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Good Sunday morning June 2nd to you dear friends. Almost 100 of you are on this great Scripture journey with me this summer.
Today we are reading 1 Thessalonians chapter 3.
Also may I ‘announce’ that I’ve been working on audio recording these Daily Digging Deeper reflections and I am ready now to send these to you both in written & audio form. So if you’d like to receive it by email with an audio attachment that you can simply open and listen to… just let me know.
Ok, here we go with Paul’s third chapter to his dear friends in Thessalonica. We need to remember two important things that I think we may sometimes forget… in the days of Jesus and Paul COMMUNICATION was SLOW! To get word from one person in one place to someone else in another place required someone to go and carry the message by hand! No telephones, no email, no snail mail, no telegraph… communication moved as fast as a person could go from one place to another.
Second… TRANSPORTATION. No airplanes, no cars, no trains, no buses, usually not even a horse, donkey or ox cart! Feet my friends, feet were the main mode of transport… as far as your aching feet could take you in a day.
So when Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 3 “When we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens, and we sent Timothy…to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.” (3:1-3)….put in your mind a picture of Timothy walking dusty paths with hot middle eastern sun blazing down on him. . .and no Holiday Inn at the end of the day, by the way!
We who have family and dear friends far away, completely understand, especially when those dear folks are going through hard times. We long to be there, to hold them, to pray with them… and when we can stand it no longer we just pick up the phone! We have cell phones and FaceTime and “What’s App” and Skype and Google hangouts! We might even book a ticket and jump on an airplane if it’s an urgent matter.
But the best Paul could do was ask his disciple friend Timothy to bind up his sandals and hit the road! And go tell those dear folks in Thessalonica that they were loved, were being prayed for and to keep looking up to Jesus…and then bring back news to Paul!
By the way Athens to Thessalonica was nearly 400 miles on foot! Think about that my friends as you drive to church today, and thank God you live in 2019 not AD 50!
Do you see Paul’s reminder in vs. 4 that pain is a normal part of life and in fact pain increases with persecution for followers of Jesus Christ. . .why?
For the same reason life was painful for Jesus. We are trying to live God honoring lives in a world that is under the strong influence of the devil and profoundly immersed in the dysfunction of sin. John wrote about that in 1 John 5:19. We Christians are living counter-culture every day…and it’s often painful, right?
That’s why some time in God’s Word each day is so important, as is time with God’s people in Worship, and time in prayer…and a certainty that the Holy Spirit of God is with you. Now think for just a moment… anyone you can think of who’s alone today, who could use a call of encouragement from you? You won’t have to walk 400 miles, just pick up the phone!
Do you notice verse 6 says Timothy has RETURNED from his fact finding trip of encouragement to Thessalonica. 400 miles there on foot, some time to be with them, 400 miles back to Paul, on foot. How long do you suppose that might have taken? Do you see how delighted Paul is with Timothy’s report in vs 7-10 and what Paul does in response… he prays thanking God, and he writes this letter of encouragement we know as 1 Thessalonians.
And then Paul shares his hopes for these dear folks whom he longs so much to see.
Remember he was run out of that town after only a few weeks…but Timothy’s report that those new Christians remain true to the faith as Paul taught them, well it simply energizes Paul and he pushes aside the bad memories of being run out of town, and longs to return for a second chance at building up that church.
Do you see Paul writes three great hopes . . . (vs. 11-13)
“May our God…clear the way for us to come to you…”
“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other…”
“May He (Jesus) strengthen your hearts so you will be blameless and holy…when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.”
Oh my friends may I urge us all to receive those last two great hopes as not only for the Christians in Thessalonica 2000 years ago, but equally for you, and Dawn and me today!
Note especially the last little phrase that I underlined. “…when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.” What if God told you Jesus was coming. . .TODAY? How would you live today if you knew Jesus was coming for you and all of His people…before sundown this Sunday June 2?
As you gather with God’s people where-ever you worship today, oh I pray it will be a joyful, truth-filled, wonderful time of renewing, God honoring worship as you are gathered with your Christian friends… but may you also sense Jesus’ presence in a powerful way through His Holy Spirit, so your encounter with God is life changing and spiritually refreshing!
Have a great Sunday my friends!
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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