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.
Episode Transcript
Welcome back to the two fish podcast.
My name is Nick, I'm Aaron andthis week we're going into the
second Thessalonians book, wherePaul talks about the judgment
of Christ return.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
That's right Two fish community.
We are back.
Yeah, and our last episodefinished up, first Thessalonians
, and now we're going to diveinto second Thessalonians.
There'll be about threeepisodes of this.
Yeah, there's three chapters.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Yeah.
So if you haven't listened tothe first book of first
Thessalonians that we did, thoseepisodes go back.
Pause this one, go back, listen, because there's so much good
content.
Paul writes to the church andthat's a little in Ikea I'm
pretty sure that's how you saythat Thessalonia, thessalonica.
I think it's a little like abut.
Go back and listen to those.
(00:52):
That way you'll be completelycaught up, because now later
Paul's writing them again totalk about some different stuff,
and so we're going to getstraight into it this week again
.
Second Thessalonians, chapterone.
I'm reading from the ESV or dieversion.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I am in IV.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
This week and Aaron didn't bring his normal Bible.
He forgot it at home and bringevery man's Bible every man.
So you got the backup man thisweek.
Verse number one Paul Sylvanasand Timothy to your says Silas.
I'm getting a look from Aaronas I'm reading.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
He's like what are you?
Speaker 1 (01:26):
reading what Silas All right, let me start that
over Paul, silas and Timothy tothe church in Thessalonians and
God, our Father and the LordJesus Christ.
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
That is almost word for wordwhat he said man, I work for.
(01:47):
The first letter that he wroteof their first I was learning
says to the church ofThessalonian and God, the Father
and Lord Jesus Christ, grace toyou and peace.
So he's basically saying theexact same thing.
This was a common and we talkedabout it before.
Go listen to some of the otherbooks we've done these guys.
The way they start their bookssays something about the content
(02:07):
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 oneto me seems very chill.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, I think you can flip back to Colossians and his
introduction ends with graceand peace to you from God, our
Father yeah like it's prettysimilar and it kind of does.
You can catch the mood and hisfirst first words.
He opens up in his letter yeah,I wonder.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Actually I'm doing a study for another ministry, but
I'm speaking on grace andthere's a lot of these books
that have either started and orended talking about grace.
Made the great grace to you andpeace from our God.
I wonder how many actual versesdo that?
How many actual books do that?
I don't know, I'll have to lookinto it.
(02:57):
Anyway, verse number three wealways give thanks to God for
you brothers, as is right,because your faith is growing
abundantly and the love ofeveryone of you for one another
is increasing.
Therefore, we ourselves boastabout you in the churches of God
for your steadfastness andfaith in all your persecutions
(03:20):
and in the afflictions that youare enduring.
So here he's letting them knowhey, as we're traveling around,
as we're doing our missionarything, we're constantly boasting
about you guys because throughthe persecution that you guys
have been going through, you'veendured.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, I think this is another point in the previous
first Thessalonians.
Like he got the good reportfrom Timothy that, hey, you guys
are doing fantastic and I thinkhe's reiterating that here.
Like you guys are, you'recontinuing to endure the things
that are going on.
I think we're going to get intowhy he wrote the second letter
(03:56):
here in a little bit.
But they're enduring somethingelse and he's once again
encouraging them and just sayingyou guys have been such a great
example.
Yeah, continuing that.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
And I think not only is that an example for the
church other churches then but Ithink that's an example for us
Christ followers Now is to saythese guys did it right.
Well, what are they goingthrough?
They're going throughpersecution, and for us now and
I think we talked about thismaybe in the third or fourth
chapter as Christians, as Christfollowers, we're going to go
(04:30):
through persecution.
Now it may look different.
There are places in the worldwhere persecution is death
beheading it's, it's, it'sserious Sometimes we in the
Western world, and especially inAmerica oh, my feelings got
hurt on Twitter today and that'spersecution.
You know, I mean like it is,but it's not.
(04:51):
Yeah, you're standing up foryour faith and that's a good
thing, but you're not beingpersecuted.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Right, there's some countries.
If they can't find you, they'regoing to go take your family.
Yeah like they're getting youone way or another.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
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 whenthings get hard, we're not going
okay, whatever, Back to normal.
I don't need this Jesus thing.
You're enduring through thepersecution.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I think, going on here to verse five, all this
evidence that God's judgment isright and, as a result, you will
be counted worthy of thekingdom of God for which you are
suffering.
God is just.
He will pay back trouble tothose who trouble you and give
relief to you who are troubled,and to us as well.
(05:42):
This will happen when the LordJesus is revealed from heaven
and blazing fire with hispowerful angels.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
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 thepersecution that you're enduring
is evidence that you're doing agood job and this is worthy of
the kingdom of God.
Now, I think this is one ofthose verses.
Maybe you can just had aconversation with others today.
(06:12):
Ephesians two, eight, nine saysfor it is by grace.
You haven't saved through faith.
This isn't something you'vedone Like.
This is a gift of God.
And I think here it's notbecause you're persevering that
you're in the kingdom of Godthat you're worthy of the
kingdom of God.
That's not it.
It's evidence that you'reworthy of the kingdom of God.
(06:34):
It's evidence of the change inyour life.
This persecution that you'reenduring, it's sharpening.
We talked about James how itsharpens us.
Trials make us better.
We're worthy of the kingdom ofGod.
How do we know?
There's evidence of it.
It's not because of the thingswe're doing, but the things
we're doing are evidence of thefact that we're worthy.
(06:57):
And that's that grace thing,for it is by grace.
Ephesians says it's a gift, youcan't earn it, but the fruit of
our lives is going to showevidence of it.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I like.
That's the faith verse works,works, works.
First faith.
What good is your faith withoutwords?
What good is your works withoutfaith?
And so that whole conceptembedded in there and I think,
one of the things I mentionedhere.
We're getting the end of thisand Paul is writing this letter
because he got a report comingout of Thessalonia that they
(07:29):
somehow thought the secondcoming of Jesus had already come
and like they missed it.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
So this is kind of his opening statement to
rebuking that like you're goingto know when the second coming
comes, because he's coming in ablaze of fire.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Mine says afflicting vengeance on those who do not
know God and those who do notobey the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
That's scary.
Put those words together.
God's coming in flamingvengeance on those who do not
believe and do not apologize.
All right, that's makes itpause for a second.
Pump the brakes and go.
Oh boy.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah, it's a gut check.
It's also kind of a gut check.
We don't know when that day iscoming.
Who's in your circle thatstruggles with believing?
You don't know when he's comingin this blazing fire with
powerful angels like you.
Don't know what day he's gonnacome riding in on the cloud or
(08:28):
whatever Ball flame is comingwriting on a ball flame.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Yeah, we should have a heart for the unbeliever,
because we know what's coming.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Verse number nine they will suffer the punishment
of eternal destruction away fromthe presence of the Lord and
from the glory of his might,when he comes on that day to be
glorified in his saints and tobe marveled at among all those
who believed, because ourtestimony to you was believed.
He's doubling down again on thefact that God's coming in a
(09:00):
flame of vengeance.
He's going to wipe out thosewho do not believe and they're
going to live a punishment ofeternal destruction away from
the presence of God, like Ithink he's.
He's doubling down on the factthat this is not going to be a
good thing.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
It's gonna be a good thing for those of you that
believe.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
For those of you that haven't believed, is not going
to be a good thing.
The end of, like the end ofverse 10.
This includes you, thessalonia.
This includes you, nick,because you believed our
testimony to you.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Our testimony would be Paul's testimony, the
disciples testimony who are allultimately persecuted, and well,
not all of them all, but likewhat to?
Were martyred because of theirsharing of the testimony of
Jesus Christ and how they sharedit and how bold they were with
it and how that altered theworld.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah, just a pause there for a second.
When he comes on that day to beglorified in his saints and to
be marveled at among all thosewho believe, to think about that
day, what a day my.
My Bible uses my version usesthe word marveled, I don't know
exactly which one.
Yours used in 10 there marveled, marveled.
That's just going to be a dayof, oh my gosh, all the stuff
(10:16):
we've read and it's filledcompletely and it's and there's
God, or this whole vengeancething of seeing.
I mean that's going to be amarvelous thing for us.
It's going to be an amazingthing when God fulfills
everything he's promised.
Yeah, I just think that's goingto be amazing.
Verse number 11 to this end, wewill always pray for you that
(10:38):
our God may make you worthy ofhis calling and may fulfill
every resolve for good and forevery work of faith by his power
, so that the name of the LordJesus may be glorified in you
and you and him, according tothe grace of our God and the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Very like verse 11.
Mine reads with this in mind weconstantly pray for you.
I think we spent a coupleepisodes that that idea is
almost formed me to constantlypray for someone.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Like, how good was Paul, timothy and Silas, how
good were they praying for theseother communities?
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Par warriors.
I mean there was.
And they're constantly boasting, like they're not just saying
it to the person hey, you did agood job.
They're going to the nextperson saying, back there, they
did a good job, pray.
Those guys back there, they dida good job, pray.
Like they're doing more thanjust pray, they're boasting
about and it's just constant.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah, and I would imagine like, if you think about
it, they're going to fromThessalonia to Corinth and
they're going to that communityand saying look how that
community has changed.
They're talking.
It's not all.
I can't imagine it's all in thecontext of the Bible.
(12:06):
They're conversations.
But those conversations wouldhave been look how they change
from those sinful ways, yeah,and started following Christ.
Look what they've done.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
And this letter here is an example of hey, they're
doing fantastic.
They just grabbed hold of onedumb thing, and that is Christ
has not come back yet.
Yeah, and to this day, christhas not come back in times,
basically, like we've been in intimes since Jesus hung on the
(12:41):
cross.
It's just a matter of when isit gonna get so bad and the day
of the Lord is gonna come.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Yeah, again, he's praising them for their good
resolve, for their steadfastness, for their faithfulness, their
persecution, and at the end, Ithink he just sums that all up
so well All of us is so that thename of the Lord Jesus may be
glorified within you and you andhim, like that's the whole
point.
You've been persecuted, you'vebeen steadfast and faithful.
(13:12):
You this, you that, you that,we're boasting, we're boasting,
we're praying, we're praying allso that Jesus gets the glory.
That's the whole point of thewhole thing.
I'm not we're not boasting tomake you more proud, make you a
proud people.
We're not boasting to look whatwe did.
We're boasting it's all so thatthe name of the Lord may be
glorified.
And I think that's also one ofthose challenging things is like
(13:35):
man, sometimes when I do reallywell, I feel this pride within
myself of look what I just did.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, or man, I got throughthat, man, I got through that.
Look at me.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
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'sso easy for guys.
I feel like especially guys.
Women can be this way too, butyou do something that feels like
success and you're like lookwhat I did.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Look at me, and that's not what they're trying
to do.
Look at what Christ did throughyou.
Yeah, look at what you can dowhen you're in Christ and Christ
is in you.
Remember who gets the glory.
Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
I guess this week, just remember we need to be
praying about being steadfast inour faith through persecution
and looking forward to thatflaming vengeance, that
marvelous day when Jesus comesback.
Be ready, Be steadfast and befaithful and join us next week
here on the Two Fish Podcast.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Thanks for tuning in this week.
If you enjoyed this episode,hit those like and subscribe
buttons.
Also, head over totwofishpodcastcom to join the
rest of the Two Fish communityand all of our social media
platforms.
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