2 Thessalonians 1, 2 and 3 NLT

Outline

I.                  Introduction (ch. 1)

A.    Greetings (1:1-2)

B.    Thanksgiving for Their Faith, Love and Perseverance (1:3-10)

C.    Intercession for Their Spiritual Progress (1:11-12)

                 II.         Instruction (ch. 2)

 .      Prophecy regarding the Day of the Lord (2:1-12)

A.    Thanksgiving for Their Election and Calling (Their Position) (2:13-15)

B.    Prayer for Their Service and Testimony (Their Practice) (2:16-17)

III.         Injunctions (ch. 3)

 .      Call to Prayer (3:1-5)

A.    Charge to Discipline the Disorderly and Lazy (3:6-15)

B.    Conclusion, Final Greetings and Benediction (3:16-18)

2 Thessalonians 1 NLT

1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 

3Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 

4 We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 

5 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 

6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. 

7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 

8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 

9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. 

10 When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him. 

11 So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 

12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2 NLT

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 

2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 

3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 

4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. 

5Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? 

6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 

7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 

8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. 

9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 

10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 

11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 

12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

13 As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. 

14 He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 

17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

2 Thessalonians 3 NLT

1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 

2Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. 

3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 

4 And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. 

5May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. 

6 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. 

7 For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. 

8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. 

9 We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. 

10 Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” 

11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.

12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. 

13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. 

14 Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. 

15 Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister. 

16Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. 

17HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. I DO THIS IN ALL MY LETTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE FROM ME. 

18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Colossians 3 and 4 NLT

Outline

I.                  Introduction (1:1-14)

A.    Greetings (1:1-2)

B.    Thanksgiving (1:3-8)

C.    Prayer (1:9-14)

                 II.         The Supremacy of Christ (1:15-23)

III.         Paul's Labor for the Church (1:24;2:7)

 .      His Ministry for the Sake of the Church (1:24-29)

A.    His Concern for the Spiritual Welfare of His Readers (2:1-7)

               IV.         Freedom from Human Regulations through Life with Christ (2:8-23)

 .      Warning to Guard against the False Teachers (2:8-15)

A.    Pleas to Reject the False Teachers (2:16-19)

B.    An Analysis of the Heresy (2:20-23)

V.         Rules for Holy Living (3:1;4:6)

 .      The Old Self and the New Self (3:1-17)

A.    Rules for Christian Households (3:18;4:1)

B.    Further Instructions (4:2-6)

Final Greetings and Benediction (4:7-18)

Colossians 3 NLT

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 

2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 

3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 

4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. 

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 

6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 

7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 

8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.

9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 

10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 

11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 

14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 

15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. 

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. 

19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. 

20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 

21Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. 

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 

23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 

24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 

25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.

Colossians 4 NLT

1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven. 

2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 

3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 

4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. 

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 

6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. 

7 Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. 

8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you. 

9 I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here. 

10 Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way. 

11 Jesus (the one we call Justus) also sends his greetings. These are the only Jewish believers among my co-workers; they are working with me here for the Kingdom of God. And what a comfort they have been! 

12 Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. 

13 I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 

14 Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas. 

15 Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. 

16 After you have read this letter, pass it on to the church at Laodicea so they can read it, too. And you should read the letter I wrote to them. 

17 And say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.” 

18 HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL . Remember my chains. May God’s grace be with you.