Living for Jesus Christ in a world of unreasonable and wicked people.

2 Thessalonians 3

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• We pray for the sharing of the Gospel of Christ amidst unreasonable and wicked people.
• We are to withdraw from those who refuse to lift up the family of Christianity.
• As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to persevere in doing good.
• The authenticity of the Holy Spirit.

We pray for the sharing of the Gospel of Christ amidst unreasonable and wicked people. “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you,” 2 Thessalonians 3:1 Those prayers have certainly been answered because from the time of Paul, Sylvanus, Timothy, and the Church of the Thessalonians, the Gospel of Christ has reached every country around the world and has been glorified. “…and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.” 2 Thessalonians 3:2 They were delivered from unreasonable and wicked men during a period of time to allow the testimony of Jesus to run swiftly and be glorified globally.

Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy were like Jesus Christ who preached the Kingdom of God, and when His ministry on this earth was completed, it was time for Him to be crucified for the atonement of sin. God raised Jesus Christ from the grave after three days, and because He lives, we will live eternally with Him. Today, like John the Baptist, we have a ministry to prepare others for the coming of Jesus Christ. We are encouraged to hold to the testimony of the Lord Jesus in a world filled with unreasonable and wicked people. They are the people of the “democratic” society in every city around the world, and they are the people of sin and perdition who are doomed to destruction.

Today, we have witnessed the global falling away from the teachings of the Lord Jesus and the people of sin has been revealed.

The unreasonable and wicked people of this world are those who live by the thing which forms what they think, feel, do, and say. It enables the image of the beast to live and speak through them. By what they do and say they show their spiritual wickedness by blaspheming the Holy Spirit, rejecting the need for Jesus Christ, and denying the reality of God. Their intent is to put to death Christianity, which is obvious because the Gospel of Christ is no longer in the Churches. The values of the Bible are no longer present in government lawmaking. The educational system has thrown out the teachings of the Bible. And Christianity is not welcomed in any sector of society. The unreasonable and wicked men are conformed to the anti-Christian global culture as they are groomed to the mark of the beast.

The prayer of the Holy Spirit is for the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ to do according to what is written/commanded to us in the Bible. “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5

We are to withdraw from those who refuse to lift up the family of Christianity. “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6

The tradition within the family of Christians is the testimony of the Lord Jesus. If those among us are not living by the Gospel of Christ, then we are to withdraw from their disruptive ways. The Chrisitan tradition is that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to atone for sin, and on the third day God raised Him from the dead. After showing Himself on this earth for forty days, He ascended into Heaven. He has given us the Holy Spirit to sustain us on this earth until He returns again. Because He lives, we will live eternally with Him. Unfortunately, many within the sphere of our social circle does not walk according to the teachings of the Bible and reject the Holy Spirit. They are disorderly referring to their disruption of those living for the Lord Jesus.

Those disrupting the family of Jesus Christ are those living for the “democratic” global culture. They live by the thing forming their thoughts, words, behaviors, and feelings as it enables the image of the beast to live and speak through them. They despise Jesus Christ, blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and deny the existence of God. By what they say and do, they are conformed to their place within society. They are conformed to their mark in life as they are groomed to the mark of the beast. Their intent is to destroy Christianity.

“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.” 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9

Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy did all they could not to be a burden to fellow Believers. Not only did that include not being a burden to the Spirit the followers of Christ live by, but also not to be a burden materialistically. Paul and His companions wanted only one thing, and that is for the testimony of Jesus to be delivered and lived by unhindered. The humbleness of Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy wasn’t because of a lack of gusto, strength, or authority, but because they wanted to be an example of walking as Jesus Christ walked.

“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

The Thessalonian Christians had problems with people raiding their food supplies, being disorderly within the family fellowship, constantly putting themselves in the affairs of others, and not doing anything else. Unfortunately, those of us today who live for Jesus Christ know people exactly like that. If they are visiting, we live for the moment they leave and lock the door when they do leave. The last thing we do is offer a food tray and we don’t make them a dinner. If they live among us, we keep dropping hints for them to find constructive work, to contribute to the family, to “chill-out,” and to live in harmony with everybody else. In other words, we echo the voice of the Holy Spirit, “that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.“

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to persevere in doing good. “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13-15

In this anti-Christian world, the Holy Spirit says to us, “…do not grow weary in doing good.” We live in a global society where the goodness of the Holy Spirit is harassed at every turn. Their only purpose is to run our goodwill to the ground. They drive people to allow the image of the beast to live and speak through them by being receptive to the thing which forms what they think, feel, do, and say. Through it all, do not grow weary of the goodness of the Holy Spirit living and speaking through us. Those who welcome the thing forming their thoughts and feelings are the people of sin and perdition who are destined for doom and destruction. They are conformed to their place in life as they are groomed to the mark of the beast.

The Holy Spirit says this to us about those among us who reject the Gospel of Christ, “…note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” In other words, follow the Gospel of peace and don’t engage in verbal nor combative behavior against the Holy Spirit.

The authenticity of the Holy Spirit. “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18

The Lord of peace is a beautiful way to describe Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, we live in His peace within a world of people who wants to steal that peace away. Paul always made sure to sign his letters with his own handwriting so that the readers would know what was read was actually from him. The authenticity of Believers is the Holy Spirit in us, and the Holy Spirit lives to lift up the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A genuine Believer lives for the welfare of Christianity, and for sharing this message, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”John 3:16

In a world where our thoughts, feelings, words, and behavior are affected in so many ways, the Holy Spirit says this to us, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1