“They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”
~ 2 Thessalonians 1:9
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to go to a place that is called church? Do you like to be around a lot of guys, gals and kids who call themselves Christ-followers? When your grandpaa was a kid, your grandpaa did not like to go to church. Your grandpaa was always glad when his ma had him stay home from church to take care of his little bros. If your dad and/or ma gave you the choice of going with them to a church or staying home on a Sunday morning, what would you do? After your grandmaa and grandpaa were married, they attended the Orthodox Presbyterian Church that is in Wilmington, Delaware. Even though your grandmaa and grandpaa would have liked to have been involved in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, your grandmaa and grandpaa were not asked to do anything. When your grandpaa was asked by Liberty Loan to transfer in March of 1969 to Springfield, Massachusetts to manage their loan office that is there, your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad moved into an Agawam, Massachusetts apartment and they began going to a Bible Baptist Church. Your grandmaa and grandpaa liked going at first to the Bible Baptist Church but when the Bible Baptist Church pastor – who had befriended your grandmaa and grandpaa, moved so that he could be a teacher in a Bible school, your grandmaa and grandpaa stopped going to the Bible Baptist Church because the church’s new pastor preached over and over again that every guy, gal and kid needed to get baptized by immersion. Your grandpaa and grandmaa felt like he was preaching at them because they had not been baptized by immersion. Your grandmaa and grandpaa decided to relocate in July of 1970 to Sioux Falls, South Dakota because they knew that there was a Christian Reformed Church there in Sioux Falls and . . . your grandpaa’s dad and ma were members all their life in the Christian Reformed Church that is in Volga, South Dakota. Your grandmaa became involved in a women’s Bible study once your grandmaa and grandpaa started going to the First Christian Reformed Church that is in Sioux Falls. Your grandmaa and grandpaa also went regularly to the First Christian Reformed Church’s couples club functions. When your grandpaa was asked in August of 1972 by Beneficial Finance – who your grandpaa was employed by in Sioux Falls, to transfer to Aberdeen, South Dakota to manage their loan office that was there, it was really important to your grandmaa and grandpaa that they find a church that they liked to go to and where both your grandmaa and grandpaa could be involved in doing whatever in the church. Your grandmaa and grandpaa did not know what it meant to be involved but . . . God had it all planned out that before your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad moved to Aberdeen that your dad’s Uncle Craig and Aunt Jean would be living in Aberdeen. When your dad’s Uncle Craig got out of the navy, he began studying at Northern State on the G.I. Bill. Northern State is a college that is located in Aberdeen. Your dad’s Uncle Craig told your grandpaa when your grandpaa asked him about churches in Aberdeen that he heard that the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen was a good church. It did not take long at all for your grandmaa and grandpaa to become very involved in a church – after God providentially led your grandmaa and grandpaa to begin going to the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church that is in Aberdeen.
Once your grandmaa and grandpaa began to go regularly to the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church that is in Aberdeen, your grandmaa and grandpaa looked forward to going to every service and activity that was scheduled there. Your grandmaa and grandpaa were really helped and encouraged by Leon Jensen – who was the pastor of the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church that is in Aberdeen, and by a deeper life speaker – Don McKaughn, who twice came to speak at the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church that is in Aberdeen when your grandmaa and grandpaa were there. The understanding and faith that your grandmaa and grandpaa had in God grew exponentially over the less than two years that your grandmaa and grandpaa went to the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church that is in Aberdeen. Paul was really glad when word got to him that the Thessalonica Christ-follower adherents were experiencing a growing understanding of how to walk the Christ-follower walk – walks that could be evidenced or witnessed in their growing faith and their communication of love with one another. Paul was so glad about hearing this really great news about what was taking place in the Christ-follower community of guys and gals that was in Thessalonica that he sent a second letter to the Thessalonica Christ-follower community of guys and gals. Paul starts out in 2 Thessalonians 1 with a warm greeting from himself and from Timothy and Silas – who were two of his traveling buddies. Paul then affirms the Thessalonica Christ-follower community of guys and gals for their faithful perseverance in spite of all the difficulties and trials that they were enduring. Paul really wanted the Thessalonica Christ-follower community of guys and gals – who he knew to be as friends, to know that it would be worth it – as there was a day ahead when every guy, gal and kid who would be alive on planet Earth would suddenly see a bright blazing fire in the sky accompanied by powerful angels who would introduce Jesus’ return back to planet Earth. On the day when Jesus will suddenly and unexpectedly return to planet Earth, Jesus will be marveled at and glorified by all the guys, gals and kids who have claimed His salvation gift and who are His Father’s adopted kids.
Paul states in verse 9 what will happen to the guys, gals and kids who will not have become Christ-followers, “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.” Christ-follower guys, gals and kids will congregate together because they want to be with each other.
2 Thessalonians 1 (647)