Word of Encouragement (6/22/2021)
Let’s continue to reflect on Paul’s prayer in 1 Thess. 3:9-10: “For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?” We talked about Paul’s thanksgiving for the Thessalonians. Today, we will focus on Paul’s prayer that he might see them face to face and supply what was lacking in their faith.
Why was it so important for Paul to see the Thessalonians face to face? Timothy brought a good report regarding their condition. Despite fierce persecution, they were standing firm in the Lord, they were grateful for Paul’s ministry, and they were diligent in loving one another. He no longer had to worry about their spiritual condition. Why did he want to go back to them so badly, then? To “supply what is lacking in your faith” (v. 10). Although they were standing firm in the Lord, there were certain areas in their Christian walk, which needed improvement. What Paul saw was lacking in their faith, he does not spell out. However, we get some hints in the prayer that immediately follows: he prays for their growth in love for one another and for greater holiness in their hearts and lives (vv. 12-13). But why did he still feel the need to go back and see them face to face?
It has a lot to do with the content of the instruction Paul wants to provide for them, especially concerning love (v. 12). Love is not something we can do alone. This is true even of the one and only true God, who is triune in His Being. This is not to say that we cannot love from distance. But we are made both body and soul. Physical proximity is important. We crave the physical presence and touch of our loved ones. So, the Hebrews writer commands us, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25). Exercising our Christian duty to “stir up one another to love and good works” is directly connected to “not neglecting to meet together.” This is so because love, more than anything, is something that needs to be seen and experienced in real life. Simply lecturing about love is a terribly deficient way to teach about love. It is not just for instruction we assemble as a church; it is also for doing life together. The church is not a school or a lecture hall; it is a community of worship, faith, love, and mutual service.
I believe that Paul’s desire to see the Thessalonians was a reflection, though a faint reflection, of Christ’s desire to return and see us face to face. I often think of my desire to see Christ in heaven; I rarely think about Christ’s desire to see me. When our hearts are torn and our body is broken and all that we cherish in this world are taken away from us, then we feel the desperate need to see Christ. But why should Christ want to see us so badly? What need does He have?
It’s not on account of any need—what need can there be for an all-sufficient God? Rather, it’s because of the great love with which He loves us. His love for us flows out of His infinite Being and it can never run dry. As Christ’s love for us is infinitely greater than our love for Him, so much greater is His desire to see us than our desire to see Him. This desire of Christ must have been what caused Paul to long to see the Thessalonians. That should be the same for us.
We cannot be together all the time. Practically it’s impossible in this world. And it’s not advisable theologically, too: God designed us to be scattered all over the world, all over San Diego, to live as the salt and light of the world, as missionaries sent out by God Himself. So, whenever we are allowed to be together, we should appreciate it and grab the opportunity—especially when God calls us to assemble before Him as His people. If we neglect to assemble together, we do it to our peril. May our meeting together be sweet and delightful in the Lord! And when we see in one another what is lacking in faith, let us not avoid one another. Instead, let us seek all the more to see one another face to face so that we might build one another up for the day of Christ’s coming!