Evidence of Faith

“Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, my brothers, as it is right, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each one of you abounds toward one another; so much so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which you endure.” (2Thessalonians 1:1-4)

Right away we see that Paul didn’t write this letter by himself. He mentions Silvanus, the Latin name for Silas and Timothy together with himself as authors of these letters.

This was also the case in their first letter to the Thessalonians. “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Thessalonians 1:1) The three had ministered to the people in Thessalonica. Silas and Timothy were co-laborers with Paul (Romans16:21).  Silas and Paul had preached in the synagogue (Acts 17:1–9) This is where he, Silas and Timothy were persecuted by the Jews and had to flee to Berea. And when the Jew followed them there to persecute them, they sent Paul away to Athens and Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea until Paul sent for them. Timothy returned to Thessalonica to minister to the people there. In his first letter, Paul writes that he has sent Timothy to minister to them. “And we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith,” (1Thessalonians 3:2) So the letter is from the three of them. Paul, Timothy and Silas also ministered together in Corinth. Paul mentions this in his letter to the Corinthians. “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us; by me and Silas and Timothy; was not yes and no, but in Him was, yes!” (2Corithians 1:19) Paul didn’t minister alone.

The three together were very different. Paul was a zealous Jew and made the connection to the church in Jerusalem. Silas was a Gentile which connected to the Gentiles and Timothy represented the next generation with all apostolic authority. Together the three demonstrated the legitimacy of their mission to share the Gospel. This also met the legal Jewish requirement of testimony. “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be made sure.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) It also met the Greco-Roman standard of credibility for legal examination. This gives the church today a ministry model, to meet all the societal and cultural requirements for legitimacy. In other words, it was just one lone man proclaiming this Gospel. That’s why we have several pastors. And pastors have mentors or are accountable to other pastors. This eliminates error or condemnation of the Word. This was Scriptural in the Old Testament It was Scriptural in the New Testament. And it’s Scriptural now.

Now Paul addresses them: “to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Before they believed they were not in the God that Paul, Silas and Timothy preached. Now they are in God. This is the same God that Paul, Silas and Timothy believe in; “our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Thessalonians didn’t suffer alone. This was encouraging to the Thessalonians. They were new believers. They lived in a culture that was very different from Christianity. Thessalonica was a major urban and cultural hub of the Roman empire. It was the capital of Roman Macedonia and under direct rule of Rome. It was a wealthy, cosmopolitan metropolis. Romans, Greeks and Jews lived there. And it was melting pot of Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman influences in culture and in religion. Paul was comforting them that they were not abandoned and alone. We aren’t meant to follow Jesus alone. God uses the church to shape our faith. The church, meaning the people not the building, in relationships and fellowship.

Two things that Paul found foundational and necessary for the faith of new believers was establishing and comforting them. “And we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith,...”(1Thessalonians 3:2) He encouraged their steps of faith and comforted their suffering in persecution. They faced mob violence, legal accusations, and social hostility (Acts 15:36-18:22). Paul couldn’t return to Thessalonica because of the persecution. So he sends Timothy. “And we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith,” (1Thessalonians 3:2)

Paul continues in verse 2.  “Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  We see Paul’s customary greeting. He greeted the Romans and the Corinthians in the same manner. God’s grace is His unmerited and undeserved favor. “Through grace you are saved...” (Ephesians 2:8) Through God’s favor which we didn’t deserve. The Thessalonians are now saved. Paul indicates that it’s God’s grace. His undeserved favor continues in our lives after we’re saved. Do we deserve His favor, His blessings? We’re saved, but we continue to sin in our flesh, we continue to disobey, we continue to be the boss of our lives and lie to our God and lie to ourselves. We deserve death because of our sin.  All sin is the same to God. There is no such thing as a big sin and a little sin to God. Whether it’s a white lie or murder. It’s sin and it’s death. This should be enough to keeps us from sinning. But Jesus took our death. That’s Grace. Grace continues where the Precious Blood of the Lamb is poured. It’s not in our own merit, but because of Jesus.

Paul also blesses them with  “...peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “Our heavenly Father and Jesus don’t only have peace. They are peace. Paul is saying there is grace and peace in the presence of the Father and Jesus. Jesus give us the peace that passes understanding. “And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) It’s the absence of conflict and the presence of flourishing. It’s being in right relationship with God. It’s the peace that only those who have surrendered to Jesus have. We’re in His hand. He covers us with His Hand. “And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never ever perish, and not anyone shall pluck them out of My hand.” (John 10:28) We can dwell in the secret place of the Lord in the safety of His shadow. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalms 91:1) Why should we fear? Why should we worry? We can be in His presence where the blessings and favors are. We sin, but the blood of the Lamb has washed us. And there in His presence are the gifts of grace and peace. It brings freedom and a release from striving and trying to earn God’s favor. There in His presence are the gifts of grace and peace.

Yes, we do fall into sin. But we don’t stay there because there is grace in Jesus. “No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.” (1Corinthians 10:13) That word temptation  is “pi-ras-mos” which means the experience of evil and by implication adversity. He will not allow you to be tried more than you’re able to handle. He will make a way of escape, a way to end that evil experience and adversity. You will be able to bear it and undergo the experience, the adversity and endure it. But we have the peace of God in any trying situation, in any temptation by our faith in God’s grace and peace in His presence.

In verse 3, Paul and his fellow laborers write, “We are bound to(we must) thank God always for you, my brothers, as it is right (it’s deserving), because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each one of you abounds toward one another...” The faith of the Thessalonians was growing exceedingly which was above the ordinary. Their love for each other had grown abundantly. So, Paul brags about them. He’s proud of them.  They were showing evidence of their faith growing in spite of the persecution they were facing. Abundant faith growth looks like perseverance, enduring, believing God’s promises, joy in spite of hard situations, continued obedience to God, continuing in the foundational practices of Christianity (praying, reading Bible, attending church, being in fellowship) in our decisions, hardships, relationships and daily life. 

How do we grow in faith? “Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Lack of faith is lack of the Word of God. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Where there is no hope, faith is lacking. And the Word of God is lacking. When you see the impossibility of God wanting to help, willing to help and unable to help, this is doubting God. It’s the wrong image of God. We need the Word of God to get the right image. This is how important the Word of God is. Jesus said, “I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you. In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be My disciples.” (John 15:1-8) Jesus is the Word of God. Reading the Word of God is being “in Him.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” (John 1:1-5) John is talking about Jesus. Jesus is the Word. When we read the Word of God, we are partaking of Jesus. He is hope. He is love. When we immerse in the Word, we are immersing in Jesus. We are immersing in God’s love. (1John 4:8) And this changes us. We are changed in the way we believe, think and act through the power of the Holy Spirit. And fruit is produced in us.

We are commanded to bear fruit. “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.” (Joh 15:16) And Paul in Ephesians tells us what that fruit is. “...(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth),” (Ephesians 5:9) Paul details what this fruit is in his letter to the Galatians. “But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25) The first fruit is love. Love was the evidence of faith in the Thessalonians. This love is agape love. It’s sacrificial love. We cannot have agape love without faith. We are to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us and esteems others above ourselves. We are to inconvenience ourselves, in time and energy for others. This is impossible unless we are in God, in Jesus and have grace and faith. This is something we are all growing in. And we do this by reading the Word thus remaining in Jesus. We will be changed in our soul (mind, will and emotions.) “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) This is how we live and walk in the spirit. This is how fruit is developed and grown in us. And thus, we see how important it is to read the Word of God.

And we read in verse 4, “so much so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which you endure.” (2Thessalonians 1:4) What Paul, Silas and Timothy are saying is that they were so proud of them. They were growing in grace and faith regardless of the persecutions and trouble they were enduring facing mob violence, legal accusations, and social hostility (Acts 15:36-18:22)

We can sum this in a few words. When we are going through hardships and persevere, endure and continue in faith this is evidence that we belong to God. Fruit is developed and grown in us as we remain in Jesus by reading the Word of God and through the power and enabling of the Holy Spirit. It’s the evidence that we belong to God. It is the cost of belonging to Him. But we don’t do it alone. We have the church who will pray with us and encourage and comfort us as we grow in our faith, much like Paul, Silas and Timothy did for the Thessalonians.

Let us pray:

Father God, You are wisdom. Your plan of salvation and my ultimate growth is a plan You have devised for me. It’s doable because You have provided the church family to encourage and comfort me in the hardships of this life on earth. It’s doable because You have given me the Holy Spirit Who enables me with His strength and power. I am able to grow in knowledge and in You and in Jesus because You have provided what I need to grow and bear fruit. My Lord, I surrender to You. I surrender to Your plan for my life. I take up my cross and follow You. Open my eyes and ears of understanding that I may follow You completely and without reserve, without doubt and complete trust, relying completely on You. I love You Lord. I am so grateful for Your provision for all my needs spirit, soul and body. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.