TRUE MINISTRIES CHURCH IMMOVABLE SAINTS 1 THESSALONIANS 3:1-5 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, andsent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these affl ictio ns; for you yourselves know that we are appoi nted to this. For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. For this reason, when I could no l onger endure it, I sent to know your f aith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain. This is very powerful. Paul was writing to the brothers in Thessalonia and was saying there is something you have to be very careful of. He said l ook at t he afflictions that are going on. Look at the tempter. I want to send a message to encourage you so that as you are going through these things, it isn’t an uncommon thing to you-- but that y ou are not shaken. That you are not shaken by what is going on in yourlife. That you are not shaken by the things that are around you. That you are not shaken for we are app ointed for su ffe rin g. We are appointed to be condemned. We are appointed to be accused and persecuted. Remember Jesus told his disciples , if the world hates me they will hat e you. He told his disciples, if you were of the world, the world would love you. But you are not of the world, so the world is not going to like you. So he says don’t be shaken by these thi ngs that are going on. Don’t be shaken by them. 2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-7 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled—Where ? In mind o r t roubl ed. Either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Letno one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above allthat is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showinghimself that he is God. That’s very interesting. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraini ng, that he may be revealed in his own time. The restrai ner is the Holy Spirit. He is res training things from happening. Actually the body of Christ—the presence of the body of Christ here on earth right now is holdi ng back the powers of dar kness by the Holy S piri t. He is the on e restr ainin g. It say s in verse 6, And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed i n his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then all hel l will break out . So the Holy Sp irit is th e one who is holding back, right now, the powers of darkness from having their way. Your presence, my presence and the body of Chris t’s pre sence right now is holdi ng back the powe rs of dar knes s. And he is saying don’t be shaken by all of these things that are going on. Don’t be shaken. Now we know there is a shaking. We just saw what was happening in those islands, Thailand, Africa—I mean they ar e expecti ng almos t 500,000 peop le to have been ki lled! Talk abou t a shaking! In fact, this whol e earth has been shaken by this ear thquak e. It has shif ted everyt hing in the earth! Everything has been shaken. There are still tremors. It’s not over. It’s the beginning of shaking. Now the bibl e tells us that God is goi ng to bring judgme nt into the house of God fir st. That - 1 -
