get still before Him and just KNOW! It's as simple as that! That's what prayer is – getting still before God. Here's how it so often works for me: I pray a bit and I ask God to speak with me. Then I open the Bible and I read the next bit I was going to read; the next chapter in Luke's Gospel or whatever and in reading that, the Spirit of God speaks to me through God's Word. I get this sense that God is up to something here but then I need to chew it over so I pray about it and I ask God, ‘What are You saying to me?' I think about it, I get still, I listen and that's the place where God so often speaks, with a word of reassurance, with some specific guidance or direction. I had that happen this morning, in fact. I had a difficult situation; some difficult decisions to make and after spending time in God's Word and thinking and praying and listening, well, the answer was as plain as the nose on my face. So often I'm confronted with a "to do" list longer than my arm – I can't possibly get it all done today. "God, what is Your priority? What do You want me to do today?" And that's where the most important things drop into my lap, so I go and I do those ones. It's a gift from God. Friend, so many people's lives are in a mess. "I want to hear God speak!" Well, let's get still before God; let's spend time with God. If we want to hear God speak right into the middle of the realities of our lives, we need to get still before Him. Let's get a revelation today! I know your life is busy – mine is too. But if we start spending fifteen minutes, twenty minutes a day, quietly, all the distractions gone, the doors closed, the Bible open – time in prayer; God shows up. He loves spending time with us. He loves it when we set time apart for Him. And frankly, if you are struggling to hear from God but you are not making time to spend with Him, this message today, is for you. Start spending time just with Him and little by little He will start speaking. Day by day, we will learn better how to recognise His voice. Little bit by little bit we will get guidance about things for today and things for tomorrow and things that we need to lay down. Jesus said, "The shepherd speaks and the sheep hear His voice.” In my experience, sometimes in my prayer times over the years I have misheard God but the longer I spend at this, the more discerning I am and the more easily I am able to recognise the voice of my Shepherd.

In this episode, we dive into the powerful message of First Thessalonians—a letter of encouragement, faith, and hope. Written by the Apostle Paul, this book reminds believers to stay strong in their faith, live holy lives, and remain watchful for the return of Jesus Christ. Whether you're facing trials or seeking clarity about the end times, First Thessalonians offers a timely word for today's church.

Send us a textTruth is sometimes painful, especially when it involves reassessing a preacher you once admired. My journey with Philip Anthony Mitchell began with genuine enthusiasm for his fiery preaching style that seemed to ignite spiritual passion. His practical applications of Scripture resonated with me deeply, and I found myself cheering for his ministry's success.The first warning sign appeared when Mitchell gave $50,000 to a follower who had relocated his entire family just to attend Mitchell's church. While concerning, this gesture alone wasn't definitive. However, when I encountered Mitchell's teachings on speaking in tongues, I faced the difficult realization that his doctrine fundamentally undermines the sufficiency of Scripture.Speaking in tongues as practiced in many charismatic circles today suggests that God's revelation remains open—that the Bible alone is insufficient. Yet Scripture provides clear filters for evaluating such claims. First Corinthians 14:15 establishes that prayer should be both spiritual and comprehensible: "I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with understanding also." First Thessalonians 5:17 commands believers to "pray without ceasing." Together, these verses reveal that authentic Christian prayer is spiritual, understandable, and continuous.The biblical record shows genuine tongues appearing only three times in Scripture, exclusively among the apostles, serving a specific purpose during that foundational era. What many call "tongues" today bears little resemblance to this apostolic gift, which involved speaking actual human languages the speaker had never learned.This painful discovery reminds us that acknowledging false teaching doesn't necessarily mean someone isn't a believer. Many sincere Christians teach incorrect doctrine through insufficient study or understanding. However, as Paul warned, "a little leaven leavens the whole lump"—seemingly minor theological errors can corrupt an entire belief system.Have you experienced the disappointment of discovering concerning doctrine from a teacher you once trusted? Share your story and join our conversation about maintaining biblical discernment in an age of charismatic personalities and compelling presentation styles.Support the show

What if the culture of our church could usher in an unprecedented outpouring of God's favor? In his compelling sermon, Pastor Jeff takes us on a journey through the essential elements that create a community blessed by God, focusing on the teachings from First Thessalonians. He emphasizes that true spiritual transformation begins with honoring our leaders and protecting the unity of the body of Christ, allowing us to minister to people from all walks of life. With unwavering passion, Pastor Jeff encourages us to embrace love and forgiveness over bitterness and resentment, teaching that our responses to others—especially in the face of conflict—reflect our relationship with Christ. He guides the church to actively participate in building this culture, reminding us of the profound link between unity and spiritual vitality. This message is a call to evaluate our hearts and relationships, fostering an environment where God's presence can thrive. Join us as we commit to cultivating a community that honors God and reflects His love. Experience the full richness of this transformative message by watching or listening to the sermon today—let's embrace the culture God favors! Speaker: Jeff Schwarzentraub

Pastor Jeff emphasizes the hope that the Gospel provides, particularly in the face of death. He shares the powerful story of Todd Beamer, who faced his own demise with unwavering faith and hope in eternal life with Christ. By unpacking Scripture from First Thessalonians, he encourages believers to grieve differently, trust confidently in Christ's resurrection, and live with expectancy for His return. Ultimately, Pastor Jeff urges everyone to embrace this living hope, as it fundamentally transforms how we navigate life's challenges and encourages us to share this hope relentlessly with others. Speaker: Jeff Schwarzentraub

We have been steadily making our way through First Thessalonians, a book full of encouragement and wisdom from the Apostle Paul concerning not only how Christians should live, but how we should be prepared for the Lord's return. The day of the Lord is what we'll be discussing today as we zero in on chapter five. Now remember in chapter four, believers have already been raptured, so it's important to realize where we're at when all this goes down. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Are you looking forward to the day when Jesus returns to take us home? It really could happen any day now. This is The Dwelling Place with Pastor Al Pittman. Today we begin First Thessalonians chapter five, and transition from the rapture of the church to the Day of the Lord. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Today, pastor Al is going to speak about the afterlife. There are just two destinations, and we encourage you to look at your own life to see where you're headed. We're in First Thessalonians four. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Today on The Dwelling Place, pastor Al Pittman takes us to First Thessalonians, chapter four, to give us some practical insight into some basic do's and don'ts of the faith. I invite you to follow along in your Bible, as we join Pastor Al for a message titled, “Brotherly Love”. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

astor Al Pittman is taking us through First Thessalonians right now, and we're studying chapter four. Here the apostle Paul describes the Believer's Walk. We'll learn through this study how to walk in a God-pleasing manner. We most certainly need encouragement in this area as we're bombarded with messages to go in the opposite direction in the world as we know it. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Pastor Al Pittman has been leading us verse by verse through First Thessalonians, a great letter full of encouragement in how to live the Christian life. Having finished chapter three yesterday, we now move into chapter four, which deals with the subject of how to please God. Hopefully that's your ambition in life... so let's see how to get there. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

If you've been tuning in lately, you know that we are in the midst of a verse by verse study through the book of First Thessalonians. We're back at it again today, and I invite you to turn to chapter three now To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

The Thessalonians knew they could count on Paul and that's what we're going to see today as we continue our ongoing study of First Thessalonians here on The Dwelling Place with Pastor Al Pittman. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Welcome to Moody Presents with Mark Jobe … senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago and president of Moody Bible Institute. Today, we’re winding down our Defiance series and we'll learn that the Bible says we're made up of a body, mind, and spirit … and they all need to be working together in order for us to be set apart for God’s purposes. Part 1 of this last message is called, Reclaiming Your Whole Person and it’s a lesson from the book of First Thessalonians. So, let’s jump in. Become part of our Advance Team: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/moodypresents/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today Pastor Al will be teaching from First Thessalonians chapter two, verses one through twelve. We'll be reminded that Christian ministry is like the selfless and sacrificing roles of a mother and father. Paul and those who served with him are example for us to follow as pastors and spiritual leaders. Though not many are called to be pastors, we're all called to the ministry on some level and to some degree. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

We are currently traveling through First Thessalonians, where we begin chapter two today. We'll be looking at some of the instructions given by the apostle Paul on how to effectively live out the Christian life. Let's go ahead and open our Bibles now as pastor Al gets today's study underway. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

The apostle Paul certainly went through intense persecution, but God used this in his life in a magnificent way to spread the Good News. Today, we'll take a look at First Thessalonians, chapter one, and what it means to us twenty-first century Christians. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

How did the Gospel come to the apostle Paul? For that matter, how did it come to you? In our new study of First Thessalonians today, we'll seek to answer this question and more. Join us, in the first chapter of First Thessalonians as we plan on covering verses five through ten. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

On today's program, we are going to turn our attention to a new study in the New Testament book of First Thessalonians. The apostle Paul wrote this awesome letter and as we get into it, we'll notice the marks of a healthy and growing church, and look forward to the soon return of Christ. Al has noticed several things about the church in the first few verses and today he'll draw that out of the text for us. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

You can read the whole text here: https://dougapple.blogspot.com/ +++++++ I'm Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Honor your father and mother…but what if your parents aren't worthy of honor? It's pretty clear in the Bible that we are to honor our parents. It's even in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:12 says, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” But here is a question I have heard many times. “How can I honor my parents when they are such dishonorable people?” Here's my answer. You don't honor them because they are honorable. You honor them because YOU are honorable. We are called to be people of honor. I like First Thessalonians 4:4 which says possess your vessel in honor. Here's a fun example, and this goes back to 1922, to a book by Emily Post about etiquette in society. She wrote, “If a lady drops her glove, a gentleman should pick it up... offer the glove to her and say: 'I think you dropped this!' The lady replies: 'Thank you.' The gentleman should then lift his hat and turn away." This is telling a man how to behave like a gentleman. One thing a gentleman doesn't do is stop to figure out if the woman has a track record of being lady-like. Her lady-likeness has nothing to do with it. He behaves like a gentleman, not because she is a lady, but because he is a gentleman. We honor people, not because they are honorable, but because WE are honorable. We possess our vessel in honor. In other words, we get ourselves under control in order to live an honorable life, a life of honoring others because we are honorable. First Peter 2:17 says, “Honor all people.” How can we possibly do that when so many people are not worthy of honor? First of all, everyone is worthy of honor or the Bible wouldn't say that. They are worthy of honor as people made in the image of God. They are worthy of honor because Jesus died for them. They are worthy of honor because God loves them. So the question isn't “are they honorable?” The question is, are WE honorable? If we are, then honor flows through us to others. Back to the Ten Commandments. We are told to honor our father and mother. Sure, they were imperfect. Or you may say, “No Doug, my parents actually were perfect…a perfect mess.” The command remains the same, to honor them. And if you can't motivate yourself to honor them, get this into your head. We don't honor them because they are so honorable. We honor them because WE are honorable. May God bless you today. I'm Doug Apple.

Sadly many are so caught up in a pursuit of temporal treasures of little value that they miss out on eternal treasures of great value. Radical discipleship is costly... but it pays rich dividends! Join us as we study the final section of First Thessalonians. We will discover many practical challenges in this episode of Wisdom form Above.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) Someday soon God's people are going to get carried away! The next great event in the last days is the coming of Christ for His church. Are you ready to be caught away? (0969250319) ----more----   The Last Days Welcome to the last days. Second Timothy 3:1 says this, "Know also that in the last days perilous time shall come. For men should be lovers of their own selves. covetous, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent fiercce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof." I repeat, "Welcome to the last days." We are living, my friends, in perilous times, and yet I'm afraid too often when we talk about the last days, it gives the connotation of some doom. Now, certainly those doomed for those who do not know God. It is a sad reality that people will be separated from God forever. But if you're a child of God, if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, this is not a sad ending. Instead, it's a glorious beginning of eternity with God, of every good thing that God has planned for us. The Bible says, "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither is entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him." Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? If you do, I want you to know the Lord who loves you first, and loves you more than you could ever imagine. Has mighty things in store for you.  The Rapture of the Church We're talking about what the Bible says about the end of time and what it will be set in motion. Now we know that scripture teaches, we just read it in 2nd Timothy 3, that the last days describes that period between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ, and we know that Christ came the first time and he's promised he will come again. So I believe that the next thing on God's agenda. The next thing on the divine calendar is what is commonly referred to as the rapture of the church. And we're gonna talk about that word in just a moment, but a simply put, we're referring to the moment when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again. I. For us when he comes to take his children out of this world. Now, the word rapture is not actually found in scripture, and yet the teaching of it certainly is. You see the word rapture comes from a word that means to, to catch away, to seize or carry away. The word is actually used in scripture. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says this, "We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds." That's the exact meaning of the word rapture. That is exactly what we're talking about. We're gonna be caught away. It's used of Philip in Acts chapter eight. Remember when the Holy Spirit caught him away? It's used of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. He was caught up into the third heaven; and so we believe there's gonna be a definite moment when God catches away his children, when he removes us from this perilous world, this wicked age, and brings us into his presence forever. As a matter of fact, when you come to the last book of the Bible, the revelation of Jesus Christ. He talks to his churches in the New Testament age. In Revelation chapter two, revelation chapter three. When you come to Revelation chapter four, verse one, you read these words, "After this, I looked and behold a door was open in heaven, and the first voice, which I heard was, as it were, of a trumpet talking with me, which said, come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter." It's my conviction that verse is representative of a shift from the church age into the things which shall be hereafter. Friend, there's about to be a door open in heaven. There's about to be a voice and a trumpet. There's about to be a word come up hither. That's the catching away of believers in this New Testament age to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever. Scriptural Basis for the Rapture Now, the most definitive portion of scripture that deals with the rapture of the church is 1 Thessalonians chapter four. So let me read the portion of scripture and then we'll draw a few observations. First Thessalonians chapter four, beginning in verse thirteen says, "But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep." That means those who've died. "That you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again." May I pause and ask, Do you believe that's the only way? That you can truly know Christ as your Savior? Do you believe Jesus died and rose again? If you believe that the Bible says, "even them also, which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." In other words, as surely as Jesus didn't end at the cross and didn't stay in the tomb, he's not finished with us. There's more to come. The best is yet to come for the child of God. He goes on in verse fifteen to say, "For this, we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain under the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them, which are asleep. For the Lord himself," - not an angel, not a prophet - "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord." So what's the chain of events? What is set in motion? It begins with Christ returning. Christ himself is coming with a shout of victory. This is wonderful. God's gonna break his silence. Somebody said, I've never heard a booming voice from heaven. No, I haven't either, but God's going to break his silence. He descends from heaven, but He doesn't come all the way to the earth. Instead, the Bible says He comes in the air. Remember when He left in his ascension, the angel said, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go." He went up in the clouds. He's coming back in the clouds. The Bible says that those who are asleep in Jesus, who have died in Christ, they are coming back with Him. Their bodies are going to be resurrected from the grave. Isn't that gonna be glorious? They're coming out first, and so the Lord is coming back accompanied with all the pomp and circumstance of a king because he is a king. He's the King of kings and the Lord of Lord. So you have his return. Then you have the resurrection. That's the dead in Christ. Those who've died during this church age, they're gonna rise. Then the rapture, the living believers, I hope we're in that group. Frankly, the living believers are called up with them into the clouds, and the Bible says then there's a great reunion. A reunion both with them and with the Lord. First Corinthians 15:52 says, it's going to happen in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. Though we may talk about the process of it, it's gonna be a momentous occasion. It's instantaneous and complete in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.  The Imminent Return of Christ Now we know that this is happening because the Lord promised it was gonna happen and God doesn't lie. We also know that it could happen any moment the coming of Jesus Christ. Is imminent. Jesus said in John 14, "If I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also." Let me just end today where the Lord ends. Let's let God have the final word here. Revelation 22:20 says, "He which testifieth these things saith. Surely I come. Quickly." Somebody said, What do you know about the coming of Christ? All I know is he's coming surely, and he's coming quickly. What should our response be? The rest of verse 20 says, "Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus." Your Faith and the Rapture If you don't know Christ as your Savior, would you put your faith in Him right now? Would you call on Him and ask Him to be your Savior so you can look forward to going to be with Him forever? He'll come to live in your heart today, and if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, I hope you can live today with victory and joy saying, "Even so come, Lord Jesus." My closing prayer for you today is the closing prayer of the Bible. In light of the soon return of Christ in the rapture of the church, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Outro and Resources Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our Library of Bible teaching resources, including book-by-book studies of scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on Enjoying the Journey.

(Isaiah 46:11) Scripture is full of prophecy and sincere Bible students must not neglect it. Today, we uncover five definite blessings connected to the study of prophecy. Our goal is to learn more than end time events; it is to know more deeply the eternal God. (0968250318)  ----more----  The World's Fascination with End Times Hollywood has made a small fortune imagining what the end of the world is going to look like. In fact, it seems every week. Something new in printed form or media comes out about the end of time, and yet I think it may be smarter if we ask the one who started time, how time is going to end. That is the eternal God, the creator of all things. What does God say? What does the Bible say? About the end of time, about last things.  Biblical Prophecy: An Overview As you read and study the word of God, you're gonna be shocked, I think, to see how much of the Bible is prophetic - I mean by that telling us about things to come. Sixteen Old Testament books are considered to be prophetic books. You have what is commonly referred to as the major prophets and the minor prophets. But prophecy's not restricted just to those books. In fact, prophetic elements are found all through the word of God. In the Psalms there are prophetic psalms. Moses was referred to as a prophet, so that's hearkening all the way back to the beginning of the Old Testament. When you come to the New Testament, about 1/20th of the New Testament is prophetic. Now, obviously the revelation of Jesus Christ the apocalypse the final revelation. That's prophetic, but there are prophetic elements in the teachings of Christ and the writings of Paul. You can't neglect scripture. When it comes to prophecy. I heard someone recently say, what gives us the right I. To pick and choose which verses we wanna believe. What gives us the right to pick and cho choose which verses we want to study and apply and live. No, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. So what is the profit of us studying what the Bible says about the end of time? Lemme give you several profitable things that it'll do in your life.  The Sovereignty of God in Prophecy First of all, if you study what the Bible says about prophecy. It's going to reveal something to you about the sovereignty of our God, that He truly is on the throne. He has a plan. He's all wise and all powerful. He knows exactly what he's doing. Listen to the words of Isaiah 46, verse 11. The Bible says, "Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executed with my counsel from a far country. Yay, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also do it." Now, the context of this text is in a prophecy to the nation of Israel. But listen to the revelation of God himself, the one who's giving the prophecy, he said, I've spoken it. I'm gonna bring it to pass. I've purposed it. I'm going to do it. When you begin to study prophecy, one of the things immediately that is revealed is that our God is not arbitrary. He has an eternal purpose in the ages. This is not some emergency plan with our God. From the very beginning, before time started, God knew exactly how it was going to end. So his purpose is being fulfilled. That ought to help you not just to know events, but to know the God of the Bible in a greater way. Closely akin to that, let me give you a second profitable thing.  Faith in Bible Prophecy In the book of Acts chapter number 20, we're told this beginning in verse number 26, the Apostle Paul says, "Wherefore, I take you to record this day that I'm pure from the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." One of the things that happens when you start seeing what the Bible says about prophecy is it increases your faith in the word of God itself. And the Apostle Paul said, Acts 20:27, "I've not shunned to declare all the counsel of God." May I say to you, we should not shun all the counsel of God. Study all of the Bible. Seek to understand all of scripture. Teach and preach all of the Bible. Why? Because God has a message for us in every part of scripture that includes prophecy, faith cometh by hearing by the word of God. Your faith is gonna grow as you see God fulfilling what he foretold and everything. God foretells, he fulfills. When you see all the prophecies that have been fulfilled to this point, do you know what it says? It says that the same God who never lies, who always tells the truth and always keeps his word, is going to fulfill the rest of the prophecies. So it reveals the sovereignty of God. It increases our faith in the word of God. How about this? This is a very practical thing.  Hope in Bible Prophecy When you begin studying what the Bible says about prophecy, it's gonna give you some hope and comfort. I'm talking about living through difficult days. It's gonna help you. Second Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light affliction, which is, but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." What does prophecy do? Prophecy makes you get your eyes off of time and on eternity. It makes you go to the end and work your way backward to find out what truly matters in light of eternity. It brings both a challenge and a comfort at the same time. He repeats that emphasis when he writes to the church at Thessalonika. First Thessalonians chapter four, listen to the words beginning in verse thirteen. He says, "But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this, we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ, shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words." Did you notice the first verse we read in 1st Thessalonians 4:13 has the word "hope" in it, and the last verse we read, verse 18 has the word "comfort" in it? Studying prophecy is going to give you hope and comfort. It's not just about knowing the sequence of events. Or what to look for next. In fact, we're not looking for an ending. We're looking for a new beginning. I'm not looking for the world to end. I'm looking for Jesus to come. I'm looking for everything God has prepared for us. That gives me hope and comfort living in difficult days.  The Purifying Affect of Prophecy And then I would say this studying prophecy, what the Bible says about the end of time will purify the believer. Yeah, one John chapter three, beginning in verse number two says this, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purify himself even as he is pure." The hope is not just for us to feel better. The hope is for us to live today. In light of eternity, it's gonna help you make today count. If you realize today could be your last day on earth, today could be the greatest day you ever live, which is the day Jesus Christ face to face. Let me give you one more study.  Loving Jesus More Through Prophecy What the Bible says about last things is gonna help you love Jesus more. Listen to Revelation 19, verse 10, "And I fell at his feet to worship him and he said unto me, See thou to it. Not I'm thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." People who want to talk about prophecy in the end time, but they don't wanna talk more about loving Christ or winning souls or living holy, have missed the spirit of prophecy. The spirit of prophecy is not about having a head full of knowledge. It's about having a heart alive and on fire with passionate love for Christ and souls around you. It will make a difference in the way you live this day. So I'm excited about our studies. We begin to talk about what the Bible says about last things, but I wanna challenge you. Don't just study it, live it. Don't just consider considerate, apply the truth to your life today. Let what the Bible says affect what you give your energy and attention to this very day. Outro and Resources Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our Library of Bible teaching resources, including book-by-book studies of Scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content, and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening and we hope you'll join us next time on Enjoying the Journey.

"Have you made time for God today?" This simple yet profound question opens a journey into our nation's soul and the daily choices that reveal our true priorities. What we give our attention to—be it social media, television, work, or worship—speaks volumes about what we truly value.The American Soul Podcast examines how abandoning unchanging Christian standards has led our society to judge one another based on superficial traits rather than character and merit. Drawing parallels between tribal conflicts in Africa and our own divisions, host Jesse Cope argues that our experiment in self-governance only succeeds when founded upon principles that transcend race, ethnicity, and tribal allegiance.Through a thoughtful exploration of First Thessalonians and Daniel Webster's historic Plymouth Oration of 1820, we're reminded that America was explicitly founded as part of "the Christian world"—a fact often obscured in modern discourse. Webster's powerful condemnation of the slave trade as incompatible with Christian principles offers a sobering parallel to our current moral challenges, particularly abortion.Most compelling is the episode's meditation on legacy. What proof will future generations have of our reverence for America and love for Christ? Are we keeping journals for our children? Teaching scripture? Caring for the vulnerable? As Webster welcomed future Americans to "the immortal hope of Christianity and the light of everlasting truth," we must ask ourselves what inheritance we're preserving for those who come after us.The path to national renewal isn't primarily political but spiritual, beginning with individuals and families before extending to communities and institutions. Only by returning to the foundation of Christ's teachings can we reclaim the blessings of good governance, domestic happiness, and true learning that our founders envisioned.Cast your eyes toward heaven, and join us in seeking first the Kingdom of God. Together, we can rediscover America's soul.Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

Pastor Fletcher starts off our new sermon series on First Thessalonians.

Do you want to make a difference in our world? Do you want to do things that will have an eternal impact? This passage in First Thessalonians reveals how we make a difference in our world that will have an eternal impact. It reveals how some people will ultimately be our crown of rejoicing! Don't miss this episode of Wisdom from Above!

As we continue our study of First Thessalonians, we come now to The Model Minister. Every believer is a minister of God. This passage reveals the motives, the methods and the manner of a model minister. You can use this study as checkup on your progress as a servant of the Lord.

Send us a textWhat if your understanding of salvation is turned on its head? Dive into a captivating exploration of predestination and divine election as we unpack Apostle Paul's teachings from the Book of Ephesians. Join us as we challenge the conventional view of salvation being a result of human initiative and examine the profound notion that it is God who initiates faith in individuals. Through an engaging discussion, we reveal how Paul's message to the Gentile Christians in Ephesus reshapes our understanding of God's sovereignty versus human agency. Listen closely as we navigate through scripture and confront the idea that all things, including salvation and condemnation, are orchestrated according to God's will.Throughout this episode, we traverse through biblical passages from First Peter to First Thessalonians, shedding light on the nature of God's justice and the concept of divine election. By contrasting these beliefs with other religious perspectives emphasizing adherence to the law, we invite you to reassess the effectiveness of such practices in achieving salvation. We delve into the implications of predestination on faith, unraveling the complexities of divine love and justice. Our conversation doesn't shy away from differing interpretations and objections, but rather invites you to reflect on the grand scheme of God's plan. Prepare to be challenged and enlightened as we discuss these profound theological ideas.Funny news, Real Talk & Spiritual Growth - Faith that's honest, Deep & Intentional Breaking down faith, culture & big questions - a mix of humor with real spiritual growth. Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

This 14th season of Wisdom from Above is an exposition of the book of First Thessalonians. The first chapter reveals the heart of a model church. The Thessalonians Church had a faith that worked, a love that labored and a hope that endured. What is the driving principle of the church?   A tradition-driven church does what it does because that's what they've always done. A temperature-driven church does that it does because that's what the majority wants. A trend-driven church does what it does because that's what the successful are doing. A truth-driven church does what it does because that's what God is asking in His Word. We want a truth-driven church! How does a church become truth-driven?  Join me for this podcast and discover some practical truths for you and your church.

This is the premier episode of our 14th season of Wisdom from Above. This season will be an exposition of the book of First Thessalonians. Join us as we dig into the background of First Thessalonians. We will discover seven principles to help us in times of hurt and heartache .

First Thessalonians 4 warns us to beware of the carnal nature. ******* By the way, if you haven't bought a copy of my new book yet, check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Visions-Stories-Faith-Pastor/dp/161493536X

First Thessalonians 4 says God has not called us into uncleanliness but into holiness. ******* By the way, if you haven't bought a copy of my new book yet, check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Visions-Stories-Faith-Pastor/dp/161493536X

Mass Readings for First Sunday of Advent December 1, 2024 Reading 1, Jeremiah 33:14-16 Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 Reading 2, First Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 Gospel, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Episode Summary: As the holidays approach and we're inundated with messages about thankfulness, you may wonder: does gratitude actually change anything? Is there science behind the old advice to “count your blessings”? In this episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective, I'm diving into the connection between Gratitude and Neuroscience, showing how adopting a heart of gratitude impacts not just our spiritual lives but also our mental and physical health. Scripture reminds us that what God commands aligns beautifully with how He created us. I'll share 25+ unique things to be grateful for and why cultivating thankfulness, even during tough times, is so important. Together, we'll look at how gratitude helps us see hidden blessings and keeps our focus on God's faithfulness. Quotables from the episode: God never wastes our pain; even in difficulty, we can find reasons to be grateful. When we will be continually in a prayerful posture, God will open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to recognize and then be willing to thank him for all those things that we had previously dismissed or not considered. I want to have a constantly grateful heart. So I'm consistently challenging myself to notice little or unusual things in life, those things that maybe I sometimes take for granted, and offer up thanks for them.  When God tells us to be thankful in all situations, He means it, but I believe that as we pray without ceasing, like that verse in First Thessalonians said, that God is the one who creates a thankful heart in us. Start with the small things. Start with the unusual things. And I'm firmly convinced that the more we cultivate an attitude of gratitude, the more we realize we really do have to be blessed and thank God for. Gratitude shifts our perspective, revealing God's hidden blessings in our everyday lives. Scripture References: 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 “Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart does good like medicine.” Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”   Recommended Resources:    Sacred Scars: Resting in God's Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson  The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out to God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms   Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the Christian Literary Awards Reader's Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion 7-Day Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day YouVersion 7-Day Devotional, Today is Going to be Another Good Day Breaking Anxiety's Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety's Grip Free Study Guide Free 7-Day YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety's Grip Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor's Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader's Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader's Choice Award Trusting God Through Cancer 1 Trusting God Through Cancer 2 Revive & Thrive Women's Conference Subdue Stress and Anxiety: Fifteen Experts Offer Comprehensive Tools in Ten Minutes a Day. Use my link plus discount code BENG99 to save $90 on course (course will be $99.) Free Download: How To Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win   Social Media Links for Host: For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Breaking Anxiety's Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails  /  Website  /  Blog  /  Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson)  /  LinkedIn  /  Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube   Dr. Michelle Bengtson is an international speaker, a national and international media resource on mental health, and the bestselling, award-winning author of Hope Prevails, the Hope Prevails Bible Study, Today Is Going to Be a Good Day, Breaking Anxiety's Grip, The Hem of His Garment, and Sacred Scars. She is also the host of the award-winning podcast Your Hope-Filled Perspective. A board-certified clinical neuropsychologist in private practice for more than twenty years, Dr. Bengtson blogs regularly and offers a wide variety of resources on her website, DrMichelleB.com.   Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson

Paul wrote to the Colossians: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6-7). Overflowing with thankfulness—that's our goal if we have received Christ Jesus as our Lord and are continuing to grow in our faith. In other words, thankfulness is supposed to be a trademark of a Christian. Now, ask yourself this question: Would people who know you well—who are around you often and see you in real-life environments regularly—describe you as a thankful person? Do you overflow with thankfulness? If something is overflowing, people would notice, don't you think? This is a characteristic I've been trying to cultivate more and more in my life because I want to be thankful for all my many, many blessings. But also, because being thankful is a major stress buster! I'm not kidding; one of the best things you can do to reduce your stress, lower your blood pressure, and lengthen your life is to practice thankfulness. Notice I said, "practice thankfulness.” You see, it's really easy to get caught up in complaining because that's what we hear around us quite often. Don't you hear a good bit of griping and complaining where you work or even in your home? Well, you might have caught that disease without realizing it. So, you need to practice thankfulness. Ephesians 5:19b-20 says: Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in First Thessalonians 5:18 we're told to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Seems to me we have to find ways to remind ourselves to overflow with thankfulness. If you want to play the piano, you have to practice. If you want to dunk a basketball, you have to practice. Well, if you want to overflow with thankfulness, I think you have to practice that, too. Here are some suggestions to help you do that. Put a sign on your desk or refrigerator or your screen saver that says, "Overflow with thankfulness today.” I think we just sometimes need simple reminders. It sure won't hurt. Put on thankfulness each morning before you leave home. Colossians 3:12-15 gives us a list of garments we should put on each day as God's chosen people, and at the end of this list we read: And be thankful. So, while you're buttoning your shirt or putting on your shoes, just make a little ritual each day of saying, "And I'm also putting on thankfulness to wear all day today." Do the thankful alphabet. Start with A and go through Z, naming something starting with each letter for which you are thankful. You can have some fun with this; it's a great game to play in the car with your kids and you'll be teaching them to practice thankfulness. Just start and see how far you can get: A: I'm thankful for apples. B: I'm thankful for C: I'm thankful for cousins. D: I'm thankful for my dad. E: I'm thankful for Elizabeth, my friend. F: I'm thankful for football! And on you go. It's fun, it's uplifting, and it fills your heart with thanks. In fact, a fun idea might be to make a deck of alphabet thankful cards, which you can use at home or church or even on the job. Make every Tuesday a Thankful Tuesday or each Thursday a Thankful Thursday. You can share this with your family or your coworkers and have some fun with it, and it will teach the joy of practicing thankfulness. On that day be very intentional about expressing what you have to be thankful for, perhaps as the family gathers for a meal, or in a casual conversation with coworkers. Remind others that it's Thankful Tuesday or Thursday and encourage them to recite what they have to be thankful for. You'll be surprised how others will be willing to join in with you if you'll just get it started. Sing songs of thanksgiving. You could sing "Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart" fo...

Joel 1-4; Psalm 90; Proverbs 19:19-24; First Thessalonians 5

Micah 5-7; Psalm 89; Proverbs 19:13-18; First Thessalonians 4

Micah 1-4; Psalm 88:39-53; Proverbs 19:7-12; First Thessalonians 3

Amos 5:4-9:15; Psalm 88:20-38; Proverbs 19:1-6; First Thessalonians 2