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| 2 Thessalonians 3 Memory Verses, John 1:12; James 2:19 Good Morning Brothers and Sisters, Tomorrow we will go straight into Timothy and continue on. In this chapter Paul is attacking the problems that have been caused by those who thought that the tribulation was upon them. He is telling them to return to work, it is not time yet. Along with that admonition, we receive a very good passage detailing how God views work in our lives. 2 Thes 3:1-2 Request for prayer support. Paul is being hounded by the judiazers as is well established through the other epistles. This may be a request for prayer that God will deal with them. His main goal is in v. 1, "that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified." The word is living and active according to Heb. 4:12, once it is shared it takes on a life of its own and does not finish its work without accomplishing the task that God intended for it. 2 Thes 3:3-5 Steadfastness in Christ. Paul assures these believers that in spite of the difficulties that they are facing, the Lord will take care of them. Not only will He take care of them, he will give them the strength to continue to grow and excel in the love of Jesus Christ. It was Paul's conviction that they would continue to follow the instructions which he had laid out for them. 2 Thes 3:6-13 Paul set the example. Apparently, the warning in 1 Thes 5:14 had gone unheeded. This section is addressing that in more detail. I am not sure if these were just people who were free-loading on the church, or if they were ones who quit their jobs because they thought the rapture was immediately at hand. Some of the commentaries I have read feel that they quit their jobs because they thought the end was near. However, if this was the case, they would have been mistaken and after the first letter, they should have returned to work. Another point on this, if we choose not to work, it leads to an "unruly life", according to NASB that could also be translated undisciplined life. Think about that. When people get on welfare, they loose the desire to find a job. I am not here to attack these people, just to verify the trend. When people quit work the discipline goes out of their lives. Face it, when you return to work after vacation, isn't it kind of hard to do so? Rather than beat this point to death, let's look at the main thought in these verses. It is God's will for everyone who is able to work to do so. This builds discipline into their lives and also keeps their minds focused on Him. Contrary to what we may want to think, hitting the lottery and quitting work would probably be the worst thing that would ever happen to us. Most people hate working simply because in Genesis 3:17-19 one of the curses that is a result of sin is that work will not be easy, it will "be by the sweat of your face". Sure, we want to be relieved of this penalty for sin, but in doing so, we stand a danger of stepping out of God's will. When we step out of God's will, could we possibly become busy bodies as was the case in this church? Paul set the example for us, he was a working missionary. From the scriptures we are led to believe that Paul sought employment and carried his own weight when he was spreading the gospel. The only time that this is not indicated was while he was in prison. 1 Cor 9:13-14 Paul establishes the right for a minister to receive wages from his congregation, but in v. 12 of that passage, he clearly stated that he did not draw from this privilege. In 1 Timothy 5:18 he states that the "laborer is worthy of his wages", which is found in several other Old Testament and New Testament verses. The Thessalonians are charged with the responsibility to be employed, and to continue doing good while being employed. 2 Thes 3:14-15 Tough love. In the previous book, Paul told them to be patient with the ones not working and to admonish them. In this book, since the previous warning did not work, he is saying to take it a step further, and not to even associate with these people. I do not believe in this case that it is referring to someone who is visiting the church. These people are long established members who chose to stop working. They are intimately acquainted with the other believers in the church. We are not to take the attitude toward other people, that if they aren't working, they can't come to our church. The point is that if these brothers, who are a long established part of our fellowship are desiring to lead a life which is not in line with the Lord's obvious will, then we are to rebuke them. If the rebuke does not work, then further action must be taken. 2 Thes 3:16-18 Final admonitions. Paul once again is sensitive to their situation and prays that God's continual peace will be with them in their time of trouble. And along with that, he signs the letter, or we are led to think so. The purpose of this is to make sure that the same problem does not rise again. Paul does not want someone posing as himself and leading them astray. The final blessing, Paul prays that they will remain in "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ". That is where we are to remain also, in God's unmerited favor, none of us deserve salvation. Let us make the most of the responsibility that we have received. Lord, I pray that each one of us will continue to match our lives with Your Word. That we will continually seek Your will in every area of our lives, constantly bringing our lives into line with your will. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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