Blog

An announcement was made, and everyone clapped, including me.

My translator, Marianna, looked at me and asked, “You know what they are saying?”

I smiled and quickly said, “Yes! They are approving this brother as the leader of this area.”

She smiled and laughed. “No, they voted to have the next meeting in his area. And they are all cheering.”

Well, it wasn’t the first time on the trip to El Salvador that I had been confused and mistaken about what was said.

I understand some Spanish, but apparently only enough to get me in trouble. 😆

Miscommunication.

It happens often. Whether the breakdown happens with the speaker or the listener, messages can be misinterpreted, confused, or twisted.

This is part of what Paul was addressing in his letter of 2 Thessalonians.

Paul had taught the believers at Thessalonica about the return of Christ, but confusion had set in. Some were unsettled about the Day of the Lord, and later in the letter, Paul addressed those who were living idle lives.

They weren’t doing anything!

Just waiting.

But that wasn’t the life Paul was calling them to live.

“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
—2 Thessalonians 1:11–12

Those who believe in Jesus as their Lord are saved. And they are saved for a purpose—to share the gospel, make disciples, encourage and help one another, and glorify the Lord in word and action.

Not to be idle.

I think it was Adrian Rogers who used the analogy of Christians as a sponge. We can soak up the Word, but we aren’t any good if we just sit there. We’ll sit, soak, and sour.

Instead, a sponge has a purpose. It’s filled, and then it gets to work. It pours out. It’s being used. It’s in the hand of the Master.

Are you ready?

“Vámonos!”

Let’s GO!

Copyright © 2026 Lifeword.org. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org