THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S of Satan. S atan can only hin4er in so far as God perm its him to do so and only good will come of it (cf. Ps. 76: 16). FRIDAY, Ja n u ary 3. 1 Thess. 2 :19 , 20. P aul now tells why he was so earn estly desirous of seeing them again, because they also ( “ even ye,” should he “ ye also,” i. e., ye as well as other converts) were his “hope” and “joy” and “ crown of glorying” (cf. 2 Cor. 1 :14 ; Phil. 1 :4 ). P au l’s chief “ hope” was of course Jesu s Christ H im self (1 Tim. 1 :1 ) ; h u t his converts were also his “ hope.” It was “ before our Lord Jesu s a t H is com ing,” th a t they were his “ hope” and “joy” and “ crown of glorying.” P au l’s rew ard a t th e re tu rn of th e Lord Jesus, would come because of them . This chapter as th e first, indeed as every chapter in the epistle, closes w ith a reference to th e second coming o:f Jesus Christ. Not only would they be his “hope” and “ joy” and “ crown of glorying” a t th e coming of th e Lord Jesus, they were already his “ glory” (th e Greek word tran slated “ glory” is from an entirely different root from th e word tran slated “ glory ing” ) and his “ joy.” How im portant th a t we should have those whom we have won to Christ if we would have a “ glory” and a “ joy” now and a “ hope” and “ joy” and “ crown of glorying” “ before our Lord Jesus a t H is com ing.” SATURDAY, Ja n u ary 4. 1 Thess. 3:1-3. We learn from v .l th a t while Paul was a t A thens, Timothy came to him. This very brief visit of Timothy to P aul while a t A thens is n atu ra lly om itted in th e histo ry of the Acts of th e Apostles. Luke does not mention his coming to P au l un til he came to him a t Corinth at th e tim e P au l w rote th is le tte r and sent T imothy back again to Thessalonica w ith it (cf. Acts 18 :1 -5 ). P au l greatly desired and g reatly needed T imothy’s companionship when he came to him a t A thens (Acts 1 7 :5 ). He was all alone in th a t center of heath en philo sophy, bu t in his anxious love for the young converts in Thessalonica in the m idst of persecution he though t it good to he left behind a t A thens alone and send Timothy. He was to com fort the young converts in Thessalonica. The tend er solicitude of P au l fo r them comes ou t beau tifu lly in th e words,
67 “when we could no longer fo rbear.” It is very evident th a t “we” h ere really refers to P aul alone. He humbly pu ts him self in th e background as much as possible. He speaks of th is young man Timothy as “ our b ro th er and God’s m inister in th e Gospel of Christ.” Some MSS read instead of “ God’s m in ister” a “ fellow-worker w ith God.” (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9, R .V .). He was certainly very highly honored of God for so young a man. P au l’s purpose in sending him was “ to establish” them and “ com fort” them concerning th e ir faith. The word tran slated “ com fort” means also to ex h o rt and encourage. I t is th e same word used in Acts 14:22 where it is tran slated “ exhort.” They needed en couragem ent in th e face of th e ir per secutions and P aul sent Timothy to give it. It is God who really establishes men (2 Thess. 3 :3 ), bu t He does it th rough hum an in strum en ts such as Timothy. The purpose of T imothy’s work of estab lishing and encouraging them was th a t “ no man he moved (wagged, as a dog wags his ta il) by these afflictions” (cf. Acts 1 3 :21 ). P au l here adds the re a son why they should no t be moved by any afflictions, th a t th e ir enem ies, b rough t upon them , th a t reason is deeply significant one, “ for yourselves know th a t hereunto (i. e., unto afflic tions) we are appointed” (cf. 2 Tim. 3 :12 ; Acts 14:22; John 15:18 -20 ). I t is well th a t everyone th a t accepts Jesus Christ understand from th e outset th a t he is “appointed” unto affliction. P aul here gives th e reason why th ey knew th a t they were appointed unto affliction. They knew it because P au l had plainly told them so from th e sta rt. He prepared them for persecution by telling them “ beforehand.” Modern teachers make a g reat m istake in no t telling th e ir converts, as P au l and Jesus did, th a t they m ust expect persecution from a God-hating and a Christ-reject- ing world. Only because Christianity is of God can it afford to th u s plainly te ll its converts th a t they m ust expect to meet persecution and worldly loss. “ It came to pass” ju st as P au l said it would. It always came to pass th a t way sooner or later. One of th e many incidental proofs of th e tru th of th e Christian Scriptures is th a t they fore te ll an experience for those who accept them th a t does no t always, seem prob- SUNDAY, Ja n u ary 5. 1 Thess. 3 :4-6.
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