1:3 — Your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater.
The increasing persecution the Thessalonians were facing could have torn their fellowship apart. But because they were maturing in their relationship with the Lord and had submitted themselves to His leadership, the church remained unified. Likewise, a good way to tell if you are growing in your faith is to examine how you react toward your brothers and sisters in Christ. Does your love abound toward them? Do you feel a greater urgency to pray for them? Your love for God should inspire unity within the church.
Answers to Life’s Questions
How does God teach me perseverance?
Perseverance has been defined as accepting difficult situations as from God without giving Him a deadline for their removal. We know we need to learn endurance, but we generally shun the process by which it takes root in our lives.
Ours is the “now” generation—we want everything immediately. We refuse to wait for the Lord’s direction or provision, so we either give in to discouragement or move ahead on our own initiative. However, rejecting God because we do not get our own way or running ahead of His timing are costly and disappointing courses of action.
Psalm 27:14 admonishes, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD.” The Thessalonians were doing this successfully, and Paul commended them for staying firm in the faith, even though they faced terrible opposition. He wrote, “Your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure . . . so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.”
Their troubles were not causing them to fall away. Rather, the Thessalonians were trusting the Lord and maturing in their relationship with Him. And through their difficulties, God was teaching them abiding hope and perseverance that nothing could destroy.
Likewise, He may allow us to experience difficulties or to wait for relief from some situation or obstacle for several reasons:
• The Lord is teaching us discipline and endurance through waiting.
• God is using the adversity to reveal hidden sin in our lives.
• The Lord wants to teach us to depend on Him, not on ourselves or others.
• God is molding our character so we will honor Him with our lives.
• God wants to teach us to trust His ways and timing and to learn that they are best.
Yet James 1:2–4 encourages us, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” In times of difficulty, we learn to persevere and to keep holding to the Lord as our hope and our victory. Our troubles may not be pleasant, but they are profitable in our relationship with Him and our character because they teach us to trust Him, to wait for Him, and to have confidence in His provision.
Therefore, when you face adversity, do not despair. Cling to God and trust Him no matter what happens. He is teaching you to persevere, and it is a lesson worth learning.
See the Life Principles Index for further study:
1:7 — To give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.
The believers in Thessalonica could not understand why they were facing such persecution and adversity. Why was God allowing wicked people to harass them? We may feel the same way. However, like the Thessalonians, we are not of this world (John 15:18, 19; Phil. 3:20), and God will vindicate us in due time. Until then, we eagerly await Christ’s return.
1:9 — These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
False teachers were telling the people that when a person dies without Christ, they merely cease to live or are destroyed in some way. But this is not true. Every person will exist eternally—believers in heaven with the Lord and unbelievers in the eternal lake of fire that is never extinguished (Rev. 20:15; 21:8). Even though hell is described as a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Luke 13:28), the worst thing about it is not the physical suffering that will be involved, but the intense loneliness of absolute separation from God.
1:12 — That the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is glorified in us when we eagerly do His will by submitting to the promptings of His Spirit. We must honor Jesus as Lord and acknowledge that He is infinitely worthy of our service, because when we do, He receives all the honor, glory, power, and praise for the great things He does in and through us.
2:2 — That you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
The church at Thessalonica was a young, strong, thriving church that was composed mainly of Gentiles. However, because of increasing persecution and false teachers who taught that Jesus had already come, the Thessalonians began to worry they had missed the Rapture. Of course, they had not. We should never allow the news of the day to shake our faith in the Lord. Instead, we should anchor ourselves with the truth of His Word and trust in His unfailing character.
2:3 — Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed.
The time is coming when many in the church will abandon sound doctrine and will instead endorse whatever heresy seems popular at the moment. At that time, the Antichrist will be revealed and will completely rebel against God’s authority. Many will be led astray by his lies. The way to combat this apostasy is always to stay close to Jesus and teach others the truth of His Word.
2:7 — The mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
Paul taught that the evil world system that would culminate in the Antichrist was already active—even during his time. However, the Holy Spirit is faithful to actively restrain the progress of lawlessness in the world until the time comes for God’s judgment to be poured out. Until then, the Antichrist will not be permitted to fully implement his rebellious schemes.
2:9 — The one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders.
We must anchor our faith in the Word of God, not in miraculous signs and wonders, which can be fabricated. Satan will often counterfeit astounding works to deceive the weak into forsaking Christ. Therefore we must know God’s Word so that we can oppose Satan’s lies and not be caught off guard.
2:13 — God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
When we place our trust in the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior, we are forgiven of all our sin. Although we are saved, however, we do not yet reflect the separated, holy life of a child of God. That is why sanctification is so important. We need the Holy Spirit to regenerate us—to teach us how to live a new life that honors the Lord.
2:17 — Comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
God comforts us in our distress, not merely to soothe our feelings, but so that we will find the strength and wisdom to minister to others (2 Cor. 1:3–7).
3:1 — Pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you.
There was so much to do—so many people to reach and churches to plant—that Paul must have felt overwhelmed by the task, especially with all the obstacles that confronted believers. However, he knew that God could get it done. If Paul stayed in constant communication with the Lord through prayer, He would maximize his time and give him the wisdom and energy needed to accomplish his part of the mission.
Prayer is life’s greatest time saver.
Change is never easy, especially when our choices affect other people. Change means important decisions will be made—which introduces the possibility of terrible mistakes and ongoing consequences. When we make those choices without seeking the Lord’s leadership, we are headed for disaster. But when we pray to God, requesting His guidance and committing ourselves to His will, He moves in astounding ways to help us.
I remember the time when we needed to find a new property to house our “In Touch” television and radio ministry. Four months before we had to move, we found a building that we thought would be perfect. The only problem was that it cost $2.7 million. Several of our board members and executive staff felt good about the location and price, so they suggested we borrow the money for the property. Several others, however, rejected both the price and the idea of going into debt.
One Wednesday afternoon after that, a group of us met for a long time to discuss the move but were unable to come to any consensus. It was as if we were in a fog. We needed divine direction, and I knew we were not going to receive any sitting around that conference table. I asked my secretary to call Unicoi State Park and book some cabins for the following week. I understood that to stay there, we should have called four to six months in advance—it was unlikely they would have space for us. Ten minutes later, however, she returned and reported that we were all set.
On the morning we left for Unicoi, I asked a friend to negotiate with the owner to see if we could purchase the property for $2 million. I also asked our church administrator to see if we could possibly extend our stay at our current offices for six more months. Both told me they would do their best.
During the two hours I drove from Atlanta to the cabins, I thought and prayed. And God brought Zechariah 4:6 to my mind: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” I took it as a sign that He wanted to do something that we knew nothing about. So I prayed, “Lord, whatever You have in mind, please don’t let us miss it!”
For two days, we did very little talking and a whole lot of praying. We cried out to God in desperation, realizing that a deadline was looming while our peace and unity were missing. During one break, I called our administrator and discovered that we had been given an extension at our current location—we had six more months before we had to move. That was great news. Later, my friend called to tell me that the owner of the property had agreed to sell it to us for $2 million. There was only one problem. The building had a tenant who still had another six months on their lease. Moving them out early would cost us extra. We just kept praying.
When we left Unicoi two days later, we still didn’t have any clear direction about how to purchase the building, but we were committed to waiting on God. We were confident that He had something different in mind other than borrowing the money and that it had already been worked out.
When I arrived home, I had a message to call a man I had never met. He was an “In Touch” viewer who was interested in helping the ministry. I called him back and he said, “Dr. Stanley, I have had you and your ministry on my mind the past several days. I notice that you never ask for money on the broadcast, and I was wondering if you had any needs.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I explained our situation and then told him about our prayer meeting. He asked how much the building cost. I told him I thought we could get it for $2 million. He said, “I think I can handle that.” And he did. We closed about 90 days later.
Can you imagine the mistake we would have made if we had not stopped to seek the Lord’s guidance and had failed to trust in His provision? Can you imagine the time, energy, and resources we would have wasted if we had tried to acquire that property in our own strength instead of God’s?
Prayer is always life’s greatest time saver. You may be facing a great change or decision that seems overwhelming to you. The Lord knows exactly what you need, and He will always answer your prayers as is absolutely best for you. Therefore, spend time listening to Him, receiving His wisdom and direction, and drinking in His presence and power. Be quiet before Him, rest in Him, and allow Him to order your steps. He will keep you from moving in the wrong direction or from wasting your time doing useless things.
Are you willing to stop and listen to Him? Are you ready for Him to make you the most fruitful you can possibly be? Then no matter what you face, commit yourself to His schedule, wisdom, provision, and guidance through prayer. You’ll find that your time with Him is the best investment you make every day.
See the Life Principles Index for further study.
3:2 — That we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.
It is possible that the evil men Paul referred to were the Jews of Corinth who rose up against him (Acts 18:1–15). When the Word of God is preached, some will accept its life-giving message, and some will oppose it. It was that way in Paul’s time, it continues to be true today, and opposition to the gospel will exist until the Lord returns. It is perfectly legitimate to pray for protection against those who reject God’s Word.
3:3 — The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
Sometimes people crumble under the threats of ungodly people and the warfare of the enemy because they are afraid of the opposition. But God has limited the enemy’s attack and has also garrisoned us about with His heavenly host (Ps. 91:11). The Lord is faithful to protect us in every situation, so we should always obey Him and leave the consequences to Him.
3:5 — May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
Whether Paul was with the Thessalonians or not, he believed the Lord would protect and guide them as they grew in their faith. He knew their love for God would increase through their deepening relationship with Him. Likewise, we must entrust our loved ones to the Lord. Although we encourage, instruct, and rebuke them when appropriate, ultimately we trust God to mature them spiritually and lead them faithfully in His will for them.
3:10 — If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
Some of the Thessalonians were so convinced that Christ would return immediately that they did not feel it was necessary to work any longer. Others took advantage of the church’s practice of charity and interdependence (Acts 2:42–47), living off the wealth of other believers. However, our belief in the Lord’s return does not give us an excuse to be lazy. Instead, it should inspire us to do our very best in every situation—including our occupations—and keep us living productively for the sake of His kingdom.
3:15 — Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
We are not to associate with those who disobey God so that we do not likewise sin, but we must always remember that they are not the enemy (1 John 4:20). We should not be contentious or hateful towards them because they still need Christ. The Lord wants all to know Him and grow in an intimate relationship with Him. This should be our objective as well, so we must discipline and admonish others with this goal in view.
3:16 — May the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.
The peace of God is a gift; it is not something we can manipulate because it is the fruit of oneness with Him. When our relationship with Him is strong and adversity strikes, we do not have to fall apart or give in to anxiety. We can choose to live in steadfast confidence of His love, wisdom, power, and provision. This is the basis of His unshakable peace—not that we are capable of controlling circumstances, but that His help is ever-present and perfect to deliver us in every challenge we face.