Living to Please God
1As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control your own body4:4 Or learn to live with your own wife; or learn to acquire a wife in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.4:6 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Believers Who Have Died
13Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Maisha Yanayompendeza Mungu
14:1 2Kor 13:11; 5:9Hatimaye, ndugu, tuliwaomba na kuwasihi katika Bwana Yesu kwamba, kama mlivyojifunza kutoka kwetu jinsi iwapasavyo kuishi ili kumpendeza Mungu, kama vile mnavyoishi, imewapasa mzidi sana kufanya hivyo. 2Kwa kuwa mnajua ni maagizo gani tuliyowapa kwa mamlaka ya Bwana Yesu.
34:3 1Kor 6:18Mapenzi ya Mungu ni kwamba ninyi mtakaswe, ili kwamba mjiepushe na zinaa, 44:4 1Kor 7:2-9ili kwamba kila mmoja wenu ajifunze kuutawala mwili wake mwenyewe katika utakatifu na heshima, 54:5 Rum 1:26; Efe 4:17si kwa tamaa mbaya kama watu wa Mataifa wasiomjua Mungu. 64:6 1Kor 6:8; Ebr 13:4Katika jambo hili mtu asimkosee ndugu yake wala kumlaghai. Kwa kuwa Bwana ni mlipiza kisasi katika mambo haya yote, kama vile tulivyokwisha kuwaambia mapema na kuwaonya vikali. 74:7 Law 11:44; 1Pet 1:15Kwa maana Mungu hakutuitia uchafu, bali utakatifu. 84:8 Rum 5:5; Gal 4:6Kwa hiyo, mtu yeyote anayekataa mafundisho haya hamkatai mwanadamu, bali anamkataa Mungu anayewapa ninyi Roho wake Mtakatifu.
94:9 Rum 12:10; Yn 13:34; 1The 5:1Sasa kuhusu upendo wa ndugu hamna haja mtu yeyote kuwaandikia, kwa maana ninyi wenyewe mmefundishwa na Mungu kupendana. 104:10 1The 1:7; 3:12Nanyi kwa kweli mnawapenda ndugu wote katika Makedonia nzima. Lakini ndugu, tunawasihi mzidi sana kuwapenda.
114:11 Efe 4:28; 2The 3:10-12Jitahidini kuishi maisha ya utulivu, kila mtu akijishughulisha na mambo yake mwenyewe na kufanya kazi kwa mikono yake, kama vile tulivyowaagiza, 124:12 Mk 4:11ili maisha yenu ya kila siku yajipatie heshima kutoka kwa watu walio nje, ili msimtegemee mtu yeyote.
Kuja Kwake Bwana
134:13 Efe 2:12Lakini ndugu, hatutaki mkose kujua kuhusu wale waliolala mauti, ili msihuzunike kama watu wengine wasiokuwa na tumaini. 144:14 1Kor 15:18Kwa kuwa tunaamini kwamba Yesu alikufa na kufufuka, na kwa hivyo, Mungu kwa njia ya Yesu atawafufua pamoja naye wale waliolala mautini ndani yake. 154:15 1Kor 15:52Kulingana na neno la Bwana mwenyewe, tunawaambia kwamba sisi ambao bado tuko hai, tuliobaki hadi kuja kwake Bwana, hakika hatutawatangulia waliolala mauti. 164:16 Mt 24:31; 1Kor 15:23; 2The 2:1Kwa maana Bwana mwenyewe atashuka kutoka mbinguni, akitoa amri kwa sauti kuu, pamoja na sauti ya malaika mkuu, na sauti ya tarumbeta ya Mungu. Nao waliokufa wakiwa katika Kristo watafufuka kwanza. 174:17 Mdo 1:9; Ufu 11:12; 1Kor 15:52; Yn 12:26Baada ya hilo sisi tulio hai, tuliosalia, tutanyakuliwa pamoja nao katika mawingu ili kumlaki Bwana hewani, hivyo tutakuwa pamoja na Bwana milele. 18Kwa hiyo farijianeni kwa maneno haya.
