and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.(2 Thessalonians 3:2-3 – ESV)
We see again that the pastor’s pulse depends on the people’s prayer. The truth about the gospel message is that some will believe but some will not, not everyone will be as excited about the message; some will actually be enraged about it. It is the same today as back then, and we need to be praying both for the success of the message and for the safety of the messengers.
The prayers were to be for deliverance in general, but also for specific instances. Paul knew persecution, as he was writing this from Corinth and there was a riot against him (Acts 18). He wanted to be delivered once and for all from certain situations and people. Are we praying for others to be delivered from evil, both in our church and abroad, both generally and in specifics?
He told them to trust that they would be delivered even as he asked them to pray that he would be delivered. Obviously he was praying for them as well as asking them to pray for him, about some of the same things. He wanted for them to see God’s faithfulness. We will always see faithless men but we will also see that we still have a faithful God.
His word establishes you, the Greek word used here for establish is where we get the word for steroids. When His word keeps running in you it will run into your veins like a mighty river, it will build you up on the inside and strengthen you to resist the evil one, and it will strengthen you to be more obedient from the heart, and He will direct your heart to know His love and to love Him more, and to know of Christ’s endurance and to be more enduring yourself.
Paul is trusting in God for their protection. This verse means from the evil one in general, that is the devil and his forces, and also ones that represent the evil one, the evil one of the moment, the one that would hinder you. God is on guard in your life, that is what Paul wanted them to know, and God wants us to know.
6 comments:
Don't worry, He will let the comments through...
I don't have anything to add to that, but I hated to see this post sit with only one comment all day.
vw: (sgkhhl)
I appreciate that Daniel...I guess you have to have some silly game going in order for people to leave comments(inside joke, but go see Daniel's site and play along)...at least it seems that way for the last week or so...
I think sometimes the problem is that we say a thing that is so well said, it really can't be improved upon, so people don't say anything.
My wife tells me that, but I don't always want to accept it, pride either way, I guess...
I know that feel pretty lonely when I post something that I spent some time on, and I think is a significant point that needs to be made - then sit back and no one comments on it... it makes me feel like no one is reading my blog, which makes me feel like my blog is just a pointless vanity, which makes me consider pouring myself into other ministries.
I think most of the time, when we say a thing, there is room for others to chime in and fill in the rest of the picture - or we leave room for debate. But other times our case is so well presented, no one wants to add to it, and because it is well stated, no one wants to argue it either...
But like yourself - that is what people tell me... secretly I know they are just not reading...
pptmv
Politically
pondering trepidation
motivates volume.
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