Thank you for reading the message this week. I hope that everyone is having a very good week. I am doing some better in regard to my health problems.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been going in a systematic way through the book of II Thessalonians. In our message last week, we discussed the fact that as believers in Jesus, we need to be living in such a way that we would not be ashamed if the Lord were to come back at this very moment.
In our message for today, we are going to see Paul shift gears so to speak. He begins chapter 3 by asking those in the church at Thessalonica to pray for him. He asks for their prayers in two specific ways. he asks that they pray that the message that he is bringing about the Lord will be received and honored, and he asks that they pray that he and his colleagues would be delivered from wicked and evil people who would try to hinder what they were trying to accomplish for the Lord.
First of all, Paul wanted the message of the love and grace of Jesus to reach as many people as possible. He was extremely faithful in doing all that he could to obey the Great Commission. Just as Paul needed prayer for the message of the Gospel to reach as many people as possible, we need to pray that the message of the grace of Jesus will reach people.
According to data from several sources, about 30 percent of the people in this world claim to be some type of Christian. Probably not all of these are really believers. They may be cultural Christians, etc. However, just taking the 30 percent figure at face value, that means that 70 percent of the people in this world do not claim any affiliation with the Christian faith. Billions and billions of people need to hear the message of the love of Jesus in this world. At the very least, we need to pray for the advancement of the Gospel around the world. If possible, we need to go into the places in this world where there are few Christians and spread the message of Jesus. We all need to do whatever we can to spread the message of Jesus wherever we find ourselves in this world.
One of the things that I do when I pray is to pray for those who are missionaries in the world. We can all pray that they will be able to share the word of the Lord effectively.
We all also need to pray for the safety of those who are out trying to be a witness for Jesus. The forces of the enemy are always trying to hinder the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to pray that missionaries and pastors and teachers will not be hindered as they work diligently to tell others about the love of the Lord.
In verse three of our text Paul says, "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one." I believe what Paul is saying here specifically is that as we go and attempt to tell others about Jesus, the Lord will give us strength. It doesn't mean that nothing bad will ever happen to someone who is a Christian. When we make the effort to go and share the love of Jesus with the world, the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit will give us courage and that ability to know what to say at the right moment.
I do believe that the Lord does protect us. We have ultimate protection. What I mean by this is the evil one can never snatch us out of the hand of the Lord. According to the Scriptures, if we are in Jesus we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is in our heart, and Jesus is in the hand of the Father. There is not way that the evil one can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Even when we die, the evil one can not harm us because Jesus will take us to be with Him forever. We are secure in the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please keep praying that my lungs and my arthritis will improve. I am doing better, but I still have a long way to go. Thank you for your prayers.
Please pray in regard to the terrible humanitarian crisis in Sudan. There is a lot of suffering going on there. Pray for an end to the conflict that is bringing so much pain and suffering. Pray that the people will get the aid and the help that they need.
Keep praying for peace in other parts of the world including Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Yemen and Syria. Pray that a wider war will not develop in the Middle East.
Pray for those recovering from natural disasters. There are still people recovering from Hurricane Beryl. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Brunei and Iran. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.
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