Chad Werkhoven
Nov 26, 20212 min
v1-5 - Paul requests that people pray for the following things:
That the Word of the Lord will spread rapidly;
That Paul and the other missionaries will be delivered from wicked people;
That God will direct the hearts of Christians into God's love.
v6-15 - As an apostle, Paul had the authority to command the Thessalonians. These commands remain normative for us today as well:
Keep away from people who claim to be Christians but who live blatantly hypocritical lives;
Work hard and earn your keep;
Mind your own business and never tire of doing what is good.
v16-18 - The letter ends with another beautiful benediction (words of blessing).
How do you think most people would finish this sentence:
God is the God of _________
There are certainly lots of good answers: other Bible passages list God as the God of 'heaven and earth,' 'Israel,' 'hope,' 'glory,' 'grace,' and many more.
Some of your skeptical friends might say that God is the God of anger or vindictiveness or spite or another negative attribute. They blame God for all of the bad things going on in their lives.
Today, concentrate on how God is described in the closing benediction of 2 Thessalonians:
May the Lord
of peace
Himself give you peace
at all times
and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.
OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCE:
Proverbs 12:11 & 14 (NIV)
Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.
From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
and the work of their hands brings them reward.
Use the comment box below to discuss one or more of these questions:
EYE FOR DETAIL— As he begins closing down this letter, what does Paul pray for the Thessalonians? (See verse 16.)
If Satan wrote down some guidelines and commands to get people to do just the opposite of what this chapter teaches, how do you think his message might be worded?
Questions from The Complete Bible Discussion Guide: New Testament
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the God of peace;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will work hard for the Lord and never tire of doing what is good.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: