ENCOURAGEMENT IN THE MIST OF
TROUBLE
1 THESSALONIANS 3
Change always brings
opposition. Change makes us uncomfortable. Pushing change can sometimes result in
violence and death.
The church was born in the
mist of opposition from the Jewish
Religious leaders. They
incited violence which resulted in the
death of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, His apostles and
many disciples. Out of the
violence, a Church grew that
changed the world.
At Philippi Paul and Silas
were beaten and thrown into prison
because of the objections by
the Jews to their preaching of the Gospel. They
left
Acts 17:2-5 Paul and Silas at Thessalonica
As his custom was, Paul went
into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the
Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise
from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he
said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a
large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
But the Jews were jealous; so
they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and
started a riot in the city.
According to the text, Paul
and Silas spent at least three weeks in
Thessalonica before being
forced to leave. At
Churches were started and
flourish in the mist of persecution.
1 Thessalonians 3
THE WORK OF THE PASTORS
V:1. So when we could stand
it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in
A. Paul and Silas abruptly
left Thessalonica to save their lives from a mob
promoted by Jewish religious folk.
1. Paul
grieve that he left the newly converted Christians in the mist
of a Jewish
mob.
2. Timothy
returned from Thessalonica with the news that the young
church was
continuing in the faith of Jesus Christ.
3. Our job
is the proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and let
the Holy
Spirit do the rest.
4. Paul,
forced out of Thessalonica, didn’t have the pleasure of selecting
a pastor,
yet the Church flourished.
B. God shows His love for us by what He does not
let happen to us.
1. First,
God showed His love by sending Paul and Silas to preach
the
Gospel and convict those chosen.
2. Second,
God showed His love by sending the indwelling of Holy Spirit
to comfort
the believers during trials and tribulations.
3. Third,
He strengthen the minds of believes to endure their
trying
circumstances.
4.
Forth, God showed His love by sending
Timothy to encourage the
young
believers.
5. Fifth,
God sends His leaders through trials to strengthen their
faith
in preaching the Gospel.
6. God
will not allow Satan to tear down what He builds up.
7. This
should encourage our pastors that God is fully in control, and
their
work will be prosperous in the Lord.
THE NEED TO ENCOURAGE YOUR
PASTOR
V: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 (Paul) 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.
6 But Timothy has just now
come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has
told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see
us, just as we also long to see you.
A. You never know what your
pastors are going through to keep you
lifted up in prayer.
1. When they have not heard from you, they
are naturally concerned
about your welfare because you are sheep
under their care.
2. Doing this zoom church time, to not see the
faces or hear the
voices of the members is troubling to the
shepherds.
3. For the members we don’t hear about, or
hear from gives us
cause for concern.
a. We don’t know if they are sick or well.
b. We don’t know if the devil has led them
astray.
B. To hear good news about
the testimonies of the members is always
encouraging to the shepherd.
1. I would be willing to bet, that your
pastor and his wife has a desire to
see each of the members in the flesh.
2. It is encouraging to the pastors to know
that you are lifting them up
in prayer.
WAYS TO ENCOURAGE YOUR
PASTORS
V:7 Therefore, brothers, in
all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your
faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How
can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the
presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly
that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
A. Our Pastors need
encouraging just as we do.
1. They are encouraged to know that we are
persevering in theses
troubling time.
2. Your pastors lives are tied to your
faith in the Lord.
3. Your pastor joy is tied to your
spiritual well being in the Lord
B. The pastors job requires
them to continuously be in prayer for you.
1. We can encourage our pastors with phone
calls, with texts and
by showing our face on zoom.
2. It is the pastors desire to know what
areas you need encouraging.
3. As pastors, we thank God for you because
you enrich our lives.
A PRAYER FOR YOU FROM THE
PASTOR
V:11 Now may our God and
Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May
the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone
else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you
will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord
Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
A. It is the pastor’s prayer,
that the Lord Jesus clear out what is hindering
Us from fellowshipping together in the
sanctuary.
1. Love is the most important characteristic
of the Christian faith.
2. It is the pastors desire that God will
make your love overflow
for all believers and non believers.
3. It is the pastor prayer that your heart be
continuously strengthen
a. Out of the heart flows the issues of
life.
b. It is your pastors desire that your
primary issue be the love of God.
B. It is the desire of the
Pastor that you be blameless before the Father
1. Therefore confess your sins daily to
have a flesh fellowship
with Jesus.
2. It is the pastors prayer that your hope
be in second coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ
3. It is the desire of your pastor that you
spend eternity with Jesus.
IN SUMMARY WE CAN
ENCOURAGE OUR PASTORS BY:
APPRECIATING THE WORK THEY
DO
UNDERSTANDING THE NEED TO
ENCOURAGE
DOING SOMETHING PERSONAL
TO ENCOURAGE
PHONE CALLS AND TEXTS
PRAY FOR THEM DAILY
THANK GOD FOR OUR PASTORS
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater
Join us to night for live
Bible Study
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