HAVING APOSTLE PAUL’S COMPASSION FOR THE BRETHREN!
When you read Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Thessalonica … you come away with the sense that this man truly loved his brethren! He uses the same jargon that Jesus used when He spoke to the Nation of Israel and said, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, I wanted to protect YOU, like a mother Hen her young …” Paul treated the Christians of this Church like a caring mother and an encouraging father.
We know this by reading 1Thessalonia 2:7&11-12, “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
The more time he spent on his missionary journeys and the times in jail for preaching the Gospel, he longed to see them, time and time again, as expressed in 1Thessalonia 2:17-18, “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.
What were some of the concerns he had for these saints?
His concern for their faith, here in 1Thessalonias 3:1-5, “Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.”
Why was he so concerned about their faith? He tells us in verses 1-4, – How they were holding up under tribulation. He did not want their faith to be shaken by the trials and tributation, that he told them would come from Satan, who is the tempter.
We see in his Epistles/letters to the Churches of Galatians 4:11, and Philippians 2:16, that his labor would have been in vain, if they permitted Satan to be successful over them, after all the preaching and teaching he had poured into them.
The Encouragement from Timothy in 1Thessalonias 3:6-10, “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you— therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?”
These passages should cause us [the modern day church] to be concerned for one another? Are we troubled at all over the spiritual welfare of our brethren? As we continue through this lesson, the one major thing that I want us to look for – what can we take away from Paul’s concerns about the saints and apply them to our church friends?
We need to get out of our comfort zones, and become more concerned about the Body of Christ – our brothers and sisters,
At whatever cost to us.
Look at what Paul did … when he couldn’t go in 3:1-2:
* He sent his son in the Gospel [Timothy] and paid his expenses.
* He was willing to be without
Remember, we’re encouraged, when we reach out to encourage others. We see this in 3:6-9.
* Timothy report about their faith and love.
* About their good remembrance of Paul
* About their great desire to see Paul
Now look at Paul’s reaction to the good news
* Comforted in his own affliction and distress by their faith
* Made to really live by their steadfastness
* Rejoicing with thankfulness for their condition before God
Look at the level of JOY, we receive – when we hear about our brothers and sisters holding on to their faith under difficult circumstances. This level of JOY causes us to do something even more, as expressed by the Apostle Paul here in verse 10.
* Causes us to pray night and day
* Pray exceedingly
WHY?
* To see their face once again
* To perfect what is lacking in their faith
This goes back to what I asked YOU earlier: Are we willing to be like the example that Apostle Paul set, by making personal sacrifices to encourage a brother or sister?
* Are you concerned about the welfare of our brothers and sisters, especially the weak? [Romans 14:1, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.”]
* Have we noticed their absence, does it not trouble us?
* Have we made an effort to touch base with them?
* Are we setting a good example with our own attendances in
Services?
* Are we doing what we can to establish and encourage them in
their faith in God?
Then we need to ask ourselves, what’s our attitude like, when we:
* See a brother or sister restored back to Christ?
* What’s our attitude like when they walk back into the church?
* Do we offer prayers of thanksgiving up to the Lord for them?
CONCLUSION
What do we take away from 1Thessalonians Chapter 3?
Not only is there JOY in heaven over the restoration of a brother or sister … but there’s much JOY seen in the saints, in the local church.
We too can be comforted in our own afflictions by the steadfast faith of others, when we need to be encouraged.
We [too] can say what Apostle John said in 3John 3-4, “For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
Apostle Paul said it best, when he said, “If we don’t show real concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re in real danger of our labor being in vain.”