0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible Radio
0:09 featuring bestselling author and
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher Warren
0:12 Warren
0:15 weby now we join our hearts in prayer as
0:17 we open the word of
0:20 God father it is indeed with reverence
0:23 that we come to your word realizing that
0:26 it is not the word of men it is in truth
0:29 the word of God help us to receive it as
0:30 the word of God God and then to
0:33 appropriate it to make it a part of our
0:36 lives and then to apply it to our
0:39 everyday life as we study now may the
0:41 word encourage us and give us the
0:45 guidance that we need I pray in the name
0:48 of our Lord Jesus Christ
0:51 amen have you ever been alone in a
0:55 strange city now that in itself can be a
0:58 difficult situation but have you ever
1:01 been deeply concerned about your friends
1:05 in another city and you could not do
1:08 much about it well you put these two
1:10 situations together and you have Paul's
1:14 situation when he was in Athens after he
1:16 had been chased out of
1:18 thessalonica this is what we read in 1
1:22 Thessalonians 3:
1:25 1-4 therefore when we could no longer
1:28 endure it we thought it good to be left
1:31 in Athens alone and sent Timothy our
1:33 brother and minister of God and our
1:36 fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ
1:39 to establish you and encourage you
1:42 concerning your faith that no one should
1:45 be shaken by these
1:48 afflictions for you yourselves know that
1:52 we are appointed to this for in fact we
1:54 told you before when we were with you
1:58 that we would suffer tribulation just as
2:01 it happened and you
2:04 know Paul had ministered in thessalonica
2:06 just a short time perhaps a month or 6
2:10 weeks of course a riot started and he
2:12 was chased out of
2:15 town some Scholars think that the city
2:18 posted a peace Bond against him Timothy
2:20 could go back apparently Silas could go
2:23 back Timothy of course was part Gentile
2:25 that would be in his favor they did not
2:27 want Paul back in
2:30 thessalonica he and Timothy and Silas
2:34 went down to Berea and then down to
2:37 Athens and Paul had to send Silas off to
2:39 minister he sent Timothy back to
2:42 thessalonica and he waited at Athens
2:45 alone and then he went on to Corinth
2:47 Timothy finally joined him in Corinth
2:49 and gave him the good news that the
2:52 Saints in thessalonica were standing
2:56 firm but until Paul got that news really
2:59 he could hardly endure it oh I know I've
3:00 read these books and I've heard these
3:03 sermons about uh you can control your
3:05 emotions and you really shouldn't have
3:07 this kind of concern well Paul was an
3:10 apostle filled with the Holy Spirit he'd
3:12 had some great experiences with the Lord
3:14 and he said I could hardly contain
3:16 myself that's what the word indure means
3:19 I could hardly keep the lid on my
3:22 feelings I was concerned are these
3:25 people standing true to the Lord are
3:27 they truly Born Again are they going to
3:30 give up he was uh feeling as though he
3:33 were all alone he knew the Lord was with
3:36 him but Paul was a human being and night
3:39 and day he was praying and saying oh God
3:41 help those dear people at
3:43 thessalonica he prayed for them he
3:46 prayed for Timothy and he waited for the
3:49 news to come you know many of our
3:52 Christian brothers and sisters today are
3:55 having a rough time for the most part in
3:57 North America we don't have too
3:59 difficult a time as churches in
4:02 individuals do though there are some
4:06 radio listeners who are persecuted for
4:08 turning on the radio and listening to a Christian
4:09 Christian
4:11 program there are people who when they
4:14 go to church know that when they return
4:16 home they're going to be persecuted for
4:18 going to church there are people who
4:20 when they go to work and they refuse to
4:23 lie and refuse to be a part of that
4:26 which is dirty are laughed at there are
4:29 people who have been bypassed on
4:31 promotions because they're too honest
4:34 and they want to serve the Lord but what
4:36 do you do when your Christian brothers
4:38 and sisters are in trouble what about
4:39 our Christian brothers and sisters
4:41 behind the Iron Curtain are you praying
4:45 for them what about the saints of God in
4:48 places where you cannot have the freedom
4:51 to get together as we do in North
4:53 America and many other places in the
4:56 world what do you do for people who are
4:58 going through difficulty well Paul took
5:01 three steps to minister to the people at
5:03 thessalonica number one he sent them a
5:06 man he couldn't go himself so he sent
5:08 Timothy number two he wrote them a
5:11 letter that's the letter we're studying
5:14 now and number three he prayed for them
5:17 over in verse 10 night and day praying
5:21 exceedingly that we may see your face
5:22 now I think we have here three good
5:25 Ministries for us to
5:28 perform when people are going through
5:30 difficulty we are to weep with those who
5:34 weep we are to identify with those who
5:37 are in prison as though we are in prison
5:42 with them as I pray daily for the Church
5:45 of Jesus Christ around the world I think
5:47 of suffering Saints behind the Iron
5:50 Curtain people who are in uh prison
5:54 camps and in jail people who are in
5:57 hospitals because of their faith their
6:01 only crime is belonging to Jesus Christ
6:03 well how do we help these people number
6:07 one there is the ministry of presence we
6:10 can go to them now Paul himself could
6:13 not go I cannot go to a prison camp in
6:17 uh Russia I cannot go to a missionary
6:21 Hospital necessarily in karacus or Kito
6:24 but I can help somebody else to go Paul
6:26 said Timothy I'd like to have you stay
6:30 with me here in Athens and go with me to
6:32 I need your help Silas is off
6:36 ministering in Macedonia but Timothy go
6:40 to thessalonica be my representative and
6:42 encourage those people sometimes we have
6:44 to send a
6:47 substitute by the way being a substitute
6:50 for someone else is not a
6:53 sin the missionary crew out there across
6:55 the world they are substitutes they
6:59 represent us uh we would like to be
7:01 there we cannot be there you can't be
7:03 two places at one time in fact anymore
7:05 it's getting difficult to be one place
7:08 at one time Paul could not go he sent
7:12 Timothy why suffering people need the
7:15 presence of someone else to encourage
7:18 them suffering people often question
7:21 God's love I can just hear some of these
7:23 Thessalonian Christians saying well Paul
7:26 told us God loved us Paul told us that
7:29 we belong to the Lord Jesus he's the
7:30 king why why are we going through all
7:33 this trouble where is God's love why
7:36 doesn't God do something for us and then
7:38 Timothy showed up oh here's Timothy who
7:41 had traveled with Paul here's Timothy
7:44 who was a man of God and and when God
7:47 seems far away it's good to have a
7:49 Christian brother standing near the
7:51 ministry of
7:53 presence you don't have to do a great
7:54 deal of
7:57 talking you don't have to preach sermons
8:00 to people when I was in pastoral
8:02 Ministry and our people were going
8:05 through bereavement I always tried to be
8:08 at the funeral home when they first
8:10 arrived to pay their respects to their
8:12 departed loved one that's one of the
8:15 hardest times in the life of a family a
8:17 loved one dies and they're busy making
8:20 all these arrangements and the church
8:21 people are phoning and bringing over
8:24 food and this is so good but then that
8:26 that time comes when they have to go
8:28 down to the funeral home or to the
8:31 church and see the dead body of their
8:34 loved one I always tried to be there
8:35 before they got there I'd meet them at the
8:36 the
8:39 door and I wouldn't say anything you
8:42 with no no sermons we just just welcome
8:45 them and and kind of give them a hug and a
8:46 a
8:48 handshake and then we'd walk down
8:50 together into the chapel and we'd stand
8:53 together and I wouldn't say a word just
8:56 being there the same thing's true in the
8:58 hospital sometimes the least said the
9:01 better people can come into a hospital
9:03 room where a patient is lying after
9:06 surgery or during sickness and they they
9:09 preach long sermons and so forth no no
9:13 just be there take them by the hand love
9:17 them the ministry of presence Timothy
9:19 was the kind of a person who could do
9:20 that because he's the kind of a person who
9:21 who
9:25 cared in Philippians chapter 2 we have a
9:27 description of Timothy look at it
9:31 Philippians chapter 2 and verse 19 but I
9:33 trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy
9:34 to you
9:37 shortly that I also may be incouraged
9:40 when I know your state your condition
9:44 for I have no one likeminded I like that
9:48 there was nobody like Timothy who will
9:52 sincerely care for your state now it's
9:54 one thing to do pastoral Ministry and
9:56 something else to do it sincerely
9:58 Timothy did it not because it was his
10:02 job Timothy did it because he cared he
10:05 had a heart that reached out to
10:09 people for all seek their own not the
10:12 things which are of Christ Jesus there's
10:14 too much of that going on today there
10:16 are just too many people who are
10:19 inaccessible when they are needed it's
10:21 it's difficult to get through to some of
10:23 God's servants these days because they
10:25 just aren't available they don't care
10:27 perhaps well they say somebody else will
10:29 take care of you that's fine I
10:32 appreciate that Paul had to send Timothy
10:36 only because Paul could not go himself
10:38 had the way been open Paul would have
10:41 gone himself and taken Timothy with him
10:45 we can go to them the ministry of [Music]
10:50 [Music]
10:52 presence are we the kind of people who
10:54 naturally care for others are we the
10:57 kind of people who sincerely care for
11:00 others Paul himself
11:03 experienced this in his ministry when
11:07 Paul was a prisoner of Rome he came to
11:10 Rome and he was on his way to being
11:14 tried and the saints of God met him acts chap
11:15 chap
11:19 28 uh verse 14 they found Brethren there
11:22 and they stayed with them and then when
11:26 they came to Rome in verse 15 Paul saw
11:30 them he thanked God and took courage he
11:34 didn't see angels He didn't see a vision
11:36 of the Lord Jesus all he saw were some
11:41 Roman Christians who met Paul at The aan
11:44 Forum and the three ends and when they
11:47 met Paul they threw their arms around
11:48 him and they hugged him and they
11:50 welcomed him and said Paul we're praying
11:54 for you we're here the ministry of
11:55 Presence by the way that's why it's
11:58 important to go to church I occasionally
12:00 receive letters from Radio listeners
12:03 telling me that radio and television are
12:05 their church and I have to write back
12:08 and say no that's not the what the Bible
12:11 teaches you better be with God's people
12:12 well there are no spiritual churches
12:14 well that's all right find one that's
12:16 the closest thing you think it ought to
12:19 be and uh get in there and make it a
12:22 better Church why do we go to church to
12:24 worship God why do we go to church to
12:27 witness that Jesus is Alive why do we go
12:30 to church to help other people people
12:32 and after church next Sunday morning you
12:34 might meet some heartbroken Saint who
12:36 just needs your presence your handshake
12:39 your hug just needs your word of
12:41 encouragement the ministry of presence
12:44 we can go to them secondly there's the
12:47 ministry of promise we can share God's
12:50 word with them Paul did that Paul wrote
12:54 first Thessalonians an inspired letter
12:57 from the holy spirit of God you see
12:59 Satan was attacking their faith did you
13:01 notice that
13:05 3:2 he said I wanted to know concerning
13:07 your faith five times you're going to
13:11 find faith in this chapter verse five I
13:14 sent to know your faith 1 Thessalonians
13:17 chapter 3: 6 he brought us good news of
13:21 your faith verse 7 we are comforted
13:25 concerning you by your faith verse 10 I
13:27 want to perfect that which is lacking in
13:31 your faith Satan attacks our faith now
13:33 why does he do that because faith is at
13:35 the foundation of everything in the
13:37 Christian Life without faith it's
13:39 impossible to please
13:41 God for example there's the work of
13:44 Faith chapter 1:3 remembering without
13:47 ceasing your work of faith if Satan can
13:49 attack our faith he can stop us from
13:54 working our witness verse 8 for from you
13:57 the word of the Lord has sounded forth 1
14:01 Thessalonians 1:8 now if God gets the
14:03 word out through us it's the word of
14:06 faith the word of the Lord has sounded
14:09 forth your faith has gone out they were
14:11 sharing their faith but if you have no
14:13 faith to share that's the end of your
14:16 witnessing chapter 3: 6 he talks about
14:20 faith and love they go together now
14:22 these three faith hope love the greatest
14:25 of these is love faith hope and love go
14:29 together if Satan can attack our faith
14:34 he's going to erode our love CH
14:37 4:14 we notice what he has to say about
14:40 faith if we believe that Jesus died and
14:43 rose again even so God will bring with
14:45 him those who sleep in Jesus their Hope
14:48 was tied into their faith their love was
14:51 tied into their faith their work their
14:55 witness their hope in fact their whole
14:58 defense against the evil one was tied up
14:59 in their faith
15:03 5:8 of 1 Thessalonians but let us who
15:07 are of the day be sober putting on the
15:11 breastplate of faith and love and as a
15:14 helmet the hope of Salvation how do you
15:17 fight the wicked one by putting on the
15:20 armor what is the armor faith hope and
15:22 love in other words Satan attacks our
15:25 faith because he wants us to start
15:29 shaking notice that in verse three that
15:33 no one should be shaken by these
15:34 afflictions now the word of God
15:38 establishes our faith people who know
15:41 the word of God are able to fight the
15:44 war of god people who know the
15:47 scriptures and understand the truth are
15:49 not afraid of Satan the
15:53 liar faith comes by hearing hearing by
15:55 the word of God Romans
15:58 10:17 and I like what Paul says in Romans
16:00 Romans
16:03 15:4 for whatever things were written
16:06 before were written for our learning
16:09 that we through the patience and comfort
16:12 of the scriptures might have hope where
16:15 does Hope come from the scriptures where
16:17 does comfort come from the scriptures
16:20 where do you find patience the
16:22 scriptures that word patience means
16:24 perseverance how do you keep on going
16:26 when the going is tough through the word
16:29 of God the ministry of pray promise
16:31 promise
16:33 thirdly we can pray for them the
16:34 ministry of
16:37 prayer now the ministry of presence is
16:40 important if we can be there we ought to
16:43 be there and the ministry of Promise is
16:45 important share the word of God this is
16:48 where job's friends fell apart instead
16:51 of sharing the word of God the word of
16:53 comfort the word of perseverance they
16:55 shared their own ideas and they created
16:59 problems for job but the ministry of
17:01 prayer we can do that with them we can
17:04 do that for them if we're not with them
17:09 verse 10 night and day praying
17:11 exceedingly that we may see your face
17:15 and perfect what is lacking in your
17:18 faith and then verses 11 12 and 13 are a
17:21 record of his prayer we'll talk more
17:24 about that prayer later on Paul prays
17:26 for them now how do you pray for people
17:29 who are suffering well I suppose our
17:30 first answer would be you pray that
17:32 they'll get out of suffering and that's
17:35 true nothing wrong with that in the
17:37 Psalms for example you'll find David
17:40 praying that God would deliver him from
17:43 his enemies deliver him from false
17:45 accusers deliver him from those who want
17:50 to kill him we pray in the Lord's prayer
17:52 that God would guide us and Deliver Us from
17:53 from
17:55 Temptation there is nothing wrong with
17:58 asking God to deliver people who are
18:00 going through through times of trial and
18:02 testing I think we have scriptural
18:05 precedent for that however while they
18:08 are in that before God does deliver them
18:11 if that is his will how do we pray we
18:15 pray that God will use that furnace to
18:19 purify them and perfect them and mature
18:22 them now Satan wants to use persecution
18:25 as a weapon to knock us down he wants to
18:29 shake us God wants to establish us you
18:32 notice that word establish Chapter 3 of
18:35 1 Thessalonians verse 2 he sent Timothy
18:40 to establish you and encourage you up in
18:44 verse 8 for now we live if you stand
18:48 fast in the Lord down in verse 13 so
18:52 that he may establish your hearts God
18:55 wants to give us stability Satan wants
18:57 us to
19:00 shake God wants us to stand firm that's
19:03 what we should pray we need to pray that
19:07 their faith will grow that their hope
19:09 will brighten that their love will
19:11 increase even love for those who are
19:14 creating problems for them we need to
19:18 pray that God will be honored even in
19:20 their suffering it's not always God's
19:23 will to deliver people from persecution
19:25 sometimes he does but sometimes he
19:28 doesn't and it may have taken a long
19:30 time for these Thessalonian Christians
19:33 to be delivered from their problems it
19:35 may have been that uh even after the
19:38 first persecution ended there were
19:42 individual problems and trials that came
19:45 so Paul prayed I want your heart to
19:48 abound in love I want you to love one
19:51 another I want you to love all men even
19:53 your your persecutors I want your hearts
19:56 to be blameless I want you to have a
19:59 holy life you see it's so so easy during
20:01 times of persecution and
20:04 suffering to start
20:06 complaining and it's just one short step
20:09 from complaining to disobeying the Devil
20:11 comes along and says oh you're a
20:14 Christian why hasn't God taken care of
20:16 you why isn't God doing something for
20:18 you and then we start complaining and
20:21 then we start doubting and before long
20:24 we are not serving the lord as we should
20:26 how do you pray for people who are going
20:28 through trial you pray that they might be
20:29 be
20:31 established and you pray that they might be
20:32 be
20:34 encouraged you pray that they might be
20:37 good witnesses that they might be able
20:39 to give a good answer for the hope that
20:42 is within them with meekness and fear
20:44 you pray that as people watch them going
20:48 through this time of trial they will see
20:51 good examples of the Lord Jesus Christ
20:54 yes it is right to pray for people and
20:56 ask that God will deliver them but until
20:59 he does deliver them
21:02 let's do like Paul let's pray that they
21:05 might grow in their faith and grow in
21:08 their love and grow in their hope and be
21:12 established unblameable before the Lord
21:15 walking in his will there is the
21:18 ministry of presence try to be there
21:21 when people need you there's the
21:25 ministry of Promise use the word of God
21:28 and there's the ministry of prayer ask
21:30 for God's
21:33 help gracious father help us to be a
21:35 part of the uh answer and not a part of the
21:36 the
21:39 problem help us to be there when people
21:42 need us sometimes we can't help us to
21:46 help all we can and I pray father that
21:48 you will meet the needs of your people
21:51 many of whom are suffering suffering
21:54 today graciously use your word to
21:57 encourage them I ask in the name of our
22:01 Lord Jesus Christ [Music]
22:07 amen thanks for being a part of our back
22:09 to thebible listening family it's
22:12 wonderful to have you with us each day
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22:26 from God's word back to the Bible
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