From: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy: To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 1 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
As you read this first chapter of the apostle Paul's letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul knew the church members were exempliifying the inclusive, unselfish, and loving ministry of Jesus Christ, because many of the people were spiritually touched for the better. Unbelievers were drawn to the Onyl One God who's Son Jesus the Christ, willingly became the sacrifice lamb for human sin and everyone's short comings.
We talk abot having godly ways, but what does this really mean in terms of how we are witnesses of Christ to others in our everyday lives, both inside and outside the church?
There are many people who profess and confess being bir again Christians, and members of the church who are proclaiming many different and conflicting witnesses to the lost world. When is the last time you have examined yourself about your witness to other about Jesus Christ? Not your theology or what your church teachers , but what God teaches us in His holy Word about His Son Jesus Christ, the only One who can saved and restire a soul.
As God's ambassadors in, and to the world what are you saying about God's Son? Do your words match yourChrist-like life-style, behavior and conduct?
EXAMINE YOURSELF: If you were the only BIble a person could read, what would the message the lost who do not know Jesus Christ, or backsliderwho has need to be redeemed abck to Christ received by listening to your conversation about Jesus Christ, and watching your lifestyle in behavior and conduct?
Would your conversation about Jesus and your lifestyle, behavior and conduct prove as a good witness, and be seen by God as being worthy of His honor?
Would your conversation and lifestyle, behavior and conduct lead a backslider back to Christ, or lead a person to Christ if the person did not know Jesus Christ for the remission of his/her sins to receive and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior?
Wow. That's a great...Observation? :) "If we were the only Bible..." Never thought of it precisely that way before. Expect I'll be chewing on this one today. Good to have something specific to muse over.
Thanxs Ella...Good WORD...:bouncy:...I Pray that ALL of us are as Good a Example as we can be { cause we not Perfect yet } to Everyone we meet on lifes journey with the Lord Jesus...:peace:...xo
Would your conversation and lifestyle, behavior and conduct lead a backslider back to Christ, or lead a person to Christ???
These qualities are very important, However:
I Peter 1:23,24: "You have been born again:rolleyes:, not by perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God. For all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the Word that was preached to you."
John 17:17: Jesus commands, "Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is Truth."
John 14:23: Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our Home with him!":applause::peace::angel:
Romans 10:17: "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ!"
And I say, if you are living a Christian lifestype than your behavior , conduct and lifestyle will pruduce fruit that will testify of Christ in your life and you as being a holy example... this is not abut how you are saved or receive salavtion... you''re missing the clear understanding as to what a Chritsian lifestyle is all about, and how it will influence and lead others to Christ as the BIble so teaches.
So since you know the word, and you are quick to try and knock dow what I other have to say, then you hopefully you will answer these question with the roper scripture passages.
HERE ARE SOME QUETSIONS FOR YOU TO ANSWER RICHARD AND PLEASE POST THE SCRITPURES THAT YOU FEEL TEACHES SOEMTHING DIFFERENT OR CONTRADICT THESE QUESTIONS:
1. What does the Bible teach us about living a Chirst like lifestyle, holy and acceptable, in our conversation, conduct and behavior? What is the Christian walk and what does it include?
2. What does Paul say in the letter to the Thessalonian church starting in verses 4: For we know brothers/sisters beloved by God, that He has chosen you, becasue our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spiirt and with full convition, jsut as you know what KIND OF PERSONS WE PROVED TO BE AMONG YOU FOR YOUR SAKE. AND YOU BECAME IMITATORS OF US AND OF THE LORD, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that YOU BECAME AN EXAMPLE TO ALL THE BELIEVERS IN MACEDONIA AND IN ACHAIA."
The Thessalonian church became a strong, living and positive witness and example to other churches in that region and to the unsaved because its members lived by faith. This meant abanding their old sinful lifestyle and lving according to the gospel that was preached to them.
3. Why do you think Christian conversation, conduct, and behavior and how these can effect a person coming to Christ, is not important and a person cannot be lead to Christ by such?
Roman chpater 12-15 is a good place to start reading; also as you read First and Second Timothy, Paul's letters to Timothy you will find that throughout these two letter Paul exhorts and encourages Timothy to keep watch over his conversation and his conduct and behavior, so that he will not be ill spoken and lose his witness for Christ; also First and second Peter write to us about the importnace of our conversation, conduct and behavior, and even tells wives that by her good conversation and conduct and behavior she will be able to win over her husband if he is not a godly man.
4. So, Richard, I ask you what is godly charcater and how important is it as it relates to a person's salvation?
5. Richard, so what does Paul teach us in all of his writings and especially in Timothy about the importance of being an example to other in our conversation, conduct and behavior? 6. And how is it that Christians can cause a weak or a lost person to stumble?
7. And what is a good godly Character? what does let your conversation be seasoned with salt mean...
9. What does a CHRISTIAN LIFE IN CHRIST manifest for others to see as a witness?
10. How would a person who is a sinner or a backslider know that you have changed and become a new creation, and old things have passed away?
11. Why is Jesus Christ called our supreme example?
For it is written that a person who wins souls is wise... how does a person know that you have the gospel, or fath or the Holy Spirit?
12. How does a Christian go about winning souls for the kingdom if he/she is not walking the talk in the Christ-like Christian walk isn't this what Paul teahces in Colossians?My Lord, I owuld think seeing any Christian even so walking in the power of the Holy Spirit as Paul writes in Galatians chapter 5, would lead any backslider or sinner to Christ, and bring a righteous Christian even closer to Christ... I would think walking in the Spirit means our conversation, conduct and behavior must be included ... uh maybe I've got that all worng as well according to you:glow:
sorry about that Corrections: So since you know the word, and you are quick to try and knock down what I and others have to say in certain things, then you hopefully you will answer these question with the proper scripture passages...
I think it is important that we as believers examine ourselves, like you said above, so that we are living godly lives in relation to our conduct, conversation and behavior.
Due to our tendency to fall and make mistakes, it is important to acknowledge our shortcomings before G-d and man, repent and make sincere efforts to live more like Y'shua.
It seems like human nature for people to look at and examine others conversation, behavior and conduct so they don't have to examine their own.
I believe it is a sign of maturity to be able to examine ourselves, admit our faults, and pray for each other. "In our weakness, HIS strength is made perfect."
Our behavior and conduct is of course very important in our witness but ONLY GOD"S WORD leads to a sinner to Salvation and a backslider back to God.
Can your conversation and lifestyle, behavior and conduct lead a backslider back to Christ, or lead a person to Christ???
These qualities are very important and do help, However:
I Peter 1:23,24: "You have been born again, not by perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God. For all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the Word that was preached to you."
Jesus commands us to teach God's saints to OBEY EVERYTHING I have commanded in the Great Commission. And everything would also include all of the approximately 400 NT commands which would also include all of the NT Commands in Acts to Revelation.
2 Timothy 3:16 & 2 Timothy 4:2: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work...PREACH THE WORD; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction."
I Corinthians 3:6-9: Paul said, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be *REWARDED* according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers!"
Daniel 12:3: "Those who impart wisdom will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever."
Revelation 22:12: Jesus says, "Behold, I am coming soon! My {**unseen**}*REWARD*is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!"
2 Corinthians 5:9,10: "So we make it our goal to please Him..For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him {**UNSEEN REWARDS & TREASURES**} for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad!"
Matthew 16:27: Jesus says, For the Son of Man is going to come in His **FATHER'S GLORY WITH HIS ANGELS**{See Matt 24:30-31;25:31-40}, and **THEN**{NOT NOW} He will *REWARD*{**THE UNSEEN REWARD**} each person according to what he has done,"
Unfortunately the vast majority of the evangelical churches today got to church 3 times a week are told to live a good moral life as a witness to their neighbors but are given no clues on how to witness with God's Word as the early church saints who witnessed every day with the hope of countless eternal rewards for faithful and loving service. The church is very good at teaching that once saved always saved and teach the Satanic doctrine that if you accept Jesus as your Savior you will immediately inherit ALL the eternal rewards but God forbid that you should take time to witness with God's Word or to suffer ridicule and persecution while you are witnessing. This of course is exactly the opposite of Satan's Prosperity Gospel.
Jeff, Bahira, Michael, Jude, Shalom you guys are so on he mark, Paul even teaches us that as believers we are to examinie ourselves lest we be disqualified to be called God's children. Paul in his letters to all the churches speak often about we as Christians ought to conduct ourselves, and how his and the other apostles were good examples in their conversations, conduct, and behavior before the people which inlfuenced many to come to Christ.
Jesus teaches us in Matthew chapter 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."
As Chritsian carrying the word of God to the lost, our mission to the world is to be an examle to the world. You hear many lost make the excuse saying, the reason why they don't come to church is becasue they see how other Christians cut up and do all sorts of things, and their lifestyles do not represent who they preach. AS one commentary says: The Chirstian is the condition (salt) to meet the world's needs and the Christian's mssion is to be the light to the world. And the Christian's light is to shine forth into darkness of human depravity, and be an example proving to a lost world that Jesus Christ is alive and well living on the inside of us."
Richard again, this is about being a witness a testimony of the gospel we teach and preach through our conversion, conduct, and behavior. One cannot teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and does not have good conversation, conduct or behavior to prove to the lost that Jesus is real working on the side of the person. Believers cannot live like the devil and expect the lost to listen to them teach and preach the gospel. We are to be examples of Chirst lving on the inside of us. As Paul says, example yourself, and see if indeed the Holy Spirit of God is livign on the inside of you, or if you are disqualified...
If Christ is living on the inside of you, then surley you ought to show some signs. And if a lost person can't see Christ shining forth in the believer's lfie why should the sinner care to come to Christ if the so-called Christian isn't any better off than he/she was before he/she came to Christ?
A Chritsian's lifestyle, conversation, conduct, and behavior is our testimony and witness that we are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ... and as Shalom points out, the spiritual maturity/growth of a person in Chirst will show.
The conversation, conduct and behavior of a believer will cause a sinner to be changed faster than the gospel when the sinner rejected gospel word. Maybe you have never done street evangelism, then I can understand why you may not understand if you have never spoken person to person to the homeless people on the streets, up close and personal, face to face about Jesus and heard their comments make about the attitudes of some Christians who come to them, and why many reject hearing the gospel from those who come to them...
Or maybe you are afraid to do a checks and balance by examining youself to seei f you are disqualified, because your lifestyle, conversation and conduct and behavior does not show forth Christ in your life to others representing Christ.
A new life in Chirst must be shown in the Christian's walk, talk living habit and conditions before Christ and others which will casue the lost to hear the gospel, Paul even teaches us this in the Book of Ephesians.
