Feeding Faith

Josh Smith

In the Shadow of His Return • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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INTRODUCTION

In many ways, chapter 3 is a conclusion to the first half of 1 Thessalonians. As such, let’s just review the story that Paul is telling up to this point.

After all those events took place, Paul & Co. found themselves concerned about the Thessalonian Church.

The Story (vv. 1-8)

Paul was concerned for the Church’s faith (vv. 1-5).

Paul starts off this chapter by saying

1 Thessalonians 3:1 (CSB)

Therefore, when we could no longer stand it, we thought it was better to be left alone in Athens.

Imagine that. Paul & Co. is so overcome with concern for the Thessalonian Church. They are going through a crucible of suffering in Thessalonica. As a result of this, Paul and Silas thought it would be better to (read verses 2 and 3 with me):

1 Thessalonians 3:2-3a (CSB)

[Send] Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith, so that no one will be shaken by these afflictions.

Have you ever been in a situation where its better to split up than it is remain together? Paul, Silas, and Timothy had been together for a while. Paul and Silas began Paul’s second missionary journey together. Timothy was picked up shortly after they began.

Eventually, they got to Thessalonica. And the ministry was great! …for a time. People were repenting of their sin, trusting Jesus as Savior, and growing in their faith and love. Paul informed them that persecution was going to come on them because of their trust in the gospel. We read this in vv. 3-4.

1 Thessalonians 3:3b–4 (CSB)

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

Just as he taught them, persecution broke out. Thessalonians who were hostile to the gospel began to riot and persecute the Thessalonians. When this began, Paul, Silas, and Timothy were driven out to the town of Berea. There, they began to minister again. The bloodthirsty mob from Thessalonica, however, followed them.

Here, the gang splits apart. Paul, accompanied by some Bereans, leaves Silas and Timothy in Berea while he is taken to Athens. In Athens, Paul sends for Silas and Timothy. When Silas and Timothy arrive, they start to converse about what had happened in Thessalonica and Berea. Concerned for the Thessalonians, they decide that it would be best to send Timothy to strengthen them and encourage them in their faith (v. 2). We learn another reason that Paul had for sending Timothy in v. 5.

1 Thessalonians 3:5 (CSB)

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.

We learn from Acts 18:5 that Paul, in Athens, ends up sending Silas also back to Macedonia for another task.

Now, Paul is alone in Athens. There, he is ridiculed by the people. Eventually, Paul continues on his journey alone to Corinth. This couldn’t have been an easy time for Paul & Co. They’d been through a lot. In Phiippi, they were flogged, imprisoned, and publically ridiculed. They were persecuted and kicked out of Thessalonica and Berea. Then, Paul was scoffed at in Athens. In Corinth, things weren’t as bad. But he was beaten up from the past several weeks. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:3

1 Corinthians 2:3 (CSB)

I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

All alone in Corinth, Paul was away from the Timothy and Silas for a while–unsure of what was going on in Thessalonica. It wasn’t a short amount of time either. Someone says,

“The trip from Athens to Thessalonica was approximately 220 miles (350 km.) overland, a journey that would have taken ten to eleven days. If Timothy had remained there for a minimum of a week, the whole trip from Athens to Thessalonica and then to Corinth beyond Athens would have taken approximately a month.”

Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (p. 166). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

Imagine what Paul was going through at that time. He was overwhelmed with agonizing concern for the church that he loved so dearly. In Corinth, alone, he had no idea what was going on back in Thessalonica. Had Satan won in Thessalonica? Had the Thessalonian Church forsaken the gospel of Jesus? Did they turn back to their idol worship again because of the persecution? WHAT WAS GOING ON?

If I had to summarize what was going on in Paul’s head in one question, it would be this: Was the church firm in its faith?

To answer that question, let’s jump over to Timothy for a bit. What we see on Timothy’s side of the story is that,

Paul was encouraged by the Thessalonian’s faith (vv. 6-8).

When Timothy departed from Paul and Silas in Athens, he began his journey to Thessalonica. As mentioned earlier, this journey would have taken ten to eleven days to complete. As he started his journey, Timothy was probably worried about the Thessalonian Church just like Paul was.