Men of Steel 2-10-25

This evening, Aaron led the men in an exercise on individual prayer and corporate prayer among the men based on the example set in II Thessalonians 1:1-9.

Individually, we went through this process of prayer as outlined by Aaron:
1. Ask the Lord “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
2. Ask the Lord “Where are You at work in my life?”
3. Ask the Lord “Where can I join You in this work?”
4. Ask the Lord again “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
With each step, we spent a few minutes in prayer making an effort to set aside outside thoughts and allowing the Lord room to speak.

Corporately, we prayed together based on the model set forward by Paul, Silas, and Timothy in 2nd Thessalonians.
1. Praise God for his grace given to us in Jesus.
2. Give thanks for our brothers in Christ.
3. Ask God to continue to grow our faith and love even in difficult circumstances.
4. Share and pray for one another’s struggles and suffering.
5. Ask that God be glorified in our lives.

We would encourage all of you to adopt these practices of both individual prayer and prayer with other believers as you find opportunity and especially allow moments to quiet your mind and allow the Lord to speak to your heart.

II Thessalonians 1:1-9
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.

3. Dear 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.