Peace

The final two verses of 2 Thessalonians 3 :

16Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

17I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Have to admit, Paul comment in verse 17 made me smile. "I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write." Hmm...wonder if his handwriting was as bad as mine. :) It certainly must have been distinctive. :)

Paul closes with a prayer, asking that the Lord of Peace himself grant peace to them at all times in every way. That the Lord be with them. And that God's grace be with them.

Why is it significant to ask for this (peace) for these people? JFB commentator in e-sword mentions that peace is asked for because of the disruptive, disorderly people that had come into the Thessalonican circles. So asking for peace is a form of protection for this church. I like that. It really shows what this church needed.

And Paul is pretty specific, he prays that God himself will give them peace, and that he do so in every way and at all times. No half measures! :)

Peace, it's a difficult path, but it can be ever so successful.

Work for the Kingdom of God

Here is the next section in 2 Thessalonians 3:

6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

13As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 14If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Hmm... have to admit, I find this passage interesting...This is what Paul has to say in regard to those who are among us, but aren't working to further the kingdom of God. At least that seems to be the context.

that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

and

If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.

I read those words and I wonder, how would one define that? Now I suppose in someways it would be relatively easy to figure out. Those members of the church that want to change what the bible says to suit their own agendas, and are doing nothing to further the kingdom of God. Keep away from such folks.

But I guess I wonder, just how would one truly define this?
There are in many churches, folks who are just there. They come, they worship with us, but they don't do much of anything else. Do we stay away from them? OR is it more straight-forward than that. To just stay away from those who are wanting to change things (from biblical standards) and only want to do that. The gossipers and fast talkers who only want change and aren't working to further the church as it is, and who take advantage of what is there. I tend to think it's just the latter.

The commentaries in e-sword said that this meant you need to dis-fellowship them (not sure if that's the right word to use). I have to admit, the idea of kicking someone out of church seems a hard one to do. But at the same time, if someone is not being a true part of the body of Christ, then what's the point of them being associated as being part of it? Especially if they are working against it. Being careful about this would be really important.

Barnes puts it this way:

This is the true notion of Christian discipline. It is not primarily that of cutting a man off, or denouncing him, or excommunicating him; it is that of withdrawing from him. We cease to have fellowship with him. We do not regard him any longer as a Christian brother. We separate from him. We do not seek to affect him in any other respect; we do not injure his name or standing as a man, or hold him up to reprobation; we do not follow him with denunciation or a spirit of revenge; we simply cease to recognise him as a Christian brother, when he shows that he is no longer worthy to be regarded as such. We do not deliver him over to the civil arm; we do not inflict any positive punishment on him; we leave him unmolested in all his rights as a citizen, a man, a neighbor, a husband, a father, and simply say that he is no longer one of us as a Christian.

The purpose of all this? To make that person ashamed and warn them as a family member. It's not to be nasty. It's not to say my way or the highway, but rather a way of causing that person to stop and consider what they are doing, and if they are doing it wrongly to be ashamed of themselves for being so foolish. This would hopefully call them into true fellowship.

So then, let us pray

Today we come to the last chapter of the books that Paul wrote to the Thessalonican church. In 2 Thessalonians 3 we read these opening words:

1Finally, brothers pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Paul has prayed for this church. In turn, he asks that they pray for him. He, Silas and Timothy were working at spreading God's word and Paul desires their prayers. He wants them to pray that the word of The Lord will go ahead of them, that the Word of The Lord might be honoured, just like it happened among the Thessalonican people.

I like how Barnes put it in E-sword

The idea is, that it might meet with no obstruction, but that it might be carried abroad with the rapidity of a racer out of whose way every hindrance was removed. The gospel would spread rapidly in the earth if all the obstructions which men have put in its way were removed; and that they may be removed should be one of the constant subjects of prayer.

and then Henry as well

This was the great thing that Paul was most solicitous about. He was more solicitous that God's name might be sanctified, his kingdom advanced, and his will done, than he was about his own daily bread. He desired that the word of the Lord might run (so it is in the original), that it might get ground, that the interest of religion in the world might go forward and not backward, and not only go forward, but go apace. All the forces of hell were then, and still are, more or less, raised and mustered to oppose the word of the Lord, to hinder its publication and success. We should pray, therefore, that oppositions may be removed, that so the gospel, may have free course to the ears, the hearts, and the consciences of men, that it may be glorified in the conviction and conversion of sinners, the confutation, of gainsayers, and the holy conversation of the saints. God, who magnified the law, and made it honourable, will glorify the gospel, and make that honourable, and so will glorify his own name; and good ministers and good Christians may very well be contented to be little, to be any thing, to be nothing, if Christ be magnified and his gospel be glorified. Paul was now at Athens, or, as some think, at Corinth, and would have the Thessalonians pray that he might have as good success there as he had at Thessalonica, that it might be as well with others even as it was with them.

We need to pray for those who labour among us, but not only here in our churches, but for those who labour elsewhere. I have friends on the mission fields out in Africa and England, it is so important to pray for what they are doing. E-letters remind me frequently of the work they are doing and how important prayer is.

Paul continues by asking for prayer that they be delivered from the wicked and evil men around them. Not all people are people of faith. But God on the other hand...he is faithful. He will establish us and guard us against the evil one.

Paul expresses his confidence in the Thessalonican people and the work that God is doing among them. That they are doing and will continue to do all they command as men of God. he prays that God will continue to direct their hearts to God's love and the steadfastness of Christ.

It all comes down to prayer doesn't it?
How we must pray for each other. For God's word to be spread, for evil to opposed, for his church to be established, and for God to do his work in the hearts of his people. So then... let us pray.

Stand Firm!

The boy child is napping, the laundry doing it's thing, the bunnies are all cared for, I've facebooked my Sunday School student with next week's lesson and Sassy has been let in the house. Ah...I have time to do my devotions! :)

Ending 2 Thessalonians 2 today.

13But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

It's odd, Jim's been preaching through Galatians lately and that is what my Sunday School student and I are basing lessons on, so I've just come from Paul's despair over the Galatian church to his love and appreciation for the Thessalonican church. Such a difference. Don't think I would have noticed it before if I hadn't done this jumping from one to another. Shows the differences in churches doesn't it?

Anyways, the start of this chapter, which I talked about here, had Paul reminding this church that ultimately, God is in control. The man of lawlessness will come, but just by breathing he will be destroyed by Christ.

Now Paul moves on to talking about how God loves them.
See this:

"God chose you as the first-fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth".

Now isn't that clear? First-fruits -- the first chosen. And it is a choice. GOD's choice. God choses those whom he would save. He saves us through the sanctifying work (the work to make us holy) of the Holy Spirit. We are enabled by the Spirit to believe the truth.

He calls us through the gospel being presented. When we are effectively called by the gospel we get the glory of Christ! So then says Paul... STAND FIRM!

What are they to stand firm to? That which was taught to them by Paul. Not to listen to these outsiders coming in trying to mess up what they know to be true. They know that Christ is coming back. They know that the man of lawlessness needs to put in an appearance first. They know that God is ultimately in control. So Stand firm to what they know to be true.

oh my...this holds so true for the church today as well. So many outside influences trying to tell us what to believe and why what we believe isn't the whole truth. We need to say (and be told) to stand firm to what we know to be true. I need to do this as well. :) To not just rely on my hubbie to keep me firm to what I know, but to look at what I've been taught, and what I know God's word says and not let myself be influenced by those around me...who just might not have my best interests at heart. :)

Paul closes this chapter with a prayer that God and Christ Jesus himself provide the church with eternal comfort and hope through the grace he bestows on us. May the church be comforted in their hearts and established in the good they do.

ah..those words of comfort...and they are.
To know that one can depend upon what one knows to be true of God. To have his grace comfort our very selves. It helps one to stand firm and to be established in the good they do.

Ultimately, God is in Control

Today we start reading the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians. In the ESV the first section (first 12 verses) of this chapter is entitled "the Man of Lawlessness". I sometimes find section headings helpful and at other times, not quite so. This time it did as it gave me a good idea as to where this section was going. :)

1Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Paul addresses a real concern for the Thessalonican people. They were becoming alarmed by what some folks were telling them. Whether it be by "by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us" Paul reassures them that the day of the Lord has not yet come.

Then he tells them that the "man of lawlessness" must put in an appearance first. He then proceeds to tell them what such an individual will look like.

• the son of destruction
• opposes every so-called god or object of worship
• exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship
• proclaims himself to be God
• will be revealed for who he is
• is an activity of Satan
• is a strong delusion sent by God for those who refuse to listen to the truth
  

This one must come first.
THEN Christ will come, and by his coming destroy the man of lawlessness by his breath.

I have to admit...I don't understand verse 6-8 very well. All I understand is someone is being restrained by some force until the timing is right. The commentaries I read weren't much help either! :) If you have any insight, please, feel free to share. :)

What I mostly get when I read these verses is an assurance that GOD is in control. Yes, Satan has "his stuff" that he is doing in his opposition of God, but when push comes to shove at the end times....all Jesus Christ has to do is breathe and all that lawlessness will become NOTHING! All the anger and hostility that surrounds us just goes. Pretty cool huh?

How to Pray for the Persecuted Church

The final verses of 2 Thessalonians 1 read as follows:

5This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Thessalonican church was undergoing persecution. This was not an easy time for them. So Paul writes to offer them some consolation.
Why are they undergoing this persecution?

1. God might consider them worthy of the kingdom of God (v5)
2. God considers it just to repay the evil being done to them (v6)
   
3. God will reward the suffering with rest when Christ comes again (v7-8)
4. God will have his vengeance on those who don't believe and don't obey him (v8)
   
5. So that God can make them worthy of his calling (v11)
6. So that God can by his power fulfill every resolve and every work of faith (v11)
7. So that the name of Jesus be glorified in the lives of his people (v12)
   

This is why we undergo persecution. It is for our greater good and for the advancement of the kingdom. It allows God to act in all kinds of ways in our lives. Gives a bit of a different perspective doesn't it?

But like Paul did for the Thessalonican church, I do must pray for my fellow believers who are undergoing persecution. That they might know God is at work. That they might know that God will have his vengeance on those who are against him. That they might be steadfast in their faith.

Knowing that I should emulate Paul in this regard I thought... I don't know many folks who are being actively persecuted so I thought I'd do some browsing.

• Voice of the Martyrs is a good resource to know who to pray for.
• And there is also an International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
• Christian Freedom
• Christian Solidarity Worldwide

These will give me places to go when I wish to pray for the persecuted church. Kinda neat how these resources are provided for us so easily with the web isn't it? :)

How is Your Faith Growing?

3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

These two verses from 2 Thessalonians just grab my attention. Why? Because Paul thanks God because their faith is growing abundantly and they are loving each other more and more.

Just stop and think about that for a moment.
These are young believers who are eager to know God. They want to grow in the knowledge of him. They aren't content to just sit back and let someone else do all the teaching and learning. They are right there, wanting to know God more. They are right there loving each other and learning how to do it better.

I read that and I think...this is how it aught to be in the church. People increasing their love for each other. People growing in their faith.

It's no small wonder to me that Paul and his cohorts boast about them to other bodies of believers. This is what the church should be filled with. People eager to grow in their faith and people eager to love each other all the more. That is how to grow believers who are steadfast in their faith despite the "icky stuff" that happens in life.

When I stopped to see what the e-sword commentators had to say about these verses I liked how Clarke put it:

The word ὑπεραυξανει [translated abundantly in ESV] signifies to grow luxuriantly, as a good and healthy tree planted in a good soil; and if a fruit tree, bearing an abundance of fruit to compensate the labor of the husbandman. Faith is one of the seeds of the kingdom; this the apostle had sowed and watered, and God gave an abundant increase. Their faith was multiplied, and their love abounded; and this was not the case with some distinguished characters only, it was the case with every one of them.

Can you imagine being part of a church where EVERY SINGLE member of the church was growing in their faith? A church where their love for each other was seen in the larger community? That is a church to thank God for. That is a church to talk about. :)

Oh...that I might help build my church to be like this too! :)

The Start of 2 Thessalonians

Today as we delve into 2 Thessalonians let us start with the first couple of verses.

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul starts off this book in much the same way he did 1 Thessalonians.

1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace.

What he does differently here is add "from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" and changes the "the" in God the Father to God our Father.

Little things eh? But doesn't it show the closeness of God more when you refer to God as our Father instead of just The father? Doesn't change anything about God, but it does make God more endearing. :) JFB is responsible for me seeing that! :)

The linking of "God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" is a way of showing the equality between God the Father and his son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

One thing I didn't notice when I was reading 1 Thessalonians was how Paul does not defend his apostleship among the Thessalonican church. Most commentators believe this is due to his close relationship with this church. They knew him to be what he was.

So I read all this and I wonder....what is here for me to apply to my life?

1. I can call God MY father. he is our father, but that term of endearment is one I can apply as well.
   
2. I can see that God and Christ are equal to each otherl.
3. It must have been nice for Paul to not have to defend himself with the Thessalonican church. They took him for who he was. I too, can accept people for who they are. Give them that same comfort that the Thessalonicans offered Paul.
   

Introduction to 2 Thessalonians

Not a very long book, 2 Thessalonians followed shortly after 1 Thessalonians. It was was written by Paul to make sure that the Thessalonican church really understood what he meant about the return of the Lord.

Barnes tells us (from e-sword) that :

There is little doubt as to the design for which it was written. Either by a false interpretation of his former Epistle, or by an epistle forged in his name and sent to them, the opinion had become prevalent in the church at Thessalonica that the Saviour was about to appear, and that the end of the world was at hand ....... Correct this impression was the leading purpose of this Epistle. Some people had become alarmed, and were suffering from unnecessary apprehension 2Th_2:2; and some, under the natural belief that labor then was useless, and that property was of no value, had given up all attention to their worldly concerns 2Th_3:10-11; and it was of the utmost importance that the error should be corrected.

I have to admit, I'm a bit leery now of studying this book. I find teachings on the second coming of the Lord a bit ah.... not sure of the word... often conflicting in how people interpret them so they tend to be a bit confusing. I tend not to like confusion. :) But is also known to be eminently practical as well (or at least I see him that way), so perhaps it won't be as daunting as I initially perceived. And Paul does talk about thankfulness and prayer as well so it's not ALL on the second coming of Christ. :)

Tomorrow let's start digging into the meat of this book. :)

My thoughts were captured....

Today I was reading from 2 Thessalonians 3 minding my own business... (in other words not expecting to learn anything because I feel busy and rushed inside) Oh my, I read that over again and I think...I shouldn't say that! Makes it sound like I"m reading the bible just to go through the motions. Okay, I admit, Sometimes I do that. Sometimes I feel so rushed and busy that I read the bible just to get into the habit again when things have been busy and distracting and stuff. Sometimes I just have to go through the motions to remind myself of the importance of spending time with the one that I love the most. What I find is so cool is when I do that, not really thinking, sometimes God just blesses my socks off and helps me to see deeper DESPITE myself. Isn't that way cool how his Holy Spirit works within us? :)

Anyways, what captured my thoughts this morning?

One Paul asked for prayer. He needed that prayer. It was so important to Paul that God's word be spread around and that it be honoured.

1Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men.

Paul knew that alot of the people that he met had no faith, and that those folks would cause him difficulty. But he also knew that God was faithful. He is the one who protects us from evil.

For not all have faith. 3But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

And therefore he had confidence. He had confidence that those he led to Christ would be okay, and he had confidence that God would work as he aught in them.

4And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Made me think a couple of things
1. Do we have confidence that God will work as he aught in the lives that we come into contact with? Seriously do we? One of the things I really struggled with when I came to live in Exeter was leaving behind of my friends that I regularly did one to one bible study with (love doing that by the way and really miss that type of study). Anyways, I really struggled with how is she going to do know, will she continue learning of the Lord and ..... I have to admit, I didn't trust that God would continue to push her to learn more. And to my amazement and surprise, he brought another lady into her life who also was willing to do bible study with her. THAT was just so awesome, and a really good lesson to me. Those that do seek God will find him. God honours our hearts and gives us what we need to learn of him. My friend was given the structure that she needed to continue to learn of God and I saw God's faithfulness in action.

2. Do we really trust the promises of God?
If So... what stops us from proclaiming God's good news to all those around us?

If we trust the promises of God then we shouldn't fear that
a. we don't know enough
b. we might suffer fear, embarrassment, ____________ (you fill in the blank)

If we know that God will protect us from the evil one, what do we have to worry about when we share God's good news with others?

3. The importance of asking for prayer. Do you that? Do I do that? yes, I'll admit, I often fail to ask for prayer that God's word will be spread through me and that it is spread in an honourable, God-pleasing, God working way.

It all seems to go together it seems. This trusting God to protect me from sin, this desire to spread his word, this need to have prayer while doing so. And having that confidence that God will continue to work in the lives of those we meet and witness to.

Kinda neat I think. What think you?