to be God's people and to gather together to worship him and to enjoy his presence and to enjoy the fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ as we are doing today. But it is also true that God called us to be out in the world, bringing the gospel out to our neighborhoods, to our surrounding areas, to our city, and to the world. We are not called just to gather together to park the gospel here, but we are called to bring the gospel out to the nations. We are also, as believers, the aroma of Christ wherever we go. The aroma of life to those who are being saved, and the aroma of death to those who are perishing. And God, in his mercy, in his grace, made us his partners in the establishment of his kingdom here in Philadelphia and around the world. Not because he need us, he can bring his people to himself. He himself call his people to be his people, but because in his mercy he have given us the role to be his messengers, bringing the gospel out. And there are two particular things that God has given us to do as his ambassadors. Two things that God wants the church to do here in Philadelphia and around the world. There are many other things that happen to be part of the mission of God, but these are the two main things. The first one is the proclamation of God's word. God wants his people to proclaim the gospel to the nations, to bring the gospel out The second thing, which I would call the forgotten weapon of the church, so often forgotten, is prayer. God called us to pray that the gospel go out and reach people. And I say forgotten because I tell you from my own experiences, it's easier to call people and invite them to come and do some outreach. We have seen the example recently as we started a new outreach to kids in South Philadelphia, and how many people sign up right away, saying, I wanna serve, I wanna be committed to meet with these kids and share the gospel with them. But the same thing doesn't happen when we invite people for our prayer meeting. It's hard. And you might think, why is it hard? It's actually, in your mind, you might think it's actually easier. You just come together and pray. But I think it's hard because it's difficult to change our mind that we want to be doing something. But when we pray, when God calls us to pray, he's calling us to ask God to do something. And this is what I think that Paul is teaching us in this little section that we are studying today. is the importance of prayer in God's missions. The importance of prayer in God's mission. We're actually getting to the end of these two letters, first and second Thessalonians, and at least I have enjoyed going through these verses, and I hope that you also have enjoyed and learned And I hope that you can go back and revisit all these things that we have learned because I think that they are very encouraging for our faith. And what Paul has been doing is actually encouraging these brothers and sisters who were facing great persecution to be strong in their faith. To be strong in their faith. Also he has reminded them things that he have already taught them. And he have taught them also through this letter some things that he didn't have the time to teach them because he have to leave quickly because of the persecution. He also, as we saw a few weeks ago, he also had to address wrong doctrines or wrong teachings that were in the church. And right now, he's getting close to the end of the letter, and basically he's gonna go back to something that he taught them in the first letter. He is going to exhort them about something, which we will see in the following week. But before he does that, what he does in these few verses, this little section, is asking them something. He is asking something from them. One is that he's asking them to pray for him. And the other thing that he does is that he tell them that he is praying for them and what he is praying for them. So what is Paul asking them to pray for him? It's in fact, he's not only asking them to pray for him, but to pray for him and his co-workers. Timothy, and Silas and those that were around him helping the progress of the gospel. He says, finally, brothers, pray for us. Pray for us. He's saying we need your prayers. In fact, I will say that prayer is a reciprocal thing that happen within the context of God's kingdom. We pray for one another. We pray for those who are serving In the mission field, we pray for those who are serving here in Philadelphia, but you know that they are also praying for us, that they are also praying for us. But then what is Paul asking them to pray for? He asked them to pray for two things. The first one is that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored. That's the first thing that he asked them to pray, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored. And we might ask right away, what does Paul mean by the word of the Lord? Sounds obvious, but not to so many people. And I would say that a good way to Define it is by seeing what Paul teaches about that word of the Lord, that message in 1 Corinthians 1, verses 18 through 31. He says, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved is the power of God. The word of the Lord is the message of the cross. It's the gospel. is Christ coming to the world to die on the cross to save sinners just like you and I. But Paul says something very important in these verses. He's saying that this message for some people is foolishness. And these people are those who are perishing because they reject the message of the gospel, the word of the cross, the message of the cross. But for us, as believers, Paul says, is the power of God. Think about this. And I think that that should strengthen your faith in what you carry on when you go out and share the gospel with others. That message, the message of the cross, the word of the Lord, is the power of God. It is not a powerful message, or a good message, or a hopeful message. It is the power of God. It's the power of God. Why? Because he saved people from eternal condemnation. And only that message can do that. Only that message can do that. In verse 21 of this same section, Paul says, God please, through the foolishness of what we preach, to save those who believe. Why is he saying that? He's saying that because many thought that the message that they were proclaiming is folly. It was foolishness. Paul says in verse 23 of the same section that Christ crucified is a stumbling block for the Jews, but it's foolishness for the Gentiles. The Jews heard that message and they thought, how in the world they could be preaching that the Messiah is somebody who died on a cross? But at the same time, Gentiles will see that message as Foolishness, how in the world our Savior or the Savior is somebody who dies? Where is the victory? It's actually the same thing that we face today when we go out to the world. Think about this. How would you convince somebody that someone who died 2,000 years ago is gonna save him from eternal condemnation? First of all, you have to convince him that there is a God and that he is a sinner. And they go on until you get to the point of Christ being crucified for our sins. But, Paul says, it's the power of God. It's the power of God because it's not only words, it's what Christ did on the cross, but it's accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit, as we saw last week, who sanctify, who set apart those who are to believe. And in verse 24 of the same section, Paul says, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Think about this. The message of the cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God. So trust that this message is powerful when you go out and share it with others. Even though your mind might make you think they won't believe it, remember, it's the power of God. Then Paul says, the word of the cross or the word of the Lord may speak, that's the prayer request, ahead and be honored. Think about Paul's work ethic as a missionary. You could say he was obsessed with bringing the gospel out everywhere he went. He left Antioch with his friend Barnabas. And he goes to Cyprus, share the gospel there. Then he goes up to Galatia and planted many churches there. Then he goes back to Jerusalem, to the Jerusalem Council. And right away after that finish, he goes back to Antioch and separates from Bartholomew and goes with Silas to visit the churches that he planted in Galatia, meeting Timothy in Lystra, whom he recruited And he wanted to go north to Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit prevented him from going there. And then he said, okay, let's go to Asia Minor, and the Holy Spirit prevented him to go there. Maybe I will have say, okay, that's it, I go back to Antioch. No, he went to Troas, and there he received that vision the Macedonian man that making go to Macedonia where he planted churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. Wow. He was obsessed with seeing the gospel progress. The kingdom of God being established and that didn't finish there. He goes to Ephesus where he said I'll be back In a little while, he goes to Jerusalem, and then he goes back to Ephesus to work with the brothers there, to strengthen the church there. And then he goes back to visit all the churches in Macedonia. And you know what he had in mind all this time? When he said that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, he was thinking in Rome. He wanted the gospel to get to Rome. And yes, he got what he wanted. Maybe know how he wanted, because he would have preferred probably travel on his own, but he went there as a prisoner. To do what? To preach the gospel. To strengthen brothers and sisters in Christ with the gospel. So Christ's mentality was let the gospel out. He didn't stop. He didn't park the gospel somewhere. And I'm not saying that we are all called to be Pauls, but at least we are called to see and pray with Paul, as Paul is asking us to pray. May the word of the Lord speed ahead. And speed ahead on what? He says, and be honored, he says, as it happened among you. Actually, the picture that Paul has in mind here is of a runner who is running a race and crossed the final line, and is honored by those who received him. That is the word of God. He was honored among the Thessalonians. How? They welcomed the gospel, they trusted in Jesus, they believed in Jesus. But he's saying, may the gospel speed ahead, go everywhere, and be welcomed, and be honored. What's the second prayer request, or the second prayer that Paul asks? Verse two, he says, that may we be delivered from wicked and evil men. He's asking the Thessalonians to pray for the things that he was facing at Corinth, where he's writing this letter, he's at Corinth, and he's experiencing persecution. And he knew that the Thessalonians were also experiencing persecution. Now, you know what is interesting is that I'm not sure if what was first, the prayer that he asked them to pray, or the word that came afterwards from our Lord Jesus Christ. If you remember, In Acts 18 verses 19, 9 and 10, says, one night the Lord spoke to Paul, and this is the Lord Jesus Christ in a vision, and says, do not be afraid, keep on speaking. Do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city. So you can see that Paul was really concerned about what was happening at Corinth. And maybe that's why he's asking his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica that may we be delivered from wicked and evil men. How did God answer that prayer? The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Paul and encouraged Paul and said, keep on doing what you are doing. In fact, he protected his life there. He fulfilled what he promised to Paul. Now, what we have to see is that this wicked and evil man didn't work on their own. They were part of a plan. A few weeks ago, we talked about the mystery of lawlessness that is already at work in the world, which is the work of Satan attacking the church. In Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 12, Paul himself says this. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. and this is what is important here, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. So these wicked and evil men were the flesh and blood that Paul is referring here, but Paul knew that His battle, his war was not against these people, but against those who were behind them, moving them to attack the church. This tell us, and that's why this is very important, that the war that the church has against the world and against the culture is not won by what we do physically, but what we do when we pray before God. What we do when we bring before God those who are serving God's kingdom. Now the second thing that Paul does here in the rest of these verses is that he tells them how he pray for them. Now you might think that this is only found in verse five where his prayer is clear, but I would say that what you read in verses three and four, even though are an affirmation, you could say that it's actually what Paul was praying for them as well. And the reason what I said before that is reciprocal is because the things that Paul said here in these two verses are exactly the same things that he was asking them to pray for him. Verse three says, but the Lord is faithful. He will establish you. and guard you against the evil one. So this is something that Paul knew that would happen. Remember, he is at Corinth when he's writing this letter, and he is being persecuted by people at Corinth, but he knew very well that brothers and sisters in Thessalonica were being persecuted as well because that's the very reason why he had to leave. And then when he says these words of encouragement, he's revealing what he was praying for them. He will establish you, God will establish you and guard you against the evil one. Remember, he asked them to pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. So the same thing that Paul asked them to pray for him and his companions, he was praying to God about them. The second thing that Paul asked or that Paul tell them that he was doing when he was praying for them is what you see in verse four. He says, and we have confidence in the Lord about you that you are doing and will do the things that we command. Remember, he pray or he asked them to pray that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honor. Here he's telling them that he knew that the things that Paul, Silas, and Timothy commanded to them, they will do, and those things are the word of the Lord. So basically he's telling them, I am praying that the word of the Lord will be honored among you as well. The same thing that I'm asking you to pray for me, I'm praying for you. And the third thing that Paul asked them or Paul tell them that he's praying for them is what you find in verse five, which is very clear. He says, may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. Remember, these brothers and sisters, faith was challenged. They were recently converted to the Lord. They were believers who have learned the gospel very recently and right away they were facing tribulations, persecution. Where do you go every time your faith is tested? I think that so often we go to fear, anxiety, sadness, depression, being worried. But Paul is praying that their hearts will go to where? To the love of God. That they will remember that they were beloved by God. That God have chosen them. That God has set them apart. That God has promised to them that he will save them as he have called them and they will be glorified. But also he's praying that they That they will direct their hearts to the steadfastness of Christ. That they will remember that Christ's work is steadfast. That what Christ has done for them does not change. That is eternal. That is unchangeable because Christ, as God, is unchangeable as well. A few days ago, I was talking with some of my brothers, some elders, about the fact that we don't see many people coming to Christ around us. And thanks God, we had a good testimony today about that. And you know what was our thinking right away is, what can we do to get the gospel out? start to think, we can do this, we can do that, we can visit, we can have some signs outside the church. Let's do whatever we can to get the gospel out. And I think that's great. You know, these days when when we don't have the possibility of bringing people in as we used to have it, and we are doing our outreach outdoors to our homeless neighbors, I actually rejoice because we are letting the world know that we are proclaiming Christ. But you know what we miss is that we forgot to say, hey, where is the often forgotten secret weapon of the church? It's prayer. Paul asked the Thessalonians to pray for him, not because this will help him a little bit, but because actually his ministry depended on prayer. When we see all this success in all these churches that were planted, it was not because Paul was the most eloquent man, It was because they were praying, they were asking God. And if you think about this, what a big challenge they have. All these places that they were and went and preached the gospel, there were no believers there. There were no believers there. It was Greeks, Jews, Gentiles who have not heard the gospel, and yet God did amazing things there. Because as we saw in the sermon this morning, Christ is amazing. So, when we think about revival, and I think that we should dream that there should be a revival in the city of Philadelphia, in United States, and around the world, of people coming to Christ, what we need to do is we need to go and pray. And pray and believe that God can do it. You know, we have, and one of the things that attract me about 10th was all these 60, about 60 missionary families that 10th support. And the great commitment that our church have to support these families. But we need to be committed to support them in prayer every day. Because that is where you find the success. of the expansion of God's kingdom, that the church of God prays, not because God need it, but because in his mercy, he has given us the privilege of being his partners in the gospel by sending, by going, and by praying. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you for your plan of salvation We thank you that if today we are here, it is because you send the Holy Spirit to us that open our eyes and hearts. When somebody preach the gospel to us, and maybe our parents, our friends were praying for us, and today we trust in you just because of your mercy. Help us, Lord, to believe in the power of prayer when we do missions. Help us, Lord, to be a praying church, that we will pray for those who are serving you overseas, that we will pray for those who are serving you here, that we will pray for the message that goes out online as well, that touch people's hearts, and may we see, Lord, many coming to you in faith. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.