Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Paul asks them to pray that God’s Word will spread rapidly thru his team and be fruitful (v1-3). He expresses confidence in God that they will obey His commands from a loving and patient heart (v4-5).
Chapter 3 is the concluding part of this epistle (‘finally’, v1), and consists of practical exhortations, to honour our responsibilities as Christians. Having prayed God would establish them in every good word & work (v17), Paul moved onto practical application, for to be established, you have to do it, but to do it we need His grace accessed through prayer. His desire is that the Word of the Lord be honoured (1) in the world (v1-3), and (2) in the Church (v4-15). Thus (1) the Church must spread the Gospel throughout the world, and (2) it must obey the Word, conforming its life to the apostolic teaching. Both are aspects of Church growth. So, first, he asks for prayer for himself (as in 1Th 5:25) & his mission team, v1a: “Finally, brethren, pray (present imperative: ‘keep on praying’) for us, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly (spread rapidly, from Psalm 147:15), and be glorified (Acts 13:48-49).” Here God’s Word is personified as a runner, who is welcomed and honoured wherever he goes (like athletes who carried the Olympic torch). His Word is glorified by & in us when we honour it as God’s Word, and allow it to bear good fruit in our hearts & lives (1Th 2:13, Heb 4:2,12). Thus, he prays that the Gospel would speed on freely (2Tim 2:9) and triumph, with swift & glorious success: “just as it is with you” (v1b, 1Th 1:6). The Word had run into Thessalonica and been welcomed, and then ran forth from it to other places (1Th 1:8), so he prays that this process would continue everywhere, and in all directions. He also know that the enemy was trying to stop the spread of the Gospel through Paul & his team by using evil men to oppose it, so he also prayed:, v2a: “and that we (also) may be delivered from (the) unreasonable (atopoi, ‘out of place’, perverse, unreasonable, wrong-headed, outrageous) and wicked (evil, actively malicious) men” (see Rom 15:31). By using the definite article, he has a particular group of men in mind. He was writing from Corinth during the time of Acts 18:1-11, where there was hostility from a group of Jews, which later came to a head (Acts 18:12-13), but God delivered them in answer to these prayers (Acts 18:14-17). The purpose for this prayer of protection for God’s messengers is: “for not all have (the) faith” (v2b). That is, many have not heard the truth of the Gospel, so it is imperative the Gospel continues to go forth and not be stopped by wicked men. Then he expresses confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness to answer these prayers (v1-2), not just for himself & his team, but for the Thessalonians also, as they share the Gospel, to empower His Word (1Th 1:5, 1Sam 3:19, Jer 1:12, Is 55:11, Heb 4:12, 1Pet 1:23), and protect them from evil, v3: “But the Lord (Jesus) is faithful (1Th 5:24), who will establish (strengthen) you (inwardly by His Spirit & Word, 1Th 3:2,13, 2Th 2:17) and guard you (outwardly) from the evil one.” Satan, the evil one (v3) works thru evil men (v2), but the faithful Lord stands behind us. There is a spiritual warfare over the souls of men (hence the call for prayer), and we must use our spiritual weapons of preaching & prayer, trusting in the Lord to be faithful to confirm His Word in their hearts by His Spirit, so that it works in them effectively, taking root & bearing fruit, and also to protect us from the evil one. So, he prays for the Word & the Church, confident in God that He will allow neither to fail in the face of opposition.
Paul asks them to pray that God’s Word will spread rapidly thru his team and be fruitful (v1-3). He expresses confidence in God that they will obey His commands from a loving and patient heart (v4-5).
Chapter 3 is the concluding part of this epistle (‘finally’, v1), and consists of practical exhortations, to honour our responsibilities as Christians. Having prayed God would establish them in every good word & work (v17), Paul moved onto practical application, for to be established, you have to do it, but to do it we need His grace accessed through prayer. His desire is that the Word of the Lord be honoured (1) in the world (v1-3), and (2) in the Church (v4-15). Thus (1) the Church must spread the Gospel throughout the world, and (2) it must obey the Word, conforming its life to the apostolic teaching. Both are aspects of Church growth. So, first, he asks for prayer for himself (as in 1Th 5:25) & his mission team, v1a: “Finally, brethren, pray (present imperative: ‘keep on praying’) for us, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly (spread rapidly, from Psalm 147:15), and be glorified (Acts 13:48-49).” Here God’s Word is personified as a runner, who is welcomed and honoured wherever he goes (like athletes who carried the Olympic torch). His Word is glorified by & in us when we honour it as God’s Word, and allow it to bear good fruit in our hearts & lives (1Th 2:13, Heb 4:2,12). Thus, he prays that the Gospel would speed on freely (2Tim 2:9) and triumph, with swift & glorious success: “just as it is with you” (v1b, 1Th 1:6). The Word had run into Thessalonica and been welcomed, and then ran forth from it to other places (1Th 1:8), so he prays that this process would continue everywhere, and in all directions. He also know that the enemy was trying to stop the spread of the Gospel through Paul & his team by using evil men to oppose it, so he also prayed:, v2a: “and that we (also) may be delivered from (the) unreasonable (atopoi, ‘out of place’, perverse, unreasonable, wrong-headed, outrageous) and wicked (evil, actively malicious) men” (see Rom 15:31). By using the definite article, he has a particular group of men in mind. He was writing from Corinth during the time of Acts 18:1-11, where there was hostility from a group of Jews, which later came to a head (Acts 18:12-13), but God delivered them in answer to these prayers (Acts 18:14-17). The purpose for this prayer of protection for God’s messengers is: “for not all have (the) faith” (v2b). That is, many have not heard the truth of the Gospel, so it is imperative the Gospel continues to go forth and not be stopped by wicked men. Then he expresses confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness to answer these prayers (v1-2), not just for himself & his team, but for the Thessalonians also, as they share the Gospel, to empower His Word (1Th 1:5, 1Sam 3:19, Jer 1:12, Is 55:11, Heb 4:12, 1Pet 1:23), and protect them from evil, v3: “But the Lord (Jesus) is faithful (1Th 5:24), who will establish (strengthen) you (inwardly by His Spirit & Word, 1Th 3:2,13, 2Th 2:17) and guard you (outwardly) from the evil one.” Satan, the evil one (v3) works thru evil men (v2), but the faithful Lord stands behind us. There is a spiritual warfare over the souls of men (hence the call for prayer), and we must use our spiritual weapons of preaching & prayer, trusting in the Lord to be faithful to confirm His Word in their hearts by His Spirit, so that it works in them effectively, taking root & bearing fruit, and also to protect us from the evil one. So, he prays for the Word & the Church, confident in God that He will allow neither to fail in the face of opposition.
