Enought to Be Dangerous

Have you ever known enough to be dangerous? Where you know some things about some things, but not everything about everything.

Like being a Senior Pastor. I knew some things, but certainly not everything. As an associate pastor for 13 years, primarily working with youth, I would often think of what it would be like to be a Senior Pastor. Work half the hours and get paid twice the money! Seems like a good gig, I would think. I knew pastoral ministry, I knew the workings of a local church, I could teach/preach OK, I could lead others, so I thought I knew enough about the Senior Pastor role that, when given the opportunity to enter into the "real pastorate", I could do it. I knew some things, but not everything. For the past decades, I have been learning on the fly about all the things I thought I knew, but didn't.

And this brings me to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 where the Apostle Paul instructs the "ignorant" and "uninformed" about something the Thessalonian believers did know something about, but certainly not everything.

This Sunday, August 29, we will be looking into the Apostle Paul's teaching on the return of Christ. For the Thessalonian believers, they knew that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and they knew that He was coming again, but there were a lot of details that they did not know.

Like: What happens to those who died already? Do they miss out on Christ's return?
Like: What happens to those of us who are alive when Christ returns?
Like: Will we ever see our loved ones who have passed away again?

These questions are answered in Paul's writing in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and more details are covered in chapter 5.

For many of us, like the Thessalonians, we know and believe that Christ will return. But we don't know much else and, as a result, we can be like those in Paul's day who "grieved without hope".

It is my prayer that God's Word will give us hope as we gain more understanding of Christ's return. I pray that our anxiety will turn from worry to hope as we learn some details of Christ's resurrection and return which will bring on a great reunion of believers who have passed away and those who are alive.

I would encourage you to do some reading about Christ's return so we can know more. I think the more we know, the greater our anticipation and hope will be.

Read: John 14:1-6; Matthew 24-25; Zechariah 14:1-5; Revelation 19:11-21 and 20:1-15

As you read, do you see one or two returns of Jesus? One to gather His children and one to judge the nations??? Or do you see one return?

Again, you might know some things about Christ's return, and we'll never know everything (until it happens), but we can stop our "ignorance" and lack of understanding.  And know this - Jesus IS coming again.

See you Sunday (unless Jesus comes first and then we'll see each other in the air.)

Here, there, or in the air . . .
Pastor Paul

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