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Understand the Context

Timothy’s path from Athens

While Paul was ministering in Athens, Paul dispatched Timothy, his trusted coworker, to find out how things were going for the Thessalonians (1 Thess.

3:1-3).

Some time later, Timothy returned with a report that was even better than Paul could have expected.

The Thessalonians had remained strong in their faith, despite ongoing persecution.

They had not forgotten Paul, and they wanted him to return as much as he wanted to rejoin them (3:6-7).

With this positive report, the apostle could challenge the Thessalonians to continue moving in the right direction, growing in their love and holiness (3:11-13).

Paul devoted the rest of the letter to the practical help they would need to live out their faith each day.

[LifeWay Adults (2021).

Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Spring 2022]

Explore the Text

Although the three men keep expressing that the 3 weeks they were with the Thessalonians was a short time, it seems to have been long enough to ground them in some of the harder truths of Christian life like the inevitability of suffering - either from persecution or the results of a fallen world.

Not only had the new believers been told about afflictions, but they were also apparently told more than once and this letter reminds them, and us, once again.

There is no astonishment or consternation because troubles have rained down on the new believers.

Here, as elsewhere in Paul’s writings, persecution was considered inevitable.

(1Thess 3:3) Such opposition was a badge of faithful discipleship.

The early disciples, including those at Thessalonica, were such a tough-minded lot that hostility and unpopularity were accepted as marks of spiritual achievement.

It energized them for more daring service.

[The Teacher’s Bible Commentary]

Trials like exercise strengthen us where we are weak and reveals where we need work.

Here is the first of three lists in our lesson today.

This one helps us see some of the ways that God’s allowance of afflictions in our lives have positive effects.

1.

They prove the reality of our faith, and weed out those who are mere professors (1 Pet.

1:7).

2. They enable us to comfort and encourage others who are going through trials (2 Cor.

1:4).

3.

They develop certain graces, such as endurance, in our character (Rom.

5:3).

4. They make us more zealous in spreading the gospel (Acts 4:29; 5:27–29: 8:3, 4).

[Believer’s Bible Commentary]

The persecutions and afflictions also had the positive affect of moving the missionaries from place to place so that the gospel continued to be spread.

The unfortunate side effect of all the moving around however is that the pastor leaders would leave their “children” behind.

This caused another type of affliction of the heart which Paul was hoping to appease at least in part with this letter.

He says that he sent the letter to “learn”, which is the Greek word ginosko.

He wanted to get experiential knowledge of how they were doing, even if only through another trusted believer.

One thing that concerned the writers about their short time with the new church was the possibility of others coming with “another gospel” and undoing any work God had done in their lives.

Paul attributes this possibility to the “tempter” or in some translations “tester.”

There is an interesting change of construction.

Paul uses the indicative when he says, the tempter might have tempted you, which leaves the impression that he thinks this has probably happened.

But his change to the subjunctive in our efforts might have been useless makes this proposition open to doubt.

Paul thinks it probable that Satan has applied pressure to his converts, but improbable that they have given way.

When we are not well grounded or distracted by the things of this world and our focus on Christ wanes, the enemy is able to draw us a away from the better things of God’s kingdom.

I did not look at all the temptations listed in the Scriptures that but here are some of the major ones as a reminder so that we can be on guard against them (2Cor 2:11) a little better this coming week.

Matt 4:3 - He tries to make us twist God’s word to fit our needs

1 Cor 7:5. - He tries to distort godly disciplines into self-serving desires

2 Cor 11:13–15 - He disguises his promptings in a cloud of righteousness

Gal 1:6–9; Eph 4:14 - He tries to draw us away from the true gospel with approximations of the truth

James 1:13-14 - He tries to make us blame God for the trial when it is our own deceitfulness

1 Cor 10:13 - He tries to convince us there is no way out but his corrupt methods

Satan is subtle and deceptive.

Though he is a defeated enemy, Christians should not take him lightly.

He is a roaring lion working to destroy Christians and their testimonies (1 Pet.

5:8).

While Satan could not steal anyone’s salvation, he could create chaos in the congregation.

He could instill faulty doctrine through false teaching.

He could plant seeds of suspicion that would produce disunity.

Further, he could use persecution to spread discouragement.

His work could damage the church’s witness and hinder its outreach.

[LifeWay Adults (2021).

Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Spring 2022]

This hindrance would decrease the progress of the sanctification and possibly nullify the effectiveness of the gospel in a very new congregation.

This would make it appear that the work of the missionary writers was “meaningless” or “hollow.”

Paul was not suggesting that they could lose their salvation when he feared that his labor would be in vain nor did he think that God’s Word would prove to be “in vain” (cf.

Is 55:11).

He was concerned that some who had made a profession would be proven to be “false brethren,” and that they would give up their professed faith because of persecution.

[The Moody Bible Commentary]

No one does their work well if they know it will not matter or is meaningless.

Eternal work, that done for the Lord, is probably some of the hardest to get feedback on as it cannot be humanly perceived or quantified.

That is part of the reason for those who do it well and persevere are said to have been “called.”

They do not rely on numbers or man’s estimations of progress but do the work “for Him” and receive their fulfillment from doing the work and not the fruits of the labor.

However, God uses evidence like these reported by Timothy to greatly encourage pastors and leaders in the work and it a part of His evidence that they are fulfilling His call on their lives.

Whenever God uses another disciple of Christ to motivate us toward more Christlikeness, we should tell them.

Not “that was a great message” but speak to how God transformed or revealed Himself through them like “Thank you for helping me see His word more clearly” or “God used your message to show me that....” God made us all in His image so the more we can encourage others into fulfilling that image it helps us and them not to be tempted to believe the work is in vain.

“But now” shifts the letter from what they were thinking may have happened to what they now know has happened.

Paul was concerned for them “but now” he is encouraged by them.

Timothy has recently alleviated the concerns with his report and literal “good news” about the growth of the young church’s “faith and love.”

This the only time for this couplet in our passage today but not the full “triplet” typical of that was at the beginning of the letter.

Faith and love—internal and external proof of salvation—work together to bring believers to complete maturity and fulfilled ministry.

[ETB: ALG 2022]

One proof that God’s Word and work was still active in the new believers was that they wanted the men to return, and the desire was more than a feigned interest.

The word translated “long” typically means “to yearn” but it has the “epi” intensifier so it is much more than a casual want.

The antonym is to neglect.

Their faith and “love” created this longing that grows from a godly desire to care and uplift the other.

The “intense desire” to fellowship was mutual as Paul and his fellow missionaries wanted to regroup with the little young church as well.

Although the letter was sent to encourage the Thessalonians, the report that came back encouraged the writers even though they too were in “distress and affliction.”

Zodhiates defines distress as “compelling force, as opposed to willingness, moral necessity” and affliction as “to crush, press, compress, squeeze.”

One stress seems to be more internal and the other external.

Yet both are in part relaxed because of the continuing faith of the new believers.

Earlier in the chapter this word is translated as “exhort” as is what the leaders wish to do for the church.

Now the church has “comforted” the leaders by responding and continuing in the faith of Christ.

This news was like cold water to Paul’s thirsty soul.

(Prov.

25:25) [Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments]

The first phrase may be better stated for the modern reader as “We are now enlivened”.

The good report has not only given the oppressed leaders comfort of mind, but it has invigorated their bodies with new life because of the church’s faithfulness even though not much “follow-up” had occurred.

None of these men would dare to say that the Thessalonians' faithfulness was their reason for life.

Paul especially states in his letter to the Philippians that for him to live is Christ, or more emphatically “to live: Christ.”

But the Thessalonians faith and firmness in it did enrich and add to the blessings of life that the writers enjoyed.

The context makes "standing fast” appear to be an idiom as the word just means to stand still but here it seems to have more of a judicial connotation of bearing up under scrutiny from higher authority.

Paul and the others had been “approved” by God, and now the Thessalonians faith has “passed the test” through their own trials and separation from advanced teaching or discipleship.

This is the spiritual stance that you take in order to guard against the temptations from the enemy.

Here are just a few ways to “stand firm” that Paul lists in other letters: