The Reason of Affliction and the Encouragement of the Church

November 2, 2025
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:3–8

Introduction
Concerning affliction, since I have already spoken quite a few messages about it before, I thought I would not deal with this passage today. Even so, affliction is something that we Christians cannot avoid; it is an issue we must face, and therefore I decided to take it up. When we look at today’s passage, we can see affliction from another perspective. Today’s text teaches us how affliction is planned within God’s history, and how the church ought to face affliction.

First of all, I would like to think about verse 3, where it says that we are appointed to suffer affliction.

I. Appointed to Suffer Affliction (v.3)

The word “appointed” — κεῖμαι (keimai) — is a verb in the present tense, meaning “it has been determined in such a way.”
For those who do not believe in God, both good and bad things are merely coincidences. However, for Christians, everything is divine necessity under God’s sovereignty.

For Christians, affliction does not happen by chance; it occurs as something that is bound to happen within the sovereign plan of God.

Here I will speak about God’s plan of creation.
First, throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, God created this world.
We understand that before Genesis, God already existed. God is eternal, and time, matter, and space have no bearing on Him. However, at a certain point, God decided to create the universe. Within that universe, He made the planet Earth, and there He created all kinds of plants and animals, and finally, He created human beings in His own likeness, and thus started the history of mankind.

God created the solar system, made the sun and the moon, kept water continually on the earth, caused plants to perform photosynthesis by sunlight,
and prepared an environment so that humans and animals, by eating plants, would not lack food.

God’s desire for His creation was that within this environment called Earth, humans and animals would live in peace and happiness. However, because God gave free will to humans and angels, the story went in a different direction.

The chief of the angels, the archangel, desired to become like God and rebelled,
leading with him one-third of all the angels, and they became the army opposed to God. They have been destroying all of God’s good plans and trying to make humankind—the most precious of all creation— also rebel against God, just as they did.

On the other hand, God already knew all this before the creation of the world
and had planned a way of salvation. It was that God Himself would come to earth as a human being, to save those who longed for salvation
and bring them into the new creation, which is heaven.

Now, Jesus, though He is God, came to earth as a man. However, the world was structured so that sinful humanity was bound by sin and followed the devil. They attacked Jesus and crucified Him to death, but that very act was God’s method of salvation. By sinners crucifying Jesus, He was able to become the substitute for sinners. The plan of salvation succeeded, and those who seek salvation
are now able to receive forgiveness of sins through the cross of Jesus and to enter heaven.

This process of salvation continues until the second coming of Jesus. Even after His death, the devil continues to use the power of sin to create armies of those who oppose God. On the other hand, people who hear the gospel and turn their hearts to God are being saved one after another.

Therefore, the time period from the creation to Revelation is an era in which the devil and evil spirits are exercising influence over the world. Naturally, those who stand on God’s side—Christians—are the ones most hated by them. Therefore, we are attacked daily.

The devil’s attacks against humankind can be summarized in the following three ways.

First, he makes people not believe in Jesus. He hides the gospel, twists the gospel, creates religions, makes people think that science alone is the ultimate truth, and keeps them so busy or entertained that they do not seriously think about the gospel. Second, he attacks those who have already believed the gospel. At first, he tempts them through the pleasures of the world.
He makes them think that even if they become Christians, nothing good will happen, and he causes them not to believe seriously. Third, especially for devoted Christians, he gives afflictions so that they will think believing is painful,
so that their faith will become weak. He makes them unable to give thanks and keeps them from spreading the gospel. If the Christians’ faith becomes weak, the church also becomes weak, and it can no longer display the glory of God.

Then, one may ask,
“Why does God not help us when He sees these situations?”
Today, I would like to speak about only two things regarding that question.

First, within God’s plan, Christians are appointed to worship God and to manifest His glory. If God were to answer every distress and affliction and solve every problem immediately, we would treat God merely as a being who helps us,
and we would no longer see Him as the One whom we worship. In other words, the reason for becoming a Christian would be nothing more than a means to obtain blessings from God. Prayer would become a switch to make wishes come true, and God would become merely a method for problem-solving.

Second, it is because God desires to have a relationship of love with us. Faith without affliction tends to become a relationship without love. If we love God only when things go well, or if we love Him only when He gives us something,
that is not true love. God does not desire such a relationship. He desires to see you who believe and continue to love Him even when the circumstances are bad.
In other words, to love God in the midst of affliction—that is what God is seeking from us.

On the other hand, God has made a community to help us. In the Old Testament era, that was the nation of Israel; in the New Testament era, it is the assembly called the church. The word church in Greek is ἐκκλησία (ekklesia), which means “those who are called out and gathered” (the called-out ones). In other words, it means the gathering of Christians who have been called out by God.
Through the gathering of the church, God planned that believers would encourage one another in faith.

Next, let us look at verse 5.

II. So That Our Labor Would Not Be in Vain (v.5)

In verse 5, Paul writes, “so that our labor would not be in vain.”
What does “in vain” mean? It refers to the third kind of attack of the devil that I mentioned earlier.
The devil gives affliction to the people of the Thessalonian church, and because of that affliction, their faith might become weak or disappear, and the church might no longer be able to show the glory of God. However, the Thessalonian church stood firm in faith and did not lose to the devil. They trusted the Lord even in the midst of affliction.

In verse 5, the word “temptation” is also written. Temptation means to lure someone by lies and deceit. Temptation is not limited to worldly pleasure or enjoyment. In affliction, to make us doubt God and weaken our faith—that, too, is temptation. Temptation to sin always comes, and the devil constantly tries to use the nature of sin to draw our thoughts away from God.

When people are continually exposed to temptation, they begin to think that it cannot be helped if they fall into it. Eve kept looking at the fruit of the tree that God had forbidden. Then she began to wonder, “Why did God forbid it?”
and came to think that the God who forbids is a bad God.

Martin Luther said,
“You cannot prevent the birds from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair.”

In other words, it is unavoidable that temptation briefly crosses your mind.
However, whether you keep that thought in your heart and nurture it until it leads to sin depends on you.

Paul’s concern was that the seed of the gospel, which had been sown, would stop growing and bearing fruit. Therefore, Paul first prayed himself, and then sent Timothy, who had been working with him, to encourage the church.

Paul was a very spiritual man, but he was also a man of concrete action.He was not someone who only prayed; he was a person who used the wisdom obtained through prayer and acted upon it. Prayer can be said to be the preliminary stage
that gives birth to action. “Prayer is the time that brings about the change of heart to act according to the will of God.” Therefore, “prayer is the power that leads to action,” and “prayer is the beginning of action.”

Paul prayed, and then he sent Timothy. However, the Thessalonian church was a faithful church that dispelled Paul’s anxiety.
Let us read verse 6.

III. The Role of the Church That Encourages One Another (v.6)

Timothy returned from Thessalonica and reported that “faith and love have been kept unchanged.” They were attacked by the people around them, especially by the Jews, but their faith did not waver; they trusted God and continued their acts of love.

Faith is the effort of choosing God. That is what it means to overcome the power of sin. While everyone believes in the visible reality,
to keep believing in the invisible promises and truth of God— that is faith.
The Lord Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3, ESV)

This does not mean “become childish,” but rather it means the faith that a small child has toward his parents. They cannot understand what their parents are thinking, but they believe in their parents’ love. However, as people become adults, in a pragmatic society they come to judge only by visible reality. Therefore, when adults are told to trust God, it is quite difficult for them.

Now, the church in Thessalonica was even able to encourage Paul himself.
Let us look at verses 7 and 8.

Verse 7: “For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.” Verse 8: “For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.”

Paul writes that he was comforted. In fact, Paul was in the same situation as they were. At this time, Paul was in Corinth. In Corinth, Paul also was attacked mainly by the Jews. He was discouraged and almost lost his motivation.

Please open Acts chapter 18.
Let us first read verse 6. “But when they opposed and reviled him,
he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 18:6, ESV)

Paul was hurt by the attacks of the Jews, and his heart was broken.
He was experiencing the same kind of suffering as the church in Thessalonica.
However, in verse 8 we read a description that the Jews were saved.

“Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord,
together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.” (Acts 18:8, ESV)

While those things were happening,
encouragement from the Lord was given to him.

“And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.’ And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” (Acts 18:9–11, ESV)

And he succeeded in planting the church in Corinth.

However, what I think is important is verse 5.

“When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.” (Acts 18:5, ESV)

This verse comes earlier in time than verse 6, but it is certain that until he received the word from the Lord, his heart had already been supported.
In other words, the report of the endurance and faith of the church in Thessalonica became a great encouragement to Paul.

What kind of application can we learn from this?
It is that God has planned to encourage and comfort the faith of Christians
who are in affliction through the church. The faith of the Thessalonian church
was able even to encourage Paul. In the end, Paul received encouragement and command from God, but it is also important that before that, he had received encouragement from the church in Thessalonica.

Probably, at that time he also received financial support from the Philippian church. Through Paul’s evangelism, Jews were saved, and many Gentiles were also saved. Then the Lord commanded him to continue planting the church.
Paul stayed there for one and a half years and continued the work of church planting.

Faith cannot be maintained unless it is by the help of the Holy Spirit. However, God tries to protect our faith through various means. Among them, an important point is the encouragement from the church—
that is, from brothers and sisters. Even if it does not become a fundamental solution, it is the power of love and kindness that God uses. No matter how strong one’s faith may be, everyone is helped by the prayers and encouragement of brothers and sisters.

It is said that for those who are in affliction, the comfort given by people who have experienced the same affliction is especially effective. Christians are all being attacked and tempted in similar ways by the devil. Therefore, we can sympathize with one another.

People in the world can also encourage others, but they cannot offer spiritual encouragement. Christians need spiritual encouragement. Pastors and missionaries also need encouragement. The church is a community where everyone encourages and is encouraged, comforts and is comforted. We all are connected to our Father God. But at the same time, we are also connected to our brothers and sisters.

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
we thank You that You are always with us in every circumstance.
We thank You for teaching us that afflictions are not accidents, but part of Your sovereign plan for our lives.

Lord, even in the midst of suffering, help us never to doubt Your love and faithfulness. When our problems remain unsolved, may we continue to worship You not merely as our Helper, but as our God who is worthy of praise.

Protect us from the evil one who seeks to weaken our faith. When temptation passes through our minds, do not let it build a nest in our hearts. Strengthen us by Your Spirit to overcome and to stand firm in the Lord.

Thank You for gathering us into this community called the Church. Help us to encourage one another, to pray for one another, and to support our brothers and sisters who are in affliction. May our faith become a source of encouragement to others.

Lord, let this church be a light that reflects Your glory in this world filled with darkness and pain.
We pray all these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.