In reading First Thessalonians you immediately notice that Paul is very fond of the people at this church. He likens himself to a loving and selfless mother who feeds and cares for her children (2.6-7). Additionally, he compares himself to a committed Dad who aimed to saturate his children with the glory of God (2.11-12).
Therefore it is not surprising to read of the heart rending emotional conflict that was his after being ripped from their presence (Acts 17) and then furthermore prevented from revisiting them (1 Thes. 2.17ff).
Paul longed with a holy, selfless, gospel saturated love to see the Thessalonians. But he couldn’t. He was so burdened for this something good and right that he was convinced that the opposition to its fulfillment was the demonic work of Satan himself (1 Thes. 2.18).
So what did he do?
Before we answer that. What would you do?
Many of us have experienced similar burdens to what Paul is describing here. We are burdened for churches, individuals, the gospel, the ministry in a region. We may have invested ourselves in that ministry; with some combination of spiritual, physical, emotional, financial partnership. Our hearts are knit together and we are burdened for our brothers and sisters in Christ and the ministry of the gospel. So what do we do? We send an email. Or maybe a note on Facebook. Or maybe we call them on the phone, or Skype. Or maybe the most archaic of us pen a letter (perish the thought!). But rarely do we walk around dripping sweat and gnawing on our knuckles like the beloved Apostle does here. And remember he was the Calvinist that made Calvin a Calvinist. If there was ever someone to find himself comforted in divine sovereignty it was Paul (Acts 20.32).
But we find him here pacing about on his Corinthian carpet, in anguish at the unknown condition of the Thessalonians.
I wonder if for all of their improvements and assistance, our technologies don’t cool our spiritual emotions. Think of the process here. He is consumed with this longing. When we get to this point we just drop a note or an email. We just check in. Paul could not. In fact, he got so worked up he sent Timothy to check and then return with a report:
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, (1 Thes. 3.1-2)
The burden was for their sanctification. This sanctification that Paul knew God was soveriegn over (1 Thes. 3.13, 5.23). But he maintained a sweaty anguish for his role in it. And his anguish was not assuaged by an immediate email, note, or call. And so he prayed (often– 1 Thes 1.2-3). And he went through the associated anguish that comes from a man who’s understands sin, Satan, persecution, gospel and glory.
With all of our technological tools that help ministry (and I praise God for them) I wonder if we are not missing out a bit on the goodness of a little sweaty anquish for one another’s sanctification. Perhaps we could find ourselves more burdened, more prayerful, more thankful, more humble, and more sweaty if we didn’t think everything was just fine. And by the way, when Paul found out that things were good, he just turned that sweat into a fountain of praise for the faithfulness of Christ to his people.