1 Thessalonians 3 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 1 Thess 3:1-5

1 So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. 2 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, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. 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 could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labours might have been in vain.

A. Find Out:

1. Where was Paul hindered? v.1
2. So did they eventually send to do what? v.2
3. In what way to help the church? v.3
4. What had they told the church? v.4
5. So what did Paul eventually do? v.5a
6. Of what was he afraid? v.5b

B. Think:

1. What had the apostles warned the church about?
2. Yet what were they still concerned about?
3. What steps did they take to help?

C. Comment:

     We see in these verses something of the difficulties that the early church planters had – outright opposition. We have already noted how the team had had to flee Thessalonica and then Paul had to move on from Berea because of the opposition of the unbelieving Jews of Thessalonica. They had warned the church in Thessalonica that this sort of thing happened – and it had! Now they were concerned that this opposition may be unsettling and pulling down the church there.

     By the time they got to Athens Paul could stand it no longer and so sent Timothy back to see that all was still well with them. Timothy’s job was twofold: first to strengthen and encourage the church in their faith (v.2) and to counter any temptation to give up in the face of the ongoing opposition (v.5), and second, to bring back a report to Paul to reassure him that all was well.

     It is all too easy when we read of the spreading church in Acts to think it was all plain sailing – even when they had to move on because of opposition. The truth was that the hearts of these men were totally committed to the spread of the Gospel and the establishing of new Christians and anything less than that left them unsettled and concerned. What we’ve just read is the outworking of that concern that meant the team had to split to ‘cover the various bases’.

D. Application:

1. Are out hearts moved in our concern to share the Gospel?
2. Are our hearts moved by concern for new Christians?

Passage: 1 Thess 3:6-13

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. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, 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.

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. Find Out:

1. What report had Timothy brought back? v.6
2. What effect did that have on the apostles? v.7,8
3. What did it leave them feeling? v.9
4. So what were they praying for? v.10,11
5. What does he want for the church? v.12
6. What does he also want for them? v.13

B. Think:

1. How would you summarise Timothy’s report?
2. 2How would you summarise the apostles response?
3. How would you summarise their desire for the church?

C. Comment:

     Paul has been recounting their anguish for the church at Thessalonica and how eventually they had sent Timothy to bring back a report.

     First of all, therefore, note Timothy’s Report, note the specific things covered: their faith (their relationship with God) and their love (their relationship with one another). Both of these were good. More than that, the church had a good relationship with the apostles – they longed to see them again. A good threefold report.

    Second, note the apostles’ response: they were first of all encouraged and strengthened and really felt life was worth living because this church was indeed going on with God. More than that whenever they prayed they were filled with joy at the very thought of how the church were going on. Their yearning is that they may return and bless the church even more with the gifts of God.

     Third, note their ongoing desire for the well-being of this church. That again has two dimensions – their relationships with one another and their relationship with the Lord. In the church, relationships are to be founded on love, and so they want that love to abound even more. In respect of the Lord, they want them to be strengthened in their inner resolve even more, so that their lives will be utterly blameless, ready for the time when Jesus returns (repeat of 1:10).

D. Application:

1. Do we see our love for one another increasing in the church?

2. Do we ensure our relationship with the Lord deepens daily?

Passage: 1 Thess 3:12,13 – 4:1,2

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.

1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

A. Find Out:

1. What did they want to happen? v.12
2. What did they want the lord to do, with what result? v.13
3. What had they done previously? v.1a
4. So what were they asking now? v.1b
5. What do they say the church know? v.2

B. Think:

1. How do they briefly look back in these verses?
2. How do they look forward?
3. How are these link verses to what comes next?

C. Comment:

      These verses are the transition from all they have been saying about the church in the past, and the challenges they are bringing them for the future. That’s why we’ve gone back and covered verses 12 and 13 again because these four verses really go together.

     Their call in verse 12 is to go on deepening their love for one another – i.e. build relationships even stronger. Then in verse 13 it was the apostles’ desire that the Lord would strengthen them inwardly so they will ensure their lives are pure and holy. Both these things are going to come up as issues to be considered shortly.

     They then remind the church that all their teaching had really been about how to please God. That is at the heart of all teaching about how to live out the Christian life practically. It start with, “How do I go about pleasing God?” for that is our ultimate aim. So the desire of the apostles is that the church works on this more and more. Any practical teaching with have this in mind.

     They remind the church that they had left them with various instructions. The implication is, “Are you following them?” The Christian life isn’t just about how you get saved, but also about how you go on being saved, the nature of the life you now live now that you have come out of the dominion of darkness and now live in the kingdom of the Son (Col 1:13)

D. Application:

1. Is my goal in life to please the Lord?
2. Am I clear on the sort of life He wants me to live?