The Simple Gospel of the Messiah: Book Two - 1 Thessalonians Through Jude

The Simple Gospel of the Messiah:

Book Two –

1 Thessalonians Through Jude

A Verse by Verse Study of the New Testament Epistles

L K Kimble

Copyright 2015 L K Kimble

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition License Notes:

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Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank my dad, Delbert Lacey,

without whom this book would not have been possible.

This book is dedicated to my beautiful children,

David, Jared, and Roberta

Table of Contents

Introduction

The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians Chapter 1

1 Thessalonians Chapter 2

1 Thessalonians Chapter 3

1 Thessalonians Chapter 4

1 Thessalonians Chapter 5

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians Chapter 1

2 Thessalonians Chapter 2

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3

The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy

1 Timothy Chapter 1

1 Timothy Chapter 2

1 Timothy Chapter 3

1 Timothy Chapter 4

1 Timothy Chapter 5

1 Timothy Chapter 6

The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy

2 Timothy Chapter 1

2 Timothy Chapter 2

2 Timothy Chapter 3

2 Timothy Chapter 4

The Epistle of Paul to Titus

Titus Chapter 1

Titus Chapter 2

Titus Chapter 3

The Epistle of Paul to Philemon

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews

Hebrews Chapter 1

Hebrews Chapter 2

Hebrews Chapter 3

Hebrews Chapter 4

Hebrews Chapter 5

Hebrews Chapter 6

Hebrews Chapter 7

Hebrews Chapter 8

Hebrews: An Explanation of the Tabernacle

The Tabernacle/Salvation Journey:

Hebrews Chapter 9

Hebrews Chapter 10

Hebrews Chapter 11

Hebrews Chapter 12

Hebrews Chapter 13

James

James Chapter 1

James Chapter 2

James Chapter 3

James Chapter 4

James Chapter 5

The First Epistle General of Peter

1 Peter Chapter 1

1 Peter Chapter 2

1 Peter Chapter 3

1 Peter Chapter 4

1 Peter Chapter 5

The Second Epistle General of Peter

2 Peter Chapter 1

2 Peter Chapter 2

2 Peter Chapter 3

The First Epistle General of John

1 John Chapter 1

1 John Chapter 2

1 John Chapter 3

1 John Chapter 4

1 John Chapter 5

The Second Epistle of John

The Third Epistle of John

The General Epistle of Jude

Prayer

Introduction

As I stated in the introduction to ‘The Simple Gospel of the Messiah: Book One – Romans through Colossians,’ there are many misunderstandings of the Holy Scriptures. God has an enemy; Satan, which in the original Hebrew is ‘Ha Satan’, meaning ‘the adversary’. It is the devil’s main plan is to keep man as far from the Father as possible while he attempts to shift all the worship that is to be for our Father in heaven to himself. He manipulates, thwarts and steals glory and honor that should go to our Father. This has been his goal ever since he fell from grace, Isa. 14:13 – 14 and 2 Thess. 2:3 – 4.

If we were to look at the information given to us through the Holy Scriptures, we can begin to understand this insidious plan of his. By doing so, we can then combat his devices with confidence and knowledge.

The King James Bible has withstood the test of time as a translation of the bible into English, bringing to millions the Word of God since the year 1611. If we were to trust that God is capable of telling us what He wants, we can be assured that He has given us His Word in a good manner that would allow us to see His truth. Man is fallible but God is not. We are told in the New Testament that our faith and belief in Him is our salvation to everlasting life, John 3:16. It is not just a belief that He exists, but that what He says is the truth. If we believe that, then we can know that His Word is the truth and He has caused men to give this Word to us with no confusions.

Do you believe Him? Some do not. Some claim the bible is full of mistakes. This causes confusion and this is not from God, 1 Cor. 14:33. Since we know that God does not bring confusion, where does this come from? James 3:14 – 18 tells us that confusion, envying and strife are devilish attributes that are earthly and sensual and that this kind of wisdom is not from God in heaven. If you are confused about the Holy Scriptures and what the verses therein say, then you are not listening to anything having to do with God.

These men and women, who speak these confusing statements, may not think they are directly opposing God. They may believe that they are wise and knowledgeable, but they are spreading chaos and confusion for Satan. Where do these people come from? How do we tell them from those who speak the truth? This book is written with these questions in mind.

Much is said in the New Testament epistles about the promises of God. We can begin to find out about these people who work the works of Satan by a small study about these promises.

THE NEW COVENANT OF GOD –

Luke Chapter 1 tells us of Zechariah, who was the father of John the Baptist. While Zechariah had been performing his priestly duties in the temple, the angel Gabriel came to him and explained that he would father a son who would be great and who would announce the arrival of our Lord and Savior. Zechariah did not believe the angel; for he and his wife, Elizabeth, were well past the years of child birth. Gabriel told him he would not be able to speak for his unbelief and caused him to be unable to speak.

When the new baby was due to be circumcised and named, they tried to call him Zechariah, after his father. But when the parents made it clear he was to be called John, it became so. Immediately, Zechariah’s tongue was loosed and he could speak again.

The first thing Zechariah did was to praise God. Then, he spoke a prophecy. In that prophecy, he spoke of the promises of God.

Luke 1:68 – 79 tells us what he said. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began: that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; the oath which He swore to our father Abraham, that He would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life…’

There are several things in this prophecy that came to pass with the birth, ministry and death of our Lord Yeshua, who was that horn of salvation who visited and redeemed His people.

We should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us

Giving the mercy that had been promised to our fathers

He remembered His holy covenant, which is the oath that He swore to Abraham

That He would give to us deliverance from the hand of our enemies

So that we might serve Him without fear

So that we could serve in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life

By understanding this prophecy, and comparing it to what Yeshua said, we can see a complete picture of exactly what the New Covenant is and who is trying to stop it from being fulfilled.

The world was informed that there existed a New Covenant at Jer. 33:31 – 34, ‘Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers…which they broke…After those days, says the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor…saying, ‘Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them…for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’

Paul reminded the Jews at Heb. Chapter 8 of this prophecy of Jeremiah. Paul concluded by saying, ‘in that He said, ‘A New Covenant’, He has made the first old. Now that which decays and waxes old is ready to vanish away,’ verse 13. It is important to first put this into perspective. Paul was not an apostle until after the resurrection and ascension of Yeshua, Acts Chapter 9; after the Holy Spirit had been given to those men in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:4. The New Covenant, according to Zechariah’s prophecy, had already begun, for Messiah Yeshua was that ‘horn of salvation’; the mercy that God promised was that grace that came upon the world at the resurrection; the deliverance from the hand of death, our enemy, became possible through the Holy Spirit which was already given to the apostles, Acts 2:4.

Looking then again at what Paul tells us at Heb. 8:13, ‘that which decays and waxes old is ready to vanish away.’ This states clearly that although the New Covenant had already begun, the Old Covenant was not completely gone.

We will be studying this in depth in this book, but it is important that we have some idea of what this is. So, let’s look at exactly what the New Covenant entails.

First, Yeshua is the mediator of that New Covenant, Heb. 12:24. A mediator is one who is an intervening agent between two or more parties, and who acts as a communication vessel in order to reconcile differences or bring them to an agreeable position with each other.

We are told that our Messiah is the propitiation for our sins, 1 John 2:1 – 2. This word ‘propitiate’ means to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of; to appease or pacify; and these verses also describe the Messiah as our advocate, or one who is on our side with God the Father. When we put all these together, we can see that this favor, this goodwill, is the mercy or grace of God the Father, which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua and is given to Yeshua who is His Son and is on our side. This was all made possible when Yeshua ascended to the Father and took His role as High Priest at the Father’s right hand.

An important revelation was made at Hebrews Chapters 6 & 7. We are told that the priestly order has changed from the Levitical order of Aaron to the spiritual order of Melchizedek. This is what Paul was speaking of in that the Old Covenant was decaying: It is being transformed.

The Covenant is not the Royal Ten Commandment Law of God, Gal. 3:16 – 18, (see the introduction to ‘The Simple Gospel of the Messiah: Book One – Romans through Colossians’ for a more detailed explanation of the Law of Moses.) But the Law is wrapped up in the Covenant. These verses tell us that the Covenant is the promises that God made to Abraham. Paul tells us that this New Covenant is established on better promises, Heb. 8:6, than the promises He made to Abraham. We have to wonder where these promises were made.

Paul tells us earlier in the epistle to the Hebrews Chapter 4 of a promise that God told the people about hundreds of years before. Heb. 4:1, ‘…a promise being left us of entering into His rest…’ This promise was told to those Hebrews of the Exodus, but it was not given to them, as we see at verses 7 – 10, ‘He limits a certain day saying in David, ‘Today, after so long a time; as it is said, ‘Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.’

This rest that we enter into is from our own works. This is what happens when we are reborn and receive the Holy Spirit of God, for then we do not do our own works, but we do the works of Messiah Yeshua, which He directs of His body, the assembly of the Sons of God, to do the will of the Father. This is how we rest in Messiah. This is what Paul was warning the Jews about who rested in the works of the Law instead, Rom. 2:17 – 24.

Isa. 30:15 – 16 spells this out in no uncertain terms, ‘For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning [repentance] and rest [performing the works of the will of God] shall you be saved; in quietness and in confidence [being meek and having the full assurance of your faith] shall be your strength,’ but He tells us that is not what most will do as the prophet goes on to say, ‘and you would not. But you said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall you flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.’ If we insist on running away rather than believing God, and as it says in Isa. 31:1 that they are many who do this, He will leave us to those who He will allow to pursue us, striving to attain that which we are hoarding, which is usually wealth, food, water, and other physical items we place value upon. Unfortunately, this is also where we will find ourselves outside of His mercy, put instead under the mercy of our pursuers who wish to place us in captivity to Satan’s system again. We will eventually come to understand, we cannot run away from God’s wrath. We cannot store up anything that will protect us from His judgment. We should instead labor to enter His rest.

Heb. 4:11 goes on to tell us that we must ‘labor therefore to enter into that rest, unless any man fall after the same example of unbelief’, as did the older generation of the Exodus, who had to wander in the desert for forty years and die, not being allowed to enter into the Promised Land. We should be confirmed as to what this labor is, for this certainly tells us that WE must labor.

Matt. 9:37 – 38 shows Yeshua speaking to the disciples saying, ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into the harvest.’ Then at Matt. 11:28, He speaks to this, ‘Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ This rest is that rest of the Father that we are promised to enter into. We enter into this when we receive the Holy Spirit of God which brings the conversion into that ‘new man’ as stated at Eph. 4:20 – 29, where Paul goes on to emphasize some of the Royal Laws of God as the Way to be truly righteous and holy, a reiteration of that same warning at Deut. 6:25. This Royal Ten Commandment Law, the same of which Yeshua taught the spiritual application of throughout His ministry, is that conditional part of that Covenant that is sternly admonishing us at Deut. 30:19 – 20 to ‘choose life’. That has always been the plea of God the Father, and now through the sacrifice of His Son the Messiah Yeshua, that choice is a spiritual choice.

If we study this phenomenon, we can easily understand what aspect of the Royal Law of God has been abolished. That it was not the entire Law.

In the introduction of ‘The Simple Gospel of the Messiah: Book One – Romans through Colossians,’ we saw how this distinction is told to us from Paul, but I will cover this again briefly. Eph. 2:15 speaks on this wise, ‘…having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the Law of Commandments contained in ordinances…’ Col. 2:14 specifies again, ‘…blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us…and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross…’ Plainly, it was a Law that was written on ordinances; in handwriting not on the tablets of stone. Heb. 9:1 tells us that ‘verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.’ Then goes on at verse 10 to say that these were the ordinances ‘which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.’ Paul then goes on to explain that reforming of the Covenant in verse 11, ‘But Messiah, being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.’

It is this changing of the Priestly duties that has changed from carnal to spiritual that are the physically abolished Laws. And it is for this reason that the temple was destroyed. The sacrifices were originally to relieve the guilt when the people sinned; however, the Jews were using them instead as a means to ‘pay’ for their sins so they could go out and commit more. They did not ‘live’ in the Law, but used it instead as a way to be evil. God punished them for it in the worst possible way; He removed His protection from them and left them to themselves.

When someone lives a life wherein he is self-serving and totally self-centered, he is said to be ‘worldly’ or living in the world. This means that this person is living for his physical pleasures, wants and satisfactions. But God has never wanted this for us. He is a spirit, John 4:24 and He wants us to live spiritually, walk spiritually and to worship Him spiritually. It makes sense, therefore, that our High Priest, who now asks for the atonement of our sins, has to be spiritual.

According to the Law of the Old Covenant, once a year the High Priest went into the Holy place of the tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was and prayed to God for atonement for the sins of the people. Now, Yeshua is that High Priest, who has sacrificed Himself instead of the animals, and has obtained that forgiveness for us all at once. It does not have to be repeated, for the old sacrifices were imperfect, but His sacrifice is perfect. Now, He is there, at the right hand of God the Father, making intervention to Him for us. And God the Father gives Him all things, and Yeshua in turn gives them to us: grace and mercy, reconciliation, forgiveness, adoption into His family as Sons, and eternal life through the Holy Spirit of the Father that He gave to His Son.

Our Lord can only save those who come to Him in humbleness and repentance. Isa. 59:1 – 2, ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.’ Hab. 1:13 tells us, ‘You [O Lord my God] are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity.’ It is very clear that WE are what is standing in the way of our salvation to eternal life. It was for this very reason that the sacrifices were put in place, they were ‘added because of transgressions’, Gal. 3:19. These added Laws were considered the ordinances of the Levitical administrations for sins. The Levites would sacrifice for the sins of the people who gave in to their fleshly temptations every day. Then once a year, the High priest would sacrifice for their sins of the Law and this would ‘cover’ them for one year. This was called the Day of Atonement, Lev. chapter 16.

The people would often bring their lambs, goats, etc. to be slaughtered, so that they would be presented on the altar as a sacrifice. This was for various reasons: to worship God, to cover their sins, and to celebrate the Feasts of God, Num. chapter 28. The priests would take these animals, slaughter them and burn them on the altar as sacrificial offerings; sometimes they would cast the blood upon the altar or let it soak into the ground and cover it with dust. It was at that moment the man and his family would have their sins ‘covered’ and their sacrifices would be accepted.

Now, Yeshua is our High Priest, Heb. 2:17 & 4:14, after He had become a flesh and blood man, so that He could make reconciliation for our sins. We can read about this at Isaiah Chapter 53. He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, verse 5. He was that lamb led to the slaughter of the sacrificial altar, verse 7. He was taken out of the prison of Satan’s system and out of the judgment of God’s wrath when He received the Holy Spirit; and so, He was cut out of the land of the living to live spiritually so He could intercede with the Father for the sins of the people, verse 8. And it is His innocent soul that we bring to the altar in the spiritual tabernacle of God and present it before Him as an offering for our sins; then, God the Father sees us, His seed, through that perfect sacrifice, verse 10: and He shall be appeased and satisfied, verse 11. This is the only way we can attain to the salvation of eternal life, through that intercession Messiah makes for us, the transgressors, verse 12.

It is through this feat that He has abolished, in His flesh, the enmity, even the Law of commandments for the Levitical administration of the tabernacle contained in ordinances, Eph. 2:15, consisting of meats and drink offerings, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, Heb. 9:10, that were added for their transgressions against the Royal Ten Commandment Law, Gal. 3:19, until the time of the reforming of the Laws of the priesthood of the Old Covenant, Heb. 9:10. It is important to understand that these abolished ordinances that were nailed to His crucifixion stake, were part of the handwritten decrees given to Moses for the people, Col. 2:14, NOT the Royal Ten Commandment Law which was inscribed on stone by God Himself. (Also, Gal. 3:19 says it was ‘added’ because of transgressions; and then we would have to ask, ‘Added to what?’ The only thing that was abolished was the only Law that was ‘added’ to the Royal Ten Commandment Law; the Levitical priest administration of the tabernacle and sacrifices. All the other Laws, including the clean and unclean food Laws and the Holy Feast Days Laws are still in full effect in our physical lives.)

Now, Messiah Yeshua is the High Priest, after the spiritual order of Melchezedek, which is in a better tabernacle, pitched by God Himself, Heb. 8:1 – 2, with ‘a more excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises’, Heb. 8:6: that is The New Covenant -

The Law, often called the Law of Moses, was first written on stone with the explanatory decrees, statutes and judgments, and taught the people how to physically act righteous, Deut. Chapter 6, especially referring to verses 24 – 25, and we still must learn righteousness through that same Law, Rom. 2:26 & 8:4. Through the New Covenant, we are taught the spiritual righteousness of God through His Holy Spirit, 1 John 2:27, compare to Rom. 1:16 - 17 & Eph. 4:20 – 24. although the spiritual application of that Law did not put aside the Covenant which was and still is the promises made to Abraham, Gal. 3:17 – 18. This was new.

The Priesthood, no longer consisting of flesh and blood men performing the sacrificial duties of the tabernacle in the wilderness, now was spiritual, with a High Priest who will live forever whose sacrifice is perfect forever according to the order of Melchezedek and not the Aaronic priesthood of the Levites, Heb. 7:15 – 28: This was new.

The Law, written upon stone to be physically kept of old, now has a spiritual element. Now, written upon our hearts, we must keep that same Law both with our actions physically and our intentions spiritually, as proof of our love and devotion to God, Jer. 31:31 – 34, and John 14:15 – 21: This was new.

The Law had penalties for committing sins, curses or even death at the hands of the people by stoning, etc. The ordinances of the sacrifices were for the guilt of the people, not for absolution of their sins. The only time sin was considered as ‘wiped clean’ was once a year when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies and asked for atonement for himself and the people. This did not exactly ‘wipe clean’ the sins either, but was as close as they could come, for it was a ‘covering’ up of those sins so God would not destroy them. Now, all those penalties are different – they have become spiritual, Rom. 7:14 – and although we still must die physically, but we can live spiritually since our High Priest, Yeshua, is spiritual, and our sins can be completely wiped clean, not just covered up, since His sacrifice was perfect: This was new.

The Holy Spirit, although was with the patriarchal believers of the Old Testament, was never given as an ‘indwelling’ power; not until the Messiah had been resurrected and ascended to His place with the Father, Luke 24:49, John 7:39 & 14:17 – 18: This was new.

The Holy Spirit is now a tangible essence directly from Messiah Yeshua Himself, who is now in heaven at the right side of the Father, and it is bestowed upon those believers who seek Him out diligently, Heb. 11:6, Acts 2:1 – 4, and 2 Tim. 1:13 – 14: This was new.

Once the reforming of the priesthood had taken place and the Holy Spirit was bestowed through which the power of God Himself comes to us, men could then live spiritually in their physical bodies which freed them from the sins of the flesh, Gal. 5:16 – 17 & 24 – 25: This was new.

Now, we are given this Holy Spirit as a down payment, a guarantee of eternal life, and this is His seal which cannot be broken, lost or removed, John 17:1 – 4, Rom. 6:23, 2 Cor. 1:21 – 22: This was new.

We are those children of the patriarchs who come after and so are considered as ‘last’, but are the first to be sealed with this Holy Spirit, this promise of eternal spiritual life with the Father, Eph. 1:11 – 14; this promise has been fulfilled in us, Acts 13:32 – 33; this promise is that eternal life, 1 John 2:25. And those patriarchs, which came before us and so are considered ‘first’, will be the last to receive this promise, and cannot do so without us, Heb. 11:13, 39 – 40. And this was also new.

That is the New Covenant. That is what our works are. Like Abraham, we become humble and willing to sacrifice to Him and for Him, Rom. 12:1 – 8. The elder children of that ministry do whatever is needed in their own lives to preach His gospel, for they have become the ministers of that New Covenant, 2 Cor. 4:1 – 6, and so they cry out with loud voices, ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters,’ Rev. 14:6 – 7.

The four gospels of the New Testament are the witnesses to and contain the very words and works of our Lord and Savior Yeshua. In them are the direct teachings of His ministry. These are followed by a brief summary of the lives of the apostles and some of their teachings called the Acts of the Apostles.

After this are the epistles of Paul, John, Peter, etc., and in them are pearls of wisdom that explain the ministry of Yeshua the Messiah as it relates to the Old Testament and the Law. It is a study of these explanations, which teach the simple gospel of our Messiah, that I offer to you in this work. I urge you to read ‘The Simple Gospel of the Messiah: Book One – Romans through Colossians’ if you have not already done so, as it contains the rest of the epistles written to the new members of God’s family; Zion.

The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians Chapter 1

1] Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, Unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father, and in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

2] We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;

3] remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, in the sight of God and our Father;

4] knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

Paul places these Thessalonians as being among the people who have been elected of God for salvation to eternal life. It is always good, when communicating with our brethren, to acknowledge their works, their love and their spiritual maturity in the Father. When we see children we haven’t seen for awhile, we say things like, ‘My, how you’ve grown!’ or ‘Look how tall your getting!’ This is not necessary except to acknowledge that these children are maturing and we are excited for them. Paul is telling us that family is family; physical or spiritual.

5] For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

6] And you become followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit:

7] so that you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

A study of the words used in verse 5 reveals something about this translation. These words 'in', 'and in the', and 'and in' are the same Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the Bible, Strong, James (2011-05-07), word #1722 ἐν 'en' which actually means a 'fixed position', (Kindle Locations 2883-2884), and comes from a root word meaning ‘originating from'. This verse would then be translated: 'for our gospel came not unto you from word only, but also from power from the Holy Spirit, and from much assurance; as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.' This becomes very apparent when we understand that the Holy Spirit is what brings that power from God. (‘Power’ is the Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the Bible, #1411 δύναμις dýnamis doo'-nam-is meaning dynamic power, (Kindle Locations 2354-2356). We get our own word dynamite from this word.)

When we are ‘afflicted’ in our lives, suffering and pain can cause us to cast aside our