Good morning, Boker Tov!
Having just finished I Thess, we are moving on to the book of II Thess for today’s time together in the Word of God. If you are doing God's work, opposition is pretty much a "given". The Thessalonians were finding this to be true, in heaps and baskets-full.
Like the first epistle to these new believers, the apostle Paul wrote this follow-up letter to the young congregation just a few months later, most believe in CE 51. There are some similarities as to themes, and it is likely Paul received some reports that necessitated additional clarification, notably the refutation of false doctrine.
In looking at the first four verses, we see that Paul begins his letter with his standard greeting and then launches into thanking God for this young church. Interestingly, he opens the letter by mentioning two other faith pioneers, acquaintances of his whom the Thessalonians would surely know. Not that Paul needed any “clout”, but he seems to be wanting the new believers to know tht both Silvanus and Timothy are in agreement with his words in the letter.
1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; 4 therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your [a]perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.
I know that this is an area in which I fall down. I forget to thank the Lord for those precious people whom He has given to co-labor with me in "the faith". Some of them are family and others feel like family because we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
When we thank God for someone and tell them so, we greatly encourage them. Paul says that it is "fitting" (NASB), appropriate, that we thank God for each other. I don't know about you, but I don't like to be singled out for "glory" when in a group of people. I find it kind of embarrassing. Now, I know that seems very much at odds with someone who is called to teach live online, but it’s true nonetheless. Not everyone is that way, of course, and there is nothing wrong with thanking God for people publicly. Paul is thanking God for the Thessalonians in a letter, which is a public forum, because it is going to be read by not only them but by generations to come.
Additionally, in applying this principle to our own lives, a private word of thanks or a short hand-written card can mean so much! Our son was married three weeks ago, and I wrote a bundle of thank-you notes to those who helped me personally get ready for the big event. But, in a similar fashion, God intends for us to comfort one another with uplifting words. Yes, He can and does speak to each of His children through the Holy Spirit. However, He also uses us to encourage one another. This is something all of us need. If the Lord brings to mind someone you need to thank, don't put it off! Bless a brother or sister right then! If you are like me, you’ll forget to do it, if you delay.
As I thought about preparing for this teaching, I came across Psalm 92. It is a wonderful psalm to read to thank God for His greatness and goodness in your life.
According to a Fox News poll conducted in mid-July 2015, most Americans feel that Christianity is under attack in their country, (by a margin of 56% Yes, 42% No, and 3% Don't Know). They were not just being paranoid. In November of 2020, Pew Research Center published a 57-page report, showing that, out of 198 countries surveyed, Christians were persecuted in 145 of them, and that Christians were the most persecuted religion world-wide in the year for which this data was collected, 2018. (Muslims were in second place, and Jews were third FYI.)
The believers in Thessalonica were enduring strenuous persecution. In spite of that (or perhaps because of it) they were continuing to grow in their faith and also their love for each other. While commending them for that and thanking God for them, Paul also encouraged them to continue to keep their eyes focused on their Savior, as they endured their awful time of tribulation.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-12.
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from[b] the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here, we see Paul claiming that the persecution that church was enduring was a GOOD thing! Does that surprise you? Paul made the case that when followers of Yeshua experience "push-back" or full-blown persecution, it sanctifies those believers, making them more like Him, making them more "worthy of the kingdom of God" (vs. 6). The Apostolic Writings make it clear that none of us is truly worthy to attain salvation on our own merit, that “there is none righteous in and of ourselves, no, not one.” There is no way, no how, we can be worthy of what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Ever. God's grace is entirely one-way, entirely a free gift with no strings attached. We can't earn it. We don't deserve it. We can only accept it. However, after our eternal destiny is settled and secured, we can “walk worthy” of our calling into the Kingdom of God.
Here, then, is the foundation for "walking worthy". We find it in 1 John 4:19
We love, because He first loved us.
Boom! We "walk worthy" because we love Him. True Christians, not just those who call themselves that, are in love with Jesus Christ. His grace provokes that response in us. We have caught a glimpse of who He is and have an inkling of what He has done for us. Our response then is to love Him by imitating Him in our daily lives. That's it. That is "walking worthy". It is not a way to be saved. It is a result of being saved. It is as natural a response to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ as the beautiful fruit that grows on a fruit tree. (Luke 6:23; Matthew 7:18).
This is a consistent theme of Paul's, and it appears alongside his consistent emphasis on the completeness of God's grace. We see the "walking worthy" theme here in 2 Thess 1, but also in Colossians 1:10-11, 1 Thess. 2:12 and Ephesians 4:1-2.
Paul goes on to elaborate about how those who afflict the children of God will receive their fair punishment when Jesus Christ returns. In that day of judgment, our Savior will be fully glorified in us and we will be astounded at His glory.
Does Paul pray for the Thessalonian believers to escape their difficult times? No. Look at his prayer for them in verses 11-12. In the New King James version, it is translated as this:
11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
What if God calls you or me to experience intense persecution for our faith? Paul is praying here that God would strengthen these Thessalonians by His Holy Spirit and that He would fulfill His purposes through them, that through their lives the name of our Lord Jesus Christ would be glorified and that they would see their greatest glory through serving Him. Let's pray this prayer over each other today, Brothers and Sisters! We can't see the future. Extreme persecution may hit us tomorrow...or even today. But, no matter what comes, may this prayer of Paul's apply to us, Yeshua's Bride, today and for all our tomorrows, as we seek to follow Him, to walk....resplendent.
There is no greater honor than to be His child because there is no greater love than the love He showered on us by giving us His Son to be our Savior. His great love compels us to chase after our Lord with all that is in us, to yield to the Ruach HaKodesh who lives within us so that His glory may be seen through us in all that we do.
The Thessalonians were in a dither! Communication back then, of course, is not what it is today. The apostle Paul had spent a great deal of time with these young believers, teaching them no doubt more than we currently can determine from what our Bible says about the Lord Jesus Christ's return. Thinking that he has gotten them "solid", Paul moves on to other local churches in his ongoing "missionary journeys". Next thing Paul knows, he gets wind that the Thessalonians have been led astray by false doctrine, namely that the “snatching up” has already occurred and that they are then going through the "Great Tribulation".
Now, it is for sure that the Thessalonians were being persecuted. Paul is very plain to affirm that fact and to encourage then to "lean in" --- to use those oppositions/trials to deepen their faith in their Savior. But, his main purpose in writing 2 Thess is to clear up the misunderstanding as to when Jesus will return.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-11 (NASB).
Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
Ironically, in this passage, in his attempt to be clear to the Thessalonians, a lot of present day confusion has been created surrounding the translations of this passage. Part of the problem is that Paul was "reminding" these folks. You know that when you "remind" someone of something, a detailed explanation is not necessary. You simply reinforce the key points. That's what we have here, the "Cliff's Notes" version. Accordingly, we tend to try to fill in the blanks in the passage, and this results in more than one interpretation. It's pretty much a mess, but let's see what we can make of it.
Paul says, "Look, He is not going to return until two conditions are met: (1) prevalent apostasy and (2) the man of lawlessness is revealed." First, "apostasy" is rendered in some translations as "the falling away". What does this mean? According to Alan Kurschner1, the Greek (ho apostasia) means "defiance of established system or authority, rebellion, abandonment, breach of faith”. Paul is speaking in a religious context here; so, it is reasonable to assume that he means that the faithful will abandon the faith. He follows this up in the next few verses by once again exhorting the faithful to "stand firm". So, the first sign that the Lord's coming is near is that followers of Yeshua, most commonly known as Christians, will (in droves) breach the faith. Does that mean that believers will "lose their salvation"? I don't think that that is possible; furthermore, in 2:13-15 Paul goes on to talk about "the elect", apparently affirming that those who are Christ's are forever His. What I do believe will happen is that many who call themselves Christians, who self-identify as Christians, will be revealed as having been pretenders. Now, to be fair, there are those who think "the apostasy" means something else, and I refer you to Kurschner's website1 for an excellent exegesis of those other positions.
The other criterion that must precede the Lord's physical return to earth is the revelation of the identity of the Man of Perdition, the lawless one. Almost every Bible scholar agrees that this is the man referred to elsewhere as the False Messiah or "the Antichrist", who will be possessed by Satan and will wreak such havoc on the earth during the 7-year Great Tribulation. The revelation of the Man of Perdition (perdition means "eternal punishment or damnation") and the falling away (apostasy) are related. They don't necessarily occur in chronological order; it's entirely possible that one could lead to the other or that they could happen simultaneously. Regardless, they are related. Personally, I also think that verse 11's "strong delusion" is also related; but, we'll get to that shortly.
Allright, then, if that weren't enough, there is a whole controversy about verses 6-7. Who is this "restrainer"? Or, what events are "restraining", and so forth. If you want to delve more deeply into this, let me suggest these websites:
Randy Alcorn's take on it (he's the guy who wrote that book, Heaven, recently):
http://www.epm.org/resources/2010/Feb/1/who-restrainer-2-thessalonians-26-7-one-who-holds-/
Alcorn argues that the more pertinent question is not the identity of the Restrainer, but rather on what is being restrained. And, his answer is the the Day of the Lord is being restrained or held back, BY the “lawless one” who is the Restrainer.
David Rogers' take on it:
http://www.bibletruth.cc/the_restrainer.htm
In his article, he examines the five most popular positions.
{Both these views tend to depend on the original Greek having been mistranslated, and both of them hold to a post-tribulation view of the Rapture}
Warren Wiersbe has a different view of who the Restrainer is:
https://books.google.com/books?id=Sn18qwyJw9QC&pg=PA735&lpg=PA735&dq=Wiersbe+who+is+the+restrainer?&source=bl&ots=uGF5uB1jD_&sig=_2y9_c5oGDWnfOsAipe_wAzD0nY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAGoVChMI9tmN3fDuxgIVhJyICh1RzwwX#v=onepage&q=Wiersbe%20who%20is%20the%20restrainer%3F&f=false
His view is that the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit, and that when He stops restraining, the lawless one, the one “without Torah” will be revealed.
Dear Paul, could you have not been a little more clear?! :)
Ahhh, that is why we can study the Bible for a lifetime and still not understand it all! "God is good, and all His ways are righteous." (Psalm 145:17). As my parents said to me frequently, "If I had wanted you to know more, I would have told you."
Verse 11 is quite the interesting verse as well!
In 2 Thessalonians 2:11 we find the fascinating topic of "the strong delusion". Take a look at verses 8 through 12 (NASB).
8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
As I have already mentioned, "the lawless one" or "the son of perdition" is generally deemed to be the person elsewhere referred to in scripture as The False Messiah. Most Bible scholars agree that he will come to world power at the beginning of the 7-year period known as The Tribulation. At the end of that period, the Lord Jesus will physically return to Earth and "slay him with the breath of his mouth". Isn't that an amazing thought?
It is plain in verses 10-12 that Paul is referring to those people who have rejected (did not receive) the love of the truth. In other words, these are people who have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only that, but these people took pleasure in their wickedness. This group is obviously not the true Church of Jesus Christ. Whether you believe that The Rapture of the Church has occurred prior to this time or not is irrelevant, because whether the Church is still present on Earth or not, Paul is talking about those who have rejected Christ.
Many today say that we are in a period of history known as “post-modernism”, and one of the characteristics of this era is a diminishing belief in “absolute truth”. Instead there’s “my truth”, “your truth” and the prevailing attitude is that you can operate according to “your truth” all you want, as long as it does not affect me. Inherent in this belief system is the lack of a drive toward evangelism, toward sharing the gospel with people who are lost and on their way to an eternity apart from God. It’s a “live and let live” philosophy on steroids, and it is highly destructive. I could do an entire hour on post-modernism, but I’m veering off-track here.
Upon those lost and therefore “wicked” people God will allow a strong delusion to fall. Already spiritually blind, they will become even more deceived, mesmerized by the Antichrist and his Satanic antics. They will blindly follow him, even though judgments of God are falling upon the earth, even though their "house" is caving in all around them. The judgments will serve only to harden their hearts all the more. {This is one passage used by some to support their belief that it will be impossible for people to be saved during the Tribulation period (the "Left Behind" series notwithstanding!) }
So what is "the lie"? What is this "strong delusion"? Well, at it's most foundational, the lie is that Jesus Christ is not who He claims to be. All of Satan's lies have this at their foundation, along with "God's word is not true." Look at the first lie told in the Garden of Eden: "Did God really say that?"
But, beyond that, many have speculated about the form this delusion will take. As I was sitting here typing this post I got an alert on my phone from Fox News: "Discovery of Earth-like planet with a sun like our own." Hm-m-m-m....what odd timing! I was just about to state my personal belief, which is that the delusion will be that we sprang from an alien race, and that they have returned to affirm that fact. Ok, now before you go thinking that I've lost it, think about this....
The seeds of this are already being sown. Discoveries about DNA have disproven Darwinism. It is truly no longer tenable. If you listen closely to atheistic scientists, they are speculating (because they desperately NEED another false narrative) that an alien race created the Earth and all life that is in it. All that is needed is for those "aliens" to show up and "reveal" themselves as our creators. Perhaps this is part of what "the restrainer", spoken of earlier in this passage, is holding back? It is even not too far-fetched that the False Messiah will claim to be part of an alien race.
Paul immediately follows this pronouncement of doom with words of comfort and assurance for the Thessalonian believers.
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
2 Thess. 2:13-17
This passage reinforces the belief of some that the true Bride of Messiah will not go through the Tribulation period. Will Christians experience persecution? Yes, they have and are and will. But, even though many have been and will be martyred for their faith, the Tribulation period will be a time when God's judgment is poured out on the Earth and all who dwell in it. Over and over we are told in Scripture that Jesus Christ's Beloved is not marked for God's wrath, but for salvation. This passage, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 speaks to me as affirming that position. Paul seems to be saying to them, "This is not the time of the Lord's Return, that period of Tribulation, although you are now being persecuted. God has marked you for salvation; so, stand firm in your faith during this intense time of trial which you are experiencing."
Ah well, many will disagree. As always, search the Scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. What we need to focus on is Paul's admonition to "stand firm" in our faith and to be ready for His return, whenever that may be.
Now we find ourselves at the end of 2 Thessalonians 2 and in verses 16-17 reading one of Paul's beautiful blessings. There are so many beautiful blessings and benedictions in the Bible!
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
I am amazed that, despite their terribly adverse circumstances, Paul declares the Thessalonians blessed! (Remember, they were undergoing intense persecution at the time of this writing. They were "blessed tho pressed"!)
The first thing we need to see from these verses is that Paul is affirming the co-equality of the Son with the Father, by using in the Greek a singular verb, not a plural form, indicating that the two are equal. (Paul used this same word construction in 1 Thess. 3:11.)
The word "loved" here is agape love (Greek: agapesus), perfect, holy love. 1
Our Triune God (although the Spirit is not mentioned in this phrase) has not only loved us but has given us "everlasting consolation", or in some translations "eternal comfort". The Greek word used for "consolation" or "comfort" is "paraklesin"2, which you may recognize as the English "Paraclete" - - - "one who walks alongside". This is the same word/name given by Jesus to the Holy Spirit, The Comforter.
Note the Amplified Bible's version of John 14:16 - - -
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever
The Holy Spirit, like the Father and Son, IS from everlasting to everlasting.
Now, what about this "hope"? People often read the word "hope" in connection with Paul's remarks about heaven and salvation and incorrectly deduce that neither is certain. The Greek word for "hope" is "elpida", which Strong's Concordance translates as an expectant certainty, "an expectation of what is sure" 3.
And, how do we have this sure salvation? By God's own grace to us, through His Son, Jesus. Verse 17 hinges on verse 16. It is because of this truth, this certainty of Heaven, that we can be comforted no matter the circumstances. It is also this certainty and this grace which establish us in good works and words.
This is a key tenet, making Christianity different from all other religions. Whereas all other religions require the follower/devotee to work for salvation, Christianity affirms the disciple's works as evidence of his/her salvation. Our good works flow from what has already been accomplished in our spirits by the Holy Spirit.
My firm belief, stated yet again, and affirmed in the Scriptures is this: we are unable in and of ourselves to accomplish anything holy. It is our Triune God, working within us, who produces good works and good words. As Paul says here, it is the Lord Jesus and God the Father who "establish", or as the NASB put it, "strengthen" us.
What a beautiful blessing and prayer to meditate on today! No matter what trial we are currently experiencing, we have the certainty that God perfectly loves us and continues to bless us.
Remember that old song from the '60's? I was not sure...had to look it up on Google. But, it is titled, "With a Little Help From My Friends" and was popularized by the Beatles. I was reminded of that chorus as I was studying to prepare this teaching. (Of course, later on in the chorus, the writer extols the virtues of "getting high"....there the analogy breaks down!)
But, more to the point, this song came to mind as I studied the last chapter of this letter, 2 Thessalonians, chapter 3. This letter was written to encourage, commend and also to direct. In this last chapter, Paul addresses a persistent and unhelpful behavior on the part of some of the members of their young church.
All churches, young or old, have their "issues". Don't be fooled. Dr. Bob Jones, Jr., the chancellor of Bob Jones University said from the pulpit once, "If you find the perfect church, don't join it! You'll just mess it up!" Perhaps you have known Christian brothers and sisters who have hopped around from church to church because they discovered some "defect" in their local church. They kept "hopping" because they could not find the perfect church. That's because it doesn't exist!
It occurred to me to stop and think of the number of churches I’ve attended on a regular basis. I’ve lived in GA, NC, VA and IL - - each of them for at least 3 years. Four places would necessitate at least four churches, right? Well, I have been involved in and served faithfully in 9 different churches, four of them here in GA, where I have lived most of my life. Of those four, three of them were in different towns. I left all but two of them due to re-location.
My husband and I are members of a medium-sized congregation of believers. He leads a small group that has met weekly, mid-week, for over six years. We share a meal and study together the Scriptures afterwards. The group has about 22 people in it presently. We see those folks not only on the day of worship, but almost always 1-2 times or more outside of the weekly worship service. We have faced death, serious illness, abandonment, marriages, etc. together, supporting and encouraging one another. We call ourselves “framily” - - friends who are like family.
In the days of the early Christian churches, the brothers and sisters had much more interaction than we typically do today. They shared many meals together throughout the week, supported one another, shared their possessions freely and worshipped practically every time they got together. It was more like a "commune" than our modern-day church model in America. They were extremely interdependent upon one another.
In Thessalonica, it seems that one or two of the members of that fellowship had decided to "freeload". Paul referred to this behavior as "unruliness born of idleness". Because these folks were not pulling their weight, they had too much free time on their hands. And, they used that free time to become busybodies, folks who kept others unsettled or agitated.
Paul pointed out that even he and his team had not behaved this way when visiting the young church, even though they could have been considered honored guests. Instead, Paul wanted to be an example to them, showing how to live in "community", by earning his own way. And, he did!
The remedy that Paul prescribed for such a situation was given in verses 10, 14 and 15 - - -
1. Don't enable. In other words, don't support such persons in their negative behaviors.
2. Admonish the wayward brothers/sisters, as opposed to kicking them out of the fellowship, with the hope and prayer that they would begin to act in accordance with the way they had been taught.
It is human nature to freeload; anyone who has ever had children knows that. Children must be forced to adopt good habits, not the other way around! It is also counterintuitive to confront someone about their un-Christ-like behaviors, whether you are a parent or a fellow believer. Instead, most of us pray that folks will "come to their senses" and just straighten up, right? Sometimes, though, they need a little help. And, that's okay. We help each other. Not a single one of us is perfect. If someone loves you, truly loves you, he or she will not just let you keep on rockin' along in some ungodly behavior.
A common pitfall is to have our own noses too high in the air when we "sally forth on our white steed" to correct a brother. Jesus warned of this when he spoke of us having a two-by-four plank in our own eye as we correct a fellow believer about a splinter in hers (Matthew 7:3). In the play tht one of my former churches produced, one of the characters proclaimed herself a "fruit inspector"; another character pointed out that, rather than being a fruit inspector, that high-minded character was more of a "fruit bruiser" than anything else! Satan loves to play on our sinful pride by helping us to ignore our own sin while gleefully calling someone else on the carpet about theirs. So, we need to be very wary of that trap. You can't “live out the Torah" unless you walk in humility.
Of course, the best way is to examine our own hearts continually, and to be responsive to the Holy Spirit when He points out our OWN sins. If all of us did that, there would be many fewer problems in the Body. Sigh! Well, we can begin with ourselves. The "power of one". Revival has to start somewhere....might as well be with me.
This is how the peace of Jesus Christ reigns among us, His children (vs. 16). May it be so in our families, our workplaces, and especially in our churches. Paul's final word to this lovely group of Christ-followers: 16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every[r]circumstance
Lord Jesus, may Your peace be the hallmark of our Christian families and churches! Not a false peace, which allows dysfunction or misbehavior, but a true peace that is the result of loving each other. You do not leave us as You found us, wallowing in our sin. Instead, you remind us constantly of your grace, and how what you did on our behalf is so mind-blowingly amazing that it compels us to walk in Your holy way. Hallelujah! And, in Your blessed name, amen!
https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/second-thessalonian
https://www.ncronline.org/news/christians-and-muslims-again-top-list-faiths-facing-hostility-worldwide
