WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: Take a moment to be quiet before the Lord. Reflect on his ever-increasing kingdom, his family that stretches around the globe.

Looking out for each other
These verses give us a window into the emotional cost of preaching the gospel (vs 17,19; 3:1,5). Paul was no ‘hit and run’ preacher – he cared deeply about the people he ministered to, even if he only spent a short time with them (vs 17–20).

Paul’s concern for fellow believers and his delight in them is a glimpse into what God’s family is about. We are our ‘brother’s keeper’, Christians are our family, so we should be looking out for each other.

Hard realities
Because Paul cared for this church he prepared them for the hard realities of following Christ (vs 3,4). If we teach others or explain the gospel to a friend we must be honest: persecution in some form will mark the life of a Christian (Luke 14:27) and it will either rock a Christian’s faith (vs 3,5) or make their faith stronger (as we’ll see in tomorrow’s reading, vs 7,8).

That is why Paul went to such lengths to support and encourage the beleaguered Thessalonians (vs 1–5).

Respond: How does your fellowship support people facing situations where they might be tempted to give up on Jesus? For example, how do you pray for and support young people going away to further education? How do you show solidarity with Christians in communities further afield where believing in Jesus means coping with the emotional and economic hardships of being ostracised from their community?

http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-10-24