“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.” (2 Thessalonians 1:1-4 ESV)
This is a picture of what the church and its leadership should look like. We who profess faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior should be those who are walking by faith in Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer in sin. And we should be growing to maturity in Christ in our walks of faith, and not be stagnant, and not be those who are going backwards and who are falling back into sin and into worldly desires.
And we should be those for whom God’s love is growing in us to where we are now loving God and the people of God and the people of the world more and more like Jesus and according to the Scriptures. For this is agape love which prefers to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power. This love prefers what God prefers which is what is holy, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to his commands.
And the leadership of our churches should be those who are honoring and encouraging those who are living holy, morally pure, honest, upright, and godly lives to the glory of God and in obedience to his commands in steadfastness of faith. When they see a believer in Jesus dedicated to the Lord and to his service who is ministering to the body of Christ and who is sharing the truth of God’s word, they should be praising the Lord for that.
“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 ESV)
Sadly, in our day and time, it appears that the truly righteous in God’s sight are being treated with disdain while those who are still walking in sin are often those who are being honored and lifted up. For it has become a badge to wear if you profess faith in Jesus Christ while you still walk in sin. But if you literally are one who is not walking in sin and who is following the Lord in obedience, then they often will chide you as being overly religious.
I am not saying it is this way in all cases, but it does appear that it is in the majority. The gospel has been so altered and diluted to appease human flesh, and to not offend the ungodly, that holy living is not something much honored, but those who confess that they are still “struggling” (regularly giving in to sin) are often the ones honored, instead. It is like everything is being turned upside down these days, flip-flopping good and evil.
And so those who are living righteously, in obedience to the Lord, who are walking in his ways and in his truth and righteousness, are the persecuted, even within some (or many) of the gatherings of what are called “churches.” For we take God and his word seriously, and because we are following the Lord in obedience, and because we are speaking the truth in love to the people of the world and to our fellow professers of faith in Jesus Christ.
But those of us who follow our Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living, and who are not walking in sin, are considered by God worthy of (fitting to) the kingdom of God. We will inherit eternal life with God if we remain steadfast in such faith until the very end. But those who are still walking in sin, and not in obedience to our Lord, will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, even if they do profess his name with their lips.
“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 ESV)
Now this is the kind of prayer that our spiritual leaders should have for their people who are walking in obedience to the Lord. For the Christian faith is a walk of faith which is supposed to last until we die or until Jesus returns to take his faithful bride to be with him for eternity. So we have to keep on in these walks of faith, which require walks of obedience to our Lord, and that we no longer walk in sin. And God requires works of us, which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them, as his workmanship.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; John 15:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:8; James 2:17; 1 John 3:4-10]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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