“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 than yourselves.” (2:3) To condition ourselves to place our trust in God, we must begin living deliberately. Avoid those who lead “disorderly” lives that contrast the one that Paul taught and exampled. Those who contribute to the betterment of other’s lives—over and above their own—will have to trust that God will take care of their needs and bring divine comfort. Don’t fret about your present condition or even your future, Paul says, tend to others and God will see you through. Easy to say but hard to do.

I do want to mention verse 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.” A few years ago I heard the hosts of an extremely popular radio program spend forty-five minutes using this verse to put-down people who lived on welfare and to argue that Jesus would be against the welfare system. I was appalled and never listened to them again. Are there issues with the welfare system? Yes. Are there lazy people who simply don’t want to work? Of course. Would Jesus care about the welfare system? Yes. In fact, much of God’s law concerns itself with caring for the least and the most vulnerable. Is Paul making a statement about those on welfare or about the need for welfare reform in 2 Thessalonians 3:10? Categorically no!

Paul here is speaking about people who contribute nothing to the life of the congregations: the takers. These idol Christians exhibit the very qualities that Paul tells the Thessalonians must avoid if they want to learn to trust God with their very lives and, thus, escape worry and confusion.
“11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12 Now we command and exhort such persons in the Lord Jesus Christ to work peacefully and eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary of doing good.”
To paraphrase: Make what you do really matter for the sake of others and the Church. This will be taxing but it is the good and right thing to do.

“14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person so as not to associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. 15 And yet do not regard that person as an enemy, but admonish that one as a brother or sister.”

Note that the church must address these believers who do not contribute to the life of the community, but it must be done without malice. This is, however, easier said than done, and this command can easily be misapplied. We have all heard stories about denominations and congregations that have shunned members—usually because they will not tow-the-party-line on some doctrine or another. No, Paul is speaking here ONLY about those who contribute little to the life of the congregation and “act like busybodies,” when they really are doing nothing.

16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! 17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”

Paul ends his letter to the Thessalonians with a prayer for them to be able to rest in God’s peace through everything that they are facing: famine, social and cultural pressures, active deception, and worry. And just in case the deceivers continue to bring false letters to them, trying to make them worry and doubt, Paul gives them this letter as a sample of how he writes. Diligence, patience, and doing good are the surest way to find God’s peace.

I hope that you have grown in your knowledge and faith with this series on the Thessalonians. I hope that you can join the podcast for the next series on this chronological journey through the New Testament as we read through 1 and 2 Corinthians. Thank you for listening.