1 Thessalonians 3–5 | Day 11

1 Thessalonians 3 (NIV 1984)

¹So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens
²and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
³so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them.
⁴In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.
⁵For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our labors might have been in vain.
⁶But Timothy has just now come to us from you and brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we long to see you.
⁷Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.
⁸For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.
⁹How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?
¹⁰Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

1 Thessalonians 4 (NIV 1984)

¹As for other matters, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more:
²For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
³It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
⁴that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
⁵not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;
⁶and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we told you and warned you before.
⁷For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
⁸Therefore he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
⁹Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
¹⁰And indeed, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more,
¹¹and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,
¹²so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

¹³But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
¹⁵According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
¹⁸Therefore encourage each other with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5 (NIV 1984)

¹Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,
²for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
³While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
⁴But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
⁵You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
⁶So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and sober.
⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
⁹For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
¹¹Therefore encourage each other and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
¹²Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.
¹³Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everybody.
¹⁵Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
¹⁶Rejoice always,
¹⁷pray continually,
¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
¹⁹Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;
²⁰do not treat prophecies with contempt.
²¹Test everything. Hold on to the good.
²²Avoid every kind of evil.
²³May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
²⁵Brothers, pray for us.
²⁶Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.
²⁷I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.