Got Fruit ?

Late yesterday evening I took a spin around the usual neighborhood of blogs I’ve been visiting as of late; Jen over at WalkTwo has been busy on another project, so not too much new there. Anna at Hope Road, had a nice post on Christian Politics, that I recommend checking out. Pistol Pete over at Necessary Therapy has had his ups and downs this past week, read Saturday’s post as well as the previous few days worth to get a better idea. Joe of Joe Tucker’s Weblog seems to be maintaining, even though he has a Thesis, a class, and a teaching gig hanging over him this semester. Then there’s Mark of Meanders, who seems to have had a similar mode of reflection, though I think he has a much better flair for expressing himself in his writing than yours truly.

I went through the pains of explaining all of this because I needed some “filler” material for the page. Ok, that’s not true. No… the initial “plan” was to just dive right into tonight’s post covering 1st Thessalonians 5:27, and the expanded meaning of “brethren”. (The gist of which is that; Paul wrote a letter to his “brethren”, both as a command I suppose but also to lift them up in their trying times [on a collective & an individual level])

As I prepped to hunt and peck away at the keyboard however, I realized the message from the meaning of “brethren” having been revealed via my little jog around the blog block. OK, maybe it’s not verbatim, just entertain me.

1st Thessalonians 5:27 (KJV)
I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all brethren.

Summary of 1st Thessalonians: The recent converts from paganism we’re left with minimal support externally in the midst of persecution. Paul’s writings were to encourage the converts while in their trials and to keep them mindful to live godly lives, and to be persistent in the face of their trials.

• Ch 1 - Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
• Ch 2 - Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica & Paul’s longing to see the Thessalonians
• Ch 3 - Timothy’s encouraging report
• Ch 4 - Living to please God & The coming of the Lord
• Ch 5 - Final instructions

From the spiritual and mental vault of Rick Renner here’s what he has to say on “brethren” from 1st Thessalonians 5:27.

The word “brethren” which comes from the Greek word ADELPHOS (one of the oldest words in the New testament), has two distinct meanings.

1. ADELPHOS - in it’s oldest sense this word was used by physicians to describe two people who were born of the same womb. Early Greeks would address each other as “brethren” to convey the idea:

“You & I are brothers! We come out of the same womb of humanity. We have the same feelings; we have similar emotions, & we deal with the same problems in life. In every aspect, we are truly brothers!” - Renner

2. ADELPHOS - during the reign of Alexander the Great, ADELPHOS was used to describe a faithful soldier. These fighting military men who were united to fight the same fight, handle the same weapons, and win the same wars held between them a special bond of:

• brotherhood
• comradery
• partnership

ADELPHOS in this sense was a term used to describe military men specifically, brothers in battle. These men stood together through the good and bad, the highs and the lows of battle. To have this bond; to sense the connection, required having to have been in battle & having stuck by your buddies side. (Quoting Renner)

When Paul wrote to his “brethren”, he knew that each man had, in addition to the pressures and stress of the ministry, their own pressures from their personal lives to contend with. These men however,were faithful men that persevered, in spite of the tremendous pressure on them. Throughout their ordeals and persecutions these men kept on fighting for what they believed.

Now I don’t think that any of the folks that I mentioned earlier are being persecuted, however it did occur to me that within the little circle of blogging “friends” that I mentioned, there are a few that might be having some extra things going on in their lives. These things affect each of us differently, and we each react to a particular situation in our own unique way. Since these fellow bloggers are all Christians, I make the assumption that there is just as much of a Spiritual reason as there is a personal reason, for each one investing their time and energy into their respective blogs. With that said, I’d like to say to my “brethren”, be strong in the faith, persevere and remember…

It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog.

Grace and peace be with you all.