Being Hope, Joy, and Glory for One Another Andy Nagahara
A. Relationships among followers of Jesus
1. Our desire and Satan's interference (17, 18)
17 But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.
18 For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan stopped us.
2. You are our hope, joy, and glory (19, 20)
19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?
20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.
B. The importance of knowing the condition of one another's faith
1. For encouragement and greater faith (1-3)
1 So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.
2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them.
2. The body of Christ is strengthened through suffering (4, 5)
4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.
5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.
Summary
Faith in Jesus did not spread and increase without its share of challenges, and yet Paul considers other followers of Jesus to be his hope, joy, and glory, just as the Lord Jesus himself is our hope, joy, and glory. Just as we love Jesus, who loves us as his treasures, we also need to love other followers of Jesus, many of whom are suffering. As we face suffering in our own lives, we need to encourage, help, and find joy in one another.
For Discussion
1) Why did Paul feel so strongly about seeing the Thessalonians?
2) What was Satan's interference?