SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/7/2014
10:21 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Pastors
Desire Their People’s Prayers PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2
Message of the
verses: “1 Finally, brethren, pray
for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as
it did also with you; 2 and that we will
be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.” We continue with our commentary on these
verses.
It had been the practice in Paul’s ministry to talk to
the Jews first if that meant going to a Synagogue or going to the place where
the Jews were if they had no Synagogue, for it took (I believe) ten men to form
a Synagogue. However it had also been
the practice of the Jews to mostly turn down what Paul was telling them about
their Messiah, and so then he would go to the Gentiles as we saw in the last
part of our last SD from Acts 13:44-49.”
Now when Paul came to Thessalonica this was his practice and after going
to the Gentiles there were many who accepted his word and now he is asking
those Thessalonians to pray that the same thing would happen wherever he went
to spread the Good News.
Next we see that Paul asked them to pray for the safety
of those who were giving out the Gospel message, and of course that meant he
and those who were working with him. He
asked them to pray that they would “be rescued from perverse and evil men.” John
MacArthur writes the following about the word perverse: “Paul identified the source of danger as
perverse and evil men. Perverse (atopos) literally means ‘out of place,’
and denotes what is unbecoming or inappropriate (cf. Luke 23:41; Acts 25:5;
28:6). Here it refers to men who were
improper, wrongfully out of place, unrighteous, or one writer described them, ‘morally
insane.’” Next MacArthur looks at the word evil. “Evil (proeros),
meaning ‘malignant,’ or aggressively wicked.’”
Paul was asking them to pray that he would be delivered from the threats
and the power of such enemies who opposed the Gospel, and we know that it is
Satan who is behind all those who oppose the Gospel. “For we wanted to come to you I, Paul, more
than once-and yet Satan hindered us (1 Thessalonians 2:18).”
I remember when I first was saved, and what I remember
about it was all of the many questions that I had so that I could get the
answers in order to learn more about my new faith in Christ. I also remember riding in a car with a close
friend of mine and telling him about the Gospel and when I was done I said
something like “ I suppose you now have many questions to ask,” to which he
replied that he did not have any questions, and of course this was a disappointment
to me. The Thessalonians were probably
thinking that since it was so easy for them to believe that others would just
naturally believe and be saved, however this was the exception and not the rule
so as to say. Paul writes that “not all
have faith,” and this could refer to the lack of faith of believers or it could
refer to unbelievers not having faith, or probably both. Paul is saying that
not all will believe even though he wrote to Timothy these words in “1Ti
2:4 who desires all men to be saved and
to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
We have been over this seemingly impossible question in other SD’s and I
will not go over it all but only want to quote one verse from yesterday’s SD
from the book of Acts. “When the
Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed
to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48).”
MacArthur finishes this portion of his commentary with the following on
the “not all” portion of verse two: “Some
insert the definite article, ‘not all have the
faith,’ to make faith refer to the content of the Christian faith. But the phrase more likely means not everyone
believes the gospel. However, either way Paul’s point is the
same: not all will believe, and those
who reject may be hostile to the gospel.
This reality moved Paul to call the Thessalonians to pray that as he and
his companions preached the word of the gospel, it would triumphantly go forth
unhindered and be believed.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: When I looked at
the similar passage from the first letter to the Thessalonians I became
convicted that there was a great need for me to pray for the pastors at the
church we attend. I am still trying to
pray for them each day, but do not always get that done, but I also have a
longer prayer from what John MacArthur wrote or spoke on from his commentary on
1 Thessalonians. Now I don’t mean that this
is a prayer that is written from some kind of a prayer book, but things that
were on his heart that I have picked up on to be better in praying for our
pastors.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue the effort to pray for our pastors.
Memory verses for the
week: Colossians 3:8-11.
8 But now you also, put
them all aside: Anger, wrath, malice,
slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have laid aside the old self with
its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a
true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—11 a renewal
in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and
uncircumcised, barbarian and Scythian, slave and freeman, but Chris is all, and
in all.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Pure minds” (2 Peter 3:1).
Today’s Bible
question: “Jesus’ parable in Luke 15
dealt with what three lost things?”
Answer in our next SD.
11/7/2014 11:01 AM
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