#323 Piecing Together a Tangled Transnational Criminal Web w/ Shawn Taylor

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

”Aspire to lead a calm and peaceful life as you mind your own business and earn your living, just as we’ve taught you. By doing this you will live an honorable life, influencing others and commanding respect of even the unbelievers. Then you’ll be in need of nothing and not dependent upon others.“

The context of this passage is important. If you read the chapter you will see clearly that it was an instruction by Paul for the Thessalonians not to be meddling in the affairs and lives of others. He was calling them to lives of purity and to not be gossips. But this passage is often taken out of context and used by Christians as an excuse by for looking the other way and not getting involved in politics or community matters. We cannot lead a calm and peaceful life if everything around us is in moral decay and insecurity. I know our viewers are ones who understand this, agree with this, are active in their communities and are aware of what’s taking place in the world. But I felt strongly that we needed a reminder that the call of the Lord for those who believe is to be salt and light, to influence, to purify and expose. It is not to sit in our pews and pray that Jesus takes us all out of this mess. He called us to occupy until He comes, and that requires us to be involved and to fight in this spiritual war that’s raging all around us.