2 Tessalonicenses 1

2 Tessalonicenses 1

Maclaren wrote that "Faith is the hand that grasps. It is the means of communication, it is the channel through which the grace which is the life, or, rather, I should say, the life which is the grace, comes to us. It is the open door by which the angel of God comes in with his gifts. It is like the petals of the flowers, opening when the sunshine kisses them, and, by opening, laying bare the depths of their calyxes to be illuminated and coloured, and made to grow by the sunshine which itself has opened them, and without the presence of which, within the cup, there would have been neither life nor beauty. So faith is the basis of everything; the first shoot from which all the others ascend." Greatly enlarged (only use in NT)(5232)(huperaxano) means to grow luxuriantly, as a good and healthy tree in a good soil; and, if a fruit tree, bearing an abundance of fruit to compensate the labour of the husbandman. Faith is one of the seeds of the kingdom: this the Apostle had sowed and watered, and God gave an abundant increase. Their faith was multiplied, and their love abounded: and this was not the case with some distinguished characters only; it was the case with every one of them. For this the apostle felt himself bound to give continual thanks to God on their behalf, as it was "meet" and right. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. New believers must expect their faith to be tried bc this is how God proves to them whether their decision was genuine. Faith is like a muscle and must be exercised to grow stronger & tribulation and persecution are God's tools to strengthen our faith. Paul's earlier fears about their faith (1Th 3:5, 10) have disappeared in light of their exceptional growth. love. Paul in fact used them as an example to other churches. Hudson Taylor learned to trust God in the minutest of details even when it seemed as if God had forgotten him. An easy life can lead to a shallow faith. “The suffering in China has multiplied the blessings because it has purified the church.” A faith that is continually growing greatly is like a tree growing beyond measure - resplendent, verdant, flourishing, a joy to behold! It is worth noting that several uses of the root verb (auxano) help us understand how/why the Thessalonian church was experiencing such growth in their faith. Ponder these passages that use auxano and how they relate to the growth of one's faith... Acts 12:24+ But the Word of the Lord (THE GOSPEL) continued to grow (auxano - imperfect tense) and to be multiplied. Acts 19:20+ So the Word of the Lord (THE GOSPEL) was growing (auxano - imperfect tense) mightily and prevailing. 1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth (auxano - imperfect tense) . 1 Peter 2:2+ like newborn babies, long for (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow (auxano) in respect to salvation, (ONE OF MOST IMPORTANT VERSES IN NT REGARDING PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION - IN SHORT, NO WORD, NO GROWTH! LITTLE WORD, LITTLE GROWTH! DO NOT BE DECEIVED. TIME IS SHORT. GET IN THE WORD AND GET GROWING! YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT!) So what we see is that faith is a "tree" that grows in a "garden" watered by God's Word and energized by God's power. THOUGHT- From the preceding meditation, it follows that if you want your church to growth in their faith like the Thessalonians then sow in the Word and pray for God's power to His Word in each heart. Paul summed it up well in some of his last recorded words "Preach the Word, be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. (2 Ti 4:2+). And the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater - Young's Literal accurately places the verb at the beginning for emphasis = "abound doth the love of each one of you all, to one another." Is this not an answer to the great prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17:26 "that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." Indeed, "By this all men will know that (THE SAINTS AT THESSALONICA) are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (Jn 13:35) (cf the impact in 1 Th 1:8-9+) “Behold, how they love one another!” Confession of pagan world beholding miracle of Christian fellowship. Hiebert adds on grows...greater - In contrast to the preceding verb (faith is greatly enlarged), which suggests an inner, organic growth, this implies an outward diffusion, “as of a flood irrigating the land.” The present tense records that their love is continually increasing, overflowing its normal limits like a river. This overflowing love is being revealed by every one of you. “Every one” particularizes this manifestation and asserts that it is true of every member without exception. And that love was being mutually expressed “for each other.” “Every individual member was a radiating centre for a love that extended itself to each and all throughout the church.” (ibid) ILLUSTRATION OF LOVE TOWARD ONE ANOTHER - The sequoia trees of California tower as much as 300 feet above the ground. Strangely, these giants have unusually shallow root systems that reach out in all directions to capture the greatest amount of surface moisture. Their intertwining roots also provide support for each other against the storms. That's why they usually grow in clusters (PICTURE). Seldom will you see a redwood standing alone, because high winds would quickly uproot it! Notice that even though their love is growing Paul still prays for it to continue to grow in 2 Th 3:5+, praying "May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ." The love of God is an infinite well from which the saint should continually "drink" and prayer energizes that continual growth. THOUGHT - 2 Th 3:5+ is a great short prayer to pray for your family, your fellowship, your disciples. You can be assure God will answer it for 1 John 5:14-15+ says "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will (BEST FOUND IN HIS WORD, WORDS LIKE 2 Th 3:5+), He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." So pray believing/knowing God will answer this prayer affirmatively in His perfect timing!" Love (26)(agape) is unconditional, sacrificial love and Biblically refers to a love that God is (1Jn 4:8,16+), that God shows (Jn 3:16+, 1Jn 4:9+) and that God enables in His children (see note on fruit of the Spirit - Gal 5:22+). Agape is a love that impels one to sacrifice one’s self for the benefit of the object loved...(it) speaks of a love which is awakened by a sense of value in the object loved, an apprehension of its preciousness.