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From Persecution to Perseverance The Living Message of Second Thessalonians

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Ever wondered how the early Christians maintained unwavering faith amidst intense persecution? This week on Two Fish, Nick and Aaron guide us through the enduring wisdom of Paul in Second Thessalonians. As we traverse the heartfelt greetings and affirmations in Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, we discover not only the commendable resilience of the ancient church but also the profound relevance for modern believers. Our hosts unpack how Paul's words embolden us to face trials with the same steadfast faith and growing love that defined the early Christian community.

Feel the weight of every word as we celebrate the Thessalonian church's example that shines across the ages, an emblem of grace and peace amidst adversity. Nick and Aaron don't just recount history; they connect the dots to our present-day journey of faith. Join us for an enriching session that promises to bolster your spirit and reaffirm the power of community in faith. As we analyze each chapter of Second Thessalonians, be prepared for a strengthening of heart, an ignition of passion, and a newfound appreciation for the trials that refine us.

Speaker 1:

Welcome back to the two fish podcast. My name is Nick, I'm Aaron and this week we're going into the second Thessalonians book, where Paul talks about the judgment of Christ return.

Speaker 2:

That's right Two fish community. We are back. Yeah, and our last episode finished up, first Thessalonians, and now we're going to dive into second Thessalonians. There'll be about three episodes of this. Yeah, there's three chapters.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So if you haven't listened to the first book of first Thessalonians that we did, those episodes go back. Pause this one, go back, listen, because there's so much good content. Paul writes to the church and that's a little in Ikea I'm pretty sure that's how you say that Thessalonia, thessalonica. I think it's a little like a but. Go back and listen to those. That way you'll be completely caught up, because now later Paul's writing them again to talk about some different stuff, and so we're going to get straight into it this week again. Second Thessalonians, chapter one. I'm reading from the ESV or die version.

Speaker 2:

I am in IV.

Speaker 1:

This week and Aaron didn't bring his normal Bible. He forgot it at home and bring every man's Bible every man. So you got the backup man this week. Verse number one Paul Sylvanas and Timothy to your says Silas. I'm getting a look from Aaron as I'm reading.

Speaker 2:

He's like what are you?

Speaker 1:

reading what Silas All right, let me start that over Paul, silas and Timothy to the church in Thessalonians and God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That is almost word for word what he said man, I work for. The first letter that he wrote of their first I was learning says to the church of Thessalonian and God, the Father and Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace. So he's basically saying the exact same thing. This was a common and we talked about it before. Go listen to some of the other books we've done these guys. The way they start their books says something about the content coming up. Sometimes they're very serious. They're like this is who I am, you can trust, I'm an apostle, you can trust this, and this one to me seems very chill.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think you can flip back to Colossians and his introduction ends with grace and peace to you from God, our Father yeah like it's pretty similar and it kind of does. You can catch the mood and his first first words. He opens up in his letter yeah, I wonder.

Speaker 1:

Actually I'm doing a study for another ministry, but I'm speaking on grace and there's a lot of these books that have either started and or ended talking about grace. Made the great grace to you and peace from our God. I wonder how many actual verses do that? How many actual books do that? I don't know, I'll have to look into it. Anyway, verse number three we always give thanks to God for you brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. Therefore, we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. So here he's letting them know hey, as we're traveling around, as we're doing our missionary thing, we're constantly boasting about you guys because through the persecution that you guys have been going through, you've endured.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think this is another point in the previous first Thessalonians. Like he got the good report from Timothy that, hey, you guys are doing fantastic and I think he's reiterating that here. Like you guys are, you're continuing to endure the things that are going on. I think we're going to get into why he wrote the second letter here in a little bit. But they're enduring something else and he's once again encouraging them and just saying you guys have been such a great example. Yeah, continuing that.

Speaker 1:

And I think not only is that an example for the church other churches then but I think that's an example for us Christ followers Now is to say these guys did it right. Well, what are they going through? They're going through persecution, and for us now and I think we talked about this maybe in the third or fourth chapter as Christians, as Christ followers, we're going to go through persecution. Now it may look different.

Speaker 1:

There are places in the world where persecution is death beheading it's, it's, it's serious Sometimes we in the Western world, and especially in America oh, my feelings got hurt on Twitter today and that's persecution. You know, I mean like it is, but it's not. Yeah, you're standing up for your faith and that's a good thing, but you're not being persecuted.

Speaker 2:

Right, there's some countries. If they can't find you, they're going to go take your family. Yeah like they're getting you one way or another. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And so he's saying you're per, you're being persecuted and you're enduring, and that's the example we're boasting so much. You're not. You're not straying away when things get hard, we're not going okay, whatever, Back to normal. I don't need this Jesus thing. You're enduring through the persecution.

Speaker 2:

I think, going on here to verse five, all this evidence that God's judgment is right and, as a result, you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are suffering. God is just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven and blazing fire with his powerful angels.

Speaker 1:

I love that Mine says that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God. I'm sorry, let me back up there. This is evidence, he says the persecution that you're enduring is evidence that you're doing a good job and this is worthy of the kingdom of God. Now, I think this is one of those verses. Maybe you can just had a conversation with others today. Ephesians two, eight, nine says for it is by grace. You haven't saved through faith. This isn't something you've done Like. This is a gift of God.

Speaker 1:

And I think here it's not because you're persevering that you're in the kingdom of God that you're worthy of the kingdom of God. That's not it. It's evidence that you're worthy of the kingdom of God. It's evidence of the change in your life. This persecution that you're enduring, it's sharpening. We talked about James how it sharpens us. Trials make us better. We're worthy of the kingdom of God. How do we know? There's evidence of it. It's not because of the things we're doing, but the things we're doing are evidence of the fact that we're worthy. And that's that grace thing, for it is by grace. Ephesians says it's a gift, you can't earn it, but the fruit of our lives is going to show evidence of it.

Speaker 2:

I like. That's the faith verse works, works, works. First faith. What good is your faith without words? What good is your works without faith? And so that whole concept embedded in there and I think, one of the things I mentioned here. We're getting the end of this and Paul is writing this letter because he got a report coming out of Thessalonia that they somehow thought the second coming of Jesus had already come and like they missed it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So this is kind of his opening statement to rebuking that like you're going to know when the second coming comes, because he's coming in a blaze of fire.

Speaker 1:

Mine says afflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's scary. Put those words together. God's coming in flaming vengeance on those who do not believe and do not apologize. All right, that's makes it pause for a second. Pump the brakes and go. Oh boy.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's a gut check. It's also kind of a gut check. We don't know when that day is coming. Who's in your circle that struggles with believing? You don't know when he's coming in this blazing fire with powerful angels like you. Don't know what day he's gonna come riding in on the cloud or whatever Ball flame is coming writing on a ball flame.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we should have a heart for the unbeliever, because we know what's coming.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 1:

Verse number nine they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all those who believed, because our testimony to you was believed. He's doubling down again on the fact that God's coming in a flame of vengeance. He's going to wipe out those who do not believe and they're going to live a punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of God, like I think he's. He's doubling down on the fact that this is not going to be a good thing.

Speaker 2:

It's gonna be a good thing for those of you that believe.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

For those of you that haven't believed, is not going to be a good thing. The end of, like the end of verse 10. This includes you, thessalonia. This includes you, nick, because you believed our testimony to you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Our testimony would be Paul's testimony, the disciples testimony who are all ultimately persecuted, and well, not all of them all, but like what to? Were martyred because of their sharing of the testimony of Jesus Christ and how they shared it and how bold they were with it and how that altered the world.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, just a pause there for a second. When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all those who believe, to think about that day, what a day my. My Bible uses my version uses the word marveled, I don't know exactly which one. Yours used in 10 there marveled, marveled. That's just going to be a day of, oh my gosh, all the stuff we've read and it's filled completely and it's and there's God, or this whole vengeance thing of seeing. I mean that's going to be a marvelous thing for us. It's going to be an amazing thing when God fulfills everything he's promised. Yeah, I just think that's going to be amazing. Verse number 11 to this end, we will always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and for every work of faith by his power, so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you and him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2:

Very like verse 11. Mine reads with this in mind we constantly pray for you. I think we spent a couple episodes that that idea is almost formed me to constantly pray for someone.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Like, how good was Paul, timothy and Silas, how good were they praying for these other communities?

Speaker 1:

Par warriors. I mean there was. And they're constantly boasting, like they're not just saying it to the person hey, you did a good job. They're going to the next person saying, back there, they did a good job, pray. Those guys back there, they did a good job, pray. Like they're doing more than just pray, they're boasting about and it's just constant.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I would imagine like, if you think about it, they're going to from Thessalonia to Corinth and they're going to that community and saying look how that community has changed. They're talking. It's not all. I can't imagine it's all in the context of the Bible. They're conversations. But those conversations would have been look how they change from those sinful ways, yeah, and started following Christ. Look what they've done.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And this letter here is an example of hey, they're doing fantastic. They just grabbed hold of one dumb thing, and that is Christ has not come back yet. Yeah, and to this day, christ has not come back in times, basically, like we've been in in times since Jesus hung on the cross. It's just a matter of when is it gonna get so bad and the day of the Lord is gonna come.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, again, he's praising them for their good resolve, for their steadfastness, for their faithfulness, their persecution, and at the end, I think he just sums that all up so well All of us is so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified within you and you and him, like that's the whole point. You've been persecuted, you've been steadfast and faithful. You this, you that, you that, we're boasting, we're boasting, we're praying, we're praying all so that Jesus gets the glory.

Speaker 1:

That's the whole point of the whole thing. I'm not we're not boasting to make you more proud, make you a proud people. We're not boasting to look what we did. We're boasting it's all so that the name of the Lord may be glorified. And I think that's also one of those challenging things is like man, sometimes when I do really well, I feel this pride within myself of look what I just did. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, or man, I got through that, man, I got through that. Look at me.

Speaker 2:

No, we're both kind of in sales. It's I made that big sale. Look what I did. It's very prideful, like it's so easy for guys. I feel like especially guys. Women can be this way too, but you do something that feels like success and you're like look what I did.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Look at me, and that's not what they're trying to do. Look at what Christ did through you. Yeah, look at what you can do when you're in Christ and Christ is in you. Remember who gets the glory. Yeah, that's good.

Speaker 1:

I guess this week, just remember we need to be praying about being steadfast in our faith through persecution and looking forward to that flaming vengeance, that marvelous day when Jesus comes back. Be ready, Be steadfast and be faithful and join us next week here on the Two Fish Podcast.

Speaker 2:

Thanks for tuning in this week. If you enjoyed this episode, hit those like and subscribe buttons. Also, head over to twofishpodcastcom to join the rest of the Two Fish community and all of our social media platforms.