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TIMOTHY’S REPORT!
Last Sunday, during both services, Cheri Billingsley, Jennifer Hendrix, Howard Schneider, and I gave a ten-minute report on our recent trip to Chad. Granted, I did all the speaking but they were part of the report. On Wednesday evening, with Jennifer taking the lead, and with the women organizing a Chadian dinner for all those who attended, we gave a much longer report coupled with several hundred pictures.
Then, on Thursday evening the four of us met in the sanctuary at 7:30 to begin preparations for a report that will be burned onto a DVD. Andy Losch, our Technical Director, wired each of us with a microphone, sat us down so that we were as close to each other as newscasters, aimed a TV camera at us, and told us to talk about the trip.
His plan is to take our stories and couple them with the appropriate pictures to create a 20-minute presentation of our trip. We will then have a video presentation that any one of can present to others. This means that the entire team will not need to be present, but those who are will be left with time to field a few questions.
You know, if I had known ahead of time how much of my time and energy was going to be consumed with reporting the trip I would have taken better notes! I mean nobody told me that we were going to be tested after the trip. Sure, if the four of us were given a single test and we pooled our knowledge we could probably squeak by with a “C.” But I wish some of you had written your questions down ahead of time so that while we were there we might have gotten the answers.
With this in mind, I want to remind you where we are at on our trip with Timothy. Not too long ago the full team consisting of Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke were in Philippi where they ran into double trouble. Double in the sense that Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into jail.
Then, minus Luke who evidently stayed behind in Philippi, the team traveled to Thessalonica where some Jews and a good number of God-fearing Greeks came to know Christ. Once again they ran up against trouble and were forced to leave Thessalonica.
They then headed to Berea which initially turned out to be an oasis to their battered souls. The Bereans received the message with enthusiasm and even examined the Scriptures on their own to see if it was true. For a teacher, Berea was like having a class that not only soaked up your words but studied the book to verify what they had heard. Believe me, when a teacher has a class like this they start wondering why they are even getting paid to do what they are doing. But, the same people who caused trouble in Thessalonica dogged the team in Berea to the point that Paul grabbed a taxi and headed to the coast.
After fleeing Berea, Paul found himself in Athens. He quickly sent off a telegraph to Berea and asked Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Within two weeks the team was once again together. They then focused their attention on those in Athens who had backyards filled with idols. But Paul’s mind was still on the saints in Thessalonica where trouble was very much a part of their environment.
Consequently, and we know this from I Thessalonians 3:1, Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica. He did this, judging from vv. 3 - 5, to strengthen the believers, to encourage them, and to give them the needed perspective to handle the various trials that would surely be their fate.
He then returned to Athens but could not find Paul anywhere within the city. He finally came across a door that had a post-it note on it. The note, in Greek, read:
“A few have responded, most totally unresponsive - loving to argue. Have gone on to Corinth.”
So Timothy and Silas, according to Acts 18:5a, made their way to Corinth and gave Paul a report of their short-term mission trips. We find Timothy’s report in I Thessalonians 3:6. We read:
Now Timothy has just returned, bringing the good news that your faith and love are as strong as ever. He reports that you remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us just as much as we want to see you.
That’s the report?! One verse! ?!! You’ve got to be kidding! No, the written report as seen in I Thessalonians is just a single verse. Evidently, Timothy was a man of few words. In reality, the report was of far greater length. We know this to be the case because the letter of I Thessalonians which was a response to Timothy’s report reflects a report in greater detail. On the one hand it is loaded with words of encouragement; it lavishes praise on the believers and speaks with gratitude for their steadfast work within the city. On the other hand, it addresses some concerns – concerns that Timothy must have shared with Paul and Silas.
Believing that Timothy’s report was much longer than one verse, I want you to scan I Thessalonians and determine, using cryptic phrases, the nature of his report. I suggest you record your findings under the following two categories:
Timothy was pleased with: Timothy was concerned about:

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5.

As I’ve scanned this letter it appears that Timothy was pleased with the fact that the believers in Thessalonica were holding up well under pressure. That is, they weren’t letting the hostility of others stop them from worshiping the Savior. Nor were they letting it keep them from telling others about the good news.
In fact, they were so enthusiastic about the new creation within them that their faith was contagious. Others within the region were actually gossiping about the Thessalonian church; gossiping in a good way. See I Thessalonians 1:7 - 10.
But Timothy had some genuine concerns. First, some people were evidently continuing to badmouth Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Those opposed to the message continued to slander and/or smear the good name of the team. They wanted to discredit the team even though the team had moved on to another city. We know this for the team felt the need to remind the believers of their behavior while in the city.
Second, he was concerned about the culture squeezing the believers into its mold – especially in the area of sexual immorality. He was so concerned about this area of their lives that the team spent the first part of chapter four urging the believers to live lives of purity and holiness.
But Timothy’s greatest concern was that Satan’s cohorts would wear the believers down with discouragement. Yes, when he reentered the city he found the believers doing well. But, they were still in the honeymoon phase of their new relationship with the Lord Jesus. Eventually they’d return to earth and the hardship of life coupled with the lure of the world and Satan’s lies would bear down on them.
It is for this reason that every chapter in this first letter ends with a reference to the second coming of Christ, with chapter 4 giving it major consideration. But for the moment just look at the last verse of each chapter. We read:
1:10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
2:19 After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what is our proud reward and crown? It is you! Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before our Lord Jesus when he comes back again. 20 For you are our pride and joy.
3:13 As a result, Christ will make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy when you stand before God our Father on that day when our Lord Jesus comes with all those who belong to him.
4:17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. 18 So comfort and encourage each other with these words.
5:23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this.
You see, if the sense of our future is dominated by the coming again of Christ Jesus, our anxieties tend to get crowded out. Additionally, belief in the Second Coming of Christ takes the clutter out of our lives and hence were free to respond to the promptings of the Spirit.
In regards to Chad, I trust you have heard or sense that the Chesleys are communicating the love of God to the Migaami people - sometimes even using words. They are also working hard at translating the Bible into their own language while equipping them with the ability to read it in the language of the Migaami.
But, there are some genuine concerns. Their biggest concern is for the continued education of their children. They really would like to see someone come and tutor their children in the village. And, as you can imagine, at times they are concerned about their ability to continue to endure hardship for the sake of others. Please keep them in your prayers.

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