Tribulation

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 – Tribulation

What an interesting word – tribulation. It brings to mind apocalyptic images fueled no doubt by the movies we watch and the books we read. The Bible tells us of a day when Great Tribulation will come upon the earth, and I have no doubt that it will be far worse than any movie or book can portray and even worse than our minds can imagine. I also have no doubt that this Great Tribulation will come soon, but this is not what Paul is talking about in this passage. The tribulation to which he refers is the persecution these Christians would face because of their decision to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives. Their families rejected them. Their communities turned them into outcasts. In other areas of the world, some had been arrested, beaten, imprisoned and killed. We have all heard the stories of the Roman emperors throwing Christians to the lions, burning them as torches for their garden parties, or making them fodder for the gladiatorial games. And even though the worst of these tribulations had not touched the Thessalonican Christians, they were being afflicted by the enemies of God. Only the strongest of Christians can stand in the face of these attacks that come wave after wave after wave and not become discouraged. These were young-in-the-faith Christians, and Paul was concerned for their spiritual welfare, and well he should have been.

Even after being a Christian for 36 years, a preacher of the gospel for 36 years, and a pastor for almost 30 years, I sometimes have to fight discouragement. There are times when I just want to throw my hands up and quit the ministry. There are times when, like Job, I question God. It does not help that over the years I have seen so much suffering, so much bitterness, so much division within the church. But yesterday, I buried a dear friend, Bro. Tom Ford. When Bro. Tom prayed, you thought God had entered the room and was speaking directly to you. He had that kind of voice and that kind of prayer life. He called me “Rabbi” and always greeted me with these words: “Hello, my friend.” And he was a friend who constantly told me, “Rabbi, you’re doing a great job.” A few weeks ago, I buried a dear Christian lady, Mrs. Faye Smith. She was a lady with a generous spirit and a kind heart. If she knew of a need, she did her best to meet it. She had been known to send me a text message during or after certain football games, and all they said was “Roll Tide!” She was an encourager. There have been many others along the journey that God has sent my way to encourage my faith and to keep me going. Some of you fall into that category. I hope that in some way, I am doing the same for you. Don’t give up!