Concern for the Affliction of Others10/5/2024 1 Thessalonians 3:4-5 ~ “For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.” Let us speak of the love that the church has for one another, especially when afflictions come because of our faith. In our text today, there is much in Paul’s expression of concern that echoes the deep affection that he had for the church in Thessalonica. It was a church that endured severe trials. Even at the beginning of the gospel in that city, there was an uproar against the church. Acts 17:5 states, “But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.” In times of such severe tests, let us rise to the level of concern for our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ as Paul had for the church. Let me encourage you to read 1 Thessalonians, chapter three. As we look at our text today, the first thing we see is a reminder that sufferings and afflictions are part of the reality of the Christian’s life in this world. We read, “For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction.” Paul was no stranger to the distress of life that came because of his bold proclamation for the faith. In the city of Lystra, Paul was stoned and left for dead (see Acts 14:19). And yet, after that experience, he returned to that very town to remind them of the promised sufferings that befall the church, “saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). What a reminder for us, even today, that the road to the kingdom of God is set with many tribulations. My friends, take warning from this text and know that your Christian journey is not set upon paved stones of ease, but the rocky terrain of trials. And, as he had reminded them previously of the affliction that would come, he now says, “just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.” Have you known the distress of walking by faith in a world that is hostile to Christ? Do you know someone who has experienced such difficulty? This is more than the genuine suffering that comes through negative circumstances that all mankind might face along the way, this is the anguish that arrives because you have stood with your Savior against a hostile world. Hebrews 10:32-33 states, “But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.” We come now to the great concern of the famed apostle, “For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith.” Paul had learned of the great difficulties that the church in Thessalonica had endured, and not hearing any word from them regarding their condition, he willingly sent his most trusted disciple, Timothy, to find out how they were doing and provide needed encouragement (see 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2). Not only that, but his own heart ached with the suffering that the church endured. He was familiar with suffering and knew the grief that it brought to those who followed the LORD. He wanted to calm his own heart. For all his own challenges he faced, his great concern was for the churches. Consider what it says in 2 Corinthians 11:28, “And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” Let our greatest concerns be outward. We all must walk through this world with the potential to suffer for our LORD. But with hearts open toward our fellow Christians, let us also find ourselves filled with a longing to see that they endure as well. Finally, we come to see Paul’s reason for such concern, “for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.” Sufferings and persecutions are the effort of the enemy to have us run from Christ in fear for our lives. What was Paul’s great labor but to bring people to the saving knowledge of the LORD Jesus that they should be delivered from sin by the grace of our Savior. His great joy was to hear from Timothy that their faith had not failed. Like those written of in Revelation 12:11, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” My friends, let me encourage you to have your love for the church kindled anew, and especially when you learn of those who are enduring suffering for the Name of our LORD. And, if you are one who is enduring the testing of your faith, reach out to those who love the LORD so that you will not face it alone. In His Grace, Pastor Michael
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