Category Archives: Witnessing

Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christ's Return, Christianity, Commands, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Eternity, Evangelism, Family, Fatherhood, God's Will, Heaven, Inspirational, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Rapture, Sanctification, Witnessing

COMING TOGETHER

2 THESSALONIANS 2:1

“Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,” 

Isn’t it funny how circumstances can change how we ask people things? For instance, if you know you will never see someone ever again, you might be led to ask them something you REALLY want to know. If you are going to see them the next day, you might wait until later. Timing is everything when it comes to choosing your words.

Paul is beginning this second chapter (remember, there weren’t chapters in the original letter) by saying, “Since Jesus is coming and we will all be together, I need to ask you for something.” We’ll see what he asks for later. But in today’s verse he is setting the stage. He is sure they will be together and that Jesus is coming. So, with that in mind, he feels free to ask them anything.

APPLICATION

We need to teach our children how to be more tactful when it comes to asking people things, right? Have your children ever asked someone something that embarrassed you? Kids can do that. They don’t have a filter yet. As they get older they learn the appropriate time to ask certain things. But they also may lose some of that boldness.

For example, I have a nephew who would ask total strangers on a plane or in the airport if they were saved. I was humbled by his boldness. He wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed to ask that question. Why should he be? We shouldn’t be. In fact, since the Lord is coming back (as Paul says), shouldn’t we be bold asking our friends and neighbors that very question. 

Will you be bold today? Will you ask the question since He’s coming soon? Don’t put it off. Tomorrow may be too late. He’s on His way. And He wants all who are willing to come with Him to heaven. Don’t you?

I will ask someone today, Lord, what their eternal plan is. I want to be bold and deliberate as I talk to friends and strangers alike. Give me the courage to speak!

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Advice, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Comfort, Commands, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Family, Fatherhood, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Motherhood, Obedience, Parenting, Witnessing

BOAST WORTHY

2 THESSALONIANS 1:4

“therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.”

Notice the origin of this boasting. It’s not the Thessalonians boasting about themselves. It’s Paul and his companions boasting about them. Self-boasting is really just arrogance. But when someone else boasts about you, that is due to your character or reputation. If you are truly worthy of this boasting, you find it hard to accept, but you should.

Look at what Paul was boasting about. He was boasting about their perseverance and faith in the midst of persecutions and afflictions. If you look back at 1 Thessalonians 2-3, Paul recounts to the Thessalonians his suffering and afflictions. Now he is boasting about theirs. I wonder who they learned that from?

APPLICATION

Teach your children to brag on others, not themselves. Help them see the gifts others have or their abilities to “bear up under” and let them know it. When your little Johnny has a friend who perseveres on the ballfield, even though he isn’t as talented, tell Johnny to pat him on the back. Help him encourage him. When your little Susie has a friend who has lost a parent but still smiles and carries on with life, help her to come alongside her.

Too many children today spend way too much time bragging on themselves. We have to redirect them to brag on others. You may have heard of the J-O-Y acrostic. It says Jesus first, Others second and Yourself third. Teach your kids that. Putting Jesus and others ahead of ourselves is a great life lesson.

Who do you know today who could use a little encouragement? Take the time to send them a text or an email. Better yet, pick up the phone and call them. Let them know you are thinking about them. Let them know how proud you are of them. It will send them a message they won’t soon forget.

Lord God, You constantly encourage me. Help me encourage others in the same way. Let me see them through Your eyes.

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STRETCHY PANTS

2 THESSALONIANS 1:3

“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows evergreater;” 

I think kind of strange at times. I know, shock, shock! But look at this verse – fitting (think fitting room), enlarged, grows…greater. Come on! You can see that too, right? I had this image of going into a fitting room in a store and finding out I had to go to a larger size because I had, well, grown larger. I am sure you have never had that problem, lol.

But Paul isn’t talking about clothing. He’s talking about the Thessalonians’ faith. He had received word back from the messengers stating that their faith had grown larger. What encouraging words for Paul. He was concerned about their spiritual health and had to be relieved to hear they were getting stronger.

APPLICATION

As parents, we all want our children to grown stronger. We feed them, give them vitamins and supplements, take them to the doctor and do everything necessary and within reason to ensure their physical health.  After all, who wants medical bills due to our neglect of their health? But are you as concerned about their spiritual health? Parents have said to me, “Well, I want them to make up their own mind.” Seriously, if you did that about education, what would your child decide?

We have to be more concerned about raising spiritually healthy children. Sure, we can’t MAKE them become a follower of Christ. But we have to make sure we are preparing them every way possible. We give them everything necessary to allow them to respond to His call. God wants them in His family as much as you want them in yours. But He wants us to lead them there.

Can you “double down” on your child’s spiritual growth? What do you need to do to further prepare your child to respond? Ask the Lord today what “supplement” your child needs to lead them in His direction. Give your child a spiritual checkup. Ask them the difficult questions. Then you can rest knowing you have done everything you can do. The rest is up to the Lord.

Father, help me be the kind of parent I need to be for my children and grandchildren. Help me lead them toward You. Teach me as I am teaching them.

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NO FOOLING

2 THESSALONIANS 1:2

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

God’s grace and peace are no joke. When Paul wished that upon the Thessalonians, he wasn’t making a wish that could not be kept. We do that a lot, don’t we? We tell people things that we know we can’t keep. We have good intentions, but it is just outside the realm of possibility.

Grace and peace are not like that. Why? Because we aren’t the ones giving it. Our desire, just like God’s, should be that all men be saved. When someone receives Christ as their Savior and Lord, they experience His grace and His peace. God gives it freely and liberally. Paul is desiring that for them and us.

APPLICATION

What is something you can give to your child that they cannot get for themselves? Think of something. Perhaps it is a new bike. Well…nope. They could save their money and get that. How about a new cell phone (God forbid, lol)? Nope again. They could buy that if they had the money.

You can give them a godly parent. They can’t make that happen. You can give them love and respect. They can’t earn that. You can give them discipline and direction. They will learn to self-discipline later, but only after you give it first. These are the things you need to focus on, not material things.

Is there something in your life which you are clamoring for that really doesn’t matter in the eternal order of things? We all have some things like that. Give it up. Let God take over. Let Him determine what you need in your life. He knows best anyway. Don’t you think?  Let Him give you His grace and peace today. 

They never get old.Father of grace and peace, rain down on me today. Let me experience afresh Your grace and Your peace. Then, Lord, let me share that with others.

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INSTANT REPLY

2 THESSALONIANS 1:1

“Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:” 

Most scholars agree that 2 Thessalonians was written very shortly after 1 Thessalonians and was a reply to the reply Paul had received from the church about his first letter. Have you have done that? You text or email someone, and after they reply back to you, you reply back to them. That’s what this is except it was done by letter and a messenger (not Instant Message, lol).

Whatever stirred his heart to write again, Paul still held these believers as dear to his heart. He cared deeply about them and wanted to make sure they had the correct understanding of their position in Christ. Silvanus and Timothy are still with him in Corinth, so he includes them in the opening. They all cared for this young, fledgling church.

APPLICATION

We should show our children the importance of communicating clearly for the sake of Christ. When we hear of someone we know who is not walking with Christ, we should talk with them. If we really love them, we don’t want them to continue down a path that will take them further away from Christ. We should have an instant reply.

“But Carl, they may get mad at me.” So what! Isn’t it better for them to get mad at you than to not say something and watch them go off the cliff? If you are replying in love to them, they will know it. Just like Paul, respond for their good.

Is there someone in your life right now whom you need to approach in love and steer back on the right course? Do it in love. Do it quickly. Just do it. Don’t sit back and watch them follow the wrong person or do the wrong thing without at least confronting them. Let the Holy Spirit tell you when and what to say.

O Lord, I am thankful I have people in my life to confront me when I am off course. Help me do the same without the fear of rejection. I truly want those whom I love to follow You.

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LAST WORDS

1 THESSALONIANS 5:28

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

Paul ends all his letters mentioning grace. It was his typical closing in which he wished upon the reader grace from our Lord Jesus Christ. It was his way of saying “goodbye.” What better way than to wish God’s grace on someone. It blesses that person as they are finishing the letter.

Saying goodbye can be hard sometimes. It is especially hard if you think you will never see that person again on this side of eternity. I travel to Uganda and Kenya every year to train Pastors. I have gotten to be close friends with several of those Pastors in both countries. Sometimes our goodbyes can last quite a while. But I know I will see them on the “other side.”

APPLICATION

Teach your children to think about these words of Paul when they say goodbye next time to someone. Teach them to bless others with more than just a few simple goodbyes. Teach them to lift up a prayer for them as they are saying goodbye. Teach them to ask the Lord’s blessing on them as they hug them.

Most importantly, teach your children to think eternally with each goodbye. Have them ask themselves, “Is this person going to be in heaven with me?” If they aren’t sure, they should ask them. Children can reach people sometimes that we adults could never get through to. When a little seven or eight-year-old asks you if you are going to heaven, most adults will answer them. They might get offended if we ask that, but not from a child. Your child could be your secret weapon, lol.

Let me encourage you to say goodbye differently next time. Use Paul’s words. Say to them, “May God bless you as we part with His grace and love.” You may get a raised eyebrow, but I bet they won’t soon forget those words.

Give me the words, O Lord, to say goodbye in a way that honors You and points others to You. May my goodbyes really be just “see you later.” See You later, Lord.

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BEGGING

1 THESSALONIANS 5:27

“I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.” 

Paul is begging here. That kind of surprised me. Paul doesn’t strike me as a person who would beg for anything. But he is begging them, adjuring them, trying to persuade them to share this letter. After all, there wasn’t Face Book or Instagram back then, lol. Paul couldn’t tweet out his message. He had to rely on others to pass on his words.

Have you ever been asked to help spread the word about something? Maybe someone is having a yard sale and asks you to let your friends know. Perhaps the church is hosting an event and asks all its members to invite others to come. We invite people to stuff all the time. But do we share the good news about Jesus enough?

APPLICATION

Ask your little Johnny or Susie if they have good news to share with someone? They may say, “What do you mean, Mom?” Explain to them that if they are a believer, they have the best story in the world to share. They should be telling everyone they know about how much Jesus loves them. Keeping that to themselves is…well…selfish. Don’t you think?

Help them make a list of people they want to tell about Jesus. And it’s okay for them to list people who are already saved. They may just need a little encouragement that day. We never know what people are dealing with. The words of a child to an adult can be very soothing. If needed, go with them to talk to those people. But make sure you follow up to see if they talked to those individuals.

To whom do you need to talk to today? Who, in your sphere of influence, needs to hear about the saving power of the blood of Christ? We have such wonderful news. Don’t keep it to yourself. I adjure you to share it today.

Lord, put people in my life today to whom I can share Jesus. Let me be bold and courageous as I step forward to represent You in my community.

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SOMEONE TO COUNT ON

1 THESSALONIANS 5:24

“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 

As we come towards the end of this first letter to the Thessalonians, I feel like every word and every phrase is so important. I want to just linger and absorb each letter of each word of each phrase of each verse. God doesn’t waste words, so these last few verses are just as important as the first one.

Today’s verse just sums up our relationship with our Lord. Look at it again. “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”God is faithful! God calls you! God will keep His word! Simple, yet profound truth. But God can only be faithful to those whom have answered His call. Then and only then do all of His promises come true.

APPLICATION

Why do you remain faithful to that wayward child? Because they were birthed into your family. They may stray away for years, but you still yearn for them. God yearns for us. He created us in His image with that “God-sized” hole in our hearts that only He can fill. Did your children ever play with those shape toys? You know the ones where they have to fit the round piece in the round hole and the square piece in the square hole. Pull that back out and explain this verse using those.

That is such a simple way to explain the hole that God fills in our life, when we surrender to Him. And just like that piece will always fit that hole, God will always fill that gap in them. But we have to let Him. He won’t force Himself into that gap, even though it is a perfect fit. We have to let Him in. Your children need to know that. Only THEY can let Him in. You can’t do it for them.

Have you allowed the Lord of the universe to complete you? If you have, rest assured that He is faithful to you. He will bring all His promises to fulfillment in your life. He wants to bless you more than you can possibly imagine. Just surrender your will to His and watch what He does in and through you.

I am constantly amazed at what You do in and through me, Lord. I am not capable of loving some people, but You are through me. I am not able to obey Your Word, but as I meditate on it through Your Spirit, I have the urgency to obey.

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REJOICE – ALWAYS


1 THESSALONIANS 5:16

“Rejoice always;” 

This is a first for me. I have put the entire verse in the title, lol.  One of the shortest verses in the Bible. In fact, in the Greek, it is shorter than the commonly thought of shortest verse “Jesus wept.” How ironic that the verse we think is the shortest has an exact opposite thought than the actual shortest verse. On the one hand we have weeping and on the other we have rejoicing.  That was just interesting to me. It didn’t cost you anything extra.

What does Paul mean here? This word “rejoice” is a command. We are commanded to rejoice ALL THE TIME. Is that possible? We can if we understand where this word comes from. “Rejoice,” “joy” and “grace” all come from the same root word in the Greek. If you understand grace and have experienced it through salvation, you will have joy. And if you have joy, you can’t help but rejoice. Even in bad times, God’s grace and joy will explode in rejoicing.

APPLICATION

Have you had a “Rejoicing Party” lately with your children? What fun! Put on a cd with some songs of rejoicing and praising our Savior. Dance and sing. Rejoice! Children love to dance with daddy and mommy. They love to watch us celebrate. 

Teach them this verse. Even a three-year-old can memorize this one. But explain it to them. Make sure they understand that rejoicing is based on joy and grace. We rejoice because of what God has done through His Son Jesus. We can’t rejoice in anything we’ve done. What a great verse – rejoice always.

Do you? Do you rejoice? Do you rejoice always? It is possible, if you allow yourself to die to your selfishness and pride. If you allow the Holy Spirit to flow through you, He will bring the joy to the top and it will overflow with rejoicing. Let it flow!

I praise You, my Lord, for filling me with Your grace and joy through the knowledge of Your Son. Because of Him I can rejoice always, even when the world is dead set against me. I WILL rejoice.

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GOOD OR EVIL


1 THESSALONIANS 5:15

“See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” 

What an interesting use of words, but you have to go back to the original language to really see why. You see, “repays” carries the idea of a payment or repayment. That is usually a good thing, but in this situation it’s bad. You’ve heard the expression “payback.” Well, that’s the idea here. It’s getting back at someone.

And the other words that are interesting are “seek after.” That’s one word in the Greek, and it can also be used in a good way or a bad way. Here, of course, it is a good thing. It means to earnestly pursue something. It’s your passion. It’s what drives you. You just can’t stop.

APPLICATION

This is an easy application, if you will teach it. Children naturally want to “get back” at someone who has done them wrong. We all get that naturally. It’s part of our sin nature. Our job as parents is to lead our children to Christ who can transform that nature into His nature. Then, like Him, they will desire what is good for others, not payback.

One of the best ways to teach your children to do good towards those who try to harm them is to teach them to pray for them. It’s really hard to try to “get back” at someone you are praying for. Your child may even suggest a way to actually do something nice for that person in the name of Jesus. Encourage that. 

Who is giving you a “fit” right now? Is there someone at work who just has it in for you? Perhaps, God forbid, there is someone at church you can’t get along with. Begin by praying for them. We never know what is going on in a person’s life, but God does. Then ask the Lord to use you to do good to them. Find a way to bless them. What happens might surprise you.

O Lord, I know all I deserve is payback for my sins. I do not deserve Your blessings. But because of Your Son, Jesus, I am declared righteous. Help me see others as deserving of that same righteousness.

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