"and to keep you from being shaken... we warned you that troubles would soon come..." (I Thessalonians 3:3-4 NLT synopsis
Then, in church today, right after worship, sister Wilma said that she witnessed something interesting. She could see what appeared to be little cartoon characters running around on the stage. These were things like Elmer Fudd and whatnot.
Then they all transformed into something hideous with teeth and fangs.
So, things are NOT as they appear! What seems to be familiar, cute, and cuddly is indeed quite evil and ferocious!
We absolutely, and without a doubt need to understand what this means and what God is trying to tell us!!!
You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil--the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. Ephesians 2:2 NLT
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NLT
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Psalms 23:5 NASB
But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed. Philippians 3:16 CEV
and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going
through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles. Even while
we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come--and they
did, as you well know. 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4 NLT
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
2) 100,044
Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
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Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
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Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
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Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
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Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
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Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
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Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
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1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
Matthew 16:6-12 And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 7 They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, "He said that because we did not bring any bread." 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? 9 "Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? 10 "Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? 11 "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Luke 12:1 Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is something that portrays itself as religion, but is not.
The leaven of the Pharisees is a synthetic Christianity, and/or the polluting of true Christianity by inducing rules and regulations alongside and within the real faith.
The book of Galatians is dedicated to getting people squared away from leaving the love of Christ and taking on righteousness established by men's rules. Follow the Spirit, not men's rules...
But, better suited to the questions at hand-
read Colossians chapter 1 & 2.
The purpose of the letter is in 1:9-10-
"... that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects..."
(There is a major emphasis on "love" in what is written...)
2:2 "...the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery..."
2:4 " I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument."
2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."
This is the clincher here; this is the primary verse that I wanted to expose, but I wanted to keep it in context of the entire letter that Paul wrote. This is why it is good to read the entire book of Colossians, then come back and pay special attention to the verses I have enumerated here. This way I am keeping true to what Paul wanted- you will be filled with the knowledge of God's will in spiritual wisdom and understanding...
2:16-18 "...no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--...the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement..."
Here is where he exposes it as leaven of the Pharisees-
2:20 "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees..."
The REAL law, the one we WERE obligated to before Jesus saved us, that is the one that was nailed to the tree in verse 14. That was a REAL debt that HAD TO be paid. But, now that we are saved, that legitimate debt has been satisfied.
So now, this other stuff is synthetic or man-made. It has no merit or validity.
2:23 " These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
"NO value"
Now read Romans chapter 14.
Some are weak in the faith; other are strong. But, who are we to judge? (14:4)
Again, taking into account the WHOLE teaching to keep things in context of the original meaning,
now look at this-
14:5-8 "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's."
Be convinced in your own mind.
To observe or not observe? Be convinced in your own mind.
We as Spirit-filled Christians are not trying to worship pagan things... we have set aside a day to celebrate our Lord and Savior's birth. We regard the day and observe it for the Lord. God created us, then He created us as "new creatures" when He saved us, He made the day, He sent His Son... ALL of this is made by God; He is not surprised at any of this.
So what are we doing here with all of this?
14:13 "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way."
This is one of the important points- we are to encourage one another to acts of love and good works (Heb 10:24), but we DO NOT cause each other to stumble. We do NOT tear down, but rather we build one another up in the things of the Lord.
14:19 "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another."
The pursuit of peace is a function of love. Jesus is love. Love is the underlying power in all of this.
The opposite of this is what the Pharisees pushed. They had no love. They were justified by works and rules they made up themselves and maintained themselves. They made the rules, judged and executed by those rules.
It was by those rules that they killed Christ.
These are not the rules laid out in Mosaic law. Those rules were given to Moses by God.
Being in Christ, we are free from the law, the Mosaic law, and the One who set us free warned us to watch out for the man-made law, the law of the Pharisees...
14:14 "I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
14:22-23 "The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
We need to consult God about these things and pray.
We need to search the scriptures and see what God has already said about these things.
