This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Blog postings occur at 6 P.M. each day following the day they have been written. The Daily Studies are available a full day earlier by signing up on the Daily Bible Study Mailing List (optional of course).
To allow the Daily Bible Study to come to you via e-mail every day, and also offer your support for the study, then please consider signing up on the:
Bible Study Mailing List
Become a Fan of Daily Bible Study
2 Thessalonians 3:1
DailyBibleStudy.Org
Become a Fan of the Daily Bible Study
1 Finally, [loipon] brethren, [adelphos] pray [proseuchomai] for [peri] us, [hemon] that [hina] the word [logos] of the Lord [kurios] may have free course, [trecho] and [kai] be glorified, [doxazo] even [kai] as [kathos] it is with [pros] you: [humas] KJV-Interlinear
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; NASB
Paul asks for prayer from all who hear the word, for himself and for those who are with him in his ministry.
Prayer is the ammunition, artillery, fire power, the only weapon that Christians in this world, possess, for the purpose of obtaining Gods active favor and therefore blessings for this life.
Paul was a highly educated man. He had a list of credentials, position, and status that were longer than ones arm. But none of these qualified him for the ministry which God required. God had to literally put Paul in the dirt and blind him in order for him to see and understand. Far too often people are impressed with talent, accomplishment, titles and such, that come from this world. But just as often, these things become barriers and obstacles that severely limit mans comprehension and application of truth, knowledge, and wisdom.
This does not mean that you can quit school, or quit life, and go out into the frontier, in isolation, and learn about life from the trees and the bears. But what this does mean, is that we all have obligations and commitments that accompany our God given role within our spiritual life.
Paul was an instructor. His obligation, as with all instructors, was not to get people whipped up into emotional frenzies, but to prepare himself and then teach the fundamental and advanced principles of doctrine. Beginning with the gospel so that people could be saved, and then advancing them, step by step, through their spiritual life to maturity and completion.
To accomplish this, Paul did not rely on his extensive academic record, but on prayer.
Prayer which came from people he knew and from people he did not know.
Col. 1:29
29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. NASB
Pauls ability did not come from his advanced intellect, but from the power of God, functioning within him.
And so it is with you. As a student without portfolio, you come before the Lord knowing nothing, and ready to learn everything. That means you keep silent and listen and learn, and grow up.
But the resources for this spiritual process within you, comes at a cost, and your cost is prayer. But not just any prayer, this is a prayer for the availability of doctrine, for the availability of someone to teach it, for the resources to make that instruction feasible, and for the environment which will allow the learning and growth to be easily obtainable.
Prayer, ‘proseuchomai,’ is in the present tense, which means that it is prayer that never ceases. Your prayer is to be continual, day in and day out, throughout your life. This does not mean that you have to pray every minute of every day, around the clock. That would not be possible, nor even practical. What this means is that you are to realize that the real resource for the support and the sustaining of your very life, is Bible doctrine. There is nothing else on this earth to which you can turn that will perpetuate your life for even a moment. God does that, not nature.
Therefore, this means that you recognize that doctrine is your priority, and that regardless of what you do in life, doctrine will always be scheduled in your daily agenda, and your prayers will include your plea for a continual and uninterrupted supply of doctrine and doctrinal instruction.
Bible doctrine is your spiritual food. Without food you die.
But this food needs to be available to everyone, not just you. A healthy village, and healthy community, and a healthy society, means greater prosperity and happiness for all. An unhealthy society means crime, suffering, tyranny, prejudice, and everything bad that you can think of in life. A starving society turns to cannibalism (spiritual and moral degeneracy), disintegration, and dies.
‘May have free course,’ means to spread rapidly. With prayer, and doctrine and instruction, the course of the spiritual life will run like a tireless runner, gobbling up ground as he advances toward his objective. Doctrine should proliferate as an army advances forward seizing territory and control over that territory, for freedom, then liberty, then opportunity, then prosperity, then security, then contentment, and then happiness.
Bible doctrine is the key to all things good (of an intrinsic nature). Bible doctrine is the key to your life.
Your greatest fear should never be of the many threats that this world may initiate against you, but of that which God may withhold from you – namely Bible doctrine.
Bible doctrine is the life blood, the building material, the primary resource for building up your life.
‘And be glorified,’ ‘doxazo,’ means to achieve the goal of honor, of magnification, of glory, magnificence, grandeur. And again these are tangible results of an intrinsic nature. Their value is extreme, undiminished, and eternal.
Glorification in your life comes as a result of your advancement to spiritual maturity, which means learning, understanding, functioning (production), and possessing wisdom, true wisdom.
‘As it did with you.’ The Thessalonians had a rocky start in Christianity. They had to put up with many adverse situations. That is the nature of life.
Many of you live in relatively prosperous circumstances, but you may still have stressful situations from family, health, work, and so forth. Many of you live in parts of the world that are downright unsafe, where just staying alive is a challenge each day.
But with God, no situation, no set of circumstances is unmanageable. When you desire doctrine, when you desire a relationship with God, then He is faithful and will either bring doctrine to you, or you to doctrine. The trip or the logistics may not be what you expect, but the ultimate result of having the opportunity and availability of doctrine for your life, will be well worth any inconvenience you may have to endure.
And with God, spiritual success is always achievable.
Become a Fan of the Daily Bible Study
An E-mail Subscription (optional) is Available
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
