As Paul closes his last letter to the Thessalonians he asks them to pray for him, “so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, 2 and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1a-2 NRSV. There was a time a few years ago when I had an excellent prayer team surrounding me and upholding me in prayer. I miss that spiritual cover, and I can understand why Paul asks for prayer. I have noticed that as these days seem to get harder for people, many of us also seem to get meaner! Please pray for all leaders and all of the saints that God would protect us and keep us in peace.
Paul warns against idleness and again refers to the fact that he received no salary - even though he had the right to receive one - from the Thessalonians. This model of ministry is very, very appealing to me. Perhaps my next appointment I will plant a church as a bi-vocational minister. This not only frees up the resources of the congregation, it also increases the responsibility of every member to be in ministry. Sounds like fun from this vantage point!
After a closing call for peace for all of the saints, Paul points out the signature in his own hand, thus verifying the authenticity of the letter.
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2 comments:
"keep away from believers who are living in idleness." uh-oh! That could keep me away from many and many away from me, at least it seems sometimes!
I love when Paul signs the letters with his own hand writing, that makes me realize how much writing and technology have improved since then, and also that he really did have a scribe.
I agree that it’s pretty huge that Paul encourages us to pray so that we don’t have to worry too much about those people that will pull us away from the faith.
The idleness thing is interesting – first of all, we should not be idle in our faith, because if we are, we will lose it. We can’t be idle in our ministry and the opportunities that we have, because what Jesus has to be offered should not be buried in the ground, it should be invested, or like a seed planted in fertile soil!
That idle thing is really crazy – gotta work to eat. Interesting…I mean seems to make enough sense, right? Food costs money, money costs work…it’s how our lives are. Still don’t know how I feel about the thing with the two jobs for PB, but you make a valid point that it moves up the responsibilities of others in the church. Did you know that church isn’t just going on Sunday morning for an hour? ;-P
MARSH
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