“Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:1-2).
Although 1 Thessalonians chapter three is only thirteen verses long, it reveals an intensely personal side of Paul the Apostle. Within this chapter, Paul will express his deep concern for the Thessalonian church along with the comfort he experienced upon learning that the church had persevered in Christ despite their afflictions.
You may recall that Paul arrived in Thessalonica shortly after being shamefully treated in the town of Philippi. He then went on to teach in the local synagogue at Thessalonica for three consecutive Sabbath days. Unfortunately, Paul’s evangelistic outreach was cut short by those who rounded up some local troublemakers in an effort to run him out of town. Legal charges soon followed and Paul had little choice but to leave Thessalonica for the sake of the newly-formed Christian community there.
After leaving Thessalonica, Paul found his way to the town of Berea and then moved on to the city of Athens. With the fate of the Thessalonian Christians still weighing heavily upon his mind. Paul decided to send a young associate named Timothy back to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage their faith.
While this served to benefit the members of the Thessalonian church, it also left Paul alone in an unfamiliar area among a city full of strangers. So by making this sacrificial decision to remain alone in Athens for the benefit of the Thessalonians, Paul thus lived out his message to another first-century church: “Don’t be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others” (Philippians 2:8 GW).
We should also note the continual reappearance of the word “faith” throughout 1 Thessalonians chapter three. This critical component of a God-honoring life has led one source to make the following application…
“The words your faith occur five times in chapter 3 (vv. 2, 5, 6, 7, 10) and are a key to understanding the passage. The Thessalonians were passing through severe persecution, and Paul was anxious to know how their faith was standing up to the test. Thus the chapter is a lesson on the importance of follow-up work. It is not enough to lead sinners to the Savior. They must be helped to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.” (1)
(1) William Macdonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary (p.2032) Edited by Arthur Farstad Thomas Nelson Publishers