First Thessalonians 3:1-5: Paul Could Bear it No Longer
All through our study of First Thessalonians, we have seen how much Paul loves this church. However, the few verses that precede our passage today took it to another level. If you remember from yesterday, Paul called the Thessalonians his hope, joy, crown and glory.
After expressing just how much he treasures these new believers, he now tells them why he sent Timothy to them. We will spend today and tomorrow in this passage.
1 1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4 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. 5 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.
Twice in these few verses, Paul says that he “could bear it no longer” not knowing what was going on in Thessalonica. It’s as if it were torture for him to be apart from them, and though he knew reports from other parts about their ministry to the surrounding area, he did not know if there were some who had left the faith because of the afflictions they were experiencing.
You can feel his deep concern for their life in Christ. Though Paul does not mention any names, perhaps he has some particular names and faces in mind. While he was there, maybe he knew that certain converts were more susceptible to believing the lies of the false teachers. He also might have known that others could have a hard time bearing the weight of difficulty that was heading their way.
Throughout our lives there are numerous people we have had the opportunity to share the gospel with. Some come to faith, some seem interested but never respond, and others simply reject the gospel outright. Their faces and names often run through my mind and I wonder what has happened to them and where they are with the Lord.
There is a guy that I met in the third grade. We grew up together through high school and were friends for the most part. I can still remember telling him about Jesus during one visit home during college. He was not interested in Christ. About fifteen years later, I saw him post something on Facebook that made me pause. The man was proclaiming Christ as his Lord and Savior. I don’t know how or when it happened, but the Lord had opened his eyes to see Jesus. We messaged back and forth, and ever since then, he has been in some sort of ministry position with his church.
During seminary, I had multiple opportunities to engage people with the gospel. One that comes to mind was a man who became interested in Jesus while enduring a crisis in his life. He was looking for anything to give perspective and peace. I met with him numerous times and one day he professed faith and we prayed together. He began to come to church and I continued to disciple him. However, the crisis soon resolved and slowly his interest in Christ seemed to fade. When I left seminary, for various reasons, we had drifted apart. It has been about eight years since we’ve talked, but I wonder where he is with the Lord. I do see him on social media from time to time, but from what I do see, I’m not sure that Jesus is that important to him these days.
Prior to seminary, I had a friend who was quite a bit older than me. We played golf together and shared a few other interests. He was one of the funniest and hardest men I’ve ever known. We would spend eighteen holes discussing the nature of reality, the gospel and his unlimited stories of his fascinating life. He was in constant rejection of Christ. I have tried to find where he is because I’d love to catch up with him one more time and talk to him about life and Jesus. It has probably been about twelve years since we’ve spoken to each other and it’s very possible that he has passed away. I pray for him periodically.
This is just a sample of the plethora of people I sometimes wonder about. I am sure we all have similar people we have lost contact with over the years and we would love to learn about their faith. How about we pray for these people today? And maybe, if we can, try to reach out to them to see how they are doing and ask about their faith. What do we have to lose?
May part of our prayer be this song.