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Jesus is Your Resume

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This is a guest post by my friend and co-worker Dan Miller, who has a video blog at Video Verses.  You can follow him on Facebook.

 

suitAs a Christian, the best work you’ll ever do for God’s kingdom is believe in the work of Jesus.

Do you agree with that?  Or do you work under the assumption that child-like faith in Jesus is a good thing…but it belongs on your résumé somewhere below the great number of people you’ve managed?

If that is what your résumé looks like, Jesus is not hiring.

That’s been His policy all along, and yet there’s hope.  Just look at the Bible’s most capable manager.

Joseph.  A man who, no matter what life threw at him, seemed unstoppable.  Sold into slavery as a teenager in a foreign land, he rose to manage the estate of a powerful man.  Then after being framed and losing everything, he rose from “neglected prisoner” to “essentially the most powerful man in Egypt.”  His rise came during a devastating time: a famine that could have leveled the entire world.

Fortunately for the world, Joseph was the right man for the job.

Joseph led Egypt to store their abundance before the famine hit, so they could feed themselves, the nations, and the world.  Including the brothers who were so unkind to him and the person who had framed him.

In a nutshell, Joseph rose from convict to savior of the world.  How would you like that on your résumé?

Now, stop planning your financial future for a moment, and consider Hebrews 11, the “who’s who” of the Old Testament.  To no one’s surprise, Joseph made it in there.  What do you think was on his résumé?

By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. (Hebrews 11:22, ESV)

That’s it?

Yes.  According to the writer of Hebrews, this is the most important thing to know about Joseph’s life’s work.  Back in Genesis 12, God made a promise to Joseph’s great-grandpa Abraham.  This promise continued through the line, but as awesome as Joseph’s life was, the promise didn’t come true during his lifetime.  Rather than questioning God and dying a bitter old man, Joseph believed God.  He believed so strongly, in fact, that he denied himself a prominent burial, instead saying, “Descendents, take my bones to the Promised Land yourself.”  About 500 years later, they did.

God always keeps His promises.

But God had a bigger, better promise, and the name of that promise is Jesus.  In John 3:16, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will not perish, but have eternal life.”  The real goal for God’s people was not land acquisition, but restoration to the holy God who made us, whom we betrayed.  This restoration came totally through Jesus, who is alive and well, interceding for us despite our best efforts to stop Him.  He has given us new life and a glorious new mission – to proclaim HIS name.  He’s also given us the strength for the mission.

That’s the point: your belief in Jesus’ work is the greatest work you will ever offer the world.  In other words, it’s not just at the top of your résumé, it is your résumé.

So as you live the rest of your life, remember that faith in Jesus is your greatest weapon, and your greatest danger is faith in anything else.

Top 10 NT Books that Quote OT Passages

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I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.” I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament. I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure. For example, when Jesus is called “Son of Man,” is that an allusion to Daniel 7:13, to Psalm 8:4, or to Ezekiel 2:1, 3, 6, 8, etc? Most likely, the answer is “all of them,” but Bible interpreters disagree. Therefore, I left such unclear examples off the list altogether. One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the top 10 NT books that quote the OT (click here for other lists). Which books assume or expect a greater knowledge of the Old Testament? Which books require much more flipping back and forth to make sure we get the point? Which books had in mind an audience that would be comfortable with such use of the Old Testament?

After each entry, I include the number of times that book quotes an OT passage.

  1. Romans (58 quotes)

  2. Matthew (45)

  3. Hebrews (42)

  4. Acts (27)

  5. Galatians (20)

  6. 1 Corinthians (20)

  7. Luke (19)

  8. Mark (18)

  9. John (17)

  10. 1 Peter (8)

If a passage quotes two parallel Old Testament passages simultaneously, I counted it as two quotes. For example, Hebrews 1:5b simultaneously quotes 2 Samuel 7:14 and 1 Chronicles 17:13.

Frankly, I’m astonished that Romans, a book with only 16 chapters, tops the list. I don’t think I would have guessed it before I counted up the references.

Matthew and Hebrews are not much of a surprise, as they are considered some of the most “Jewish” books of the New Testament (along with James, which is too short to have many quotes). You can see there’s a large reduction in the number of references after those top three books.

All four Gospels are on this top 10 list. It’s possible that it’s mostly because they’re some of the longest books in the NT. But I think it’s also true that we simply will not understand Jesus’ person and work unless we understand him in light of the Old Testament. God has spoken in the whole Bible, and Jesus is the climax (Heb 1:1-4). For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

What else strikes you about this list?

Top 11 OT Verses Quoted in NT

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scrollI recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.”  I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament.  I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure.  For example, Jesus refers to the Flood as a real event and as something to instruct us today (Luke 17:26-27).  But he does not quote directly from the text of Genesis 6-9.  Therefore, I left such unclear examples off the list altogether.  One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the OT verses most quoted in the NT (see here for the most quoted OT books and chapters).  Which verses did Jesus’ apostles reference most often as they sought to explain his life and ministry?  If they had “memory verses” to focus on in Sunday School, what might they have been?  Which sentences did they meditate on and find most useful to explain Christ’s mission?

After each entry, I include the number of times the New Testament quotes that verse.

  1. Leviticus 19:18 (8 times)

  2. Exodus 20:12/Deuteronomy 5:16 (6)

  3. Exodus 20:13/Deuteronomy 5:17 (6)

  4. Exodus 20:14/Deuteronomy 5:18 (6)

  5. Psalm 110:1 (5)

  6. Isaiah 6:10 (5)

  7. Genesis 2:24 (4)

  8. Exodus 3:6 (4)

  9. Psalm 118:22 (4)

  10. Isaiah 6:9 (4)

  11. Isaiah 40:3 (4)

Close behind are Genesis 15:6, Deuteronomy 6:5, Psalm 2:7, Psalm 40:6-8, Psalm 95:7,8,11, Psalm 110:4, Isaiah 28:16, Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 31:33, Habakkuk 2:4, and Malachi 3:1, each quoted 3 times. For the raw data listing every quotation, see my resources page.

The most quoted verse is the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Perhaps this verse ought to be on our hearts and minds more often.

I don’t want to minimize the differences between Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 (the first and second statements of the 10 commandments), but it’s difficult to exaggerate their similarities.  One noteworthy point is that Ephesians 6:2-3 clearly quotes Deuteronomy’s version of the command to honor parents (Exodus doesn’t have the phrase “that it may go well with you”).  But the two versions of the law are so similar that I considered Eph 6:2-3 still to be referencing both.

Although we could say these verses are important, we must not forget their contexts.  G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson (among others) have amply demonstrated that quotes by New Testament authors are primarily quotes of passages, not just quotes of verses.  In other words, when you study a NT passage that quotes the OT, you ought to go back and look up the OT quote in context.  Determine the main point of the OT text and then go back to the NT passage to see how the author uses it.

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Top 13 OT Chapters Quoted in the NT

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Photo credit: Keith Williamson (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Photo credit: Keith Williamson (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.”  I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament.  I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure.  For example, the New Testament mentions Abraham 72 times.  Should we connect every one of those references to a specific passage in the Old Testament?  Here, I’ll let you practice: Abraham comes up in Matthew 1:1.  Which Old Testament text is in mind?  Because of such lack of clarity, I left these unclear examples off the list altogether.  One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the top 10 OT chapters quoted in the NT (see here for the top 10 OT books).  Which chapters did Jesus’ apostles reference most often as they sought to explain his life and ministry?

After each entry, I include the number of times the New Testament quotes from that chapter.

  1. Exodus 20/Deuteronomy 5 (12 times)

  2. Leviticus 19 (8)

  3. Psalm 110 (8)

  4. Deuteronomy 6 (7)

  5. Genesis 2 (6)

  6. Genesis 15 (6)

  7. Deuteronomy 32 (6)

  8. Psalm 69 (6)

  9. Isaiah 40 (6)

  10. Psalm 95 (5)

  11. Psalm 118 (5)

  12. Isaiah 6 (5)

  13. Isaiah 53 (5)

Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 contain the 10 commandments, which we can confidently say is the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament.

Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19 have the first and second greatest commandments (Matt 22:36-40), so no surprise there.  We should expect the most important parts to be quoted most often. For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

I encourage you to study the rest of the chapters on the list and make sure you understand them.  The apostles clearly believed them important for understanding Christ’s mission.  A solid understanding of these 13 passages will pay great dividends for your understanding of the main points of the Bible and your relationship with Christ.

What do you think?  Does anything on this list (or not on it) surprise you?

10 Old Testament Books Never Quoted in the New Testament

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"Open Bible" by Ryk Neethling (2011), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

“Open Bible” by Ryk Neethling (2011), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.” I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament. I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure. For example, when Paul says he was “rescued from the lion’s mouth” (2 Tim 4:17), is that an allusion to Daniel 6:22-23 (which we probably think of first), or to Psalm 22:21 (which is more linguistically likely)? It’s hard to say. Therefore, I left such unclear examples off the list altogether. One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has all the Old Testament books that are never explicitly quoted in the New Testament.

  1. Judges

  2. Ruth

  3. Ezra

  4. Esther

  5. Ecclesiastes

  6. Song of Solomon

  7. Lamentations

  8. Obadiah

  9. Jonah

  10. Zephaniah

They’re mostly short books, except for Judges. Also, Ezra & Nehemiah were on one scroll (in Hebrew) and were likely to be considered a single book with a unified literary structure. Thus, since Nehemiah is quoted (John 6:31), we could possibly take Ezra off this list. For the same reason, we could potentially remove Obadiah and Jonah, as the twelve minor prophets were on one scroll, considered one book (named “The Twelve”).

Let’s not conclude, however, that the books on this list are unimportant. They are the Word of God, and, as such, they are useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). But as we seek to interpret and apply these books, we have few scriptural examples to guide us, and we must instead rely on more general principles from the rest of Scripture. We ought to be less dogmatic about what we come up with. For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

What strikes you about this list?  How ought it to inform our Bible study?

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Top 10 OT Books Quoted in NT

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Photo Credit: Kladcat (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Photo Credit: Kladcat (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every time the New Testament quoted an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.”  I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament.  I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure.  For example, when Jesus is called “Son of Man,” is that an allusion to Daniel 7:13, to Psalm 8:4, or to Ezekiel 2:1, 3, 6, 8, etc?  Most likely, the answer is “all of them,” but Bible interpreters disagree.  Therefore, I left these unclear examples off the list altogether.  One unfortunate result is that the books of 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the top 10 most quoted Old Testament books.  Which books did the New Testament authors most often reference as they wrote of the coming of Jesus the Messiah?

After each book title, I include the number of times the New Testament quotes from that book.

  1. Psalms (68 times)

  2. Isaiah (55)

  3. Deuteronomy (44)

  4. Genesis (35)

  5. Exodus (31)

  6. Leviticus (13)

  7. Proverbs (8)

  8. Zechariah (7)

  9. Hosea  (6)

  10. Jeremiah (5)

It makes sense that the top few books are some of the long books in the OT.  But the longest book (Jeremiah) is pretty far down.  Also, long books such as 1&2 Samuel (3 quotes), 1&2 Kings (2 quotes), and 1&2 Chronicles (1 quote) are way down the list. For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

Also, I find it fascinating that Zechariah, probably the most obscure and inscrutable OT book, ranks higher than any other prophetic book except Isaiah.

Does this list surprise you, or is it exactly what you suspected?  Perhaps you might consult this list the next time you choose to study an Old Testament book.  One could argue that the New Testament authors wanted to draw our attention to them.

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We Three Kings… Sorta

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Christmas in the Hallman household always comes with an abundance of some of my favorite things, including my mom’s holly candy, incredible Christmas light displays, and, of course, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

One of TSO’s lesser-known songs is this fun tune [link no longer available] about “what really happened” when the three wise men showed up looking for the baby Messiah. It’s obviously a work of fiction but is bound to make you smile knowingly and say, “That’s creative, but we all know that’s not what actually happened!”

3 Kings

Image courtesy of Vectorportal.com

Do we?

Let’s take a closer look at what Matthew records in his gospel to see how our nativity traditions measure up! First, refresh your memory by reading over Matthew 2:1-18. Okay, ready for a quiz?

How many kings were there?

If you guessed “three”, you might be right, but that’s the most we can know. Matthew never tells us how many there were; he only tells us that there were at least three kinds of gifts offered (gold, frankincense and myrrh.) In fact, since these guys could obviously afford to offer some nice presents to young Jesus, they probably also traveled with a large company of servants and/or guards.

Were they actually kings?

Matthew doesn’t call them “kings”. Some translations call them “wise men”. The best word is probably “magi”, but there are many theories about who “magi” actually were.

One possible clue to their identity is way back in Daniel 2:48: “Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men (magi) of Babylon.” It’s entirely possible that Daniel went on to teach these Babylonian magi all about Yahweh and His coming Christ such that generations later, wise men in the east were expectantly watching for the star of the promised King.

When did they arrive?

If your favorite nativity characters happen to be our magi friends, I have sad news for you: they weren’t there!

We know from Matthew 2:7 that Herod asked the magi when the star had appeared. We also know from Matthew 2:16 that Herod, in his rage when the magi do not return to him, has all children under age 2 killed “according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.” It seems likely therefore that the magi had noted the star two years earlier but hadn’t made the trip for some time. By the time Mary welcomed these foreign visitors, Jesus was probably a toddler! Also, Joseph’s little family had upgraded to a house during that time (Matthew 2:11).

Application… sorta

So, consider this blog post your permission to have a new “nativity” where 2-year-old Jesus is getting piggy-back rides from a couple dozen Babylonian decedents. It’s at least as Biblical as the traditional nativity scene, and perhaps a bit more fun.

Why keep the Sabbath?

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Most Christians have heard of the Ten Commandments. Many can even tell you what they are. But how many can answer this question: Why does God ask His people to keep the Sabbath?

The Ten Commandments

Photo adapted from OZinOH on Flickr

Let’s take a look at these two familiar passages and take note of the similarities and differences:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 ESV)

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15 ESV)

If you just skimmed those passages, you’ll probably miss the point of this blog entry 😉 Go back and read them again.

Here are some things that are the same:

  • Six days are allocated for work, but the Sabbath is to be kept holy.
  • The Sabbath is not just for us, but “to the LORD your God”.
  • On the Sabbath, no one works: not you, your family, your servants, your animals or your visitors.

But did you notice the key difference between the two passages?

  • In the Exodus passage, the motivation for keeping the Sabbath comes from the character of God in Genesis. God made everything in six days and then rested. Thus we should do the same.
  • In the Deuteronomy passage, the motivation for keeping the Sabbath comes from the rescue of God in Exodus. God (not Egypt) is now their master and has a different set of [very gracious] rules to live by.

So why am I noting this on a blog about Bible Study? It’s because we’re often tempted to assume we know what a passage means just because we’ve read it somewhere else before.

The Bible was inspired by God for all time for His supreme purpose: to reveal the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ. Simultaneously, the Bible was penned by different men at different times for different purposes. With these two truths in glorious tension, we study the Bible to understand as much as we can about every word, every passage, every book – even if we’ve seen a similar story previously.

In each case, be sure to observe the context of the “duplicated” passages. It may be that the main point and application may change in each case! For example:

  • Why might God speak of the blessing of the Sabbath to a newly-freed nation at the foot of a terrifying mountain while recalling it later with an emphasis on commands and obedience?
  • Why do the details of the same battle vary between Judges 4 and Judges 5?
  • Why is Jesus recorded as saying different things in each of the four gospels just before He dies?

Feel free to leave your thoughts on those questions in the comments!

Difficult texts: Genesis 6:1-4

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When you’re reading through Genesis, you run into some strange things. Talking snakes (Gen 3:1), twins wrestling in the womb to see who comes out first (Gen 38:28-30), and… some kind of mixed-world marriage that results in superhero children…?

[1] When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, [2] the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. [3] Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” [4] The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4 ESV)

I’ll reveal my cards early: I don’t think this passage is talking about angels marrying people, as is sometimes suggested. (Though City of Angels is a fun flick.)

So what’s really going on?

I think what usually trips people up here is that this passage comes right off the genealogy in Genesis 5. For many of us, when we hit a genealogy, our eyes glaze over and our brain only resets once we get back to the narrative. However, genealogies serve just as important a role as anything else in the narrative. They move the story forward over generations, but it’s still the same story. So, let’s go back even a little further to Genesis 4:

[17] Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. [18] To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.  . . . [25] And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” [26] To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:17-18, 25-26 ESV)

These are some of the last verses just before the Genesis 5 genealogy and our Genesis 6 text. In other words, the author of Genesis wants us to notice the two separate lines forming here: the wicked line of Cain and the godly line of Seth. In between Seth fathering Enosh and the Genesis 5 genealogy, the author notes that “people began to call upon the name of the LORD.”

With that in mind, the meaning of those verses in Genesis 6 becomes clear: the sons of God are from Seth’s godly line while the daughters of men are from Cain’s wicked line. Sadly, the theme of the “godly” seeing something “attractive” and therefore taking it shows up here just as it did when Eve saw and took the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3. (Clearly not all that appears beautiful is good!) This time the death that results from this foolish attraction is far more widespread: the Flood.

(After composing the bulk of this blog entry, my fellow Knowable Word author Peter noted to me that R.C. Sproul, Jr. just covered this text not long ago. The good news is that we agree on the interpretation! So if you’d like to read more about this passage, check out his blog.)

How can you know the will of God?

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If you’ve been a Christian for more than approximately 37 seconds, you’ve probably been in a conversation about how you can know the will of God.  In my experience, most of these conversations quickly become debates about whether and how God speaks to individuals about specific decisions they’re facing.  The answers to those questions are significant and are often correlated with denominational lines, so I won’t presume to give God’s authoritative answer on those questions today.

However, if we go back to the original question of how we can know the will of God, we are indeed able to to speak authoritatively!  The Bible tells us plainly in several places.  Let’s look at two of them together, found only a few verses apart:

[1] Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. [2] For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. [3] For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; [4] that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, [5] not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; [6] that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. [7] For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. [8] Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ESV, emphasis mine)

[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV, emphasis mine)

Therefore, here are several things the Bible very plainly says are God’s will for us:

  • Abstaining from sexual immorality (4:3)
  • Self-control of our bodies, in holiness and honor, and not in passions of lust (4:4-5)
  • That we not transgress and wrong our fellow Christians regarding the items above (4:6)
  • Rejoice always (5:16)
  • Pray without ceasing (5:17)
  • Give thanks in all circumstances (5:18)

Honestly consider that list.  Are you abstaining from sexual immorality, including keeping yourself from adultery, fornication, visiting sexually explicit websites and the like?  Do you run to the Lord in prayer so often that it seems to you and others that you pray ceaselessly?  Do your friends marvel that you are constantly rejoicing and giving thanks in all circumstances, even the ones that leave others shaken and panicked?

If you’re anything like me, there’s certainly room for growth even in that short list!  Praise God that Jesus died so that my hope – and yours – is not in a perfect list, but in a perfect Savior!

So, while it is appropriate to ask whether God gives specific direction in regard to His will, it is still more appropriate to recognize that He is very clear with us on what following His will looks like according to 1 Thessalonians.  If we desire to know more of His will, let’s agree to at least start with what is already plain in His knowable Word (1 Thess 4:2!)