Check the Faith (1 Thess. 5:1–13)

Introduction

There’s a kind of care that looks spiritual but stays really, really safe.

You know what I mean.

You bump into someone at church and say, “How’s it going?” And they say, “Good, just busy.” And you go, “Yeah… same,” and then both of you run away like you’ve just survived something deeply vulnerable.

You send a “Let me know how I can be praying for you” text, and when they don’t respond—you sigh with relief because now you don’t have to.

You sit down for coffee with a friend and talk about everything—kids, work, travel plans, how the Cubs are probably ruining your summer again—but you never ask about their faith. Never ask about their soul.

You walk away thinking, That was nice! But you didn’t ask anything that actually matters for eternity.

And I get it. I’ve done it too.

Years ago, I had a good friend from college. After graduation, he was in ministry—a youth pastor. Thoughtful guy. Creative. Solid teacher. But there was always a heaviness about him. He tended to lean toward the more serious, even gloomy side of things. You could just sense it when you were around him.

We kept up after college. Every few months we’d get coffee. Early on, we had real conversations—about depression, doubt, pressure in ministry. But over time, I stopped asking those questions. It was easier to talk about what we were both doing. So we talked shop—sermon series, youth group stories, funny church moments. And we laughed and shared ideas and drank overpriced coffee.

But I stopped checking in on his heart. I stopped asking about what mattered most.

Eventually… we just stopped meeting.

A couple years later, I found out he had walked away from the faith. Completely. He cut off every Christian in his life. I haven’t been able to talk to him since.

And what’s haunted me ever since is this: I checked the box—but I didn’t check his faith.

And that’s what brings me to 1 Thessalonians 3.

Because in this chapter, Paul shows us what real, gospel-driven love looks like. He’s not asking, “Are they still showing up to church?” He’s not asking, “Are things going okay?” He’s asking, “Are they still standing firm in the faith?”

Because true love checks the faith, not just the box.

BIG IDEA: True love checks the faith, not just the box.

That’s the big idea of this chapter is about. Gospel love doesn’t settle for polite conversation. It moves toward people. It asks hard questions. It celebrates real faith. And it prays all the way to the finish line.

Paul didn’t just feel bad for the Thessalonians. He didn’t just say, “Man, I hope they’re doing alright.” His concern moved him. He took action. He paid a price. Because true love doesn’t stay passive—it shows up.

Let me show you what I mean.

In Acts 17, Paul and his team—Silas and Timothy—had rolled into Thessalonica during Paul’s second missionary journey, probably dusty, probably tired, but definitely on mission. And they hit the ground running.

Every Sabbath, Paul was in the synagogue, reasoning with the Jews, opening the Scriptures like a man on fire. “This Jesus,” he’d say, “whom I proclaim to you—he is the Messiah.”

You can imagine the scrolls open, hands flying with passion, hearts pounding as he traced the promises of the Old Testament—promises of a Savior who would come not with armies but with mercy. A Messiah who would suffer and rise again.

He probably walked them through Isaiah 53: “He was pierced because of our rebellion… the punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.” He might have reminded them of Psalm 16: “You will not let your Holy One see decay.”

Then he looked them in the eye and said, “That’s Jesus. The Christ has come. He lived the perfect life none of us could live. He died the death we deserved, on a Roman cross. He took our sin, our guilt, our shame—and He paid for it in full. And then… three days later… He rose again. He conquered the grave. Death didn’t win. Sin didn’t win. He won.”

And the people listened. Some wept. Some argued. But many believed.

Jews and Gentiles. Men and women. Rich and poor. Idol worshipers who burned their old altars. Self-righteous religious people who let go of their pride. Former mockers who fell to their knees.

A young church was born. Faith was real. Love was growing. You could feel it—God was clearly at work.

Lives were being transformed. People were forgiven. A new kind of community was forming—not based on background or class or culture, but on one thing: Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.

That’s the gospel Paul preached. And that’s the gospel that turned Thessalonica upside down.

But here’s the thing about the gospel: it always causes a stir. Because grace threatens power. Forgiveness confronts pride. And when Jesus starts changing lives, the enemy doesn’t sit quietly.

Some of the synagogue leaders grew jealous—fast. They didn’t like the crowds Paul was drawing. They didn’t like losing influence. So they stirred up a mob. And not the passive-aggressive kind. We’re talking real torches-and-shouting kind of mob.

One evening, Jason—the man hosting Paul and Silas—hears the roar of the crowd outside. Then pounding at the door. Then crashing. Men storm in, shouting, “Where are they? Where’s Paul?! Where’s Silas?!”

But Paul and Silas are gone—snuck out just in time. The believers had warned them, begged them: “You have to leave. It’s not safe. They’re coming for you.”

I imagine Silas, backpack slung over his shoulder, whispering in the dark: “This is too soon. They’re not ready. We just got started.”

And Paul, maybe lingering a moment longer, looking back toward the city lights, saying quietly: “I know.”

They escape by night, head to Berea—and guess what? Revival starts again. People are open. Hungry. Eager to hear the Word.

But the mob isn’t done.

They chase Paul down like bloodhounds. They show up in Berea, shouting, stirring things up again. Paul’s friends say, “You have to go. Now.” And this time, it’s just Paul. No Silas. No Timothy.

He boards a ship, sails south, and ends up in Athens. Alone.

But he doesn’t stay disconnected for long. His heart is still with his people. He sends for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him. Eventually, they come. Maybe tired. Maybe telling stories of how things are still stirring in Berea. But Paul… Paul can’t stop thinking about Thessalonica.

Because even with his team back together, something’s not right. His concern for the Thessalonians is growing—not fading. He needs to know.

So Paul and Silas talk. They pray. They wrestle with it. And then, Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 3:1:

“When we could no longer stand it, we thought it was better to be left alone in Athens.”

The Thessalonians were struggling. And what did Paul do? The same thing we should do with the struggling people in our lives. We should…

1. Pursue the Struggling (vv. 1–5)

That’s what Paul and Silas did. They said—“We had to act. We couldn’t wonder any longer.”

Paul is in Athens, spiritually alone in a city of idols, but what breaks him isn’t the idolatry. It’s not the mockery. It’s not even the weight of ministry. What breaks him… is the silence from Thessalonica.

So he and Silas make a hard call: “We’ll stay. Timothy, you go.”

And that’s no small decision.

You don’t just send your best guy unless the need is urgent. But love makes that kind of move. Gospel love says, “I’ll take the hit so you can be built up.”

Gospel love should push us to…

A. Sacrifice for Their Sake

So Timothy packs his bag, prays with his brothers, and heads north.

Why?

Paul tells us in verse 2. Look at it:

“And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith.”

There it is—clear as day.

“To strengthen and encourage you… concerning your faith.”

Not concerning their friendships. Not concerning their attendance. Not concerning whether they were hanging in there emotionally. Not to see if they had joined a small group or had started serving in Awana yet.

Faith.

That’s the target.

Paul knows that what’s at stake in persecution isn’t just comfort—it’s belief. When the heat turns up, you don’t just lose your routine—you’re tempted to lose your confidence in Christ. So Timothy’s mission isn’t just to bring hugs and well wishes and good vibes—it’s to bring steel to their spine. Gospel steel.

When the Gospel causes us to pursue the struggling, we…

B. Strengthen the Weak

We strengthen them. Encourage them.

I think about my son, Gus. He’s just learning to walk right now—just starting to figure it out. And it’s wobbly. His knees buckle. He takes a few steps and then—whoa—he starts to tip. And in that moment, I don’t just stand there and watch him fall. I move. I rush in. I wrap my arm around him, scoop him up, and steady him so he doesn’t hit the ground.

That’s what it means to strengthen someone. You don’t criticize them for wobbling. You don’t wait until they can walk on their own. You step in when they’re shaky. You hold them up when they’re about to go down.

That’s what Timothy was sent to do in Thessalonica. And that’s what gospel love still does today.

That’s what love does when it sees a trembling believer—it rushes in. And that’s Paul’s goal for Timothy!

Look at verse 3:

“...so that no one will be shaken by these afflictions.”

And then Paul says something wild:

“For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.”

Appointed to what?

To affliction.

You see what Paul’s doing? He’s normalizing suffering for believers. He’s saying, “You know this. I told you this from the jump.”

Gospel love makes us…

C. Prepare Them for Suffering

This wasn’t the fine print in the gospel. This was the front page.

Jesus saves, yes—but he also said, “In this world you will have trouble.” And Paul made sure the Thessalonians understood that. Because love tells the truth—especially when the truth is hard.

He goes on in verse 4:

“In fact, when we were with you, we told you in advance that we were going to experience affliction, and as you know, it happened.”

You hear that? “We told you. And sure enough—it came.”

Paul’s not saying, “Oops, guess I forgot to mention this part.” He’s saying, “No—we prepared you. Because affliction isn’t an interruption in the Christian life—it’s part of the appointment.”

And now—Paul’s doing it again. Through Timothy. Reaffirming their theology of suffering. Not with a tweet. Not with a podcast. With presence. With pursuit. With a hand on the shoulder saying, “Don’t forget what’s true.”

Then we come to verse 5—the heart of why Paul sent Timothy. The end goal of sacrificing, strengthening, and preparing. Gospel Love should also…

D. Confirm Their Faith

Look at verse 5:

“For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I also sent him to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that our labor might be for nothing.”

There’s that phrase again: when I could no longer stand it.

Paul says, “I had to know.”

Not about their finances. Not about their fun. Not even about their feelings.

About their faith.

Because Paul knows something we forget: the tempter doesn’t take a day off. Especially not when you’re weak. Especially not when you’re suffering.

And that’s what Paul fears—not that they’d be sad or scattered, but that their faith might unravel. That the seeds they planted back in Thessalonica… never took root.

That their labor might be in vain.

Can you feel the ache in that?

He’s not being dramatic. He genuinely cares. This is what love sounds like when it’s on the edge of its seat—waiting to hear whether the people it cares for are still walking with Jesus.

Let’s pause right here.

Because some of us need to hear this:

When someone’s struggling—really struggling—what they need most isn’t our distance. It’s our pursuit.

It’s so easy to say, “I’ll pray for them,” and never do it.

It’s so easy to give them space… when what they really need is someone showing up at their door.

It’s so easy to send a thumbs-up emoji… when what they need is a cup of coffee and a conversation that goes deeper.

And let’s be honest—it’s easier to assume someone else will do it.

But that’s not what Paul did.

He didn’t say, “Well, they’re grown. They’ll figure it out.”

He didn’t say, “If they really need something, I’m sure they’ll reach out.”

He said, “We couldn’t take it anymore. So we moved. We sent. We pursued.”

Because gospel love doesn’t wait for the hurting to come to us. It moves toward them.

It shows up. It strengthens. It encourages. It reminds them that affliction doesn’t mean abandonment. That suffering doesn’t cancel salvation. That Jesus is still worth it—even when everything else is on fire.

So here’s the question for us:

Who do you know right now… who’s shaking?

Who’s slipping under the weight?

Who needs to know—today—that someone sees their faith and cares?

Don’t wait for the perfect time. Don’t wait until you have the perfect words. Just go. Pursue them. Be Timothy in their life.

Because real love doesn’t check the box. It checks their faith.

And when faith is fragile… real love pusues the suffering. But it also doesn’t stop there.

Because sometimes—praise God—faith holds. Sometimes the people you’re worried sick about… are actually doing okay. Sometimes they’re not slipping—they’re standing.

And when that happens—when you find out they’re still clinging to Jesus, still trusting him, still showing up despite everything they’re carrying—what do you do?

You celebrate.

Gospel love causes us to…

2. Celebrate the Faithful (vv. 6–8)

You rejoice. You don’t just go, “Oh, that’s good to hear.” You let it fill you with joy.

That’s exactly what happens next.

Look at verse 6:

“But now Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news about your faith and love.”

There it is. Not just, “They’re fine.” Not just, “They survived.” Timothy brings back good news.

Paul had been carrying this weight in his soul. Night after night in Athens, heart tied up in knots, praying, hoping, fearing. Then Timothy returns—and you can almost hear the door swing open. The footsteps racing in. The eagerness in Timothy’s voice.

“Paul—they’re okay.” “They’re still walking with Jesus.” “Their faith and love? It’s strong.”

And Paul… breathes.

Not only are the Thessalonians still clinging to Christ… but their love is growing.

That’s what gospel love looks like when it lands: Faith that clings to Jesus. Love that reaches outward.

And Timothy says, “Paul, they still think of you fondly. They remember you with warmth. They want to see you just as badly as you want to see them.”

That must’ve hit Paul hard. Because remember—he had to leave in the middle of the night. No closure. No way of knowing if the Thessalonians had grown bitter toward him for inciting these zealous rioters. No.

Timothy says, “They still love Jesus. And they still love you.”

And Paul just erupts with joyful relief.

And that’s what Gospel love does for us. It causes us to

A. Rejoice in Their Perseverance

Look at Verse 7:

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction, we were encouraged about you through your faith.”

He doesn’t say, “Well, that’s nice to hear.” He says, “We were encouraged.”

Paul is still suffering. Still facing opposition. Still in a hard season himself. But he says, “Your faith helped me breathe again.” “Your faith gave me joy in place of anxiety.”

And then… verse 8:

“For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord.”

Did you catch that?

Paul found strength in their endurance. And Gospel love causes us to do the same. To…

B. Find Strength in Their Endurance

Paul says, “Now we live.”

Not “Now we can relax.” Not “Now we can stop worrying.” He says, “Now we live—because you’re still standing in Christ.”

Paul was revived. It’s like Paul’s soul had been underwater… and now he’s coming up for air.

That’s what it feels like when you hear that someone’s faith is still intact. When you were afraid they were slipping—and instead, you find out they’re stronger than ever.

So let me ask you…

When’s the last time you celebrated someone’s faith like that?

Not their job. Not their vacation. Not their new relationship or their kid’s achievements.

But their faith.

When’s the last time you said: “Hey—I’ve seen the way you’ve held on to Jesus this year.” “I’ve seen how you’ve kept showing up even though life hasn’t been easy.” “That encourages me. That strengthens me.”

Because here’s the thing: Gospel love doesn’t just chase the hurting. It also cheers for the faithful.

It sees someone standing firm and says, “You don’t know what that does for me.” “You don’t know how much that keeps me going.”

And don’t miss this: That means your faith matters more than you realize. If you’re still clinging to Christ—still showing up, still praying, still trusting—you’re a gift to the people around you.

Your faith might be the reason someone else keeps going.

So if you’re standing today… keep standing. If you’re weary, but still holding on to Jesus… keep holding on. If nobody’s told you this lately—hear it now: Your faith encourages people more than you know.

Because real love doesn’t just pursue the struggling. It also celebrates the faithful.

That’s what love does—it runs after the hurting, it cheers on the faithful… and then—Paul shows us one more thing.

When Paul hears the good news from Timothy, when the pressure in his chest finally loosens, when he realizes the church is still standing—it doesn’t lead him to check off a box and move on. It leads him to pray.

And Gospel love does the same for us. It causes us to…

3. Pray with Passion (vv. 9–13)

Gospel love hits its knees.

Because love knows… that even when things are going well, even when someone’s faith is strong, the battle isn’t over.

Look at verse 9:

“How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience before our God because of you…”

In other words: “We don’t even have words for the joy this brings us.” “Your endurance—it’s a gift from God.” Paul doesn’t pat himself on the back. He doesn’t say, “Well, glad my discipleship strategy worked.” He thanks God.

Because he knows—every ounce of faith and love in that church is a miracle of grace.

So he prays.

And what does he pray for? He gives us a glimpse in verses 10 through 13.

First, Paul prays for presence.

A. Pray for Presence

Look at verse 10:

“...as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face and to complete what is lacking in your faith.”

Paul says, “We’re asking God to make a way for us to be with you again.”

Why? Because even though they’re standing… they still need shepherding. Even though they’re doing well… there are still gaps to fill. No church ever arrives. No believer ever levels out and says, “I’ve got it all.” We all need someone investing in our faith, helping us grow, calling out what’s still lacking.

And Paul says, “I want to be that for you. But even if I can’t—I'm asking God to send someone.” Do you pray that for the people in your life? “God, bring someone alongside them.” “Help me step in if I can, but if not—bring someone who can help finish what’s lacking.”

And then he keeps going in verses 11–12:

“Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you. And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.”

He prays for growth.

B. Pray for Growth

Not just that their faith would survive—but that their love would multiply.

Not drip. Overflow.

Gospel love doesn’t say, “Whew, glad you’re hanging in there.” It says, “Let’s go deeper. Let’s grow wider. Let’s overflow.”

Paul wants their love to be so obvious, so abundant, so supernatural—that it spills out onto each other and onto everyone around them.

And finally—verse 13:

“May he make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen.”

He prays for eternity.

C. Pray for Eternity

He prays that their faith wouldn’t just survive this month, or this season, or this wave of persecution—but that they’d be ready to stand before Jesus when he returns.

Paul loves them too much to only care about how they’re doing today. He’s praying them all the way into glory.

That’s what gospel love does. It looks at the people we care about—the ones who are struggling and the ones who are standing—and it says: “I want to see you face to face.” “I want your love to overflow.” “I want you ready for the return of Christ.”

And Gospel love hits its knees and asks God to do what only he can do.

Let me ask you… When’s the last time you prayed like that for someone? Not just, “Help them have a good day.” Not just, “Make their trip go well.”

But “God, increase their love.” “Strengthen what’s weak.” “Keep them holy until they see Jesus.”

Because real love doesn’t stop at presence. It pleads for power. It intercedes for transformation.

It pursues the struggling. It celebrates the faithful. And then— It prays with passion.

Not just to check the box. But because it can’t help but cry out, “God—keep them standing.” “God—keep them growing.” “God—keep them yours.”

Conclusion