2 Thessalonians Chapter 3: Don't Do Anything Jonah Would First Day

(All scripture quoted is from the New American Standard  Bible, © 1960,1962,1963,1968.1971,1973,1975,1977,1995.2020 by the Lockman Foundation, A Corporation Not for Profit, La Habra, CA, All Rights Reserved, unless otherwise noted.)
“Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it was also with you; 2 and that we will be rescued from troublesome and evil people; for not all have the faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing, and will do, what we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the perseverance of Christ.”Paul ends his letter to the Thessalonians focusing on prayer. Keeping in mind that the church is under pressure from outside and that they are being actively deceived about the Christ’s coming to discourage them, after telling them to remember and cling to what he had already taught them, Paul tells them to pray. To make it through all this, pray.
“…pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it was with you.” Paul uses the Greek trecho to describe this rate of spreading the gospel. It is an word used in athletics meaning, “run or advance rapidly.” We’ll find that this isn’t the last time Paul uses sports metaphors to get his point across. Paul wants the church to pray for a swift and disciplined conversion of all people. What better way to counter the deceivers and the persecutors than to have them come to the same Savior and knowledge of God. Pray that people will listen to me, Paul asks. And the Thessalonians are proof that this is possible.
“…that we be rescued from troublesome and evil people; for not all have the faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” Those outside of the church—as well as some inside of it—seek to hinder the growth of the gospel. Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for the success of the mission. As the Thessalonians focus their prayers on Paul’s and other’s missions, perhaps their worries will diminish because they aren’t thinking as much about themselves—providing an opportunity for God to work.
When the Thessalonians do this, when they focus their prayers and attention on others, they allow God to demonstrate His faithfulness to them as God, “direct[s their] hearts to [His] love and to the perseverance of Christ.” What a lesson for today! Think how much freedom we could experience if we turned out energies and attentions toward others and allowed God to care for us. This, however, is not something that will happen casually. Remember, Paul has just used a sports metaphor in relation to the spreading of the gospel.
Over the next verses, Paul teaches how we can better put ourselves into a position where we can trust God with our lives while we give our attention, efforts, and cares to those who are in need.
“6 Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother or sister who leads a disorderly life and not one in accordance with the tradition which you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined way among you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; 9 not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a role model for you, so that you would follow our example. 10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”Paul will phrase this later in Philippians as, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important th