Obsessed_possessed By Thess S8e7 1thes3:1

We thought yesterday that fellowship was so important that even Satan understands it and tries to thwart it. Today we see Paul voluntarily giving up his fellowship with his A-team missionaries, Tim and Silas, so as to see the Thessalonians walk in a manner worthy.

Paul describes the leaving of Timothy as an AFFLICTION.  That's right, the affliction of aloneness.  And this is from a guy that was stoned to death and beaten with rods, etc. 

If there is another group of people that Paul feels so impassioned towards, I'd like to know about it.  Paul is beautifully obsessed the Christ be formed in this young, even INFANT church. His heart for them is, "You are my joy".  His reality for himself is, "I am willing to undergo the affliction of fellowshiplessness for you by sending my #1 guy Timothy."

Listen 7 minutes and share with your #1 guy, and with the guy furthest away.  Subscribe to make tomorrow's listen easy at bewithme.us or on a podcast directory of your choice.  

Transcript

Michael Smith: 0:01

Good morning, my brothers and sisters Welcome to episode seven in the book of First Thessalonians. This is season eight of be with me daily podcast which I'm glad to have you with me today. Yesterday we talked about how smart and quote unquote wise the schemee Satan is to try to thwart Paul's plans for fellowship. And then today we're going to hear Paul willingly giving up his fellowship with Timothy, For the good of the Thessalonians. In fact, I'm going to title today that Paul is obsessed, slashed possessed by the Thessalonians. So we have a trio of missionaries, Paul, Silas and Timothy, who write this letter. And let me read the passage, we're going to start in just the very end of First Thessalonians chapter two and then go into chapter three. He's talking about how jazdy is about the Thessalonians. He says, For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus that is coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy? All right, then this is chapter three, verse one. Therefore, when we could bear it no longer we were willing to be left behind, at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith. And then he describes this lack of fellowship that no one be moved by these affliction. So he's, this is the guy that's been beaten with rods stoned ventually, he'll be shipwreck beaten a bunch more times. And he describes affliction as not any of those things. He describes affliction as being separated from the Thessalonians and separated from Timothy. Alright, we have to remember back in Acts, chapter 17, how this all happened. We're on the second missionary journey, which is described much more in detail in Acts chapters, all of them actually, but Acts chapter 17. They're up in Philippi. And then they go to Thessalonica, a mob forms from the wicked men of the rabble and they start attacking. So they leave town they go to Berea, everything is great in Berea, everybody loves in Berea, except for one problem. The people from Thessaloniki when they heard that they were done in Berea sharing the gospel, they sent a contingent down there, agitating and stirring up the crowd, so much so that the brothers there that is the new believers in Berea make Paul leave town, because the people from Thessalonica were there persecuting him. So he goes 220 miles by sea down to Athens. So that's all in Acts, chapter 17 That he is protected by the brothers of Berea and sent by way of seat now of interest. He leaves Timothy and Silas there so that Christ can be formed in this early, early early church. This is the first time they had ever had the gospel. This is the first time that the gospel was in what's considered Europe. So he was conducted, Paul was conducted and brought to Athens. That is the brothers from Berea didn't leave him alone. Just put them on a boat. They put them on a boat with a couple of people plural. So Timothy and Silas stay up in Berea are in correction. Yes, they stay up in Berea. And they send Paul down to Athens. And the last instructions that Paul leaves is returned to Paul as soon as you can. Timothy and Silas returned to Paul down in Athens. So eventually they do return to Athens. But what Paul couldn't bear listen to this is when we could bear it no longer we were willing to be left behind in Athens alone. So Paul is in Athens eventually with Paul Timothy and Silas. And he's feels so much of a passion for the Thessalonians he couldn't bear it anymore, and he's willing to send Timothy and what couldn't Paul bear the aloneness the the lack of fellowship. He's so concerned that he's ready to send one of his last, you know, henchmen with the last arrows in his quiver 220 miles back up the Macedonian peninsula to check on them. So Paul is willing to engage in temporary, long distance fellowship with the Thessalonians by sacrificing temporary love loss of personal fellowship with Timothy. And we think that Silas actually went back up to Philippi. So that's all Paul gets left alone. So by my count, Timothy Goes to Thessalonica of four times. First of all Timothy Goes through this alone I go with Paul and Silas that's the first time. Then he is sent back there before the letter of thessalon nians is written. Then this letter is written first Thessalonians is written by the return of Timothy, back to Paul. And then Timothy returns a third and a fourth time, back up the MASL Macedonian peninsula to go visit the Thessalonians in Paul's behest. And Paul is just obsessed in a good way with the Thessalonians. Listen to this, he's just a couple of things. He's constantly remember then in these prayers, He declares them as you are our joy and our glory and our affection. Secondly, he sent to two letters, some of the first letters in the New Testament, maybe the first he read, he revisits them two times on the third missionary journey. He's willing to leave Timothy and Silas there amidst a mob. He sends Timothy up the coast for or at least three times in 18 months to act as his eyes and ears and hands. And this is you know, he's not some flunky. He's really the an 18 kind of a guy. And then he declares over and over again, I wanted to come to you, this isn't to 18 I wanted to come to you again and again. So what impressed me today is how much Paul cares about the Thessalonians he's in the they are they are in the laser beam of His love, unlike I can't think of another group of people that ball loves as much as that that's the audience. He's so concerned with them. He's willing to go timless That they would stay on his on God's team. So he's willing to give up his team so that the Thessalonians can stay on God's team. It's temporary but necessary to see Christ formed in them that they would know God. So just the take home is what local or maybe if distant people do you care this much about that you would boast You are my joy, you are my crown of boasting. Lord, may we all be obsessed with a group of people like Paul is with a Thessalonians may we be possessed in our every thought and prayer and action and commitment and resource that they are I thank you so much for listening. I'll see you tomorrow.