Jesus is coming back. He said so. But before that happens he said there will be wars and rumours of war, increased Christian persecution, false Messiahs, more lawlessness, and less love.

Wow.

The church in Thessalonica wanted to know how to live in light of these realities. They knew Jesus would be coming back, and they wanted to be prepared.

Should they hide in a bunker? Should they go looking for fights on social media? 

Among other things, Paul said they should: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

The way that sentence is constructed tells us that God’s will is not only to give thanks in all circumstances, but to rejoice always, and to pray continually.

It’s kind of surprising, isn’t it? 

Most of us love those verses. We smile when we see them on church signs and underline them in our Bibles. But they are even more powerful when you realize they were given to the Thessalonians as instructions about how to live in a troubled world as they awaited the return of Jesus.

Let’s be clear. What Paul says is a radical way to live in a world that will continue to have significant problems.

Paul isn’t naive. Nor is he telling them to put their head in the sand. This is about trusting in an Almighty God who saves, provides and guides, and about striving to show and share the shimmering light of Christ, even if it’s getting dark.

After all, when Jesus returns, he will usher in the news heavens and the new earth, and it will be glorious! 

Our job is not to know the exact day or hour. Which is a relief because that sounds complicated. Instead, we should…

Rejoice always.
Pray continually.
Give thanks in all circumstances.

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Notes:

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.