By: Dale Weckbacher
1 Thessalonians 2:17
But
since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person
not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see
you face to face,
(ESV)
The tumultuous start of the church in Thessalonica left the
Apostle Paul with many concerns (Acts 17:1-10).
Would these new believers revert back to the pagan worship when faced
with persecution from both the Jews of the city and the Roman authorities? He most likely had concerns for their
safety. Perhaps believing his return to
the city would once again stir up trouble, Paul sent his trusted coworker in
Christ, Timothy, to finish the establishment and exhortation of the
church.
While leading others to Christ, the Great Commission, is the
primary purpose of the church, the strength and stability of the church is in
establishing and exhorting those in the church with the Word of God. As we see the increased secularization of our
society with even one of our current presidential candidates calling on
Christian to soften their beliefs, (1) strengthening of
believers through solid biblical teaching is even more important. While we currently do not face hard
persecution for our faith in the United States as Christians do in some parts
of the world, (2) Christians in the
United States are facing growing intolerance (3)
that has manifested itself in economic persecution for some (4)
and social rejection for many of us.
While Jesus told us we would have trouble in this world with
the promise he overcame the world (John 16:33), pastors must have the heart and
desire of an apostle and insure their flocks are strong and prepared to face
the troubles of modern society. Paul’s
desire was,
1)
To have a face to face meeting with the church
in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18) – The abrupt separation of Paul from
the new believers in Thessalonica left Paul with an eager desire to check on
their well-being but he was hindered by Satan.
Paul considered those coming to know Christ through his sharing the
Gospel with them his greatest joy and glory.
Is that the greatest joy we have as church leaders today?
2)
To experience the joy of seeing others grow in
their relationship with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20) – Having been
educated as a Pharisee (Philippians 3:4-5), Paul could have found joy in his
vast knowledge of scripture but considered this a confidence in the flesh. Instead, Paul found his greatest joy in
seeing those he led to Christ through his ministry grow in their knowledge of
scripture as his greatest joy. Do we as
church leaders today gauge church growth by numbers or by the spiritual growth
of the flock.
3)
Not to let Satan’s hindering his face to face
meeting stop him from checking on the well-being of the new believers in
Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:1-5) – As we saw from our recent study of 1 and
2 Timothy, Paul had great trust in Timothy.
It is therefore not surprising that in his inability to meet them face
to face, Paul sent his trusted coworker to check on the well-being of the new believers
in Thessalonica. As we experience growth
in our churches, these churches grow to the point where the senior pastor can
no longer be involved in all church activity in a hands on basis. Therefore, it is necessary for these pastors
to delegate to trusted associate pastors, deacons, and elders. However, it is important for these pastors to
insure those they delegate to are people they can trust to carry on the work
and not attempt to circumvent the mission of the church by engaging in some
power struggle.
Paul’s ministry was a ministry of spreading the Gospel to
the ends of the known world at his time as evidenced by his missionary
journeys. However, he also had a strong
desire to see those receiving Jesus as the Savior grow in the faith and
knowledge of the Word. Paul never just
came to town and left without insuring the establishment and encouragement of
those he led to Christ. It is this
strong desire that caused his concern in Thessalonica due to his sudden
departure from them.
As we begin to see increasing persecution and intolerance in
the world today aimed at Christians, we too must share the desire of the
Apostle Paul and insure the members of our churches and our fellow Christians
are established and encouraged in their faith.
1. Shoebat, Theodore. Hilary Clinton:
Christians In America Must Deny Their Faith In Christianity. shoebat.com. [Online]
Shoebat.com, April 24, 2015. [Cited: September 28, 2016.] http://shoebat.com/2015/04/24/hilary-clinton-christians-in-america-must-deny-their-faith-in-christianity/.
2. Edmunds, Donna
Rachael. Christian Persecution Reaches Global Historic High, Thanks to Rise
of Radical Islam. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, January
14, 2016. [Cited: October 2, 2016.]
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/01/14/christian-persecution-reaches-global-historic-high-thanks-to-rise-of-radical-islam/.
3. Richardson,
Bradford. Persecution of Christians is on the rise, Americans say. www.washingtontimes.com.
[Online] The Washington Times, April 5, 2016. [Cited: October 2, 2016.]
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/5/christians-facing-increased-persecution-america-po/.
4. Fox News.
Oregon bakery owners pay more than $135G in damages over refusal to make cake
for gay wedding. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, December 29, 2015.
[Cited: September 10, 2016.]
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/12/29/oregon-bakery-owners-pay-more-than-135g-in-damages-over-refusal-to-make-cake-for-gay-wedding.html.
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