Paul's second letter to the believers in Thessalonica was likely written a few weeks after his first letter. Paul addresses the same issues he had in his first letter; at what exact day will Jesus Christ return and what should we be doing in the interim. In this second letter, Paul adds 2 key events that must take place before Jesus return; "Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.

2 Thessalonians 2:1‭-‬3 NLT.

The 2 events are; there will be a massive rebellion against everything God, and then the antichrist will eventually reveal himself. When the time comes when every truth with foundation on the word of God is being turned upside down; the family, morality, right and wrong, church, etc, when they are being literally defiled, you know the day is drawing near. When the antichrist finally reveal himself in person, Paul says; "He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT. When a figure appears in the future, a man of intrigue with exceptional talent and results. He installs himself to be worshipped so that anyone who refuses is hounded and killed, you know the day of Jesus Christ's return is drawing near.

When will Jesus Christ return? Do believers know the exact day he will return? How should we live if we know he is going to come back to take us home? These were some of the kind of questions the church in Thessalonica was struggling with when Paul writes to them. Even today, there are those who claim to know the exact day Jesus will return, that is unscriptural and they are claiming to know more than Jesus. Paul says; "Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

1 Thessalonians 5:1‭-‬3 NLT.

The simple truth is that no one knows. We do know it will come unexpectedly though, and we can tell the signs that the day is approaching. Knowing this, how should we conduct ourselves? Paul continues; "For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

1 Thessalonians 5:5‭, ‬7‭-‬8 NLT.

My encouragement, live ready. Live each day as if you are going to give account of that day to God. "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬22 NLT.

Happy Easter, it's resurrection morning. Thank you Lord for giving us Jesus. Thank you because the grave could not hold him. Thank you because of his death and resurrection, we can cry out Abba Father! Halleluyah. In today's devotional, we studied the letter to the Colossians where Paul's central theme was that Jesus is supreme over all of God's creation and that his death and resurrection answered every question death and the grave holds over mankind; "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross."

Colossians 1:15‭-‬20 NLT.

As we mark Easter today, remind yourself that no other sacrifice is needed, the grave is empty, Christ is risen, Halleluyah!

Paul's epistle to the Philippians was written at a time when Paul is incarcerated in Rome awaiting his trial before the emperor. Instead of wallowing in sadness and self-pity, Paul uses this time to correspond with several churches he had previously instituted. To the Philippians, he expresses his joy at a realisation the gospel was spreading even with his incarceration and the prays for them. "Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

Philippians 1:3‭-‬6 NLT. Paul's lesson to us is simple, a Christian's joy should come from the fact they belong to God in Christ and that no matter what happens to us individually, God has promised he will never or forsake us.

The letter to the Ephesians was written during the period Paul was awaiting trial in Rome. It was a momentous time for Christianity and Paul wanted the Church the understand 3 fundamental truths about the Church; in Christ, Jews and Gentiles are now one body. Secondly, in Christ, the Church is his body to express God's fullness and lastly, in Christ, we have been equipped and empowered to extend Christ's victory over the forces of darkness. Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

Ephesians 2:11‭-‬16 NIV. Jesus is not just the Prince of Peace, he is our Peace. In Christ, Jews and Gentiles form the body of Christ.

Secondly, we were saved to do God's work, to express the love of Christ to the whole world. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8‭-‬10 NIV. The work God has for you to do is right here. We will ultimately spend time with God in heaven, but first, we are saved to express him here on earth. Lastly, we have been equipped to do this work and to fight the good fight of faith. We know the enemy, sadly, it not usually who most Christians think. "Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:11‭-‬12 NLT.

I charge you to express Jesus love to your world, fight the good fight of faith.

Paul wrote the epistles to the Galatians at a time when former Jews who had converted to Christianity, were demanding that all believers must be circumcised physically to be considered seeds of Abraham and partakers of the blessings of God in Christ. Paul's message was clear; "Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation."

Galatians 6:12‭-‬15 NIV. It is either we are relying on the flesh or the Spirit. It is either we are living by the Spirit or living by the flesh, what is evident however is that each path produces fruits; "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:16‭-‬23 NIV. Make your choice!

In today's devotional, we did a deep dive into understanding the underlying factors behind why Paul wrote the epistle of Second Corinthians. With so many things go on; immorality in this church, Paul's apostleship being question, division amongst members of the church about which ministers were better and more powerful than the other, etc. Paul points everyone to the purpose of our callings; Christ. Second Corinthians pushes each one of us to examine ourselves and our motives for serving the Lord. We are not here to measure ourselves against one another, no, we are here to be instruments of grace in God's hands. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

2 Corinthians 1:20‭-‬22 NIV.

We read the introduction and closing to the book of first Corinthians in today's devotional. Paul message contained in his second letter to the Corinthians was simple, don't divide the church, walk in love towards one another.

"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?"

1 Corinthians 1:10‭-‬13 NIV.

Paul is saying; whatever lines along which anyone divides the church besides Christ is wrong; whether it's political, nepotistic, ethnic and racial divides, etc, it's wrong. We are one in Christ.

Being one doesn't mean we are robot and that we must always see things from the same perspective, no, it simply means we are Christ-filled enough to be able to tolerate and accommodate one another in Christ. Paul says;

"Do everything in love.

1 Corinthians 16:14 NIV.

Everything means everything. Do everything influenced by love.

In today's devotional, we read the introduction and closing to the book of Romans. One of the purpose of the epistles is to give us insight into what the first generation of Christians were like and how they interpreted and practise the faith the received from Jesus Christ. For example, in reading the closing of the book of Romans, it is easy to see that the apostle Paul did not hate or discriminate against women like is often taught or portrayed today, in fact, he had many of them minister alongside himself and the other male ministers of God. "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon, of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus.

Romans 16:1‭-‬3 NIV.

In today's devotional, I introduce our next study; the epistles. The epistles are letters sent by the apostles to individuals, churches or regions. Some epistles were intended to be taken from church to church, some were copied, by hand, and taken around in a period mostly of deep persecution for Christians.

Paul wrote 14 of the epistles, 4 by John the beloved, 2 by the apostle Peter and Jude. The writers of James and Hebrews are not clear. The epistles were written as a source of encouragement during a time when it was so easy to give up or convert to Judaism, a religion that was not being persecuted then. 1 and 2 Peter and Jude were written to warn about false prophets that were attacking the Christian faith. John's writing were intended to reveal the true essence of who Jesus Christ was. Finally, Paul wrote to different churches and individuals addressing specific needs.