Category Archives: Witnessing

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GET READY, GET SET, …


1 THESSALONIANS 5:4

“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;” 

The last several verses in 1 Thessalonians have been focused on the return of Christ. We know, as believers, that we are going. We know He is coming quickly. But in this verse Paul tells us that we won’t be surprised IF… If what? If we are not in darkness.

All through Scripture darkness is an analogy for sin. Think about it – if we are walking in darkness (sin), we will be preoccupied with our self. We won’t have our minds set on things above, as Colossians 3 tells us. When we are in sin our focus is completely off Christ. But if we are walking in light and living expectedly for His return, we won’t be caught off guard.

APPLICATION

Children love tag games. Remember being “it” and having to count to 100 or so. Then you would yell, “Ready or not, here I come.” They love to race each other. Someone lines up the racers and shouts, “Get ready, get set, GO!”

With both of these examples you have a warning. With both of these examples there is no surprise. That’s how it is for the believer who is watching for Christ’s return. It’s almost like the Father in heaven is saying, “Get ready, get set…” When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are ready and set. All that is left is “Go.”

Are you ready and set to go? Are you walking in the light so that you will not be surprised? If you are walking in darkness right now, get out of it. Get back into the light of God’s Word. Get into fellowship with Him and other believers. Ready or not, here HE comes.

O Lord, You will be a welcomed sight. I want to stay in the light so that I can clearly see You. Help me stay out of the darkness of sin.

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SUDDENLY


1 THESSALONIANS 5:3

“While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.” 

It’s pretty amazing to me that the word “suddenly” is only used two times in the New Testament – here and in Luke 21:34, where it also is referring to the return of Christ. In the Luke passage, it is Christ Himself saying it. Wow! Don’t you think we should get prepared?

Sudden things can be both exciting and terrifying. For the unbeliever, the sudden return of Christ will be terrifying. They will be left behind to face a world without any holy influence. But for the believers, it is an exciting event we can look forward to. I am ready, aren’t you?

APPLICATION

Ask your little Elrod how fast he thinks “suddenly” is. Let him explain in the best way he knows how. Children can be quite descriptive if you give them a chance. Write down how he describes it. Then look up some definitions of the word.  It can mean quickly, unexpectedly, immediately or instantaneously. In other words, it’s fast.

The point is this. Make sure your child knows now fast He will return. They can’t see Him coming and get ready. They have to be ready BEFORE He returns. There is no in between. Prepare your children for His coming. Prepare your family because He is coming before you know it.  Suddenly!

Are you prepared for His sudden return? His sudden return will not catch you by surprise if you have already surrendered to Him. Be ready and watch! Then “suddenly” will be a welcomed word. And you will SUDDENLY we caught up with Him in the air.

Father, I praise You for promising the SUDDEN return of Your Son. I am ready to see Him part the sky. Sudden can’t be quick enough!

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WHAT TIME IS IT?


1 THESSALONIANS 5:1

“Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.” 

Have you ever been waiting for something and you kept checking your watch? Or if you forgot your watch, you are asking someone else every two minutes what time it is. It can make you over anxious. You know it’s coming. You just can’t wait! You are fidgety, nervous and excited.

Paul is telling the Thessalonians (and us) to chill. They know the Lord is going to return, so just carry on until that day. There was no need to know more. He said He was going to return, and He will. Just wait. Don’t look for anymore answers or clues. Don’t believe anyone who tells you differently. He is on His way. Only the Father knows the exact day and hour. 

APPLICATION

Oh my! Do I really need to tell you how to apply this verse? Kids are notoriously good about doing this? “Is it time?” “Are we there yet?” “When will they get here?” They can overload you with their questions when they are excited about something. They can run and jump and squeal with excitement just thinking about what is coming. 

The next time this happens, use this verse. Explain to them that, as believers, we are ALL anticipating the Lord’s return. We could spend all our time watching and pacing the floor, but He doesn’t want us to do that. He wants us to be busy with the work of His kingdom. He wants us to be serving and loving others. Then suddenly, He will be here. And He will catch us doing the very thing He has asked us to do.

Are you excited? Are you actively engaged in doing the Lord’s bidding? He is coming, but don’t just sit around and wait. Prepare the way of the Lord. Tell as many as you can about Him. Do His work while there is still time. He is coming, and it won’t be long. 

I can’t wait to see Your face, Lord. That may happen in the air or in heaven, but I know You are true to Your word. You are coming again. Thank You for the peace I can have as I wait.

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COMFORTING WORDS


1 THESSALONIANS 4:18

“Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Who doesn’t want to be comforted? When we are feeling down or something terrible has happened, we all need someone to come along beside us and speak words of comfort to us. A large part of my job as a Minister has been doing that. I have had to tell way too many children that their mom or dad died. Or I have had to hold far too many hands of people who were sick or facing surgery. 

Paul is instructing the Thessalonians to use the words he had just written to them to comfort each other regarding those among them who had gone on to glory. He wanted them to rest in the fact that they were with Jesus. No one was going to be left in the grave. Those are, indeed, comforting words.

APPLICATION

If you have children, then you have had to comfort them at some point. When they were babies and were crying for seemingly no reason, you held them, sang to them and loved on them. When they got a little older you probably talked to them with soft, kind words to try to quiet their little hearts.  Words of comfort are normally welcomed and productive.

My youngest granddaughter loves to be whispered to. I can hold her and whisper blessings in her ear, and she will just freeze with her ear next to my mouth. I whisper comforting words like, “Poppy loves you, God loves you, Jesus loves you, you are precious and special, you are beautiful.” And my favorite words I whisper are “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” Sweet, soft comforting words.

Can you do that today for someone? Who do you know needs those words of comfort? Reassure them. Draw them close and tell them how much God loves them. Let them know they are not alone. Remind them of God’s promises to His children. It will bless you as much as it blesses them.

Father, thank You for comforting me. Give me the words and the opportunity to comfort another today. Allow Your words of truth to speak to their very spirit.

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SNATCHED UP


1 THESSALONIANS 4:17

“Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 

There is much debate about the Rapture.  Some say it’s not in the Bible. Others say it is. Many just don’t want to think about it. Well…here it is!  Today’s verse, of course, doesn’t use the word “rapture,” but “caught up” is where the term comes from. It’s a long story, but through translations from Greek to Latin to English, we get the term Rapture, to be caught up or snatched up.

It’s going to happen quickly. It’s going to be sudden. But it is NOT unexpected or unwelcomed by the believer. I remember a James Bond movie where he was rescued by a plane by a rescue rope tied to a balloon. The plane flew by snatched the rope which was descending from the balloon and 007 was snatched from the ground to rescue. He was expecting it and wanted it. That’s us with Jesus. We are expecting Him and wanting Him to snatch us up.

APPLICATION

If you have little ones, you know they love to be picked up and carried. They will throw up their arms and practically jump into yours. They want to be snatched up. Why? Because they love you and want to be with you. The next time you do that think on this verse.

If your children or grandchildren are too old to “snatch up,” ask them if they remember you picking them up. They may not, so remind them. If you have a video or picture of that, show them. Then tell them about this verse. Jesus is coming back to “snatch” them to glory, if they are a believer. And just like you, He will do it because of His love for them.

Are you ready to be snatched up, to be raptured? Are you ready to be caught up in the air with the Lord? I pray you are. If you aren’t, you had better get ready. He is coming soon. He is on His way. He will deliver you from the evils of this world, if you will only trust Him and yield your life to Him.

I cannot wait for that ultimate thrill ride, Lord. I look towards the sky, anticipating Your strong arms to snatch me up to heaven. I long to feel Your embrace.

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HERE I COME!


1 THESSALONIANS 4:16

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 

I know people who are afraid they are going to miss Christ’s return. Seriously? He’s coming with a shout, the voice of the archangel and a trumpet. If you are a believer, your ears will be tuned to that frequency. There will be no missing this. HE will make sure of that. You will know He has arrived. Yahoo!

I can’t wait! I am so ready to go to glory. But…there are many of my friends, neighbors and loved ones who, if He came right now, would not be joining me. That makes me sad. That breaks my heart. I want them to go, but I can’t sneak them into heaven. They have to make that decision on their own. And that is only possible by surrendering to Jesus.

APPLICATION

Ask your child today who they want to go to heaven with. Now, I know, they are not going now, but ask them. Let them name everyone they can think of. Now make sure they understand that in order for them to go with them they ALL have to be Christians. They all must have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Encourage your child to share Christ with them, if they are not saved. People will respond to little children sometimes quicker than they will to an adult.

Of course, your child must also make this decision. No child gets into heaven based on their parents’ faith. Once they have reached that age where they understand the gospel (age of accountability – which is whole other subject), they must make their own decision for Christ. Then automatically, their ears get tuned into that trumpet call. Then they will hear that shout and the voice of the archangel.

Are you ready? Are your friends and family ready? If not, get ready! He’s coming. It could be today. It could be tomorrow. But He is coming. If you are ready, do all you can to reach as many as you can as fast as you can. 

You are returning one day, O Lord. I am ready. Help me reach all I can before that great day!

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NOT FIRST


1 THESSALONIANS 4:15

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.” 

Come on now, be honest. Don’t you like to be first in line? We want that from our childhood. When children line up to go to lunch or recess at school, many of them want to be the first in line. Most teachers avoid this fight and assign daily line leaders. We don’t want to be bring up the rear. We want to be first.

But Paul tells us that if we are alive when Christ returns, we will NOT be the first to go. All those saints who have died before His return will precede us. They will burst forth from their graves, or wherever their bodies were laid, a precede us in the air to meet our Lord and Savior. But don’t worry. It will happen so fast you won’t even realize it.

APPLICATION

The next time your little Johnny or Susie fight to be first, read them this verse. First isn’t always better. Show them in this verse that if we are alive when Christ returns, WE will get to see that. Wouldn’t that be grand? Get your child to draw a picture of what they think that might look like. That’s worth being second, isn’t it?

Also, by giving up that fight to be first all the time, we have the opportunity to serve others and lead them to Christ. All those who have gone before us don’t have that opportunity anymore. But while we wait on Jesus to return, we can talk to others about Him and perhaps they can join us on that day.

What are you waiting for? Are you pushing to be first all the time? Don’t! Step back and let others go ahead of you. That can even work in traffic (God forbid, lol). Yield to Jesus. Let Him always be first.

I fight this battle every day, Lord. I want to be first in all my endeavors. Let me learn the humility of being in back of the line so I can serve others.

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DON’T BE IGNORANT


1 THESSALONIANS 4:13

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” 

Don’t be ignorant! That is what Paul is saying! He didn’t want the Thessalonians to believe the wrong stuff about the death. He says they are just “sleeping,” which was a term used to refer to someone who had died. Sleeping implies they are going to wake up, right? That’s the cool part.

You see, we know as believers that we are going to spend eternity with the Father. Our bodies will not be resurrected until Jesus returns. So, until then their bodies “sleep.” They wait for that glorious day. Waiting, waiting, waiting!

APPLICATION

What a fun verse to teach your kids. Tonight, when you tuck them in, talk about it. Just as they will go to sleep and awake in the morning, we will lay down our bodies one day, only to have it awoken by Jesus at the rapture. Our bodies will be changed and glorified. Therefore, we have no reason to grieve, as those who have no hope.

It is so important to teach our children that death for a Christian is just a passage to Jesus. When we die will be instantly in the presence of God. What could be bad about that? Our fleshly body will be buried, but WE AREN’T IN IT! It’s literally an empty shell. Death need not scare us. As believers in Christ, we are guaranteed entry to heaven. 

Are you ready? What about this worries you? It shouldn’t. Don’t let your “ignorance,” your lack of knowledge or experience about death cause you to grieve unnecessarily. The Lord Jesus can take away all the sorrow. I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “O death, where is your sting?”

I am thankful, Lord, that I am secure in You. My earthly death allows me to enter into my heavenly home. My body may stay behind, but I am with you. Hallelujah!

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ARE YOU PROPER?


1 THESSALONIANS 4:12

“so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.” 

I love to see the difference between English translations and the original languages of the Bible. Sometimes the translations are very different than the original meaning. We just don’t have adequate words to make that translation closer. But the truth of the Word is still there.

This verse is one of those verses. “Behave properly” in the Greek could read “walk in good form.” You get the idea. Paul is telling us and the Thessalonians to represent Christ in their dealings with outsiders (non-believers). Why? To draw them toward Christ and not drive them away. Our actions and behavior should always mirror Christ.

APPLICATION

One of the best things we can teach our children is that their behavior matters. It doesn’t matter just for us. It matters to our Lord. I never wanted to do anything to damage my family name. But I am more concerned that I don’t do anything to harm the name of Jesus. That’s what we teach our children.

If they tell people, especially lost people, that they are a follower of Christ and then live like the world, why would those people want to surrender their lives to Christ? Ask your child what they could do to live differently around their lost friends. I bet they can tell you a number of ways. Then encourage them to do exactly that.

Are you behaving properly? Are you walking in good form? Does your walk resemble your talk? Ask yourself today if your lost friends see the difference Christ has made in your life. If they can’t, perhaps it’s time to re-examine your commitment to Him. Let your light shine today.

I want to draw my lost neighbors and friends to Christ. I desire to see them freed from the bondage of sin. Give me the discipline to live in such a way that others ask me what makes me different.

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JUST BE QUIET


1 THESSALONIANS 4:11

“and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,” 

Have you ever just wanted to go somewhere and be quiet? I mean, sometimes it is good to get alone and be quiet and meditate on the things of God. You may have wanted to escape work or home to get some peace and quiet. My mom used to say all she wanted for Mothers’ Day was some peace and quiet. I am sure she was talking about my siblings and not me, lol.

Paul was instructing the Thessalonians to not be meddlesome or talkative. He even says for them to “attend to your own business.” There must have been some who wanted to attend to everyone’s business. There usually is someone like that in every church. But Paul’s advice is good – mind your own business and live a quiet life.

APPLICATION

The next time you have to tell your Elrod or Gertrude to be quiet (and I am sure it won’t be long), read this verse to them. Now, living a quiet life does not mean just not talking. It’s not just about being silent. It’s more about a lifestyle. It involves not butting in to other people’s stuff. Even children can understand that.

Siblings have a habit of getting into their brother’s or sister’s “stuff.” They pester them and their friends. They watch for things they can report to Mom or Dad. That’s what this is talking about. They need to be more concerned about their walk with Christ and influencing others to walk with them.

Are you too busy watching others that you don’t watch yourself? Most of us are. We can point out the faults in those around us quickly. We can judge them. But we seldom see how far from God we have drifted. Live that quiet life today. Attend to your own life. That pleases the Lord.

Father, when I am tempted to point at others, remind me that I have three fingers pointing back at me. Show me the error of MY ways. Let me lead others by my life.

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