Great Expectations

In the passage we’ll be looking at today, Paul is sharing some of his expectations as a leader, as well as expectations of those in the church at Thessalonica. Today, we will see some expectations of our church leadership, as well as some biblical expectations of all of, us as followers of Jesus Christ.

The basis of these expectations are quite realistic. They are completely legitimate based upon the confidence we can have in the Lord. Great expectations are based on God’s faithfulness to us to accomplish what He desires in our lives, as we glorify Him.

Expectations for the Leaders - 3.1-2

2 Thessalonians 3:1–2 (NASB95)

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.

Paul was someone of whom you would have said that he was the best at what he did. He would have been the Billy Graham of evangelists. He would have been the John MacArthur of preachers. He would have been the C.H. Spurgeon of pastors. In fact, he was taught by the Rabbi Gamaliel, who was the very best teacher. He was one of the most intelligent thinkers and speakers of his time. If he were in our time, he would be sought after as a missionary and church planter.

However, that amazing background was not what made him who he was. So what was it that made him such an incredible leader for Jesus Christ? According to Colossians 1:29, it was God. “For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

That should be the understanding of every believer; especially those who are leaders in the church. If we would only realize that any success we might see is a direct result of God working in our lives, then we could more easily understand Paul’s requests to the Christ-followers in Thessalonica in these first two verses.

We already know that Paul prayed for all of those whom he had led to the Lord and who were serving in their own churches which he had a part in starting. Yet, I find it fascinating to see that he is requesting that they pray for him and his co-workers, as leaders in need of prayer support.

Verse 1 begins with the word finally. The word carries a literal meaning of besides that. This is not describing the end of this letter, but it shows a switch to some very practical requests and recommendations. No longer is he writing about the end times, but about the here and now, as to how followers of Christ are to live.

Now the request; pray. This word is in the present tense, which would be understood as asking the Thessalonians to make prayer a constant pattern. Pray for what? Plus, why would he ask new believers to pray for him, one who has such a profound history of ministry? Prayer is powerful and does not require years of following Christ in order to be effective. We have seen in our own family, as many of you will attest in your families, how sometimes our young children will pray in all earnestness and faithfulness, leading us to see God’s powerful hand in action. So why not encourage young believers to pray? Especially when Paul is asking them to pray for such eternal events.

The first item was that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified . . . In other words, Paul’s desire that the gospel of the good news of salvation would spread and have a powerful impact upon the unbelieving. It is also understood that what Paul is talking about isn’t Paul’s word, but rather, the Lord’s Word. The wording for the last part of the phrase, actually leans toward understanding it as, that the Word of the Lord may run. One commentator remarked: And when others see the incredible impact the Word of the Lord has on people, then others will glorify and be amazed by the Word.

Once an individual becomes saved, then the word of the Lord will have even more of an understanding by those saved, so that they will grow in their faith. Notice also, that Paul wants them to pray that it will spread rapidly. He wanted the gospel message to make significant progress. If this happens, then it would stand to reason, that the gospel would be glorified. In other words, the gospel would be received as the truth of the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

However, we know only too well, as did Paul, that not everyone is friendly to the truths of God’s Word. Jews and Gentiles had put up barriers to the Gospel as Paul proclaimed it. They were not just barriers; some would go so far as to attack the messenger of the good news. The same activity is happening today. However, at the same time, we cannot forget the fact that there are many who receive the gospel message by faith and so become followers of Jesus Christ.

So, Paul asks for prayers from the Thessalonians that he and the others would be kept safe from those who would oppose the Word of God. This wasn’t some selfish, self-centered prayer for personal bodily safety. This prayer for safety was most likely connected to the understanding that if he came into harm’s way, then he would be unable to proclaim the gospel message, which God had called him to do.

Who would actually oppose Paul and the message of salvation? Perverse and evil men are the ones opposing him. Perverse describes those who are totally unrighteous, or morally insane. If that’s not bad enough, Paul calls them evil. In other words, they were aggressively wicked. It seems that Satan will stop at nothing in attempting to stop Christ’s message of salvation from going forth with any impact. Thus, Paul requests prayer from the Thessalonians.

Sadly, not all have faith like the Thessalonians did. We can say the same thing today. Not everyone responds positively to the Word of God. Not only will many not respond positively, they will often respond in a hostile, antagonistic, sometimes violent manner. However, like Paul we know that the faithlessness of human beings cannot possibly overturn the faithfulness of God.

Expectations for the Followers - 3.3-5

2 Thessalonians 3:3–5 (NASB95)

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

We recall that Paul was in Corinth when he was writing this letter, unable to be with the Thessalonians. So, he continues to offer encouraging words as he knew that the Lord is faithful. Paul had observed this truth so many times, plus he knew of God’s promises and that they could be trusted.

Even though it seemed like those around them who were opposed to the Gospel were doing all they could to discourage the Thessalonians, Paul reminded them that they could trust God. That is what would cause them to remain strong. But how exactly would this take place?

God would strengthen and protect you. It is worth noting that Paul doesn’t include himself or his friends in this. He is speaking these words as a pastor or leader of this group of Christ-followers. His concern is for them. This is another way of stating that God would establish them and guard them. This protection is from the evil one. Since Paul is no longer dealing with the end times teaching, we can safely assume he is referring to Satan. Within ourselves, we can trust that God will give us the spiritual strength we need. We can also trust that the Lord will guard us from attacks from without, as well. Nobody can harm us unless the Lord allows it. Once again, Jude 24 reminds us of this great truth. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy . . . ”

Paul continues in verse 4 to remind the church to continue to be obedient to God. I appreciate Paul’s affirmation of the group, when he states that he had confidence in the Lord that they would continue to do what we command. This is similar to Paul’s comments to the Philippians in Philippians 1:6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Here in 2 Thessalonians, it also shows love for the Lord, as we do what He commands. All followers of Jesus Christ have a responsibility to obediently follow all that the Bible commands us to do.

Finally, in verse 5, we see that Paul desires for the church to keep growing. This verse is almost like a conclusion or a wrap-up for this particular portion of Scripture. Paul has shown confidence in God to continue His faithfulness to His children; Paul has observed the Thessalonians desiring to continue obeying God’s commands; so he now lets them know of his desire for their continued growth.

Paul uses the phrase direct your hearts, which is a bit unique. It carries with it the idea of removing every barrier so that there is an open path. In this way, their heart would easily move on into the love of God. The way this is worded seems to indicate that as they grow deeper in their understanding of God’s love for them, they would then find it easier to love God with even more intensity. This sounds like something the apostle John wrote in one of his short letters: We love Him because He first loved us.

This would then cause them to move into the steadfastness of Christ. It is helpful to understand this word also means patience. My friends, isn’t it glorious to consider how patient Jesus is with us. We struggle with sin, we struggle with our daily challenges, or just our struggles in general. When we consider Christ’s patience with us, we can move into more of a patient lifestyle of love with others, as well.

What an encouraging passage as Paul reveals his heart as a leader for those under his care. He seeks prayer from those whom he was leading. He continually urges them to trust God, while obeying the Scriptures, with the intent to keep on growing in Christ.

It has been rightly stated that “When pastor and people each fulfill their clear, scripturally mandated responsibilities to one another, God blesses the church and makes it powerful, effective, and joyful.”

Great expectations are based on God’s faithfulness to us to accomplish what He desires in our lives.