1 Thessalonians 3:1

Wherefore, when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith. That no man should be moved by these afflictions. For yourselves know that we are appointed unto them. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that you should suffer tribulation, even as you know it came to pass. (1 Thessalonians 3:1–4)

God appoints His people not only to salvation, but to suffering—the very fire by which He refines us.

Why Paul Sent Timothy

At the end of chapter 2, Paul expressed his zealous desire to visit the church at Thessalonica again. In Acts 17 we saw that he had only spent a short time there—at least three Sabbath days reasoning in the synagogue—before moving on to Berea and then down to Athens. Shortly after he left, persecution arose against the church. So Paul longed to return, expressing the hope that even if he never saw them again on earth, he would see them at the appearing of the Lord.

Now in chapter 3, because of this great desire and the tribulation they were suffering, he writes: when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone and to send Timothy. When Paul left Thessalonica and Berea to come to Athens, he appears to have left Silas and Timothy to tend those churches. While in Athens—where he ministered to the philosophers at Mars Hill—Timothy and Silas met up with him and shared the difficulties facing the Thessalonian church. Berea was doing fairly well, but Thessalonica was experiencing trials and persecution.

Originally Paul intended that he, Silas, and Timothy would continue together. But hearing this news, he decided instead to send Timothy back to minister, while he himself went on alone from Athens to Corinth, where they would all meet again (Acts 18). He says, in effect, "When I considered what you were facing, I figured it was okay for me to be alone, and so we sent Timothy to you."

Brother, Minister, Fellow Laborer

We met Timothy in Acts 16—a young man Paul and Silas picked up from Lystra, a disciple with a good reputation among the churches of Galatia. Paul calls him three things. First, "our brother." The Scriptures often describe the body of Christ in familial terms. Jesus started this. In Matthew 12, when told His mother and brothers stood outside, He stretched His hand toward His disciples and said:

Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Matthew 12:49–50)

This doesn't dissolve our earthly blood relationships, but many of you know that your relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ are sometimes stronger than those with your relatives in the flesh. Wherever you go in Christ—the United States, China, Europe—you find brothers and sisters you never knew you had. Though Timothy came to faith under Paul and is called "my son in the faith" in 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul also recognized him as a brother, an equal in the Lord.

Second, Paul calls him "a minister of God." Tragically, somewhere in church history "minister" became a privileged, exalted title. But in the early church it was not so. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 20, after His disciples kept arguing about who was greatest:

But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. (Matthew 20:26–27)

The Greek word translated minister literally means servant—an attendant, one who waits on tables, who executes the commands of another. As ministers of the gospel we execute the commands of God, and this is not reserved for "clergy." Jesus commissioned every disciple to go and make disciples. In Romans 15:16 Paul calls himself a minister of the gospel—not dispensing physical food and drink, but the bread of life and living water this world needs.

Third, Paul calls Timothy "our fellow laborer." The word is the root of our English synergy. We expend our energy to serve the Lord, and we do it together. Following Paul through Acts, you see he rarely traveled alone; others labored alongside him. Though Timothy was much younger and a disciple under Paul, Paul does not speak down to him as an apprentice. He calls him a co-laborer in the work of the ministry.

Established and Comforted

Why send Timothy? "To establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith." The order matters. We must first be established. That is why we at Calvary Chapel are so committed to teaching God's word—there is no other foundation on which to build. The word established means to place in a position of stability. The Thessalonians were being tossed to and fro by enemies opposing the gospel; in chapter 2 Paul even had to defend his own character against slander aimed at discouraging them. So he says, "Timothy, set them firmly in place, even against the external forces coming against them."

Once they are firmly planted, comfort them. The word is parakaleo—to come alongside and call someone to continue. When suffering comes, believers need someone to call them to stand fast, because forces come in to knock us away from the Lord. It's like a modern coach. Many of us fail at getting fit on our own, but with a trainer alongside you, you do what you're supposed to do. When you have to do a hundred push-ups by yourself, you do nice light ones—unless a coach is there saying, "All the way to the ground, let's go, you can do it." Paul says, "Timothy, establish them, encourage them, and exhort them to stand strong—concerning their faith."

Appointed to Affliction

The Thessalonians were suffering specifically because of their faith. Had they never trusted Jesus, the enemies of the gospel would never have come against them. But now that they were witnesses of Christ, opposition came. So Paul writes, "that no man be moved by these afflictions. For yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto."

We know we have an enemy who desires to use tribulation to shake us from our faith, so we often say trials are "from the devil." But notice what Paul says: these tribulations you have been appointed unto. God has made an appointment for you. Literally, God has elected you to experience suffering. Since the Reformation, much is said about election unto salvation—"I have been elected by God unto salvation, isn't that wonderful?" But the Bible reveals here that God has also elected us unto suffering, and those who boast in their election to salvation rarely want to talk about their election to suffering.

We all have appointments each week—to teach, to counsel, to see the doctor, to have the brakes done. But you also have appointments God has placed on your calendar: appointments to experience trials, difficulty, even persecution. These are appointments we would love to miss, but they are always punctual, always on time, and God makes sure we keep them.

False Comfort and the Truth of Tribulation

In verse 4 Paul reminds them that even during his brief stay—at least three weeks, probably no more than two months—he had told them they would suffer tribulation, and so it came to pass. Much modern preaching avoids this truth. Some even say Christians will never suffer persecution. If that's true, then I'm not a Christian, and neither are you.

I would say those who teach such things are guilty of what the Bible calls soothsaying. A soothsayer is a false prophet who puffs you up with things that feel good. Jeremiah confronted hundreds of such false prophets who cried, "Peace, peace," when judgment was coming, and God told Jeremiah not to speak according to their words. Teaching that obedient Christians will never suffer affliction is false because it contradicts Jesus Himself:

In the world ye shall have tribulation. (John 16:33)

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)

It's true that some sufferings come because of our own disobedience and foolishness—things we'd avoid if we obeyed God. But Scripture nowhere promises that the obedient Christian will escape persecution. In fact, Paul says the opposite: those who desire to live godly will suffer.

"Lest the Tempter Have Tempted You"

So Paul says in verse 5, "For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain." Sitting in Athens, Paul feared these young believers might be shaken away from Christ, and his labor there would be wasted—like a farmer who sows and reaps no harvest.

Notice something crucial: God appoints us to suffering as a test, but the tempter uses the very same trial as a temptation to draw us away. Ephesians 2:10 says we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, "which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." God has laid out a path of good works for our lives, and He allows trials along that path to grow, sanctify, and transform us. But the enemy wants to use that same trial to shake us off the path—to stop walking in good works that glorify God and instead cater to our flesh and our desire for ease. He flatters us: "Just go this way; everything will be easy."

Paul knew the seed he had sown was good, for the word of God does not return void (Isaiah 55). He was not worried about the seed or about his own faithful labor. His concern was how their hearts would receive the word in the face of tribulation. In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13), seed on shallow ground sprang up quickly but had no deep root, and when the sun of tribulation came, it burned out before bearing fruit. Paul feared exactly this—he had only been with them a short time. So he sent Timothy to tend them and confirm that the seed had taken root.

Good Tidings from Timothy

But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you. (1 Thessalonians 3:6)

When Silas and Timothy reached Paul at Corinth, they reported that the church was growing and bearing fruit even amid trials. The word translated good tidings is the very word we get gospel from—the only time Paul uses it not of the preached message, but of news that the Thessalonians were strong in the Lord. They had faith, they had charity (agape love)—the marks of a maturing believer we saw in chapter 1—and they had good remembrance of Paul.

This last point was precious. Paul's critics had been telling the church, "Forget that Paul; he's a criminal, self-seeking, greedy; that's why he left." Paul feared they would turn on him. Instead, Timothy reported, "Paul, they long to see you again." This comforted him deeply.

"Now We Live, If Ye Stand Fast"

Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 3:7–8)

Paul was discouraged in Corinth. Many there opposed him, and we read in Acts 18 that the Lord had to come to him with a spoken word: "Stay in this city, for I have many people here." Having been long apart from Silas and Timothy, Paul was burdened. But news of the Thessalonians' faith and love comforted, encouraged, and uplifted him in the midst of his own affliction. "Now we live," he says—I am rejuvenated, strengthened, because you are standing strong.

We know this experience. When we hear of a brother or sister faithfully following the Lord in the face of cancer—like Jeff Jackson with ALS—or of believers standing firm under persecution in Sudan or China, it strengthens our own faith, especially when our trials seem small by comparison yet bring us so low. John wrote, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 John 4). Often without realizing it, people are watching us and being encouraged by our lives. May our lives be an encouragement, not a discouragement.

Perfecting What Is Lacking

Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith. (1 Thessalonians 3:10)

Paul had just commended their faith, yet he recognized it was not yet perfected. None of us has attained. Even the great apostle told the Philippians, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after" (Philippians 3:12)—pressing on to know Christ in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

One of the ways God perfects our faith is not only in the joy of the resurrection, which we remember at communion, but in the day-to-day grind of suffering. It's fairly simple to come to church on a Sunday among brothers and sisters who love the Lord, to worship and read His word. But that's not where faith is really perfected. We may be strengthened here in the greenhouse, but it's outside, in the wind and rain and sun, that we are made strong.

Increasing in Love—Even Toward Enemies

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you. (1 Thessalonians 3:12)

Paul prays the Lord would direct his way back to them, and that He would cause them to abound in love—not only toward those who love them, but toward all men. It's simple to love those who are lovely; even the Pharisees do that. But on this Valentine's Day, when we give cards to those we love, what about the section for our enemies? There were those in Thessalonica who hated these Christians, yet God called them to abound in love toward them.

You may say, "I can't love that person; you don't know what they've done to me." It doesn't matter. Christ demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners He died for us. He has given us both the example and the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we too can love those who are unlovely.

Unblameable at His Coming

To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

As at the end of chapters 1 and 2, Paul again directs their attention to the coming of the Lord. He sent Timothy to establish them, but more than that, he prayed that in his absence God would establish their hearts—so that on the day of Christ Jesus they would stand before Him unblameable in holiness, completely consecrated to God.

I believe one of the primary ways God sanctifies us is the fiery trial. Within all our hearts there are impurities—anger, bitterness, wrath—locked deep where we often cannot even see them. It takes the heat of a trial to bring them to the surface. Like a refiner melting gold, as the metal liquefies the impurities, being lighter, rise to the top where they can be skimmed away. God puts me in the fire, the impurities surface, and I cry, "Lord, where did that come from?" And He says, "It was always there." He knew; I didn't.

If we endure the trial, God brings these things up and asks, "Would you like Me to take them away?" We confess, and the Refiner removes them. There is still more in the bottom for the next fire, but He is refining us. But if we harden our hearts, refuse the trial, and let the enemy use it to draw us away, then God removes us from the fire, the impurities settle back into the gold—and the devastating part is that we will have to go through a trial again later. You will never escape the trial. The question is whether, in its midst, we let God try our hearts, so that on the day of Christ Jesus we will be unblameable and holy before God.

I am so thankful for Paul's promise in Philippians 1:6: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." This work depends on Him, not on me. God is working in your life and mine, refining us, because a day is coming when we, the bride of Christ, will see the Bridegroom—and we want to be adorned for that day.

Closing Prayer

Lord, I love how simply You speak to us through Your word. As we prepare to leave today, cause this passage of Thessalonians to be planted in our hearts. Remind us throughout this week of the truths we've learned. When we face the enemies of the cross of Christ, when we encounter various trials, may we turn to You, the Refiner, and recognize that You are transforming and refining us. And Lord, we pray, come quickly—we look forward to that day with great expectation. We thank You that You displayed love toward us, that You've given us an example and the power we need to show love to those outside these doors. Would You cause us to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all men. For we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.