Valley fourth Articles

“ The Lord said to Me, “You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your heritage, and the ends of the earth Your possession.”Psalm 2: 7-8 This Psalm actually records a conversation held between God the Father and God the Son. In it, God the Father promises that one day Jesus will have actual rulership over actual nations in an actual time in the future. This ...

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely… at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”1 Thessalonians 5:23The Apostle Paul ends this wonderful epistle with an encouraging reminder that God has committed Himself to the great task of shaping us to be like Jesus in our character. You may feel like you haven’t made much progress at all in the Christian life, and you may be on the edge of g...

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 Like the good Pastor-Teacher that he was, Paul begins to close this epistle with a set of “Rapid Reminders” about the spiritual life. He talks about certain spiritual habits that are suitable to every season of life and every series of events that a ...

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with Him. Therefore, encourage one another, and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11Paul here reminds the believer that Christians have a “Blessed Hope“, which is the certain hope that Jesus will return t...

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.… Therefore encourage one another with these words.”  1st Thessalonians 4:13–18 Paul here offers comfort to these believers who had lost loved ones in death and worried whether these loved ones would miss the glorious...

“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another… But we urge you brothers to do this more and more.“1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 Paul here tells the believers in the Thessalonian church to “love one another“, and then he adds this challenge: “do this more and more.“ The problem is, we don’t love this way often in ...

“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not men but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.“ 1 Thessalonians 4: 7 – 8This key section on “abstaining from sexual immorality“ contains a language selection by the Holy Spirit that says this is a “solemn warning“. It appears that for the Christian, sexual immorality is a particular sin that...

“And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you.“1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Pastor Paul again finds himself praying for the church in Thessalonica even as he’s writing to them. And notice what he prays for: the factor of “abounding love“ for the believers in that church for one another and for all is the heart of the prayer this ...

“For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction, we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.“1 Thessalonians 3:7-8 We continue to find insights into the lives of pastors in our devotional journey through 2 Thessalonians. This week’s insight relates to finding deep joy in hard times. Paul and his team seemed to frequentl...

“For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.”   1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 This passage alludes to an important principle: “it is a deception of the Devil that Christians should not expect to suffer.”  In actuality, suffering for the faith is a reliable result of living for the faith; the second usually...