2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“3We are obligated to thank God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is increasing. 4That is why we boast among God’s churches about your perseverance and faith in the face of all the persecution and affliction you are enduring.”

Encouraging the Body

When we read the epistles, i.e. the letters to the churches throughout the New Testament books, not just in the book of Revelation, we are given many instructions in how we should and should not live, in the things we should and should not do, and in what it means biblically to be followers of Christ. These are principles we can all apply to our lives, if we will. But when it comes to giving words of encouragement to a specific group of people, we must be careful that we do not take that as for us unless it applies to us. For not everyone is maturing and loving and enduring persecution for Christ.

For example, here Paul is writing to the church of the Thessalonians, meaning the full congregation of the saints of God throughout the entire city. But they did not have large buildings back then for large congregational gatherings. They most likely met in small groups in people’s homes. But collectively all Christians throughout the city were the church in that city. And here Paul was encouraging the Christians because their faith was growing more and more, and their love for one another was increasing. And they persevered in their faith in the face of persecution and much affliction.

So, is encouragement important to have? It is! But should we be faithful to God even if we don’t have any, or very little, but we get a lot of opposition? Yes! We must! Should we allow how other people treat us, for good or for evil, to impact how we live? We should live for the Lord no matter how we are treated by other humans. And we must love all people, even those who hate us and who speak evil of us and who do evil against us. And we must keep growing in our walks of faith to maturity in Christ no matter what our circumstances might be. So, if you are doing that, then praise the Lord!!

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“5All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels 8in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might, 10on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.”

Suffering for the Kingdom

If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, and if we are letting Him guide us and direct us in the ways that He would have us to go, according to His calling and purpose for our lives, even in the face of must persecution and rejection, then we will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which we are suffering. But this means that, by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, we have denied self, we are dying to sin (putting sin to death daily), and we are walking (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to His New Covenant commands, by God’s grace and in the power of God.

While we still live on the earth, if we are truly in the center of God’s will, doing His will and purpose for our lives, we should expect that we will face persecution and false accusations against our character. We may have friends and family members reject us or want nothing to do with us because of our seriousness of faith and obedience to God’s leading in our lives. Especially here in the USA where the majority appear to be pampering people in their sins and where the “feel good” stuff is being preferred to the hard truths of the Scriptures, we will face opposition if we obey God.

One day this will all be over, either when we die or when Jesus returns to judge and to take His faithful bride to be with Him for eternity. Sadly many people, including many who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who did not honor God with their lives, but who chose their own selfish paths instead, will be judged by God. And they will hear our Lord say, “Depart from me you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you.” And they will suffer eternal destruction. For not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones DOING the will of God (see Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“11To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith, 12so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.“

Praying for You

As followers of Christ, we need to pray for one another. We need to pray for those who are professing faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but who are still living to please the flesh, still deliberately and habitually sinning against the Lord and not obeying His commands in life practice. We need to pray for their salvation, that they will turn from their sins and now obey God with their lives. And we need to pray for the faithful among us who are doing the will of God, who are sharing the gospel for the salvation of human lives, and who are suffering persecution for speaking the truth and not the lies.

Perseverance in The Faith
An Original Work / September 18, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Pray, Pray, Pray

Based off Various Scriptures
An Original Work / September 6, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Pray that eyes may enlightened be,
So they may know Christ.
Pray that they may Him better know,
Strengthened by His pow’r.
Pray that they may grasp how wide and long
And high and deep is Christ’s love.
Pray that they may be filled
To the fullness of God’s love.
Pray with thanksgiving.

Pray for an open door for me,
So I may share Christ.
Pray when the gospel is proclaimed –
Shared with clarity.
Pray words are given me so
I declare the gospel fearlessly.
I pray for you to be active
Sharing your faith, too.
Pray continually.

We oft not know for what to pray,
So we ask for help.
The Spirit intercedes for us –
Words cannot express.
Just keep on praying for the saints
With all kinds of requests to God.
Pray they may have faith to
Please their God in ev’ry way.
Pray with joyfulness.