1 Thessalonians 3:1–4:18

ANXIETY IN ATHENS

3Therefore, when we could no longer stand it, we thought it was better to be left alone in Athens.^{k 2}And we sent Timothy,^l our brother and God’s coworker^C in the gospel of Christ,^m to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith, ³so that no one will be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. ⁴In fact, when we were with you, we told you in advance that we were going to experience affliction, and as you know, it happened. ⁵For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I also sent him to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that our labor might be for nothing.

ENCOURAGED BY TIMOTHY

⁶But now Timothy has come to usⁿ from you and brought us good news about your faith and love. He reported that you always have good memories of us and that you long to see us, as we also long to see you.^{o 7}Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction, we were encouraged about you through your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you stand firm^p in the Lord. ⁹How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy^q we experience before our God because of you, ¹⁰as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face^r and to complete what is lacking in your faith?^s

PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH

¹¹Now may our God and Father^t himself, and our Lord Jesus,^u direct our way to you. ¹²And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love^v for one another^w and for everyone, just as we do for you. ¹³May he make your hearts blameless^x in holiness^y before our God and Father at the coming^z of our Lord^aa Jesus with all his saints. Amen.^A

THE CALL TO SANCTIFICATION

4Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God—as you are doing^B—do this even more. ²For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For this is God’s will,^ab your sanctification:^ac that you keep away^ad from sexual immorality, ⁴that each of you knows how to control his own body^C in holiness and honor, ⁵not with lustful passions,^ae like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. ⁶This means one must not transgress against and take advantage^af of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. ⁷For God has not called us to impurity^ag but to live in holiness. ⁸Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.^ah

LOVING AND WORKING

⁹About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God^ai to love one another.^{aj 10}In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers and sisters in the entire region of Macedonia.^ak But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, ¹¹to seek to lead a quiet life,^al to mind your own business,^D and to work^am with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹²so that you may behave properly^an in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.^Eao

THE COMFORT OF CHRIST’S COMING

¹³We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.^{ap 14}For if we believe that Jesus died and rose^aq again,^ar in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.^{as 15}For we say this to you by a word from the Lord:^at We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming^au will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.^{av 16}For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout,^Fa with the archangel’s^b voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ^c will rise first. ¹⁷Then^d we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds^e to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage^G one another with these words.