1 Thessalonians 3:2-3 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them.
God Needs Christian brothers
and sisters, ministers, and laborers to spread His gospel to the ends of the
Earth. This concept is becoming less attractive to some followers and believers
in Christ as time passes. If more people would share in the load, the job would
become lighter for those following the directive Jesus left us with when He
ascended back to heaven (Acts 1:8). Paul makes it clear in this verse of
scripture that strength and courage are necessary characteristics to carry out
the assignment from Jesus to take His message of faith and grace to the lost of
the world (2 Corinthians 1:3-7). Paul also knew missionary work was not without
inevitable pain, trials, and tribulations. All people who follow the direction
of Christ Jesus to spread the gospel understand that we must apply the
principles of God’s Word to our lives. In his letter to the Christians in Roman,
Paul taught them and, by extension, all followers of Christ that faith comes
through hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
All Christians, not just
missionaries, face pressure and coercion in our daily lives, especially if we
are following the directions of the Lord to tell people about the saving grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many worldwide want to hear about something other
than Jesus and His saving grace. When we encounter these people dead set
against hearing the truth of God’s Word, they will fight against the notion of
Jesus being the only way to eternal life. Too many people believe and genuinely
want to tenaciously hold on to the idea that our good works or deeds are what
God is looking for to allow us to spend eternity with Him (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The very next verse in the book of Ephesians (Verse 10) makes it crystal clear
that we do good works that God has planned for us to do. We do good works for
Christ Jesus because we love Him and want to surrender our lives to Him and His
mission of salvation for all who believe in Him.
The rewards we will receive
when we meet Jesus will far outweigh any affliction that may come our way in
following His directives. God knows how much we can bear up to, and He will not
allow us to suffer more than we can handle. When we suffer pain and affliction,
we must remember the pain and suffering of our Savior on the Cross. In
comparison, there is no suffering we might encounter that would outweigh the
tremendous agony, anguish, and torture Jesus suffered so we all might know and
have eternal life with Him. Some might
ask, what did I do to deserve all this agony and pain in my life? It could be
that we did nothing wrong; this occurs in the lives of the Children of the
King. God allows tribulations to come into our lives so that we might become
more disciplined in the way of God.
1 Peter 4:19 So then, those
who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful
Creator and continue to do good.
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