And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 (NLT)

Persecution is not for nothing.
Paul had endured it himself.
So it is not hollow encouragement
To those in Thessalonica.

They had endured so far. (v. 4)
Never discount what you have gone through
In service to God.

Be assured God will repay. (v. 6)
He sees, He knows and He is keeping records.
In justice, God will set everything right.

God will provide rest to those persecuted. (v. 7)
It is that final rest in eternity.
In His presence, in His kingdom.

But for now
God will redeem the persecution,
Making us more like Christ

Don’t minimize.
Don’t despair.
Contextualize.

Paul finishes his first letter to Thessalonica with a list of instructions in 5:11-22 for how we relate to each other in the body of Christ. A To-do list.

1. Comfort each other – We don’t have to worry about the future.
   
2. Edify one another – Be each other’s cheering section as we navigate this life.
   
3. Recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you – Respect a and appreciate your pastors. It’s a tough job.
   
4. Esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake – Hold up your ministers because of the responsibility they’ve been given.
   
5. Be at peace among yourselves – Wanna help your leadership out? Do your best to squash conflict.
   
6. Warn those who are unruly – “Unruly” in Greek is essentially those who are AWOL. Bad things can happen when you ditch.
   
7. Comfort the fainthearted – Bolster the timid.
   
8. Uphold the weak – Uphold means support, not talk down to, the weak. Weak in faith, that is.
   
9. Be patient with all – People need grace.
   
10. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone – Vengeance, paybacks, and getting even don’t belong in the body of Christ.
    
11. Always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all – This is essentially the outworking of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
    
12. Rejoice always – In some circumstances, an eternal perspective is needed to find the joy.
    
13. Pray without ceasing – Ensure your relationship with God is set for prayer anytime. Recognize you are always in His presence.
    
14. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you – Note: it is “in” everything, not “for” everything. There are things to be thankful in every situation.
    
15. Do not quench the Spirit – Don’t interfere with what the Spirit is doing in your life or in others’ lives.
    
16. Do not despise prophecies – You don’t get to ignore the parts of God’s word you don’t like.
    
17. Test all things; hold fast what is good – Test them against Scripture. Do they agree? Does Scripture support them? Hold tightly to the things that pass.
    
18. Abstain from every form of evil – If it doesn’t pass, stay away from it, from them.

That to-do list should keep us busy.

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:3

There’s nothing wrong with peace and safety.
But we should understand who “they” is.
Not “you” fellow believers.
Not “we” Paul and his crew.
But “they” outsiders, unbelievers, even enemies.

“They” face sudden destruction.
“They” will not escape.
“They” are false prophets.
Not only are “they” indifferent to God, His word, His judgment
But “they” deceive others.

Positive thinking.
Raising your self-esteem.
Manifesting abundance.
Practicing gratitude.
Visualizing desired outcomes.

“Peace and safety.”

The reality is we will answer to a holy God
Who is coming to judge
To set things right
To cleanse and restore.
We can meet Jesus Christ as Savior or as Judge.

Will you listen to Him or to “them”?