A Word about the Power of Presence from 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:10

Today I want to share a word about the power of presence  as I comment on 1 Thessalonians  2:17-3:10.

This passage reads:

But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?  For you are our glory and joy. 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, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.

Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica was written by him when he was in Athens. Paul was only with the Thessalonians about three weeks before he had to leave due to threats on his life. His ministry there was short, but powerful and he left behind him a solid church.

Plundering the Egyptians:

Paul was concerned, however,  about the Thessalonian church because he had such little time with them. He felt that they needed more encouragement and more instruction in the Lord, so he wrote them two letters. 1st Thessalonians was the first epistle of Paul to a church that he had planted and it was the beginning of a new way of long-distance ministry for him.

Paul effectively used the Roman postal system to continue to mentor and encourage churches long after he had left them and moved on during his three missionary journeys. We think that we invented long-distance ministry by use of electronic media and social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Paul was way ahead of us.

Paul took advantage of the technologies of his day to conduct a powerful ministry: the Roman road system, commercial shipping, and letters among others. Paul knew how to “plunder the Egyptians” or, more plainly put he knew how to take advantage of the economy, society, and culture of his day to do ministry.

That said, Paul knew something else: there is power in presence that transcends technology and the written word.

Power in Presence:

When times are bad people need the comfort of presence; for example, when children are sick, they want their mother to be present with them.

When times are good, people want to share them with others. For example, when my wife’s parents returned from their two tours of duty in Germany with the US Army, they had hundreds of slides which they showed to their friends and family who could not be with them.

When we need hope, being with others gives us that hope. We can share our triumphs and troubles. We can share our hearts and our minds. We can comfort, encourage, correct, and equip.

Sometimes just being present with someone is all we need to do to have a powerfully positive impact. As one commenter has said, the friends of Job were doing well until they opened their mouths!

Paul knew that the Thessalonians were struggling. They did not have an extensive foundation in the Word, and they were faced with persecution and oppression. They were wondering why Jesus had not come back yet, and they were feeling isolated, and maybe even abandoned.  

Jesus knew what it was like to feel abandoned as He cried from the cross, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Well before the Cross, Jesus demonstrated that knew the power of presence as He sent out the Disciples two by two.

Paul responded to the need by sending Timothy, who was one of the closest members of Paul’s team. Timothy was young, but Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I have no one like him,” and later he appointed him pastor at Ephesus. Timothy was sent to represent Paul, and Paul, of course represented Christ.

Paul Embraced His Inner Popeye:

I like what Paul said here. Like Popeye, he had “stood all he could stand and he could stand no more.” I think God is that way also.

God wants to be present with His people.  He created mankind to have fellowship with Him and Jesus came to walk among us in-person and become our perfect sacrifice. Then God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and someday, Jesus is coming back for us so we can be in God’s presence forever.

God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the day; it was as good for Him as it was for them. There is just nothing as satisfying as presence, as actually being there.

I remember very well the Iron Bowl when the University of Alabama tried to kick the winning field goal with one second left on the clock. That effort turned into the famous (or infamous depending on which team one supported) “Kick Six.” The field goal attempt fell short, and Auburn University's return man gathered it in and ran for a touchdown with no time left on the clock. It was an unforgettable moment, for sure, but how powerful it was for you might depend on where you were.

My son, who had been watching the game live with us had left to go home, and he did not hear of the play until two hours after it occurred. It was a great moment, but he didn’t actually live it.

My wife and I watched the Kick Six live on television. We saw it as it happened, from our living room. It was exciting, but not nearly as exciting as it would have been had we actually been in the stadium.

The fans in the stadium who were present were either elated or crushed in about equal proportions. And while they were filled with emotion from being present, even more so were the players and coaches on the field. You see, the closer you were to being present for the Kick Six, the more powerful it was for you. So, how does this impact our spiritual life?

I believe if Paul was alive today, I believe he would say, “Enough is enough! Hearing about what happened at church is good, and watching it on-line live or later is even better, but the best thing is to be present!”

Conclusion:

I know that some folks have chronic medical conditions, and I know that some people can’t take the vaccine. I know that from time to time the “ox is in the ditch,” but I also know that it's time to return to church if at all possible. God inhabits the praise of His people, and He wants to be with us as we gather to worship Him collectively in His house.

Could it be that God is looking down from Heaven and saying, “I’ve stood all I can stand and I can’t stand no more,” of our excuses for not gathering in worship of Him?

God is long-suffering and patient, but do we really want to test Him? I, for one, would not recommend it!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt