Las responsabilidades del pastor

It's our joy now to study together the Word of God. Open your Bible, if you will, to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. We begin to embark upon a study of what is the last major section of this wonderful letter from Paul to the Christians in Thessalonica. We're looking at a section that begins in verse 12 and runs all the way down to verse 22. It is really a long series of exhortations, commands. They have to do with practical life in the church. I've entitled this series and section, "Growing a Healthy Flock."

Now if you've been with us in the past you know that we've been in a rather prolonged study of the prior section which dealt with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. From chapter 4 verse 13 all the way down to chapter 5 verse 11, that entire section has to do with the return of Christ, His return for the church which we call the Rapture, His return to judge the ungodly which is called the day of the Lord. And we are a church like the Thessalonian church that waits for His coming, that is looking for the return of Jesus Christ. In that sense we live in future hope. We are looking forward to what is coming.

But at the same time, the anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ cannot make us indifferent to the present. Because we are a people with a great future, we cannot be a people indifferent to the present. And so transitioning right out of the great discussion of Rapture and day of the Lord, the Apostle Paul begins to talk about the practicality of how we live in the church today. In fact, verse 11 provides a bridge for his discussion...

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