BWE - I Thessalonians - 4

4:1  And now, brothers, here is what we ask you to do. We beg you in the name of the Lord Jesus. We taught you how to live and to please God. You are living that way now, and we want you to do so more and more.

4:2  You know what we told you through the Lord Jesus Christ.

4:3  This is what God wants. He wants you to live clean lives. He wants you to keep away from wrong sex.

4:4  Each of you should know how to control yourself. Honour your body to make it holy.

4:5  Do not have sex with a person you are not married to. Control your strong feelings. Do not act like the people who do not know God.

4:6  Do not do wrong to your Christian brother by taking his wife for yourself. The Lord will surely punish all those who do wrong in these things. We have already told you that and made it very clear.

4:7  God did not call us to live unclean lives. He wants you to live clean and holy lives.

4:8  So anyone who does not obey is not just disobeying a man, but he is disobeying God. And it is God who has given us his Holy Spirit.

4:9  You do not need anyone to write to you about how to love each other. God himself has taught you to be loving towards each other.

4:10  And you do love all the Christian brothers who are in the whole country of Macedonia. But we beg you, brothers, love them more and more.

4:11  Please try to live a quiet life. Mind your own business. Work with your hands as we told you to do.

4:12  Then people who do not belong to the church will respect you. And you will not need help from anyone.

4:13  My brothers, here is something I want you to know about those who have died. You should not cry for them like people cry who have no hope.

4:14  We believe that Jesus died and rose again. And because of what Jesus did, God will bring back with him those who have died.

4:15  We tell you what the Lord said. We who are still alive when the Lord comes, will not go ahead of those who have died.

4:16  The Lord himself will come down from heaven. There will be a shout, a great angel will speak, and God’s loud horn or trumpet will be blown.

4:17  Then we who are still alive on earth will be caught up together with those who were dead. We will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And then we will be with the Lord forever!

4:18  Therefore, comfort one another with these words.