Give Thanks, Quench Not

Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians whom he had ministered to and loved during his missionary journeys.  These letters reveal his confidence in their faith and his hope for their ultimate salvation.


Toward the end of 1 Thessalonians 5 there are several verses that seem like last minute reminders I used to give my kids:  Be careful, don't forget your coat, get home at a decent hour.


Paul's reminders go like this: ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

 ¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 ¹⁹ Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; ²⁰ do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹ Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²² Avoid every kind of evil. (NIV)  


Tucked away in the middle of this voluminous collection of last minute reminders is a verse that bares closer examination.  Verse 18 is more than just the injunction to give thanks.  It also gives the reason:  this is God's will for you.  More than that, it is God's will in Christ Jesus for you.


Try it from another translation:  ...in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.(KJV)  This is counter-intuitive if not absolutely absurd.  In the myriad painful and evil events that befall us, we are supposed to give thanks?  Be real.  I'm not happy about some of this stuff!  


That's O.K.  Paul doesn't say you have to be happy about the event, but still you must give thanks to God when it happens.  I found I could give thanks when James wasn't killed when the tractor ran over him.  He wasn't even hurt.  I could give thanks Nicki was tough and determined when her leg was broken.  I could give thanks when my niece was killed and we could support her father.  Life plays hardball, and we must be up for the game.


Once I was reading that verse, verse 19 was bold on the page.  It quivered and I thought my mind and my eyes were playing tricks.  I read it again.  It said:  Quench not the Spirit. (KJV)  I was giving thanks in some disaster through clenched teeth, and it made me mad.  But then the light shone.  It was the yielded and obedient giving of thanks that released the Spirit to bring about comfort and resolution in my difficulty.  Giving thanks and looking to the Lord were not denying the very real difficulty.  Realizing the power of the Holy Spirit to act on my behalf and ridding myself of  bitterness and fear gave God entry into my situation.  Then the thanks flowed like water and I was refreshed in it.


I pursued this line of thought and found that all the reminders could be paired with these two verses. Try it yourself.


Give thanks and quench not--reminders to live by.

An Invitation: Come Follow Me

Jesus came to prominence after he was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.  He had apparently been ignored in the town of Nazareth where he grew up, but after his baptism by John the Holy Spirit influenced him in such a way that he could no longer remain silent.  The Spirit sent him, or led him into the desert where he was tested by Satan, and when he returned, he began to preach and assemble disciples he would teach in a more intense manner.  He first wanted to see who listened to him preach.  John the Baptist had disciples, too, and he told John, the son of Zebedee, and Andrew that Jesus was the one they should be looking for.  


Andrew and John went home with Jesus and visited and listened for a whole afternoon.  Later Jesus was preaching by the seashore, and he called these four to come and follow him:  John and his brother James, Andrew and his brother Peter.  Jesus said to them and to Nathaniel, and Philip, "Come follow me."  He also called Matthew who was a tax collector with the same message.


This was a more intense call.  It was no longer just an invitation to see where he lived or what he ate, but an invitation of involvement:  Come see what I preach, and who I touch, and where I go.  Now it became "Come do what I do."


That is the invitation he wanted those disciples to accept, and it is still the invitation he extends to his listeners today.  To those who hear his call, the invitation is not just one of investigation or casual interest, but participation in the mission of spreading the word and love of God.


Read Matthew 4, Mark 1, John 1, and Luke 4 and 5 for a fuller explanation of the call of the disciples.

Jesus Called Disciples

Jesus called the men who became his disciples very deliberately.  It is true that when he was preaching, the call was given to all, but the invitation to follow closely came face to face.  Some came to him and asked to follow that he sent home.  He reminded one man that he did not have a place to live.  He told one to go home to take care of his father and the family.  Matthew 8:18-22 lists some of the costs of discipleship.  

Everyone was called, but some were called to stay home.  They had heard the teaching and received the blessing, and that was enough.  Read the passages again.  Not everyone was called to follow, but all were called to believe.

Mark 5:1-20 tells the story of a man who was tormented by demons and lived isolated among the tombs in the land of the Gadarenes.  Jesus delivered him of the demons, and he regained his senses.  He was grateful and asked Jesus if he could follow him, but the Lord sent him as a messenger to his friends and family in the country of Decapolis.  He was a disciple who did not follow, but was sent.

John 4 tells how Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well whose obedience became an example for us in telling people about him. She went to people who knew her history and her sins.  She proclaimed him to them even though they might discount her testimony.  After they met Jesus and heard him speak, they were convinced by his words that he was the savior they sought.  Then they testified to the woman that they indeed believed her witness.

Some are called to preach or teach God’s Word, and some are called to drive a bus or sell fruit, but all are called to live his Gospel in the world and share his love in righteousness daily.

An Invitation: Come and See

The Gospel of John describes the first disciples of Jesus as Andrew and John himself.  They were followers of John the Baptist.  Maybe they had been baptized by him even before Jesus came seeking baptism.  They witnessed John's proclamation of Jesus as the Lamb of God, and, because of his proclamation, they followed Jesus.  The first contact was hesitant.  They did not run after him calling his name, but they just followed him.  Jesus noticed them and turned and said "What do you want?"


The Bible does not record any teaching yet, but they called him Rabbi which means Teacher.  Perhaps it was a title of honor and they just wanted to show respect.  Maybe they were startled by his question, but they didn't say, "John says you are the Lamb of God, and we want to hear about that."  


They only said, "Where are you staying?"  A mundane question, but it might let them know where he would be in the future or an opening for further conversation. 


He wanted to maintain the open door, too.  "Come and see," he said.  They stayed the rest of the day; that might mean 6:00 or suppertime or bedtime.  In any case, it was time for a longer conversation.

• What do you want to ask? 
• What does Jesus say to you do when you are alone?
• What does it mean to be the Lamb of God?

A Prostitute in Our Midst?

Do you know about Rahab?  She was a prostitute and certainly not someone I would want to visit with.  I mean"What would people say?"  If she is going to live among us, she will surely have to clean up her act.  And she brought her whole family, too.  I wonder what they're like.  Not that I really want to take on introducing them to my friends.

They say she saved the spies who went to look over Jericho, but when she bargained for her own life, she included her family as well.  I have to admit she did have integrity and family loyalty.  She hid the spies until the troops of the King of Jericho left, and she told them how to escape.

Of course she would want to join us.  She told the spies that everyone she knew feared Israel, and she jumped on our band wagon as soon as she could.  She had heard of the miracles God did to protect our people in the desert.  She was just trying to save herself since she knew that God would give Jericho to Israel.  For a while I wasn't so sure.  I mean they had the best position,
 after all.

It really seems sort of flighty of her to believe things she had only heard about and to hide the spies under stalks of flax on the roof.  If they had found the spies, she would surely have been in big trouble.  Only if you really had great faith or you were really stupid would you take that risk.  Humphff.
But Joshua kept the promise and rescued all the members of her family after the walls fell.  I guess that's one reason they went to her house in the first place--the house was on the wall.  The other reason we won't discuss.  I wonder who intruduced her to Salmon?  She was a foreigner, after all.  I wouldn't think his family could have been very happy about it.  She did bear him children.  I think Boaz was the first.  I really wasn't sure he would ever amount to anything, but who knows.

Read the story of Rahab in Joshua 2, 6:22-25, Matthew 1:5.

Balaam in a Quandry

Balaam was a prophet.  His story is recorded in Numbers 22-24, and he is mentioned by other prophets, too.  He was the son of Beor and he lived in Pethor.  He was a Midianite.  He had a reputation of prophesying for profit.  The people of Moab approached the people of Midian with fears of the Israelites because of what they had done to the Amorites.  "They will lick us up like an ox licks up grass."

Balak the son of Zippor was the king of the Moabites, and he sent messengers to Balaam telling him of the huge number of the Israelites and asking for help to stand against them.  "Come over here and curse them for me," he said.  "I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed."

Balaam received the entourage and invited them to spend the night.  God spoke to him saying that he must not curse the Israelites because they were blessed.  He refused to go with them.  They returned to Balak with the message.  Balak was not to be triffled with.  He sent a more distinguished delegation and a larger bribe.  Balaam received them and assured them that it didn't matter because God had blessed Israel, but he allowed them to spend the night to find out what God would say.  God gave Balaam permission to go with them, but he was to say only what God allowed. 

God was angry that Balaam went with the delegation.  I searched but found no cause for his anger.  I surmised that, perhaps, Balaam was tempted by the bribe or he sought some grievance against Israel, too.  In any event, Balaam saddled his donkey and went.  The donkey saw the angel of the Lord on the path and turned aside.  Balaam beat him and forced him back on the road.  Two more times the donkey refused to move and pinned Balaam's foot against a rock and lay down on the path.  Each time Balaam beat the animal.  His behavior was due to the presence of the angel, but he was hidden from Balaam's eyes. 

Finally the animal spoke to Balaam, "Why are you beating me?"  Balaam responded, "You have made a fool of me!  If I had a sword I would kill you now."  The donkey continued to chide Balaam, and then the angel revealed his presence, and Balaam was revealed as the fool.  The angel allowed Balaam to continue to meet Balak, but with this new evidence of the power of the God, Balaam was reminded that he could not say anything that God did not ordain.

Balak and his officials and Balaam made sacrifices before going out to view the outskirts of the Israeli camp.  They erected seven altars at Bamoth-Baal and offered sacrifices on them.  Then Balaam went up the mountain and spoke with God.  When he returned, he could only speak blessing on Israel.  "How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?...Let my final end be as theirs."

Balak did not give up.  They went to a site on Mount Pisgah where they again viewed the Israeli camp.  They built seven more altars and made more sacrifices.  Balaam went up the mountain to hear God's message.  When he returned he confirmed what he had said before.

“Arise, Balak, and listen;
   hear me, son of Zippor.
God is not human, that he should lie,
   not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
   Does he promise and not fulfill?
I have received a command to bless;
   he has blessed, and I cannot change it."

Balak  begged Balaam not to bless them if he couldn't do as he had asked.  Balaam said, "I can only say what God has said to me."

Balak took them to a different place on Peor overlooking the wasteland.  They built seven altars and offered seven sacrifices.  This time the prophesy was of a land of plenty with gardens and water, strength and security. 

In his anger Balak sent Balaam away without reward.  But Balaam was on a roll.  He prophesied about future events that included the rise of Israel as a strong nation and the defeat of the lands of the Amalekites and the Kenites, and the rise of Cyprus to defeat Ashur and Eber.

Balak did not get what he bargained for and Balaam was not paid for his efforts.  Everybody went home to see what the future of Israel would produce.  The lessons in this story are numerous:  It is useless to try to change the will of God; even a donkey knows better than to challenge an angel; don't try to curse what God has blessed.  There may be a reciprocal of the last one:  Don't try to bless what God has cursed.

What Would God Do?

It is a common exercise for preachers and teachers and writers to comment on "what God would do."  The favorite one I encounter has to do with Hell.  I hear and read that a good and loving God would not send anyone to Hell.  Some people like to conclude that there is no Hell.  Others relagate Hell to Satan and his fallen angels.  If we are to believe the Bible, we must deal with the facts and information about Hell contained in it before we dismiss them because we don't like the implications.

Jesus is quoted in Matthew, Mark, and Luke discussing Hell and it's inhabitants.  The authorities who questions whether God would send anyone to Hell read these passages as an allegory or illustration.  Many passages in Revelations discuss the activities of demons and the risk of being abandoned to them. 

I guess I am more interested in discussing the person of God than in proving the reality of Hell.  The Bible is our only reference for the character and personality of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  The character of God is often read as changing from harsh and judgmental in the Old Testament to loving and merciful in the New Testament.  Hebrews 13:8 states that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Jesus was the incarnated revelation of God and he is no different from God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The Trinity is always and continually in communion and agreement.  God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-- has not changed.

God was always ready to welcome the Children of Israel when they asked for his mercy.  He was not particularily pleased when they sought him for their own material gain or when they planned evil.  He criticized them and allowed punishment to fall on them when they sought after other gods.  Their other gods did not do much to help them.  God was always there to restore, uplift, and strengthen.  When they corrupted the scriptures and denied aid to poor, God allowed their course to be determined by their behavior.

I keep coming back to the view of God that says he will send sinners to horrible, unyielding torment in eternal Hell.  That's not the way I read it.  I have a choice--accept Jesus or refuse his offer.  If I accept Jesus, I follow his lead; I become like him; I learn his righteousness, and I draw on his grace.  It is not an easy path.  If I refuse his offer of salvation, I am free to seek my own path.  I can do anything and live anyway I like.  It doesn't mean I am a bad person.  I just do it my way. 

Revelations describes the Book of Life which has recorded in it the names of those who accepted Jesus' gracious offer of redemption and salvation.  For those who wanted to belong to Jesus, the path may have been difficult, but they saw an outcome that was blessed.  Those who refused his salvation also made a choice.  It was a personal choice.  God did not make it for them.  God does not send anyone to Hell, but if you don't want what Jesus has to offer Hell is the result. 

Accepting Jesus as your Lord, Savior, and Redeemer leads to a disciplined life of obedience, holiness, and sacrifice.  Refusing his offer is a personal choice.  You may find power and wealth or emptiness and loss, but it was your choice.  Joy in eternity rests in Jesus.  He calls you to come to him and enter a new life, but it is your choice.  Hell is available too.