ESV 2 Thessalonians 1:11 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.
Comment on what it means to be made worthy of his calling....
It was the growing faith and love of the Thessalonians AND the future coming of the Kingdom of God that caused Paul's devotion to prayer for the Thessalonians...it was to that very end...the culmination of the Kingdom of God on earth with the Jesus loving, gospel believing Church that drove Paul to pray.
ESV 2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Two things concerned Paul's prayer request:
1) That the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored...just like it did in Thessalonica.
2) Deliverance from wicked and evil men!
ESV 1 Thessalonians 5:25 Brothers, pray for us.
Prayer is usually anchored to the spreading of the gospel in some way, shape or form.
The word of the Lord is the gospel of Christ's Kingdom!
The word of the Lord is not 'experience God's presence through worship'. It is not simply the Kingdom of God. It is the gospel of the Kingdom! It is a gospel centered word that is focused specifically on Jesus Christ. However the word of the Lord is not a message simply about who Jesus Christ is. NO it is more specific than that.
The word of the Lord is a specific message that reveals the ancient shadows of the Old Testament...making them clear. What were they shadows of? The word of the Lord is specifically a msg about the sacrificial lamb...the Passover lamb...the Lamb who will take away the sin of the world...as John the Baptist said.
The word of the Lord is an unchangeable message...here he does not mean a spontaneous prophetic word...he means specifically the very gospel message that brings life!
Tell the story of my calling to preach the gospel.
Tell my quest into the gospel message. Tell the vision I had from the Lord and how the NIV answered that specific prayer request.
NIV Colossians 1:19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Are we playing a really good game here? We are not called to play games with the holy things of God.
We are called to a real life and death struggle. This demands that we step up into the fulness of the calling that is on us.
Tell the vision of this church. What are we called to by God? Why do we exist here? What are we doing and how are we going to get there?
Prayer shield. Prayer within.
Call to prayer. My prayer for each one here. My request for prayer from each one.
We need to pray more about the word of the Lord...that is the very gospel message working in peoples lives setting them free and bringing them to Christ. We have too few prayers and ridiculously few prayers about the very power of God.
The Logos of the Stauros.....
ESV 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The message of the Cross is the built on faith in Jesus Christ and His power.
ESV Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
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