ACTS 18
THE ELOQUENT APOLLOS

• Apollos In Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila begin visiting the synagogue to locate any Jewish or God-fearing seekers.
• They follow up with those who were impressed with Paul’s message when he was there.
• Priscilla and Aquila share the gospel with a man named Epaenetus, and he receives it.
• Epaenetus becomes the first convert in Ephesus.
• Romans 16:5 - Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert, to Christ from Asia.[1]

24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus.

• Although he was Jewish, Apollos was probably knowledgeable in other customs since he came from a major Roman city where Jews were more influenced by Graeco-Roman culture than they were in Judaea and the nearby regions.[2]
• When Paul departed from Ephesus for Jerusalem, he left his friends Aquila and Priscilla behind to carry on the witness in the synagogue.
• Imagine their surprise one Sabbath to hear a visiting Jewish teacher named Apollos preach many of the truths that they themselves believed and taught!
• He came from Alexandria, the second most important city in the Roman Empire.
• A center for education and philosophy, the city was founded by (and named after) Alexander the Great, and it boasted a university with a library of almost 700,000 volumes.
• The population of Alexandria (about 600,000) was quite cosmopolitan, being made up of Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and Jews. At least a quarter of the population was Jewish, and the Jewish community was very influential.

25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.

• Apollos knew the Old Testament Scriptures well and was able to teach them with eloquence and power.
• He was fervent (“boiling”) in his spirit and diligent in his presentation of the message.
• He was bold enough to enter the synagogue and preach to the Jews.
• The only problem was that this enthusiastic man was declaring an incomplete Gospel.
• His message got as far as John the Baptist and then stopped!
• He knew nothing about Calvary, the resurrection of Christ, or the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. He had zeal, but he lacked spiritual knowledge (Rom. 10:1–4).[3]
• In the Gospels and Acts, it is precisely the Holy Spirit who distinguishes the baptism of John from that of Jesus (cf. Mark 1:8; Acts 1:5).[4]
• Apollos’ message was not inaccurate or insincere; it was just incomplete.

After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 27 When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.[5]

• Aquila and Priscilla did not instruct him in public because that would have only confused the Jews.
• They took him home to a Sabbath dinner and then told him about Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
• They led him into a deeper knowledge of Christ; and the next Sabbath, Apollos returned to the synagogue and gave the Jews the rest of the story!
• It is noteworthy that Priscilla took an equal role with her husband in further instructing Apollos.[6]
• In fact, so effective was his ministry that the believers in Ephesus highly recommended him to the churches in Achaia.
• The mention of the Ephesian brothers who provided a letter of recommendation for Apollos is significant because it is the first clear evidence that a church had by now been established in Ephesus.[7]
• Here Apollos not only strengthened the saints, but he also debated with the unbelieving Jews and convinced many of them that Jesus is the Messiah.[8]

 
ACTS 19
TWELVE DISCIPLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
SUMMER 54
1 While Apollos was in Corinth,

• When Apollos arrives in Corinth, he argues with and refutes the local Jews in the synagogue with his apologetic savvy, his logic, and his rhetoric.
• He also encourages the Corinthian believers who have believed by grace.
• The Corinthians are spellbound by Apollos’ masterful Greco-Roman oratory.
• As a result, some of the Corinthian believers, mostly made up of Greeks, begin to rally around Apollos.
• Because Apollos is so gifted a speaker, they begin to criticize Paul as a less capable orator and a less spiritual person.
• (1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4–6, 22; 4:6).
• It is unfortunate that a clique gathered around him and helped bring division to the church, because he was definitely one of Paul’s friends and a trusted helper (1 Cor. 16:12; Titus 3:13).[9]
• Evidently Apollos returned to Ephesus. When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, probably in the latter part of his Ephesian ministry, Apollos was with him in Ephesus (1 Cor 16:12).[10]

Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus.

• Show map of 3rd Missionary Journey
• When Apollos leaves, Barnabas pays a visit to Corinth to strengthen the church. (1 Corinthians 9:6 – Corinthians are familiar with Barnabas.)
• Peter and his wife also visit Corinth. (1 Corinthians 9:5)
• Peter is noted for his signs and wonders.
• As is his custom when visiting a church, Peter performs some healings in the city.
• As a consequence, a Corinthian party, mostly made up of Jews, develops around Peter. (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5)
• The Jews are known for being awed by signs and wonders. (1 Corinthians 1:22 - For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom,[11])
• In reaction to the growing divisions, some of the Corinthians declare that Paul is their only apostle, while others are claiming that they exclusively follow Christ and not men.
• The church in Corinth is becoming fractured. Parties are developing around the different apostolic workers who have visited the church. (1 Corinthians 1:12-13. 3:4-9. 21-23)
• Paul leaves Antioch with Titus.
• The two men head up through Tarsus through the Cilician Gates to South Galatia.
• They visit and encourage all the Galatian churches, strengthening them in their faith.
• The Galatian churches have not seen Paul in four years!
• Paul gives each church instructions concerning the Jerusalem relief fund.
• From South Galatia, Paul picks up Gaius (from Derbe) and Timothy (from Lystra) to accompany him to Ephesus.
• Paul, Titus, Gaius, and Timothy take the upper country and make their way by land to Ephesus in Asia Minor.
• When they come to Ephesus, they meet three brothers whom Paul has sent for: Sopater (of Berea), Aristarchus, and Secundus (both of Thessalonica).
• Paul will train these six men in Ephesus for the work of planting churches.
• Their mission is to expand the community that God has purposed from the beginning so that His nature will be expressed throughout the earth.
• These men will also serve as delegates from their respective churches when delivering the relief fund to the church in Jerusalem.
• While Luke does not explicitly tell us that Paul picked these men up to go with him to Ephesus, we know they are there in Ephesus with him.
• The following passages of Scripture put all eight men in Ephesus during the time that Paul was there: Acts 19:22; 20:4; 21:29; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 16:10,20 (Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus).
• One can infer that Titus is there since Luke never mentions him throughout Acts, yet we know he is present on many occasions from Paul’s letters.
• We learn from 2 Corinthians 8 that Titus represented Corinth for the Jerusalem relief fund, and it is clear from the letter to Titus that Paul trained him.

Sharpening the Focus:

• Ephesus is a free Greek city located at the mouth of the Cayster River, which flows into the Aegean Sea.
• It is the largest city in Asia Minor.
• The population of Ephesus is 225,000, and it has a large Jewish population.
• Ephesus is a seaport and is the first ranking city of Asia Minor in commerce, wealth, politics, and religion.
• It is the New York of the ancient world.
• The city has a central hub that connects the eastern world with the western world, making it a magnificent city of wealth.
• The city’s wealth is reflected everywhere, from its marble-paved main street to the mosaic floors in its aristocratic homes.
• One of the seven wonders of the world is also there: the great temple of Artemis (in Latin her name is Diana; she is a nature-fertility goddess).
• It took 220 years to build this temple. Built out of pure white marble, it is the largest building in existence at this time and is known worldwide.
• The temple is 220 feet by 425 feet. It is supported by 127 columns, each of them 60 feet high, and is adorned by some of the greatest sculptors of the age.
• In the temple resides a statue of Diana, which the Ephesians believe fell from the sky. Ephesus is also the center for magical arts and occult practices in Asia.

He found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

• For Paul a true disciple of John, a completed disciple of John, was a Christian. That is the whole point of the present narrative.[12]

“No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

• John’s disciples would surely have been acquainted with the Spirit and especially with his teaching that with the coming of the Messiah the Spirit would be poured out (cf. Luke 3:16).
• What they would not be aware of, if they had not heard of Jesus’ death and resurrection and of the event at Pentecost, was that this proclamation of John had been fulfilled in Christ.[13]

3 “Into what then were you baptized?” he asked them.
“Into John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. 7 Now there were about twelve men in all.

• These 12 men, along with Priscilla, Aquila and Epaenetus, form the nucleus of the Ephesian Church.
• Two other Greek converts are made and added to the church – Tychicus and Trophimus.
• The body of Christ is born in Asia!

 
IN THE LECTURE HALL OF TYRANNUS
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples, and conducted discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

• The Jews rejected Paul’s teachings.

10 This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

• hardness of heart set in (Heb. 3:7ff), so Paul left the synagogue and moved his ministry to a schoolroom, taking his disciples with him.
• He probably used the room during the “off hours” each day (11 a.m.to 4 p.m.), when many people would be resting.
• In the Greco-Roman world, the business day ended at 11 AM when most of the city ate a meal followed by a nap!
• Paul ministered in this way for about two years and “all they who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks”[14]
• Philemon owns a slave named Onesimus.
• Paul leads Philemon to Christ, and he becomes a help to Paul.
• After their short stay, Philemon and Onesimus head back to their home in Colosse.
• Around the same time , a man named Epaphras visits Ephesus. Epaphras is also from Colosse.
• Paul leads him to the Lord, and Epaphrus stays in Ephesus for a time to learn from Paul and the church.
• Epaphrus then heads back to Colosse.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 16:5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 18:24). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 479). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 396). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ac 18:12–28). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 397). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 397). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 480). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 480). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 398). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 1:22). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 399). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 399). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[14] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 481). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

• We left off last week with Paul finishing his 2nd letter to the Church at Thessalonica.
• 2nd Missionary Journey Map
• The money that Silas brought to Paul from Philippi has run out.
• So Paul resumes his work as a tentmaker along with Priscilla and Aquila.
• Paul refuses to take money from the Corinthian believers, lest he be a burden on them.
• He stands by his conviction to offer his gospel free of charge.
• 1 Corinthians 9:12 - If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right; instead, we endure everything so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ. [1]

 
Acts 18
Summer 53
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the tribunal.

• Lucius Junius Gallio, the governor (or proconsul) of Southern Greece
• Gallio was the older brother of Annaeus Seneca, the famous stoic philosopher and playwright who tutored Emperor Nero.
• Achaia, is one of the regional units of Greece.
• It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.
• The capital is Patras which is the third largest city in Greece.

13 “This man,” they said, “is persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

• The arrival of a new proconsul gave the unbelieving Jews hope that Rome might declare this new “Christian sect” illegal.
• They broke the law by attacking Paul and forcing him to go to court.
• This was not the first time that fanatical Jews had tried to prove that Paul was breaking the Roman law (Acts 16:19–24; 17:6–7).

14 As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or of a serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. 15 But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”

• Being a Roman citizen, Paul was prepared to defend himself; but this turned out to be unnecessary because Gallio defended Paul!
• The proconsul immediately saw that the real issue was not the application of the Roman law but the interpretation of the Jewish religion, so he refused to try the case![2]
• Political division and distraction tactics.

16 So he drove them from the tribunal. 17 And they all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal, but none of these things mattered to Gallio.

• The Greeks who were witnessing the scene got hold of Sosthenes, the man who replaced Crispus as ruler of the synagogue, and beat him right before the eyes of the proconsul!
• It was certainly a flagrant display of anti-Semitism, but Gallio looked the other way.
• If this is the same Sosthenes mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:1, then he too got converted; and the Jews had to find another ruler for their synagogue!
• It would be interesting to know exactly how it happened.
• Did Paul and some of the believers visit Sosthenes and minister to him?
• Perhaps his predecessor Crispus helped “wash the wounds” (Acts 16:33) and used this as an opportunity to share the love of Christ.
• How strange and wonderful are the providences of God!
• The Jews tried to force the Roman proconsul to declare the Christian faith illegal, but Gallio ended up doing just the opposite.
• By refusing to try the case, Gallio made it clear that Rome would not get involved in cases involving Jewish religious disputes.
• As far as he was concerned, Paul and his disciples had as much right as the Jews to practice their religion and share it with others.[3]

 
THE RETURN TRIP TO ANTIOCH
18 After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.

• After spending some more time in Corinth, Paul leaves and sets sail across the Aegean Sea to the city of Ephesus.
• He takes Priscilla and Aquila with him. On their way, they stop at a little town seven miles east of Corinth called Cenchrea.
• Cenchraea was the seaport for Corinth, and there was a Christian congregation there (Rom. 16:1 - I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae.[4] ).
• Here Paul had his head shaved, “for he had a vow.”
• This probably refers to the Nazarite vow described in Numbers 6 – (1The Lord instructed Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself to the Lord, 3 he is to abstain from wine and beer. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from beer. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 He is not to eat anything produced by the grapevine, from seeds to skin, during the period of his consecration.
• “You must not cut his hair throughout the time of his vow of consecration. He may be holy until the time is completed during which he consecrates himself to the Lord; he is to let the hair of his head grow long. 6 He must not go near a dead body during the time he consecrates himself to the Lord. 7 He is not to defile himself for his father or mother, or his brother or sister, when they die, while the mark of consecration to his God is on his head. 8 He is holy to the Lord during the time of consecration.[5]).
• Since the Nazarite vow was purely voluntary, Paul was not abandoning grace for law when he undertook it.
• The vow was not a matter of salvation but of personal devotion to the Lord.
• He allowed his hair to grow for a specific length of time and then cut it when the vow was completed.
• He also abstained from using the fruit of the vine in any form.
• We are not told why Paul took this vow.
• Perhaps it was a part of his special dedication to God during the difficult days of the early ministry in Corinth.
• Or perhaps the vow was an expression of gratitude to God for all that He had done for him and his associates.
• According to Jewish law, the Nazarite vow had to be completed in Jerusalem with the offering of the proper sacrifices.
• The hair was shorn at the completion of the vow, not at the beginning; and it was not necessary for one to be in Jerusalem to make the vow.[6]

19 When they reached Ephesus he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and debated with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, 21 but he said farewell and added, “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

• Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila set sail to the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor.
• Priscilla and Aquila settle there and set up their tentmaking business.
• Paul goes to the synagogue briefly and preaches to the Jews.
• The Jews ask him to stay longer, but he cannot. He tells them that he plans to return, God willing.

22 On landing at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, then went down to Antioch.

• Paul sails to Caesarea and from there he visits the church in Jerusalem.
• He greets the Jerusalem church and returns to his home base in Antioch of Syria where he rests.
• Silas heads back to Jerusalem and Timothy returns to Lystra.
• 2nd Missionary Journey Map
• 2nd Missionary Journey Map – From Corinth to Ephesus
• 2nd Missionary Journey Map

 
Spring 54
23 After spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

• 3rd Missionary Journey Map - Beginning
• 3rd Missionary Journey Map
• While in Antioch, Syria, Paul plots three things.
• They will set the course for the rest of his ministry until his death:
• 1) He decides to begin the Jerusalem relief fund. This is a collection campaign taken from among all of the Gentile churches that Paul planted to relieve the chronic poverty of the Jerusalem Christians.
• Paul does this to mend the rift between the Hebrew and Gentile believers.
• He sends a letter to the churches in Galatia, telling them about the relief fund and gives them specific instructions on how to begin collecting for it.
• 1 Corinthians 16:1 - Now about the collection for the saints: Do the same as I instructed the Galatian churches.[7]
• We do not have this letter, nor do we know exactly when Paul told the Galatians about the relief fund.
• 2) Paul is approximately 50 years old. He is an old man according to first-century standards.
• So he decides to train apostolic workers in Ephesus in the same way that Jesus Christ trained the twelve apostles in Galilee.
• The men Paul trains are Gentiles and will represent the Gentile churches when they deliver the relief fund to Jerusalem.
• 3) Paul has a desire to take the gospel to Rome and then to Spain. He plans to accomplish this on his fourth journey, after he plants the church in Ephesus and brings the relief fund to Jerusalem.

Romans 15:23-24 - I have strongly desired for many years to come to you 24 whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while.[8]

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 9:12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 477). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 477–478). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 16:1). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Nu 6:1–8). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 478). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 16:1). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 15:23–24). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

• We left off last week with Paul talking about the Day of the Lord in the body of his letter found in Chapter 2.
• Chapter 3:1-15 is considered part of the body of the letter as well.

 
2 THESSALONIANS 3
PRAY FOR US

• This 1st paragraph almost makes it seem like Paul got interrupted in the writing of this letter.
• He put down his pen and then came back to the letter.
• He got a running start for the 2nd issue he needed to deal with… rebellious idlers.

1 In addition, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s endurance.
 
WARNING AGAINST IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR

• 1) Paul warned the church in Thessalonica when he was present and the church was starting.
• This was 51 AD on Paul’s 2nd Missionary Journey (his current journey) when he was in Thessalonica for at least 3 weeks.
• In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, Paul says, “For when we were with you, we also were repeatedly commanding this to you: ‘If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.’
• So the first warning goes all the [way back] to the foundation of the church.[1]
• 2) Paul warned them again in his 1st letter
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 - to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.[2]
• 3) Now Paul warns the Church for the 3rd time in this 2nd letter.

6 Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister who is idle and does not live according to the tradition received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you should imitate us: We were not idle among you; 8 we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and toiled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us. 10 In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.” 11 For we hear that there are some among you who are idle. They are not busy but busybodies. 12 Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and provide for themselves. 13 But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good.
14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take note of that person; don’t associate with him, so that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet don’t consider him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

• There are a group of people in the Thessalonian church that Paul uses the word atakt-, which is the Greek word, to describe.
• He uses that Greek root three times.
• He uses it in verse 6 and verse 7 and 11.

 
Primary Meaning

• And the challenge is there are two different meanings to that particular Greek root word.
• The primary meaning of that word has to do with people who are disorderly or unruly.
• So it refers to—in the context of military officers—to soldiers who do not obey their commands, to officers who neglect their duties, or [to] an army that’s in disarray.
• And in a nonmilitary context, the word is used to describe people who don’t follow the rules of proper conduct in the ancient gymnasium or sons who don’t help out their parents financially or apprentices who miss work or fail to live up to the requirements of their contract.
• So when you look at all the different contexts in which this word is often used, you end up with the meaning of, again, disorderly or unruly or insubordinate.

 
Secondary Meaning

• But there is a secondary meaning to this Greek root, a more narrow meaning where it talks about those who are disorderly specifically with regard to work.
• And a good couple of English words that nicely capture that are those who are “idle,” those who are “lazy.”
• And that translation is supported by the context of our paragraph.
• For instance, this would explain why Paul appeals to his example of one of self-sufficient work (verses 7–9).
• It would also explain why Paul appeals to his teaching about self-sufficient work (verse 10).

 
Combined Meaning

• A combined meaning of these two ideas together, is the translation “rebellious idlers.”
• On the one hand, some in the church were clearly not working, and [were] taking advantage of the love and generosity of fellow members—they were idle.
• On the other hand, this is the third time that Paul has addressed the matter; in other words, the idlers have refused to obey Paul on this matter [or] his appointed church leaders, and so they are also rebellious.
• ‘rebellious idlers’—those who were not merely lazy but who compounded their sin by rebelliously refusing to obey the command of both their congregational leaders and even Paul himself.”

 
1. The first paragraph is found in verse 6, and that is the opening command, “avoid the idlers.”
2. The second paragraph is verses 7–9, and that’s the example of Paul, especially his example of self-sufficient work.
3. The third paragraph is verse 10, and that’s the teaching of Paul, again, on the importance of self-sufficient work.
4. The fourth paragraph is verses 11–12, and that’s applying Paul’s example in teaching to the Thessalonian situation.
5. And then the fifth and final paragraph is verses 13–15, and that can be titled “Closing Commands,” which echo the opening command, and that is, again, “avoid the idlers.”[3]
 
Discipline

• The Thessalonians lived in a strongly communal culture and also a place where honor and shame were powerful forces controlling social behavior.
• So shunning, or ostracizing, a fellow church member in that kind of social context would have actually been very effective.[4]
• The context of discipline:
• In Japan, if you dishonored your family it was acceptable to commit suicide.
• When I was a kid in school… I got swats.
• The context of discipline in our American society changes with the culture.
• How would the Church deal with “rebellious idlers” today?
• How would you deal with “rebellious idlers” today?
• What is the purpose of church discipline?
• To separate bad leaven from good leaven.
• Leaven spreads.

 

• Imitate Paul
• He holds up God; he holds up Christ; he holds up the churches of Judaea; and he holds up his coworkers Timothy, Epaphroditus, and Titus.
• Seneca was a very famous Roman philosopher and statesman, and he said this: He said, “A model of conduct will help you more than the written word. You must go to the scene of action, first, because men put more faith in their eyes than in their ears, and second, because the way is long if one follows precepts, but short and helpful if one follows examples.”
• And other ancient writers say similar things. So when we hear Paul’s language of imitation, we must realize that he’s actually following a rather common practice or idea of his day.
• Paul—and there is good evidence of this—did not belong, originally, to the lower class; he comes from a powerful, rich, Jewish family.
• We can see that in his ability to be trained at the feet of Gamaliel—the Harvard School of Judaism.
• We can see it in the fact that he has Roman citizenship.
• Yet Paul, even though he comes from that upper class background, deliberately works. Why? Because he wants to put himself at the social level of most of his converts in order to enhance the gospel.
• That’s part of his strategy in 1 Cor 9: to “become all things to all people.”

 

• Now, be careful to hear exactly what Paul says in his teaching that he quotes.
• He doesn’t say “if anyone does not work.” No, he says “if anyone is not willing to work.”
• I hope you hear the difference. Paul is not talking about church members who [are unemployed] due to illness or injury or old age.
• No, he’s talking about those who are capable of working, but they nevertheless rebelliously refuse to do so.
• So, for those who are unable to work, actually, Paul is quite gracious.
• He says, in verse 13—we’ll get there in just a little bit—that the church must not be discouraged in doing good, so they should keep on showing love to members of their church who are struggling and unable to work.
• They want to, but for various reasons they are not able to.

 

• Paul begins with an “if” clause; the technical word is a conditional clause.
• Paul is assuming the truth of what he is “ifing.”
• In another words, Paul is actually assuming that there will in fact be some in the church who do not obey his commands in this letter.
• And those whom he’s assuming are not going to listen to him are the rebellious idlers.[5]

 
FINAL GREETINGS
16 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 17 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand, which is an authenticating mark in every letter; this is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.[6]

• Paul took the letter from his secretary and wrote the personal ending (greeting) with his own hand.
• “Auto-graphed”
• Paul is giving his authority to this written letter.
• Emphasis on Jesus.
• Emphasis on peace.
• May His peace be your peace.
• Grace in salvation and grace in God’s ability to do your life.

 
I’m sure, out of a common conviction that the same Holy Spirit that inspired Paul to write to the Thessalonians so many years ago has indeed been at work in our hearts and lives as we’ve interpreted those letters [and] as the message of the gospel has become [more clearly] known to us.[7]
​
[1] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Th 4:11–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[5] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (2 Th 3:1–18). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

• We left off last week with Paul finishing the “thanksgiving” section of his 2nd letter in Chapter 1.
• You have to understand the context of the letter.

2 Thessalonians 1
5 It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, 6 since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief (rest) to you who are afflicted, along with us.

• There is major religious persecution happening to the very young Church in Thessalonica.
• It causes a lot of questions about faith, teachings and leadership.
• Paul talking about God’s judgment and wrath doesn’t seem like much comfort in the “thanksgiving” paragraph.
• But there is one statement that brings comfort: “righteous/just judgment of God”
• Persecution is relative… so is the understanding of “vindication”.
• Paul is saying, “relax”… rest in Jesus.

11 In view of this, we always pray for you that our God will make you worthy of his calling, and by his power fulfill your every desire to do good and your work produced by faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[1]

• Paul is taking words of comfort from Isaiah 66:
• 5 You who tremble at his word,

hear the word of the Lord:
“Your brothers who hate and exclude you
for my name’s sake have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified
so that we can see your joy!’
But they will be put to shame.”[2]
 
THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS
2 THESSALONIANS 2

• William Neil said this: This passage is “probably the most obscure and difficult passage in the whole of the Pauline correspondence.”
• Michael Holmes more recently said that this passage is “by common consent one of the most obscure in the Pauline corpus.”
• Paul’s purpose in this passage is to provide his readers not with a prediction of what will happen in terms of a blueprint for the future but, instead, comfort, meeting their very real pastoral need.[3]
• This next passage is just a glimpse of what Paul had taught the Church at Thessalonica, which we don’t have the privilege of knowing all that was taught.
• This apocalyptic paragraph is not conclusive.
• We would look to Revelation as the bigger picture of end times.
• This paragraph just brings confusion to us.
• Things which are mentioned just once or twice in the Scripture, we have a tendency to whisper.
• Things that are constantly repeated we have a tendency to shout… identity in Jesus.

Crisis (serious problem)
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a 1) prophecy or by a 2) message or by a 3) letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come.

• None of the things that Paul had said were supposed to happen when Jesus comes again had happened.
• They should have said to themselves, “Where are the dead who have been resurrected? [1 Thess 4:13, 16]
• Where is the cry of command, the voice of the archangel, or the trumpet call of God? [1 Thess 4:16]
• Where is the sudden destruction that was supposed to come upon the pagan neighbors [1 Thess 5:3]?”
• Don’t underestimate how irrational fear is and how contagious fear is.
• We can see that easily in the classic fable of “Chicken Little.” I hope you know the story.
• An acorn falls on Henny Penny’s head, and she runs around saying, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling.”
• So yes, fear is irrational, but it’s also contagious.
• “Thus, even though the claim ‘the day of the Lord has come’ may have seemed obviously false, it nevertheless has caused the young church of Thessalonica to be greatly alarmed, fearful of whether they will avoid the wrath connected with that day of judgment and instead experience salvation.”[4]
• What caused the confusion?
• Compare verse 2 with verse 15
• 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, whether by what we said or what we wrote.
• Prophecy/utterance was omitted.
• At the very end of the first letter (5:21–22) he talks about treating the Spirit and spiritual utterances.
• There he seems to be aware of a danger threatening the church—about them being misled by a false prophecy.
• In fact, he exhorts them in the first letter not to naively accept every spiritual utterance but [instead]—I’m quoting now from 5:21 and 22 of the first letter—he says [they] have to “test all things,” “hold fast to the good,” [and] “hold yourselves away from every kind of evil prophecy.”[5]

 
Correction
3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God. (speaking of future)
5 Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this? 6 And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, (speaking of present) 8 and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie, 10 and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. (speaking of future) 11 For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, 12 so that all will be condemned—those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness. (speaking of present)

• Chapter breaks weren’t added until the twelfth century ad, and verse divisions weren’t added until the sixteenth century ad, so we shouldn’t be influenced unduly by those editorial features.[6]
• •  The apostasy in verse 3--is this a political or religious apostasy? And does it involve Christians or non-Christians?
• •  The man of lawlessness in verses 3–4 and again in 8–9—who is this evil figure who is not Satan himself but, in my alternate title, “Satan’s superman”?
• •  The temple of God in verse 4—does this refer to the temple in Jerusalem or the church? And if it does refer to the temple in Jerusalem, should we take this reference literally or metaphorically?
• •  The restraining thing in verse 6 and the restraining person in verse 7—to what and to whom does this refer? And which of the (are you ready?) seven or more proposed answers is the most likely one?
• •  There are two comings [or] “parousias” in verse 8. One is the coming of Jesus that is mentioned many times in the New Testament, but the other is the coming of the man of lawlessness. And how does the one coming of Satan’s superman relate to the coming of Jesus Christ?
• •  The powerful delusion of verse 11 that God sends—is this the cause of those who have rejected the truth of the gospel, or is it the consequence of those who have rejected the gospel?
• But this is the important point: Don’t let the exegetical difficulties of this second paragraph blind you to the fact that Paul’s primary point is actually very, very clear.
• The claim that the Day of the Lord has already come is obviously false.
• This was written in 52 AD approximately.
• 18 years before 70 AD and definitely before our current time!
• Why? Because there are several important events that have to happen first.
• Therefore, there’s no reason for the Thessalonians to panic about such a false and obviously wrong prophecy.[7]

 
STAND FIRM
Comfort
13 But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen (elected) you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Paul never explains the meaning of “chosen/election”.
• This is why we have division among the saints.
• 1) Did God choose some to be saved and others to be condemned to hell?
• 2) Did God choose the believers because they chose Him out of their free will and He knew their choice in His foreknowledge?
• We can argue that all day… but one just seems like an evil God.
• Paul wants them to think of themselves as the first crop of, well, Christians; the first crop of Jesus followers.
• And they’re only the first. There’s a larger harvest that is surely going to come; they are only firstfruits for salvation.[8]

Command
15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, whether by what we said or what we wrote.

• To say it differently, the opening problem [is that] the church was ready for the return of the Lord but not steady for that day.
• And what did they do? They panicked over a false prophetic claim that the Day of the Lord had come.
• So now the solution, here in paragraph four, is they have to stand firm and hold fast[9]

Closing Prayer
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.[10]

• in this paragraph, he creates a sharp contrast, a sharp contrast between the doom facing unbelievers and what the Jesus followers will experience.
• And Paul ends the passage with this very positive note that God has chosen them; God has elected them.
• God has ensured that the Day of the Lord will be, for them, not a day of judgment but will be a day of salvation.
• So, whenever Paul talks about the end times, it’s never to predict but always to pastor, to provide his readers with comfort.
• And what that means is important for Christian pastors and teachers and believers today because if any of us would use now Paul’s end-time passages to predict and not to pastor, [turning] the apostle’s words into some kind of blueprint for predicting the future, that kind of person is guilty of misusing and even abusing the Word of God and preventing others from hearing the wonderful comfort that God brings to us about things yet to come.[11]

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (2 Th 1:5-7, 11–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Is 66:5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[5] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[6] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[8] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[9] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (2 Th 2:1–17). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

• We left off last week with Paul sending his 1st letter to the Church at Thessalonica… signed, sealed & delivered in 51 AD.
• Paul is in Corinth and we pick back up at Acts 18:1-3 (review from 05/31)

Acts 18
1 After this, he left Athens and went to Corinth,

• Corinth was approximately fifty miles from Athens and almost due west. (Show map)
• Corinth, with its 200,000 people, would not be the easiest city in which to start a church, and yet that’s where Paul went after leaving Athens.
• Corinth’s reputation for wickedness was known all over the Roman Empire. (Rom. 1:18–32 was written in Corinth!)
• Thanks to its location, the city was a center for both trade and travel. Money and vice, along with strange philosophies and new religions, came to Corinth and found a home there.
• Corinth was one of the two most important cities Paul visited. The other was Ephesus.

2 where he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, 3 and since they were of the same occupation, tentmakers by trade, he stayed with them and worked.

• Jewish rabbis did not accept money from their students but earned their way by practicing a trade.
• Priscilla and Aquila are Jews who have been expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius.
• They, like Paul, are tentmakers. Because the Isthmian games are being held in Corinth at this time, there is a great need for temporary shelter. Thus the three tentmakers get plenty of business.
• Every pastor and missionary thanks God for people like Aquila and Priscilla, people with hands, hearts, and homes dedicated to the work of the Lord.
• Paul lived and worked with Aquila and Priscilla, but on the Sabbath days witnessed boldly in the synagogue.

4 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.

• After all, that was why he had come to Corinth. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia (Acts 17:14–15; 18:5), they brought financial aid (2 Cor. 11:9), and this enabled Paul to devote his full time to the preaching of the Gospel.[1]

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching the word and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah. 6 When they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his clothes and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

• “Blaspheme” - to speak against someone in such a way as to harm or injure his or her reputation (occurring in relation to persons as well as to divine beings)[2]
• Ezekiel 3:18-19 - 18 If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. 19 But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself.[3]
• Whenever God is blessing a ministry, you can expect increased opposition as well as increased opportunities.[4]

7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.

• A Roman citizen named Gaius Titius Justus is brought to Christ as well.
• Gaius is a well-to-do God-fearer with a large home that is located next door to the synagogue.
• The home holds about 50-60 people. Gaius opens up his home for Paul to minister in and for the believers to gather.
• Next door to the synagogue is indication they he had not completely given up on the Jews.

8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

• Crispus (the synagogue ruler) and his household are also converted and baptized along with some others. (Paul only baptizes Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas. They, along with Priscilla and Aquila, baptize the other converts.)
• As is his custom when he plants a church, Paul grounds the Corinthians on nothing but Christ and His cross.
• He declares to them that they are called into the fellowship of God’s Son, and he brings them into that very experience.
• He also tells them stories of the perseverance of other churches, including the church in Thessalonica.
• The Body of Jesus Christ is now present in Corinth, expressing God’s nature in the city.
• While a number of the believers are of high standing, most are uneducated and poor. (This is true for all the churches that Paul plants.)

9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”

• It is just like our Lord to speak to us when we need Him the most.
• His tender “Fear not!” can calm the storm in our hearts regardless of the circumstances around us.
• This is the way He assured Abraham (Gen. 15:1), Isaac (Gen. 26:24), and Jacob (Gen. 46:3), as well as Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 20:15–17), Daniel (Dan. 10:12, 19), Mary (Luke 1:30), and Peter (Luke 5:10).
• The next time you feel alone and defeated, meditate on Hebrews 13:5 and Isaiah 41:10 and 43:1–7, and claim by faith the presence of the Lord. He is with you![5]
• Isaiah 43:1-7 - 1 Now this is what the Lord says--

the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel--
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are mine.

• When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you
and the rivers will not overwhelm you,
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched
and the flame will not burn you.

• For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.
I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.

• Because you are precious in my sight

and honored, and I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.

• Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your descendants from the east,
and gather you from the west.

• I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth--

• everyone who bears my name

and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”[6]
11 He stayed there a year and a half, teaching the word of God among them. [7]

• As a token of thanksgiving to God for His promise of protection, Paul lets his hair grow long as part of a voluntary Nazarite vow.
• Spring 52
• While Paul is laboring in Corinth, he gets word that the Thessalonican believers misunderstood what he wrote about the Lord’s second coming in his first letter.
• The church mistakenly believes that the Day of the Lord’s wrath is at hand.
• As a result, many are disturbed in spirit.
• Some quit their jobs in anticipation of the Lord’s coming and are living off the other believers who work for a living.
• Having too much time on their hands, these individuals are acting as “busybodies” in the lives of others.
• It travels back to Paul via their Neighborhood Facebook group.

 
PAUL WRITES 2 THESSALONIANS
Year: A.D. 52
From: Corinth
To: The church in Thessalonica (which is about 10 months old)
Provocation: Paul comforts the church in its affliction and assures the believers that God will bring vengeance on those who do the afflicting.

• He corrects their misunderstanding about the Day of the Lord and Christ’s return, and clarifies what he taught concerning it when he was first with them.
• He ends the letter by correcting those brothers who have quit their jobs and instructs the church to not associate with them as long as they are living undisciplined lives.
• Paul ends by encouraging the whole church to not become weary in well-doing.
• 2 Thessalonians is the Cliff Notes of 1 Thessalonians:
• 4 themes: 1) Paul’s integrity 2) Persecution 3) Proper moral conduct 4) Coming of the Lord

 
2 THESSALONIANS
GREETING
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy:

• Paul says who the letter is from first to show authority.
• If it was to royalty/king then their name would most likely be mentioned first.

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

• “Our” is inclusive of Paul’s audience saying they believe in the same God.

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Grace first, peace second
• Peace – “Shalom”

 
THANKSGIVING
3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God’s churches—about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions that you are enduring.

• That was the commendation.

5 It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, 6 since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, 8 when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength 10 on that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.

• That was the comfort… even though it covers judgment

11 In view of this, we always pray for you that our God will make you worthy of his calling, and by his power fulfill your every desire to do good and your work produced by faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[8]

• That was the challenge… keep walking in the Spirit.
• Paul expresses his pastoral role to the Church.
• “Brothers and sisters”
• Encouraging them in their faith.
• Discipling them in their faith. Explaining things.
• We pray for you.
• Paul exhorts the Church
• Your faith is flourishing and you are encouraging one another.
• To do good works that are produced by faith.
• Paul mentions this as an encouragement but also a desire for them to continue.
• Affirming their positive strengths.
• Paul foreshadows his letter

V 5-10 – deal with the judgment of God

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 475). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 433). New York: United Bible Societies.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Eze 3:18–19). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 475). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 476). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Is 43:1–7). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ac 18:1–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (2 Th). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.