Lion of Grace

Isaiah's prophetic instruction to Ahaz was to not trust in mere men to help him but to trust in the Lord. Isaiah conveyed to Ahaz that the impending attack by Israel and Syria would not happen, but Ahaz refuses this Word from God and chooses to become a vassal of Assyria (who was a worse enemy that either Israel or Syria!) He chose military might for protection over God's protection. He turned from God's help to help from men. I think Ahaz chose to disregard Isaiah's word because he didn't trust God, but was also thinking of ways he could retain his kingship and power. Israel and Syria wanted to replace him with a puppet king so they could control all the geographical areas. By becoming a vassal of Assyria, Ahaz hoped to retain his position through compromise and alliance. He also knew if Assyria eventually conquered him by force, he would be killed and deposed as king, so he chose to become an ally with the hopes of retaining his kingship. Because of Ahaz's disobedience, his victory is short lived. Assyria did destroy the Israelite and Syrian kings for him, but ultimately, God brought the King of Assyria upon Judah as a "razor" to shave them completely. By Hezekiah's reign, Assyria had conquered and destroyed all of Judah's fortified cities except Jerusalem. Sadly, God's protection would have been lasting and faithful. The Assyrian protection was only temporary and like a vapor, totally lacking faithfulness. Why do we think we are smarter than God? Pride and our human condition come to mind. We think we can control and manipulate our circumstances by our own cunning and for our own good. Without faith and trust in God we try to "fix" things "our" way but why....I don't know! It never works!!! When I do this....and fail....I put it down to lessons learned. I learn to not depend on myself and to grow in trust in God and to see over and over, He is sovereign and all knowing and trustworthy. It's hard to do what God tells us sometimes if we haven't developed that trust relationship or learned how good God is. Before that, we tend to look at God's faithfulness like man's faithfulness and we choose to go with what we "see" in the flesh for help. After we find out how futile that usually is, we grow in faith and learning God's character, we choose to walk by faith relying more on what is "unseen."

I make sense of Isaiah 6:9-10 by understanding that though I may be called to share the Word of God with others and to teach the Word of God, I am only a "conduit" of God's work. It is up to those who hear to accept the Word as truth and to turn to God for cleansing and change. My call, is to continue to teach and preach. The rest is up to God and the choices of the recipient. Everyone has free will to accept or not. So often in ministry, the truth of the Word is not embrace or is partially embraced. I do grieve for those who say, "Thanks but no thanks." but that does not change my call or cause me to quit. There are always the few who WILL embrace Christ and the Gospel. I rejoice in that! Isaiah wasn't called to an impossible mission (though a discouraging and hard one). His mission was to prophecy and he was obedient to that no matter the outcome. Isaiah's prophecy made his task worse because the people didn't want to hear his particular message, so they in turn would reject him, fight against him and stay in rebellion. The same is true today. If your message is seen as stepping on their toes or convicting them in any way, you will not be graciously received. Matt. 13:1-23 is the parable of the sower. A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he scattered the seed, some fell on the path and the birds quickly came to eat it. Some fell on rocky ground, but there wasn't much soil. The plants grew but could not take root. It came up quickly, but the sun scorched and withered the plant. Others fell among thorns and they choked the plant. But some fell on good soil where it produced a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was sown. Isaiah's message never fell on good soil. It was not received or grown. There was no fruit for his labor. Yes, there is frustration in preaching the Gospel and the truth of the Word. It is heartbreaking to see God extend his hand to people who will never accept Him. We know God has something so special and rewarding for them, but they just refuse to eat the bread of life or be quenched with His water. We know His saving power, but they will not take it. Is there hope? YES!!! There are those who DO receive and we continue so everyone will have the chance to hear, turn and be saved. There is reward in knowing we have been faithful no matter the outcome. Everyone WILL hear, but not all will receive....but we continue to share and to pray for those who do not seem receptive. God is often doing a mighty work to get them to turn....so wait and be patient....all may not be lost....I was one of those miracles!!!

Isaiah's reaction to the vision is to overcome with his own smallness, unworthiness an sinfulness. He considered himself "undone" by his experience. He has a sense of fear. God does not consider Isaiah's sinfulness as a barrier though. He forgives and takes a live coal from the altar and touches Isaiah's lips. God declares Isaiah's guilt and sin are cleansed. God has a mission purpose for Isaiah. Afterwards, the voice of God asks, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" Isaiah's response was "Here I am! Send me!" Thank you for including the song Here I Am Lord. I was called out of a church once to go to another by that song. I had no idea why and didn't have much information about the other church. Later, I found out there was a great need to establish Bible Studies there and I was called to do that. God had a purpose for me to be sent out and though I have since been sent elsewhere, I have never regretted singing along and being willing to "go'! I still often sing that song. It is beautiful!

Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted. I think God was revealing Himself to Isaiah as He did because He wanted to be seen in all His glory. High. Exalted. Holy. Majestic. Filling the entire place. His glory is His character, His perfection, His power. He showed Isaiah just WHO He is. Mighty in majesty! I don't think there are human words to fully describe God's majesty. The angels declared He is "Holy" and sacred. Holiness is present in His justice and righteousness, in His His love and compassion and in His unique presence with His people. They also refer to Him as "mighty". ALL mighty. No one His equal. Very powerful. Not one to come against. The last reference is to God's "glory". To be weighty, honorable, impressive and worthy of respect. God's glory possesses "the beauty of His holiness." We can somewhat grasp these attributes of God....but not fully. That's why we fall on our knees in awe and are given to praise. There is nothing and no one like Him!

The Vinter's vision for the vineyard was for a careful planting of the vineyard. The land was cleared, the rocks removed, the land was prepared on fertile ground and planted with the best vines. The vineyard was protected by a thick hedge, a watchtower put over it and the wine press was cut out as well. Everything had been done with excellence for the vineyard. The utmost care had been given to it with every preparation. When the crops came in though, there was nothing but bad fruit. Now the Vinter is going to take away the hedge, break down the wall and take away it's protection. It will become a wasteland neither pruned or cultivated and briers and thorns will grow. He will even command the clouds to not rain on it. This vineyard represented Israel. God had prepared, cultivated and given Israel every opportunity to grow fruitfully, but all He received back was bad fruit. This was the gross injustices and unrighteousness that abounded in the land. He had watched over them, protected them and cared for them, but they had been rebellious in return and turned their backs on Him and His commands. Now He will remove His protection. He will no longer care for them or send good things to them to thrive. God was going to give Israel over to destruction. This came to pass with the Assyrian invasion and again later with the Babylonian invasion.

Isaiah 2:1-5 tells us that in the last days, the Gentiles as well as the Jews will stream to the mountain of the Lord. It will have been established as chief among the mountains and many nations will say, "Let us go to the mountain of the Lord....He will teach us His ways so we can walk in His paths." Everyone will be fed by Him, united in Him and have peace in Him, for He Himself will judge between the nations and settle disputes for many people. Nations will no longer take up swords against other nations anymore for they will ALL walk in the light of the Lord. Wow! Amazing! Praise God!

Judah is confused about it's identity in that they had become so rebellious they had even forgotten who their Father was! They had become a sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers and children given to corruption. They had become so encased in sin, they had ultimately turned their backs on God and had forsaken Him. Christians today suffering this same identity crisis become the same kind of people. They wander so far into sin that they eventually forget about God altogether. They begin to walk in darkness and get lost. When we do this, God often allows us to come to an end of ourselves and when we crash and burn, He starts our purification process to turn us back to Him, to have us acknowledge we need Him and to bring us back to doing things HIS way. He draws us back into obedience to Him. In verses 15-17, God accuses His people of having hands full of blood and doing evil things. They need to stop doing wrong and do good. They had stopped seeking true justice for widows and orphans and were putting up with those who hurt others. This was unreasonable behavior because God had required His people to do these things with pure hearts. They were practicing empty "religion" but not following what God would desire. Their religion had become self righteous and selfish. God's alternative was for them to see the terrible state they were in and to repent, receive forgiveness and allow God to cleanse them from their sins and begin again with Him in obedience to His commands.

Q4. (2 Thessalonians 3:9-16) Why do so many churches avoid exercising any church discipline? What is the result of a thoughtful and appropriate application of church discipline? What is the result of neglect of church discipline? Some churches avoid discipline among members because they are afraid of losing members, income for the church and just in general offending anyone. They have taken the Gospel of "love" too far and have turned to "tolerance" of all things omitting the true message of TRUTH in love, LOVE in truth! Actually, I think the result of appropriate applications of church discipline result in truth in the church, humbleness among believers, a more loving atmosphere because people are disciplined, yet brought back into fellowship in humbleness and with a truly forgiving countenance. There is order and genuine discipleship/fellowship because those who really desire good and pure fellowship stay and those who are outright rebellious tend to leave in an atmosphere of accountability. This doesn't mean we don't have "sinners" in a church it means we recognize we are ALL sinners but desire to be changed, not just tolerate anything that keeps us in sin. Neglect of discipline in a church result in chaos, fighting, rebelliousness, lack of following Biblical truths because everyone thinks they can do whatever is good in their own eyes. There are splits and fractions and working against each other because everyone is a law unto themselves. The truth and true Biblical teaching is lost because the church is caught up in solving all the problems within the church. It really ceases to have anything to do with the true Gospel anymore and becomes a meeting place for the rebellious....and it's sad that there really are churches that function that way today.

Q3. (2 Thessalonians 3:10) If we were to follow Paul’s rule, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat,” wouldn’t that allow people to starve? It sounds harsh. What are the positive results of this rule? To whom in a Christian community would this rule apply. To whom would it not apply? I don't think able bodied people who can work but won't work will starve. The hope in this passage is, once the hand outs and enabling vanish that they would repent and turn to a better lifestyle. If someone is truly set on living on hand outs they usually have street savy and always know how to work a system. We have to be very careful though about discerning different situations. I once knew of a woman who's husband refused to work, but she worked faithfully with limited skills and pay. She struggled making ends meet and was turned down by Christian organizations for help in feeding and clothing her children because the father refused to work! She suffered for her husband's sin and was treated unfairly by Christians who judged harshly. It would apply though to those who are able bodied and just plain refuse to work and who expect others to totally support them. It would not apply to those who are genuinely out of work or truly disabled or are going through a difficult time or special cases like the one I stated above.

Q2. (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9) What kind of example did Paul set with regard to work when he was in Thessalonica? As a Christian worker, did he have a right to support? Why didn’t he exercise that right? Paul set the example to be a hard worker and to keep occupied with things that are good for us as opposed to being lazy and occupying ourselves with sinful ways such as gossiping and meddling because of too much time on our hands. He also set the example of being able to provide for himself as opposed to having others having to always provide for him. As a Christian worker he did have the right for support, but there were so many being lazy at the time and counting on sole support of others instead of finding their own work to do, he felt he needed to show them by living his life as a hard worker that this was a more excellent way. He didn't exercise this right because he wanted to be a living example to those he was teaching. He wanted the integrity of his life to reflect what he was teaching.

Q1. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15) What does the Bible teach about sloth and idleness among those who can work but refuse to? Summarize it briefly. What is our Christian duty? The Bible teaches we are to work, provide for our families and do all our work as though doing it for the Lord. We aren't to be lazy expecting others to provide for us or have so much time on our hands we have nothing to do but gossip and meddle in other people's lives. We are to live productive lives. Our Christian duty is to help provide for those who really are unfortunate and can not provide for themselves.

Q4. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5) Why is perseverance so important as we see wickedness increasing? What happens if we stop believing and being patient? How can we help one another persevere? What part does faith and perseverance have in our salvation? What part does God’s redemption and grace have in our salvation? When wickedness is increasing, we can be tempted to give up or lose faith in God being with us. If we take our eyes off of WHO He is, we will be tempted to sink in despair. We must persevere in our faith, knowing God is greater than anything happening here on earth and He is sovereign over all of it. If we stop believing or being patient, we will either lose hope or we will start taking matters into our own hands and that is a recipe for disaster! We can help each other persevere by meeting together, praying together and studying the Word together reminding each other WHO God is and the promises He has given us. We are reminded HE wins and we can uphold each other up in truth. He is the Spirit deep inside us, the Word upon our hearts. He is I AM. Our faith helps us to persevere and to continue to be assured of our salvation, but also to continue to work out our salvation, choosing truth and life in the midst of difficulties or when satan tries to get us to doubt or tries to tempt us. Redemption and grace are the foundation of our faith. Even if we fail at times as we all do, redemption and grace are what we fall on in repentance and in being restored. If we don't believe in redemption and grace through Jesus....we missed the truth altogether.

Q3. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) What makes people so gullible that they believe the Antichrist’s deceptions? What is the reason that God gives them over to this deception? Why is a fearless seeking of God’s truth so important to us? How can a preaching of the truth set people free? People are gullible enough to believe the Antichrist's deception because they have refused to love the truth and so be saved and because they turn from the truth, God gives them over to be deceived. All will be condemned who do not believe the truth but delight in wickedness. The reason God gives them over to deception is because He doesn't give an infinite number of chances. There is a limit. They lose the ability to discern right from wrong. Their conscience is seared. When they lose that compass, they love darkness and follow satan. It's not they they didn't have many chances or did not hear the truth. They turn away from the truth and light. A fearless seeking of God's truth is so important because it keeps us IN the truth. If we saturate with the truth and seek the truth always, we are filled with the truth. We can discern right from wrong and we will avoid darkness and evil and walk in the light of truth. Preaching of the truth can set a person free because it either teaches truth for the first time so people can embrace truth and repent and start walking in the truth or preaching can be a reminder for those who have begun to stray and will turn people back to what is right and true. Preaching can help us day to day to stay in the truth also because we hear the truth continuously.

Q2. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5; Revelation 13:5-8) What are the characteristics of the Antichrist that Paul gives in this passage? What does Revelation 13:5-8 add to our basic understanding? Characteristics of the Anti-Christ given by Paul are: The man of sin/lawlessness Son of perdition Opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or worshiped (even false gods) so that he sits as god, in the temple of God, showing HIMSELF that he IS god. Rev. 13:5-8 adds: He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemy He is given authority to continue for 42 months He opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His Tabernacle and those who dwell in Heaven It is granted him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them Authority is given to him over every tribe, tongue and nation. All who dwell on earth will worship him ( who's names are not in the Lamb's book of life.)

Q1. (1 Thessalonians 2:1-3) In what way were the Thessalonians confused? What is the order of Christ’s coming in relation to the revealing of the Antichrist? The Thessalonians were confused because they had received a "false" letter supposedly from Paul that stated that Christ had already come back and they had somehow missed it. They were confused and shaken and had not remembered what Paul had taught on the subject of Christ's coming. (vs 5) Paul admonishes, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition." The anti-Christ will be revealed before the second coming of Christ.

Q4. (2 Thessalonians 1:9) How might you describe Christ’s glory? How will his glory be terrifying to unbelievers? If heaven involves sharing this glory forever, what would it be like to be excluded forever from the glory? In what ways is the phrase “outer darkness” a helpful description of hell? I don't think I can describe God's glory! Words come like indescribable, awesome, overwhelming, magnificent majesty, but I don't think there are earthly words to describe God's glory! This glory will be terrifying to unbelievers because it will be such an overwhelming truth of God's majesty and sovereignty, unbelievers will know instantly all they scoffed at was true and they will try to hide from the punishment they know will be coming. No longer will they be deceived, but it will be too late for them. To be excluded from God's glory would be torment! It would be like crying out for the one thing you need the most, and knowing it will never be yours. That the chance you had to have it was given, but you refused it and now it's too late. It's gone forever. It would be complete anguish! Outer darkness describes hell because unbelievers are outside the city of light. The new Jerusalem will be lit by God Himself and we, as believers, will be living in His light. Outside the gates will be those who chose darkness (sin) here on Earth and they won't have any part in the light of Heaven either. They chose darkness and will live in darkness for eternity.

Q3. (2 Thessalonians 1:9) According to verse 9, what kind of punishment will unbelievers experience? One definition of “hell” is “a place of eternal conscious punishment for the wicked.” What parts of this definition are confirmed in verse 9. Which parts of the definition trouble you? Why? 2 Thessalonians 1:9 says, "They will be punished with "everlasting" destruction "forever" separated from the Lord and from His glorious power." This describes "hell" With key words present. It will be a place of EVERLASTING destruction FOREVER separated from the Lord. It's not a place unbelievers are thrown into and disintegrated where they are no more, with no memory and no regrets after a moment of discomfort. It's a place where there is EVERLASTING, NON ENDING, ETERNAL punishment that lasts FOREVER. No parts of this definition troubles me because it is truth, but what troubles me is that people will choose this, or will believe lies that will deceive them. I've heard people say they would rather live the "good life" here and enjoy sin while they can because in the end they'll just get snuffed out and be done with everything. When I tell them they won't be "just snuffed out" but will live in torment forever, that sometimes opens their eyes to rethink things. For me, not being able to be in the presence of God would be the most terrible. It's what I long for and look forward to. I can only imagine....but I just know it's going to be beyond wonderful!

Q2. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7) Would God be just if he did not punish sin? What is the difference between rehabilitation and retribution? When does a Christian’s rehabilitation take place? When does a sinner’s retribution take place? How do you balance love and justice? No, God would not be just if He did not punish sin. For believers, Jesus paid for our sins. God was just in that. For unbelievers, they themselves will be punished for their sins. God is just in that also. Nowhere does sin go unpunished. Rehabilitation is to restore to good repute. To reestablish a good name. Retribution is dispensing or receiving punishment. A Christians rehabilitation takes place when He becomes a believer. When a Christian accepts the death of Christ as the retribution for His sins, then rehabilitation begins to occur in the heart of the believer. A sinners retribution will come at the end before the Throne of God where they will be judged guilty of their sins and found not covered by the blood of Jesus because they rejected Him and the power of His blood as the Paschal Lamb. Their name will not be found in the Lamb's book of life. I think I can balance TRUTH and love....but the only way love and JUSTICE can be served are by giving it over to God. Vengeance belongs to only One....God. We shouldn't dispense justice or punishment. Sometimes, we are called to take action to RESTORE, but not to condemn. We can confront with truth, but we should always continue to love even when we think we are wronged. It's hard, but it's the way.

Q1. (2 Thessalonians 1:3-5) In what ways do persecution, pressure, and stress help us grow strong in Christ? What would we be like without the testing of our faith? Persecutions, pressure and stresses in life are usually situations that are beyond our capabilities or out of our control. In these situations, we turn to God for help and we learn He is trustworthy and faithful and that He is above and more powerful than anything that comes against us. We learn to be humble and to trust Him and count on Him in times of stress. We also learn His wisdom is far above ours and we can rest in His leading in our circumstances! We are also strengthened in perseverance. At first we want to tend to fall down and give in to hopelessness and worry, but we soon learn there is always hope in Christ and we become stronger in the face of adversity, knowing we have hope in God....instead of hoping for good circumstances all the time. We are not left alone and He never forsakes us...ever. Without the testing of our faith we would never grow and we would never experience the truth of God in our lives. We wouldn't come to really KNOW Him and His character or His intentions towards us that are loving and good and FOR our good to grow into spiritual maturity.

Q5. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) If you met a true Christian who had no assurance of salvation, how would you explain to him or her God’s power to protect and present them blameless before Christ at his coming? What is the problem of having no assurance of salvation? What is the problem of having a false assurance of salvation? I would hope they would only have some temporary doubts about assurance of salvation! If I saw this, I would first remind them that Satan was attacking them and to put on the full armor of God. I would remind them of the pure Gospel message and reassure them of the salvation they received when they accepted Christ as their Savior. I would also point out the warnings we have been given to REMAIN in Faith and to guard their hearts against the LIE Satan was trying to get them to believe!!! I would certainly PRAY for them and the spiritual battle raging around them. If their doubts were connected with feelings of guilt from sin still in their lives, I would assure them that HE who called them is FAITHFUL and He will bring them to completion in Christ Jesus, reminding them we are ALL sanctified but BEING sanctified at the same time! Then I would perhaps help them come to confession and repentance so they are restored! If they had NO assurance of salvation, I would think in terms of them being lost and needing to hear the Gospel and hope that they could have a true conversion. No assurance of salvation to me, means they have not truly understood or accepted the work of the cross. False assurance is deception. To me, this says one "says" they believe in God and believe they will go to Heaven, but really haven't found a "need" for a Savior. For whatever reason, or false belief system, they really haven't given themselves over as a sinner in need of salvation. They "say" they are saved because they relate to "church" or "good works" or "not being too bad of a person," but they have not embraced true repentance and the true message of the cross.

Q4. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Corinthians 14) Why do churches sometimes despise or prohibit prophecy? What guidelines does Paul give here and in 1 Corinthians 14 to keep prophecy in a congregation healthy? Some churches believe that the gift of Prophecy no longer exists and some despise or prohibit prophecy because of false prophesy. I've seen prophecy used as a super spiritual hype for ministries that has done more harm than good and I think these types of ministries take away from true prophecy as a gift from the Holy Spirit to edify and build up the church. People become confused about what is genuine and what is not and tend to dismiss it altogether. Paul gives these guidelines to keep prophecy in a congregation healthy: Prophecy should edify and build up the church. It should be done to strengthen the church. Prophesying should be done in an orderly manner. (God is not a God of disorder but peace) Every prophecy should not be taken as "Gospel truth". Two or three prophets should speak and the others should weigh carefully what is said. The group should reflect on what God is speaking to the church and if it aligns with scripture. Genuine Prophecy will never trump scripture. Prophecy is judged by scripture. We are not to despise prophecy, but once tested and proved genuine, we are to hold on to it.

Q3. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) In your own words explain how a person can rejoice and pray continually. Are there any circumstances we might be in the midst of where we should not give thanks to God? I'm so thankful for this question because I just finished a book on being thankful (Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts) and a class at our church on Gratitude! We CAN rejoice and pray continually! We are blessed with so many things that we overlook everyday and if we focus on those things instead of our troubles, we begin to see God's goodness to us. We can begin to see that we can trust Him in all circumstances. That His love and blessings to us are immeasurable! Contentment grows! Joy increases! I used what I learned through four days of illness this week and it was amazing! Even in the midst of trial and suffering, I found things to be thankful for and my mindset remained joyful! Even in our most trying circumstances, the ones we just can't wrap our minds around and just want to say "WHY God?" we can find healing and joy. With prayer and thankfulness we can know our God is trustworthy, loving and blessing us continually! He wants us to have life in abundance and everyday He is saying in one way or another, "I love you. I'm with you." We just need to take the time in prayer before Him and look around at all He has blessed us with.

Q2. (1 Thessalonians 5:15) What happens to people who seek revenge on those who hurt them? What happens when they neglect to forgive those who have wronged them? What happens in a congregation that has an unloving, superior attitude towards outsiders? How do these attitudes reflect on Christ? How can people or congregations get healthy after have been vengeful, proud, or unforgiving? When we seek revenge on people who hurt us, we only end up destroying ourselves. Our thoughts are consumed with evil and we slowly succumb to darkness and Satan when we dwell on them. We lose a sense of right and wrong and will go to any lengths to get revenge. Our minds get poisoned. When we neglect to forgive, we end up with a root of bitterness and it will start to eat at us. Again, our minds can become consumed with the wrongs done to us and we can suffer anger and depression. Churches that have unloving and superior attitudes are often revolving door churches. People will come seeking something of God, but once met with condemnation or find they are considered less than or not quite welcome as a child of God, they will leave. The church stagnates because it never becomes the living organism that God intended it to be with those He called, saved or sent to it. Superior attitudes don't reflect anything of Christ. He is humble, loving, accepting and helps anyone who is seeking. Truth in love. Love in truth. Congregations can get healthy by confessing their sin of arrogance and by really truly being sorry and wanting to become better followers of Jesus. Being forgiven and walking with humble attitudes, we recognize everyone is a sinner and we all have a desire to overcome, see our sins, repent and walk together in truth. If walking in truth is the desire, then humbly, together it can be done, no matter the sin.

Q1. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) What happens in a congregation when people don’t show respect for their leaders? What happens when the disrespectful spread their disrespect? Will getting rid of the leader fix the problem, or is there something deeper going on here? When people don't show respect for leaders in the church it breeds disorder, fighting, factions and in general stagnation, because so much attention is given to all the problems and broken relationships and trying to please everyone, it ceases to be a church that is living and spreading the Gospel. It's a terrible to go to a church like that. When the disrespectful spread their disrespect, it's like a fire that starts to consume everything. Satan has a hay day and everything is destroyed. There is always something deeper spiritually going on when disrespect is present. It could be an ungodly leader, but more likely it's spiritual immaturity. It could be in not having an understanding about servant leadership or waiting on God to move forward and trying to take things for self or out of His timing and just general Christian morals in esteeming others better than self, treating others as you would want to be treated and submitting to God's Word on how we follow leadership in the church. We always have God to appeal to if we truly feel leadership is wrong and there are Godly ways to confront leadership that are Bible based. If we are in an abusive church, we can leave and should leave. We shouldn't ever though enter into grumbling and trying to sever the church by gathering our little armies around us. That is destructive and those who do it have lost what it means to "be" the church.

Q4. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8) What effect should a belief in Christ’s soon coming have on believers? What does it mean to be “sober” or “self-controlled” (verse 6)? What does it mean to be “alert” or “watchful” (verse 6)? How does this differ from our normal Christian lifestyle? The effects of a belief that Christ is coming should be staying alert, being on guard, being watchful, self controlled and clear minded. We should be prepared and equipped for every day life putting on the full armor of God and remembering we are to abide in faith, hope and love. The greatest of these being love. We should be aware if we are spiritually apathetic or alive with passion for Him. Are we snoozing or fully awake and ready? To be sober and self controlled is to be free from any form of sloppy spiritual drunkenness. We should be clear minded, not hazy about beliefs and stumbling around in what we "might" believe or not. We don't have confusion because we are sober, know the truth, stand in the truth and are firm in our steps being guided by the Holy Spirit. To be alert and watchful means to be alert, vigilant and in constant readiness. We will be on guard, preparing our minds for action. We are equipped in the word and meet the day with truth. Our actions will show we are ready for His return. Sometimes our normal Christian lifestyles resemble more of the world than of the Spirit. We get up and live by sight. We get caught up in everyday trials and troubles forgetting we are equipped to meet them in a spiritual way. We are sometimes lulled into hitting the snooze button and we lose sight of the fact that TODAY could be the day He is coming! Lord remind us everyday to be prepared and to live in you and through you so we can be alert and found in good standing when you come again in glory!!!