Session 12 2 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5
discover what Paul was confident God would do for the Thessalonians.
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.
On a board, write
“I am confident God will ___________.”
Invite the group to suggest different ways of completing the statement based on Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians in verses 3-5.
Noting that in verse 5
Paul once again pointed the church back to Christ
by praying they would have the endurance of Christ to stand up under the strain
and pressure of what this life would present them.
Call attention to the summary statement on page 100:
Believers impact the lives of other believers through prayer.
Call for volunteers to suggest ways this truth is demonstrated in today’s Bible passage.
Point to the bulleted statements under Apply the Text (p. 104).
Discuss
Lead the group to respond to the second question set under Apply the Text (p. 104).
Paul encouraged the church family during their struggle through his prayers for them.
Who is someone you know to be in the middle of a struggle that you can encourage this week?
Discuss as a group, lead them to respond silently, or challenging them to revisit this section later in the day or week.
Conclude the group time with prayer,
using each of the four session points—
Be Steadfast, Be Encouraged, Be Prayerful, and Be Confident—
as a call to specific prayer. Read aloud each heading and allow time for the group to pray silently about how it applies to their lives.
Reinforce the session by encouraging the group to share prayer requests through a group text, reply all to an email, or on an app. Encourage them to participate regularly in both praying for others and sharing personal requests that reflect Paul’s priorities in 2 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5.