To Strengthen, Encourage, and Edify

Transcript

GR 1121
3/3/1985
To Strengthen, Encourage, Edify
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5
Gil Rugh

We are in 1Thessalonians and the second chapter. It is interesting as you study the word how much overlap there is and we are very much like the disciples that we considered in our study in Matthew even though Christ told them again and again of the plan of God which was just a further elaboration of what had already been revealed in the Old Testament. They still did not grasp it, and understand it. And the area of suffering and the place that suffering plays in the life of the believer is a reoccurring theme. We saw then in our study of Matthew the l6th chapter. We are going to see it again as we look into 1 Thessalonians, end of chapter 2 and into chapter three, how suffering is a very real part of God’s plan for us as a believer.

I Thess. chapter 2 the end of the chapter beginning with verse 17 moves us into a new section in Thessalonians which will cover chapter 2:17 through chapter 3 and here Paul is focusing on the great love that he has for the Thessalonians and how he would really love to be able to be with them personally. He is really responding still to criticisms of his ministry. And here are the Thessalonians, Paul comes in, proclaims the gospel, they come to believe it, a turmoil is caused, and Paul Leaves town and now some false teachers were coming in and saying, "If Paul really loved you wouldn’t he be here to stand with you in the difficult times. It is easy for him to come in and stir up the pot, get things all worked up, but where is he when you need him, he left town, didn't he? He found out there wasn't any money here, he wasn't going to get any more out of you materially so he might as well go on to other places, and Paul is going to respond to that kind of criticism, and from what we know of Paul’s ministry, from what will be revealed here we know that is not characteristic of Paul at all. But often it is easy to believe the negative things about people and it was easy for the Thessalonians to be lured into that kind of trap and yet they stood firm and true to the word and true to Paul as we see in this section.

Note verse 1. But we brethren, and he uses that word brethren again, that surfaces several times in this letter, denotes we brothers, it is an expression of warmth that I see us as belonging to one another, having been bereft of you for a short while--in person, not in spirit--were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.

Having been bereft, I don't really like that word bereft, it is sort of hard to say, literally means to be orphaned, the word to be orphan and it pictures the anguish that is brought about by separation, so it is more than just separation but it is the anguish that is entailed in that separation as well and so when a person is orphaned there is the separation that has taken place, but there is the mental anguish that accompanies that and that is what Paul is expressing here that he was orphaned. We see here that he has used a variety of family analogies, in chapter two.

That of a mother, that of a father, now of a child that has been orphaned, the picture, the relationship he had with the Thessalonians. We have been orphaned from you for a while, a short while. And the point here is that
when Paul had only been gone from Thessalonica for a short time, he had the sense of anguish and Loss at being away from them. That he had developed that kind of bond and closeness with them even in a few short weeks or months, that even being away for a little while caused this sense of loss and it was a sense though of only in spirit, only in person not in spirit, he was gone physical, but not mentally, not the idea of out of sight out of mind kind of thing he was being accused of.

We were all the more eager with great desire to see your face, and Paul builds some word here, one on top of the other. All the more eager with great desire, he used all of his might to try as hard as he could to get back to Thessalonica but he couldn’t. That word great desire is an interesting word, because it is usually used in a
negative sense in the new Testament. It is usually used of lust or passion, in the negative sense, and what Paul says here is I have a strong desire, almost a fierce passion to be back together with you, to see you. Again Paul is writing under the inspiration of the spirit here. He is revealing what his true feelings were with the Thessalonians.



We begin again to be reminded of why Paul’s ministry was so effective. It was the Spirit of God working in him but Paul gave himself totally to the ministry that the Spirit of God gave him. They weren't just people out there, numbers that I go to a city and get something started and go on my way, but they were people that he became involved with whose lives meant something to him. He says I was driven by a fierce passion, because of my overwhelming anguish and separation of being av/ay from you. I really wanted to see your face and be together with vou. We can express- understand something of that. You don't have to be apart from someone you really love very long and you have taken a trip perhaps and been gone from a husband or wife and isn't it interesting, you get into a motel room where you’re going, and you haven't been gone very long and you have that sense of emptiness, that your away, there a separation, more intense when perhaps that loved one has been taken in death. But here Paul had that sense that he has had a loss and he would like to be back together with them, so it is not that he is overdoing it, it's revealing the fact that he had a love relationship with the Thessalonians.

Verse 18 Paul goes on, for we wanted to come and we, Paul, I mentioned him as the standout figure, but Silvanus and Timothy are included with Paul here. He ta Lks about we wanted to come to you. I Paul, especially more than once, and what he is going to answer here, is if you wanted to come so badly, if you had such a strong fierce desire to come see us, because you had that anguish of the separation, why didn't you? That's a logical question. Why didn’t you come? And because the power of Satan thwarted us.

Here’s the mighty apostle Paul, know what he said? I wanted to come and I wanted to come no badly it hurt, but Satan kept me from doing it. So I thought Paul functioned in the power of the Spirit. And when you function in the power of the Spirit you just tell Satan to be bound and be tied up and you can do what you want. You get that idea from some of what in communicated today. Paul evidently didn't have that kind of power. He didn't tell Satan to Lie down and be dead, and Satan rolled over and played dead, Satan kept him from coming to Thessalonica and the way successful in keeping Paul from coming. Now it is interesting. Paul mentions Satan here without any further explanation. The bulk of the Thessalonian church would probably have been Gentiles, a Gentile city and yet Paul mentions Satan without any further explanation. It would indicate that perhaps even in the short time that he was there he had prepared those converts for Satan's activity and given them some insight into who Satan was and how he worked. Satan thwarted us. That is another word I don't like because it is hard to say. Thwarted us. It's an ugly word, thwarted, thwarted, but it really means to cut into something, it's a military expression to cut into. The picture here is like an army that is destroying the road so that the enemy cannot .use it cutting off their ability to move or come into a new area making it impassable, so the idea of a hindrance put in the way, something that prevents you from accomplishing your attended goat of going where you intended to go and here Satan functions in a military way and he makes the way to Thessalonica impassable for the apostle Paul, so that Paul could not go there. This word is used several other times in the New Testament in this sense. Ought to be familiar with it.
Because here is Paul that has a good idea and a rightful wish, a proper desire to go to Thessalonica and encourage these believers in the midst of a heated battle, but Satan makes the road impassable, so that it is impossible for Paul to get back.

Look back in Romans; 15: Romans; chapter 15 Paul experienced this more than once in his Life and ministry and a reminder that when you are involved in the service of Jesus Christ then you are involved in conflict and battle with the enemy who is none other than Satan himself and in verse 22 of Rom. 15 For this reason I have often been hindered from coming to you; been hindered from coming to you, is the word thwarted, it has been made impassable, whatever the reasons I wasn't able to do it. Paul uses it in Galatians 5:7 when he writes to the Thessalonians, the Galatians and says that you did run well. You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? Who cut in and stopped your forward progress so that you no longer continued on in your obedience to the truth? So that is the idea that is conveyed here.

Back in Thessalonians we are not told what Satan did, how he accomplished his purpose in keeping Paul from coming to Thessalonica, but we ought to not that he was successful, and what this indicates is that Satan does have the power to hinder and frustrate the work of God's servants, but he can only work in the confines of what God permits him. Now that is crucial. He does have the ability and power to frustrate the servants of God in what they would Like to accomplish, but that is within the confines of the overruling sovereignty of God, so he can limit and hinder my plans and my purposes but he cannot frustrate the purposes of God, and we need to be reminded of that, how often have you said, Lord I don't understand I really wanted to be able to share the gospel with them, but they left before I had a chance, well it is nice to know that God is in total control, as long as I am submissive to him. You note that does not keep Paul from pushing, and pushing, and pushing and in every case he does not contribute the problem of not being able to go there to Satan. He wanted to go into Asia, the Spirit of God hindered him, prevented him from going there in the book of Acts, but the overall plan of God is being accomplished even when it is Satan who is working, so we don’t find Paul sitting; here bemoaning the fact, he is simply giving an explanation and he realized even though it was Satan that prevented him God could have overruled Satan should he have chosen and one of the reasons he does not overrule Satan perhaps in this case is so the Thessalonians would be strengthened by the battle without Paul there to lead it. We don't know, were not told, but the fact is here and so we ought not to be surprised when some of the dearest longings of our heart that I can see no biblical reason why it ought not to work out that way and it does not come about. Here is Paul with that tremendous heart burden to be with the Thessalonians yet Satan stops him, and he is willing to leave it God’s hands, that is what was done and that is what was best.

Verse 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Paul shows here now that it is logical for him to have such a love and commitment to the Thessalonians, they would be a credit to him in the presence of Christ that is what it is all about, so you think this love is unnatural. No, this is the logical thing, because you understand, it is you who is our hope, joy, and crown of exultation. Our hope, Paul contemplated that they would fulfill the expectations that he had for them in that coming day in the presence of Christ. They would be a credit to him if you will, in the presence of Christ, they would be a joy to him in the presence of Christ, their presence in the presence of Christ is what would bring Paul real happiness, they would be his crown of exultation, translated his crown in glory, That word exultation, boasting or rejoicing is what the word means. The crown is the Stephanos crown, the victor’s crown, and Paul says in the presence of Christ you will be my reason for boasting, not with the negative concepts of the word, but with the positive concepts. When he stands in the presence of Christ, Paul says, you Thessalonians will be what I have to boast about you’ll be my crown of boasting or exultation, it is you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming, and where were focused here is what will happen when Christ comes, I take it at the rapture, that catches us up to meet Him in the air, and there the Bema seat of Christ, the judgement seat for believers occurs, and at that time when all the believers are gathered in the presence of Christ, Paul says, when you Thessalonians are there, you will be my hope, I will realize the expectation I had in you. You will bring me happiness, you will be my cause for boasting. It is in the presence of our Lord at His coming. It is the word parasia. Sometimes carry over into English, it is a word that is used six times in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, in the epistles that center on the coming of Jesus Christ. The word that is used of the coming of a royal person or an important visitor, and thus in the New Testament it almost becomes a technical expression for the coming of the Royal King, Jesus Christ. And that time be gathered in the presence of Jesus Christ and you, Thessalonians will be what it is all about for me. Paul says, you don't think I really love you, that I really have a vested interest in you, Let me tell you it goes beyond this life, because when I stand in the presence of Christ you are going to be the reason that I am rejoicing and boasting as having accomplished God’s purposes in my life.

Paul said the same thing to the Philippians. Look over in Philippians 2:16 Paul says he wants them to be holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. Paul says to the Philippians that I am concerned that you proceed to maturity so that I have cause to glory in the day of Christ. To rejoice, to boast, because I did not run in vain. Paul says how you turn out is crucial to me because that will be a reflection of my faithfulness in the presence of Christ your being there will testify to the fact that Paul submitted himself to the Spirit and work through the Spirit to bring the Thessalonians to this point. Paul says, don't think that I am losing interest in you, you better turn out. It is just that kind of issue for Paul. You better turn out. It is not a matter now that I shared the word with you and its between you and the Lord what happens. Like fun. You better turn out and that is why he leans on them, you can use that expression* He doesn't want them turning aside after false teachers because it is not enough to have brought them to Christ, they have got to proceed to maturity so that they are a credit to him, if you will, in the positive sense, in the day of Christ.

He says back in Thessalonians 2: 20, For you are our glory and joy. You are our cause for pride. You give us joy. We sometimes forget how important other believers are, I have an eternal interest in you. My joy and rejoicing in glorying in the presence of Christ at the Bema Seat is going to be connected as to how you turn out. Don't tell me I don't have to concerned now, I teach the word and you do as you want. Like fun. Do you think I want a bunch of rag tag Christians standing there, and say, oh, these are the ones you ministered to? Oh, yeah, they matured to about 3 ½ years of age I think. What kind of a testimony would that be to my faithfulness of Jesus Christ. You have an interest in me, how I turn out is going to be a reflection on what kind of ministry you had in my life at the Bema Seat, we as a body to one another. You can't just turn around and walk away from
this. We have an involvement with one another, a commitment to one another because God has brought us together in ministry and we have an eternal interest in one another because we are going to stand in the presence of Christ as the Bema Seat and that is going to be a reflection of how faithful we have been in the ministry before Jesus Christ. How we have turned out, you look around and see things you have been critical of in this body, you better get working because how are you going to be able to stand in the presence of Christ with all these deficiencies?

You say, well they are not my fault, God brought you here to minister didn't He? No, He just brought me here. No, if He brought you here He brought you here to function, to make this body more of what it ought to be. You are not going to lay all that blame on me. We are sharing it folks, and so it is important that we all turn out.
And you just can't walk away because I have some faults, you better work on getting those faults corrected, now do it in love and gently please and the same with me,

Paul goes on in chapter three, and what he is going to do is show them how much he did care. He didn't come, but he did the next best thing. He couldn’t come, but he sent them Timothy, and it was a great personal sacrifice that Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica. Therefore, in light of this great love we had for you, this mental anguish, you see that this idea that believers never have any pressure or problems, Paul had it, the mental anguish brought about by this separation, I couldn't stand it any longer, I couldn't endure it any longer, so I decided to send Timothy to you. When we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens a Lone. Paul was at Athens. He couldn’t stand it any longer, I have to find out what is going on at Thessalonica. How are those new, young, believers, weathering the storm. Are they going to make it?
Are they going to be those that I can stand in pride and identify with at the Bema Seat of Christ, so I decided to be left behind at Athens.

Paul uses another strong word. I think we would be taken aback at the emotion of Paul, if he came and ministered among us. This word translated left behind literally means to be forsaken, or abandoned and it carries the concept of loneliness and desolation that Paul felt when Timothy went back to Athens. He was left behind but we ought to see what Paul felt. He felt like he had been abandoned when Timothy Left. He felt all alone and isolated. The apostle Paul who needs anybody, I have the Spirit of God dwelling within me, I don’t need you, This idea, this kind of isolation is foreign to the New Testament, Paul said when Timothy left I felt like I had been abandoned, I was lonely, felt isolated, but I cared enough for you that I was willing to undergo that kind of Loneliness because it was important to me to find out how you were doing, to be sure you were strengthened for the battles you were undergoing. He says, “I was left behind, abandoned, or forsaken, at Athens a Lone. He wants to stress that idea, that I had no one. Here Paul is in a hostile city, and he needed the encouragement and support of other believers, but he stood a Lone on this occasion so that he could find out how the Thessalonians were doing.

We sent Timothy, and to appreciate that, he identifies Timothy in a variety of ways. We sent Timothy, our brother, close to Paul, one who had ministered to Thessalonica, so he is God's fellow-worker. And Paul wants Timothy, them to respect the fact that of who Timothy is. You know, Oh, Paul didn't come, he just sent, oh, you know one of his gophers, and that was Timothy, Go find out how things are going. No, this is Timothy, God's fellow worker, not Paul’s fellow worker, God's fellow worker, more important than just a fellow worker of Paul, he is a fellow worker of Paul, but that is because he is a fellow worker with God. They didn't get second class material. They got Timothy, God's fellow worker. That expression is used back in I Corinthians, chapter 3 and verse 9 as Paul tells how we worked together, one plants, one waters, another reaps, and all working together because God who is bringing the increase. In verse 9 of I Corinthians 3, For we are God's fellow-workers what a concept, that we are joined in a ministry with God Himself that is what makes it effective, that we are joined together with God in the work that He has called us to.

Back in I Thessalonians , Timothy is God's fellow-worker in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what it is all about. He was joined with God in proclaiming the truth concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ, the good news about Jesus Christ, and that is how God works. He takes human beings and through them He ministers the truth concerning His Son to others. So we are joined with God, the power and effectiveness, comes from God, but He has chosen to communicate that only through His human instruments so it is God working together with me that makes the ministry effective. We need to recognize how God is working and what He is doing in our lives, that is what Timothy was, a fellow-worker in the gospel of Christ and he came for these purposes to strengthen and encourage you in your faith.

And that word strengthen means to fix, to make firm or solid, and the idea is to strengthen something you make it solid by buttressing it, by giving it the necessary support to hold it up, and 'timothy is to provide the necessary mental and spiritual support for the Thessalonians in their battle, Paul couldn't come and do it, but Timothy is a
fellow-worker of God so the power of God is working through him, to buttress the Thessalonians, strengthen them, for the conflict, to encourage them, the word related to the word paraklet, we think of with the Holy Spirit, Timothy is coming to be a parakleet to them, one called a Long side of to give aid or help. He has come to aid them or encourage them in whatever way they needed it to make them effective.

It is interesting, much of Paul’s ministry was given to strengthening and encouraging people, how can I strengthen and support them, and build them up, how can I be the kind of help and aid to them that they need.

Look at a couple of passages where Paul stresses that about his own ministry. Back in Acts chapter 14:21 And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening he souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." That is going to be the theme coming up in the next verses in Thessalonians that concept of suffering before the glory. You note his ministry was strengthening and encouraging, to build them up, give them the support they need, be the help and encouragement they need, in whatever way they need.

Over in chapter 15 of Acts while you are in Acts, look at verse 32 and Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren, note this, underline it in your Bibles, with a Lengthy message, and I always try to be true to the word, Encouraged and strengthened, that was the ministry going on. You see God is not done once they come to know Christ, they must be strengthened and built up, and encouraged, in their walk with the Lord.

Down in verse 4l of the same chapter, and he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Buttressing them, fortifying them, if you will, in the faith.

Over in chapter 18:23 And having spent some time there, he departed and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. That is the ministry that you and I are to be involved in, it is not just leading people to Christ, but strengthening them and encouraging them,.

Back in I Thessalonians strengthen and encourage as to your faith so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for these things. Paul didn’t want them to be shaken by their trial and difficulties, and the encouragement he says that no man/ may be disturbed by these afflictions. Now this word is going to appear again, means to suffer affliction, comes from a word and the verb means to press in upon, to press together, so to distress someone, trouble them, to bring them affliction by applying pressure and that is often what happens, the pressure is applied. We talked about that, they are applying pressure to me at my job, my family is pressuring me, so here, that you may not be disturbed by these afflictions. These pressures being applied to you, to try to shake you in your faith. You yourselves know that we have been destined for this. That is a strong verb, there is a settled purpose of God in appointing us for suffering, we have been destined for this. We talked about this, a reminder again, that it is a part of God's plan for us, that we suffer, that we undergo pressure situations, None of us enjoy it, I think the word reemphasizes it again, and again, and again, because as much as I study it I really learn it as I am going through it. It is not much for me to study about affliction and pressure when I am not going through the heat, but when the pressure is applied, and the difficulties come, and I think, I am not sure my world is caving in on me, that is when I learn to fa LI back and say, "I'm sure I can trust Him, I am sure He is doing the right' thing, I don't understand it, I can't see any good reason for it, f don't appreciate it, quite frankly I don't like it, but I fall back on the fact that I can 'have full confidence, that this is part of God's plan for me, and He has it all under control.

Look back at a couple of passages. Back in John chapter 16. In John chapter 16 there are a number we could look at, but we’ll just pick out a couple for time, John chapter 16. Jesus prepares to leave the disciples, just shortly before his betrayal and crucifixion , and John l6:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace, In the world you have tribulation, that is our word, tribulation, affliction, the pressure, but take courage; "I have overcome the world." And it is in Christ that I find my peace, not in the circumstances around me, and what gives me peace in the midst of turmoil and great pressure is the knowledge that I belong to Him, I can trust Him, and He is sufficient, for that circumstance. I have been destined and appointed for pressure, for tribulation, for suffering, how else am I going to learn to trust Him? How else am I going to Learn to depend upon Him, You know when you are driven to the Lord, the greater the pressures builds, you finally get to the point and say I can’t handle it. What are you going to do? That drives you to the Lord and causes you to realize how sufficient and adequate He is. And that is part of the molding process.

I shared with you, I used to work at U.S. Steel, when I got out of high school and my responsibility there was to check temperatures, these ingredients would come in in these big blocks of steel, and they would have to be heated so they could be rolled out into what they called slabs, in preparation for rolling them out into the metal that would be shipped to automobile plants, and the temperature on the steel had to be heated to the point where it would become pliable, but you had to watch the temperature so it didn't get so hot that it melted, because then you really had a mess, but if you didn't heat it enough that it was pliable you ruined the roller, when you tried to roll it through the mill, so there was a balance there. It had to be between this temperature and this temperature. Any less and it is not ready to be rolled, and any more and it will start to turn into a puddle. And that is a reminder how God is applying the pressure to me, Gil needs enough heat, enough pressure to make him pliable, if enough is not there, I am still too hard, but God is in control you know. He is reading the gauges. He is allowing the pressure to be applied, and He knows how much I need. Sometimes I say, Lord, am melting, look at me Lord, I am just a puddle, and then I am reminded He knows how much I need. I say, Lord I can trust you, are you sure you are watching the gauges, you remember me, this is Gil Rugh in Lincoln, you have the right person now, but He does, and He always does.

I Peter chapter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you Peter says don't be surprised at this fiery ordeal, good picture, it is making us pliable, it isn't something strange, you know, believers get in these trials, and difficulties, and they say, Oh, my I must have sin in my life, oh my, something must be wrong no, this is not something strange, this is the plan of God being worked out, not some strange thing happening to you, and he goes on to say that we are following the pattern of Christ, so we are blessed and it is a privilege.

Paul wrote to the Philippians and said you have been given two privileges your privileged not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for Him.

Come back to I Thessalonians. Paul’s moves this to tie this together. It is interesting what he says in verse 4. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that you we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know. Isn’t it interesting that Paul made a practice of telling his converts that they could expect difficulties, that they could expect things to get worse. We saw that back in Acts chapter 14, verse 22, that through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of God. The pattern is suffering and then glory and yet sometimes we give the misconception to people that when you come to trust Christ that takes care of all problems, and all difficulties, as though now we had the glory. Now the battle really begins, now it is true, that all the answer is there, I have peace, I have joy, within even in the midst of trial, but often when a person comes to trust Christ things begin to come apart. Why? The battle is engaged, now Satan sets his forces against that person, and God begins to carry out His plan to prepare us for glory of His presence. A good way for us, when people come to know Christ, is to follow them very closely, we ought to encourage them and remind them and instruct them on what the pattern will be, not to scare them, but so that when they come into these difficulties they wouldn’t say, I must be doing something wrong with my life, because I have difficulties." No, I can expect this is a part of God’s plan to prepare me for glory. He is molding me, He is shaping me that I might be useful and I might be ready to come into His presence. We were telling you these things in advance.

He goes on in verse 5. For this reason, when could endure it no longer, you see in the apostle Paul a little bit of impatience, in a right sense, I couldn't endure it any longer. He is going to repeat here what he said in verses 1 and 2. It is nice for me to see here that Paul came to the point and said, "I can't stand it any longer, I just have to do something. It is not wrong for us as believers to come to that, as long as we carry it out in biblical guidelines. Sometimes think that believers have to become a head of cabbage. There is no feelings, no drive, but some Christians are like that, they are vegative, not Paul, I couldn't endure it any longer. I had to do something so I sent Timothy. When I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about-your faith. Why? For fear, the Apostle Paul had fear, for fear, I was worried, if you will, in a right sense, I had a godly concern, that the tempter, here he refers to Satan again, using the expression the tempter, this form of this word is used one other time, over in Matthew 3 where it is used of Satan, and here you find that Satan had opposed and prevented Paul from coming, and now he is in battle with the Thessalonians, and Paul is concerned that they might have been tempted by Satan and lured away from the faith. And so Paul expects Satan doing battle, he just doesn't know what the outcome will be. That the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.

Now if you look at that in one sense you can say that is pretty selfish, Paul says in one sense worked hard for nothing, and that word labor means to toil to the point of weariness, exhaustion. He you recall brethren,
alluded to this over in 2:9 our labor and hardship , word labor there again, toiled to exhaustion, that our labor should be in vain, to no profit, because if Satan tempted them and lured them away from the truth of the word, what would we have accomplished? Nothing. It would have been to no profit, to no end, would have revealed it was a futile, vain work. And we have already seen back in chapter 2:1, Paul says our coming to you was not in vain. Paul was concerned that his ministry be effective and result in transformed lives. He said, I don't want to work so hard for nothing, but I had to know how you were coming a Long and encourage you in the battle that you might stand firm and true to the word. The word that Paul gets from 1imothy is positive, and we’ll see as we pick up with verse 6 in our future studies that he was encouraged. Timothy brought good news and encouraged, Paul with the fact that the Thessalonians had indeed believed the gospel, indeed demonstrated the fact that they were the elect of God by standing firm under persecution, so that his Labor hadn't been in vain. Get some perspective and insight on how Paul ministered. - That he viewed those he went and ministered the word to as those bound with him in a Love relationship that was important in light of eternity and it was important for every one of them that they come through and turn out so that at the Bema Seat of Christ they might be a credit to-what God has done through Paul. Won't be a credit to Paul apart from the work of God and he knew that. But he wanted it to be a testimony to the fact of the grace of God working through Paul to accomplish the purposes of God. That ought to be a motivating factor for us.

Do you have that kind of love for the people in this body? I am willing to toil to exhaustion, working, strengthen, encouraging, doing whatever is necessary to make them the people, the individuals that God wants them to be. It is easy to look around and see the short comings, but I need a reminder that is a testimony or a reflection on me because what am I doing to correct that. It is easy to see what someone else ought to do. What Paul did was throw himself in to do all that he could. A reminder, there is going to be pressure, going to be trials, that is a part of what God is accomplishing. I want you to know that. We are going to throw others full force into one another Lives and there are going to be pressures that come, there is going to be
suffering that come, trials of all kinds, of all dimension, and we need to be there to encourage, to strengthen, to support, to build up, as we move through the battle and the conflict, we stand firm, true and strong, so that as we together are gathered someday as we are here we will be gathered in the presence of Christ look around and say aren't they a credit to what God has done through me. Aren't they a credit of what God has done through you? The very fact that they are here and are matured in Christ, the testimony of the grace of God as we have submitted ourselves to Him and allowed Him to accomplish His purposes through us. Enables us to rejoice in the suffering because God's purposes are accomplished, it encourages us to be rejoicing in being used of God in helping to see one another through difficulties knowing in the presence of Christ we will be one another’s crown of exhalation.
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Let's Pray together