When Others Cared for You - I Thessalonians 2:17 - 3:13

I realize that there are dysfunctional families where unfortunate children find that there is actually no one that really cares for them. I believe that this proves to be one of the most unfortunate circumstances that exist in our world of moral decay. I hope that I am wrong, but it appears to me that this is a problem that is growing at a rapid pace. Hopefully, this conception is in error; and may be the problem only appears to be increasing because of the growth of our telecommunication system. We are able to view the news of children being abandoned by parents, neglected by society, kidnapped and murdered by perverts almost daily. One of my first and most precocious memories is that my parents cared for me.

Two other occasions come to my memory when others cared for me. When I returned home from over seas after WWII, I felt successful and was living my life as though I had no need to depend on others. My wife and her mother became concerned and went to our pastor and the church for help. Because of the intercessory prayers that went up in my behalf, I soon realized my need for Christ; who also cared for me, and I accepted Him as my Savior. Over sixty years have come and gone since my conversion and there have been literally thousands of reasons for me to be grateful for those who cared for me.

The other example that I will relate has to do with my success as a Superintendent of public Schools. When I entered the University of Arkansas to work on my doctor’s degree, I was fortunate to be assigned to the guidance and care of Dr. Roy B. Allen, Dean of the Department of Higher Education. It soon became obvious that he cared about his pupils and that he cared for me. He guided me successfully through the newly organized Doctoral Program that proved to be extensive and difficult. Then, because of his reputation in the state, he was able to help me secure my first superintendence in the Russellville Public School District. I felt very fortunate to obtain his position in one of the strongest school districts in the state. Four and a half years later I moved to the best Position I held as Superintendent of the Waynesville School District in Missouri. Again, this job would have never been offered to me had Dr. Allen not made the recommendation. Dr. Allen cared for me. Hopefully, those who cared and helped me in times of crises has made me a more sensitive, caring person.

Sadly, our churches today have many Christians who have become angry about circumstances surrounding them. They may feel that others have mistreated them; or maybe they just think of others as being hateful to them or difficult to like. It is not unlikely that they feel that their situation is so bad that they cannot be expected to demonstrate a caring concern for others. These Christians, as well as the people at whom they lash out, need someone to demonstrate concern for them. If we approach such people positively, we can discover their needs and the reasons they present such challenges. It is possible for us to become concerned and actually show that we also care about them.

The central theme in this lesson is to teach us how to select ways that we can demonstrate our concern for other Christians.

Paul is defending himself because he must have been accused of preaching for pay. He must have been accused of preaching for the people’s approval because he insisted that his motive was pure; he sought to please God, and not the people. He reminded these people that he had paid his own way and had not been a burden to them in any way. The Christians in Thessalonica did believe Paul and had received his message as God’s good news. Because of their belief, they were being persecuted by the general public. They became a part of a fellowship that was suffering for Christ’s cause [2:13-16].

I don’t believe that I am sponsoring a pity-party for me and other believers as I complete this lesson that closes our 2008 studies. Rather, I believe that you and I are in the same boat that the Thessalonica Christians were in as Paul wrote this letter. Because of my beliefs…and your beliefs…that our God and our Savior Jesus Christ are the only deity—we are being persecuted by the general public in America. We have become a part of a fellowship that is suffering for the cause of Christ. I truly believe that we were a larger majority in America until the Liberal Courts re-wrote our constitution. We may be loosing in numbers, but the minorities that have infiltrated America with the anti-God, anti-American and anti-Christian beliefs have managed to infiltrate our offices of power in America to the point that the liberals are allowing them to gain the power that makes it possible for them to destroy our rights and freedom to worship the one and only God. [See 2:13-16].
2: 17-20: Some wonder why so many were opposed to the growth of the early church and the rise of Christianity throughout the bible belt of that day, especially in Thessalonica. As best I can, in a broad general way, I will try to give you some of the answers—first you must realize there were many.

The Jewish religion had maintained relative freedom to exist unmolested by the Roman government which was in power; however they realized that the least disturbance could change that status at any time. They wanted to retain the status-quo.
Christianity was viewed as a sect of Judaism, and the Jewish leadership was afraid that the reprisals aimed against the church might be expanded to include them.
The Jewish leadership, [the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Sanhedrin Court], believed that Jesus was a false prophet and they did not want his teachings to spread. They killed him on the cross and wanted to make sure that his philosophy and teachings died with him.
Many of the common Jewish people were joining the church and the leadership was afraid that this would continue to weaken their strong position in the Roman world.
Jews were selfishly proud of their position as ‘chosen people’ and resented the fact that gentiles were accepted as equal peers in the Christian church.
They were adamant about being the Jewish I—Jewish ME—and the Jewish MINE. Gentiles were unacceptable to them.

Paul was an exceptional Jew. He is the one referred to in this lesson as one of ‘THE OTHERS THAT CARED FOR YOU’ because you are a gentile just as many in the new church were also gentiles. Remember that there may be many others out there that care for you, and would like to show it, but they are prevented by Satan, just as he was. They may not let you know for one reason or another. Paul let these people know that he was forced to leave them before he was ready to depart. He also let them know that he had tried to make arrangements to get back to visit with them but that Satan had prevented his return.

We must realize that Satan has influence and power over this earth—he did then and he does now. He is called [god of the age in 2 Cor. 4: 4] and [the ruler of the kingdom of the air] in Eph. 2:2. I believe ‘age’ means the time of man’s life on earth; and “kingdom of the air” means the world where people can live only as they are able to breathe life sustaining air.
We do not know, because the Book does not say specifically why Paul was prevented from visiting the Thessalonians. Some possibilities are:

There may have been local opposition by Jewish sympathizers.
It could have been an injury, or illness.
It could have been travel complications; after all he did not have a personal jet and a private pilot.
It may have been a direct personal attack by Satan.

We just know that Satan worked in some way to prevent him from serving as he wanted to at that time. I don’t think time has changed because many of the things that prevent us from serving obediently and accomplishing God’s work can be attributed to Satan: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” [Ephesians 6: 12]. In this passage, ‘the powers of the dark world’ and ‘spiritual forces of evil’ are both satanic forces.

The last verse in the chapter tells us that the ultimate reward for Paul’ ministry was not money, prestige or fame, but he only want more new believers whose lives had been changed by God through the preaching of the gospel. This is why he longed to visit them. Now I close by asking you what ministry has God given you? It doesn’t matter what it is, great or small, strong or weak, your highest award and greatest joy should be to see the lost saved and to be able to observe them as they grow in the knowledge and understanding of a true Christian.