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Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Thanksgiving and Prayer
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.
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Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
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All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
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God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
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and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
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on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
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With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.
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We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Man of Lawlessness
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
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Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
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Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
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And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
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Stand Firm
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
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He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
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encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
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Request for Prayer
As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.
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But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
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We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.
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May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
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Warning Against Idleness
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
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For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you,
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nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
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We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.
