Spiritual Caffeine Feb 18, 2014 Morning recording Welcome to our first morning devotional series, which we call Spiritual Caffeine. We named it spiritual caffeine because we want it to be a spiritual boost of energy for your day. Just like coffee gives us the physical boost to get us going, we also need a spiritual boost to get our day started right with a spiritual framework. In John 4 Jesus and his disciples had been traveling and ministering all day. By the time they reached Samaria they were tired and hungry. When Jesus disciples left to find food, Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well with whom he had a discourse about spiritual things. His conversation with her revived him physically. When his disciples returned, they were amazed at his renewed energy and wondered if someone had fed him already. Jesus response was, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work”. Remember Jesus also said in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”. So it is our hope that these short devotionals will give you the spiritual sustenance and motivation you need to embrace the day for the Glory of God. Today we will begin our study in 1 Thess. 5:12 - 18. The book of Thessalonians was written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica, which was under heavy persecution. So in chapter one, Paul provides them encouragement by reminding them that they are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are sustained and kept in Him. God is their shield, protector, and buckler. This church is also known for their faith, love, and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ based on v.3 It is important to know this as we read the directives for the church in chapter 5:12 – 23. It will give us a greater appreciation of the expectations God has for His church today. Beginning in verse 12 - 13, Paul exhorts the members of the church to honor and esteem the church leaders who minister among them. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you. And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. God expects his people to appreciate, value, and respect the leaders who work hard sacrificing, teaching, preaching, and instructing them in righteousness in order to present them blameless before God. They are commissioned by God to do so. This is why Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to warn those that are unruly in v. 14a. An unruly person is someone who is disorderly and unwilling to be subjected to any authority. This gives a picture of someone who is out of rank in an army. It is like a soldier who neglects his duty, refuses to follow orders, and goes AWOL. They dissert their fellow soldiers and buck the higher ranking officers’ authority. Unruly people are contentious and always questioning the decisions or the direction of anyone over them. They don’t want anyone to tell them what to do. They make it very difficult for a pastor or elder to lead a church and their rebellious attitude can cause friction among God’s people. In Numbers 16, Dathan, Korah, and Abiram caused a rebellious stir in the camp of Isreal by challenging Moses and Aaron’s authority over them. They asked Moses, “…lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?” They wanted to be in a position of leadership as well. But, God called them to be in subjection and they rejected this role. So, God brought judgment upon them by having the ground swallow them up. God takes these things very seriously. An unruly person is someone who is out of order, prideful and seeks a position of prestige. We should all subject ourselves to some form of authority; whether it is as a wife to her husband, a child to a parent, an employee to an employer, or a citizen to the ruling government. This is how we ought to view the structure of the church and how we are to conduct ourselves. Sadly there are Christians who don’t want to subject themselves to a local church. There have been prominent people and books written telling Christians they shouldn’t be part of the church. They claim the church era is over and we no longer have to be subject to the church. But, Gods truth remains the same. Ultimately, Christ is the head of the local church and when we gather together as the people of God there has to some accountability to Him. He is coming back for a church body that is without spot or wrinkle. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish – Ephesians 5:27 The way we should treat someone who is out of order and unruly is to have no fellowship with him. In 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Paul was addressing the problem of busybodies in the church, These people were idle and not working. Paul’s solution was, “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.” This was not only to protect the other members from their evil influence but it was perhaps also a means of grace to restore and bring repentance to the gossiper and the lazy member. This is how we are to treat the unruly, but unfortunately people don’t like warnings or being held accountable. As Christians, we should be humble and open to rebuke and correction. Let us keep to heart Paul’s exhortation to warn the unruly. We must cultivate a meek and humble spirit and attitude. Also let us honor and respect those who have rule over us. Let’s not add any discouragement or burdens to their already difficult task. Most of them have our own welfare in mind. Remember, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humiity.”- Proverbs 18:12 To tomorrow we will discuss Paul’s exhortation to comfort the feebleminded. more