GOOD NEWS OF ENDURING FAITH
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on July 25, 2018 under PM Bible Study |
PM Bible Study Group; July 25, 2018 – from 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10
Theme: The good news of enduring faith brings comfort to one another and praise to God.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Proverbs 25:25 makes an affirmation that we can all appreciate: “As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.” Every one of us knows what that’s like. It may be because of a concern for someone who is sick or going through a trial, or perhaps for someone who is traveling to a far country. We pray for that person; and long to know how they are; and perhaps even write to them, or send a text. And when we get good news that things are going well, what a relief and a joy it is!
Paul certainly knew how that felt. He had been greatly burdened with concern for the Thessalonian believers. He and his colleagues Timothy and Silvanus had been able to minister to them for only a short while. And then—because of persecution and violent opposition to the faith—they had to abruptly depart from these brand-new Thessalonian believers. As we noted in our last study, Acts 17 tells us that opponents to the faith even followed the missionaries from Thessalonica into to the next cities to hinder their preaching of the gospel. And so Paul—even in the midst of his missionary travels—was very concerned for the pressures that the new Thessalonian believers would be under.
In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul wrote;
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 (1 Thessalonians 3:1-5).
But that’s when “good news from a far country” came to Paul. In verses 6-10, we read;
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? (vv. 6-10).
All of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is encouraging. But in this particular passage, we see a lesson in how much of an encouragement it is to those who invest in our faith to hear that—even in a time of great persecution or testing—our faith stays strong and endures.
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It might be good to review a little background. After Paul had left Thessalonica, and after he and the other missionaries had gone on to Berea, Paul felt it good for them to stay there while he went on to Athens (Acts 17:14-15). After Paul ministered for a while in Athens, he went on to Corinth; and it was there in Corinth that the others came from Macedonia (the region in which Thessalonica was located). It must have been while he was in Corinth that Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to find out how the Thessalonian believers were fairing under persecution.
Paul himself was suffering a great deal of trouble in Corinth. He wrote about it to the Corinthians once in 2 Corinthians 1. The troubles that he endured must have caused him to be very concerned for how his dear Corinthian brothers and sisters were doing in Thessalonica.
Note then …
I. THE GOOD NEWS THAT CAME (v. 6).
Paul wrote, “But now that Timothy has come to us from you …” The word that Paul used to begin this section of his letter is one that means “just now”; and it may be that Paul wrote this letter while the joy of the good news was still fresh in his heart. And what was the good news? He wrote that Timothy came “and brought us good news of your faith and love …” What encouragement this must have been! The word for “good news” is the same word from which we get the word “evangelize”. Truly this was a proclamation of good news about the abiding impact that the proclamation that the ‘good news’ of the gospel had on the Thessalonians.
First, Paul notes their “faith”; that is, they did not deny Jesus or turn from Him in the time of pressure; but remained faithful to Him and continued to believe on Him. You might say that this was ‘good news’ from a ‘vertical perspective’. And there was also good news from a ‘horizontal perspective’ in that they also had love for one another. The two things go together. True faith toward God through Jesus Christ should result in love for others who have faith in Him; and our love for one another should be in the context of sincere faith in Christ. What a powerful combination—and what a great thrill this was for Paul to hear.
And more; he continued to write, “and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us …” The coming of Paul, Timothy and Silvanus to the Thessalonians long ago—as they brought the gospel—resulted in a lot of trouble. It might have been on Paul’s mind that the Thessalonians had grown to resent the missionaries because of the things they had to endure. But what a joy it was to discover that the Thessalonians not only had good remembrances of them, but also desired to see them again. And that desire to see the missionaries was reciprocated; with Paul affirming, “as we also to see you …”
Paul illustrates a proper gospel ‘concern’ for those to whom he brought the gospel. He was not as some missionaries and evangelists are—simply bringing the message along, leaving, and having little more concern for the well-being of those who heard. Rather, his heart was deeply bound to these Thessalonians—and theirs to his. No wonder this message from Timothy was good news!
And note the impact that this good news had on the missionaries! We go on to read of …
II. THE COMFORT THAT IT GAVE (vv. 7-8).
Paul writes, “therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith” (v. 7). This news didn’t come to Paul in the dispassionate manner of someone who was just checking on the progress of his own labors. Rather, the news from Timothy gave life to him. It encouraged him greatly. We can see in this passage—perhaps more than any other—just what a passionately connected ‘pastor’ Paul was to the people he served. Their well-being meant his well-being. Their faithfulness meant his joy. And the news that they were enduring in the faith came at a much needed time too; for it was when he and the other missionaries were suffering affliction and distress. It may have been because of constraining circumstances to some degree; and it may also have been, in part, because of opposition to their work. But Paul specifically states that his affliction had mostly to do with his concern for their faith. It was in this—most of all—that he and the others were comforted by the good news.
In fact, he expresses this in a very strong way. He wrote in verse 8, “For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.” We may gain some insight in this from what he wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. He told the Corinthians;
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).
Their time in Asia probably refers to their ministry in Ephesus—right after having departed from Corinth (see Acts 19:1-41); and perhaps when Paul was waiting to hear about the Thessalonians. It was an extremely difficult ministry; one that involved tremendous opposition, and even a near riot in the city of Ephesus. Paul was only human; and in the midst of these troubles, he had times when the burden became so great that he wished he could die. But as he testified, God sustained him. It may be that this good news from Thessalonica was a part of what uplifted his soul. Perhaps, in a very real sense, the good news of the faithfulness of the Thessalonians truly did make him say, “For now we live!”
When we invest into the spiritual life of another—seeking to disciple them in a strong and faithful walk with Jesus—we quite literally invest our very selves. And when we hear that our investment—by the grace of God—has paid off; and that our beloved brothers and sisters are walking with Jesus and growing in Him; what good news that is! It may come at a time when we most need to hear it.
May the Holy Spirit move it upon our hearts to keep in contact with those who invested in us, and assure them of our faithfulness. Who but God knows?—It may come to them at a time when it is much-needed medicine to their souls!
Now; Paul did not keep the joy over this good news bottled up inside himself. He directed it to the Lord. And that’s where we read, finally, of …
III. THE PRAYERS THAT IT INSPIRED (vv. 9-10).
He writes—in a rhetorical question—“For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God …?” (v. 9). This was Paul’s way of saying, “How can we thank God enough?” And note carefully what it was that he felt so insufficiently thankful for. It was the joy he felt of “rejoicing” for the sake of the Thessalonians before God! Their faithfulness in a time of trial—their endurance in spite of the opposition they received—was an indication that they truly belonged to Jesus. They truly were the ‘elect’ of God (see 1:4). And it also bore the promise of eternal reward; for our Lord said;
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).
To look ahead to the prospect of these believers receiving the words “Well done!” from the Lord Jesus … well; there just couldn’t possibly be a greater cause of rejoicing in the heart of Paul!
And it wasn’t only thanks that Paul offered, but also petition. He wrote of him and the other missionaries “night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith” (v. 10). Just as they longed to see his face, so he and the others longed to see theirs. They prayed and petitioned God for this opportunity “night and day” (that is on a very regular basis); and they prayed “exceedingly” (that is, in an ‘over-the-top’ kind of earnestness). And note their motive for seeing them again. It was so that they might “perfect” what was lacking or deficient in their faith. The word that Paul used for “perfect” is one that means “to fit together” or to “repair”. No doubt the things the Thessalonian believers suffered had had an impact on them, and he and the other missionaries longed to come to them and heal and restore and strengthen that already-enduring faith. This is very much in keeping with what Paul wrote in Colossians 1:28-29 about his own sense of ministry in proclaiming Jesus;
Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily (Colossians 1:28-29).
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“As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.” And for someone who invests in our spiritual walk with Jesus Christ, there can be no greater ‘good news’ than to hear that we are enduring in our faith they passed on to us; walking holy lives of devotion to the Lord Jesus that they taught us to love; deeply in love with one another; fondly remembering those who introduced us to God’s grace through Christ. As the apostle John once wrote to a younger believer named Gaius;
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 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 (3 John 1-4).
May it be that we are such an encouragement to someone else who invested in us! In fact, may we love them enough to send them the good news that it is so!
EA
