Series: Action [#53]
A LETTER OF ENCOURAGMENT- WATCH THEM GROW
1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
Introduction:
On this Mother’s Day, I want us to continue in our Series. This sermon is very fitting for this day. I know that some days in life seem to go very slow; but when you have children, everything seems to go too fast. They start out so tiny; and then the next thing you know they are leaving to college, or to a new town, or getting married, or having children, etc… I want you to think back to when your child, grandchild, etc… could not walk yet. Before that child could walk, they had to learn how to stand. Usually, the father and mother teach the child to stand and then to walk. Paul was a “spiritual parent” to these believers; but he had to leave Thessalonica. In chapters 1 and 2, Paul explained how the Church was born and nurtured. In chapter 3, Paul taught them how to stand.
1 Thessalonians 3:1-5
To help them stand, he…
1. Sent them helpers.
Paul had left from Thessalonica and went to Berea and then to Athens. Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea; but later, Timothy joined Paul in Athens. Paul then sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to help the young Church. God does this very thing for us- He puts people in our lives to help us grow.
Several important factors were involved in this move.
* Paul’s concern.
Paul had great love for the believers. It was because of this love that he could not abandon them. Instead, Paul chose to be left alone in Athens so that Timothy could return to Thessalonica and establish the Church.
* Timothy’s character.
Timothy was the ideal man to send to the Church to help them stand firm. His motive was to help them grow stronger in the Lord as individuals and as a congregation.
* The Church’s conflict.
The trials and testing that we face as Christians are not accidents, they are appointments. Persecution is not foreign to the believer, but a normal part of life. Of course, behind these persecutions is Satan. Satan tries to weaken our faith in God. Without faith in God, we are defeated.
1 Thessalonians 3:6-8
To help them stand, he…
2. Wrote them a letter.
Paul lets them know that he was encouraged by how they were doing. Paul encouraged them for how they were doing, but he also wrote them in order to encourage them to continue on.
God has written us a letter of love- We call it the Bible. Everything in God’s Word is there to teach us, correct us, and grow us.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
To help them stand, he…
3. Prayed for them.
He prayed that their…
* Faith might mature.
Although Paul could not be there, he prayed that their relationship with Christ would not grow stagnant, but stronger.
He prayed that their…
* Love might abound.
Times of suffering can be times of selfishness. Our growing faith in God ought to result in a growing love for others.
He prayed that their…
* Lives be holy.
As Christians, the Holy Spirit lives within us, and Paul’s prayer was that these Christians would walk in the Spirit daily in their lives. We see here how important it is to help new believers. They 1st must learn to stand before they can walk. We have many Christians that have been Christians for a long time that still do not know how to stand. That standing must be through standing in Christ, not self.
Conclusion:
How do we help new Christians? We can be an encouragement and stand at their side as they mature. This is what Paul did, and it worked.
