1 Thessalonians 3–4

Anxiety in Athens

3Therefore, when we could no longer stand it, we thought it was better to be left alone in Athens. ^t2And we sent Timothy, ^uour brother and God’s coworker ^vin the gospel of Christ, ^wto strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith, ³so that no one will be shaken by these persecutions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to ^xthis. ⁴In fact, when we were with you, we told you previously that we were going to suffer persecution, 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 us ^yfrom you and brought us good news about your faith and love and reported that you always have good memories of us, wanting to see us, as we also want to see you. ^z7Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we were encouraged about you through your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you stand firm ^ain the Lord. ⁹How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy ^bwe experience before our God because of you, ¹⁰as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face ^cand to complete what is lacking in your faith? ^d

Prayer for the Church

¹¹Now may our God and Father ^eHimself, and our Lord Jesus, ^fdirect our way to you. ¹²And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love ^gfor one another ^hand for everyone, just as we also do for you. ¹³May He make your hearts blameless ⁱin holiness ^jbefore our God and Father at the coming ^kof our Lord ^lJesus with all His saints. Amen. ^m

The Call to Sanctification

4Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God—as you are doing ⁿ—do so even more. ²For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For this is God’s will, ^oyour sanctification: ^pthat you abstain ^qfrom sexual immorality, ⁴so that each of you knows how to control his own body ^rin sanctification and honor, ⁵not with lustful desires, ^slike the Gentiles who don’t know God. ⁶This means one must not transgress against and defraud ^this brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, ^uas we also previously told and warned you. ⁷For God has not called us to impurity ^vbut to sanctification. ⁸Therefore, the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit. ^w

Loving and Working

⁹About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God ^xto love one another. ^y10In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia. ^zBut we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more, ¹¹to seek to lead a quiet life, ^ato mind your own business, ^band to work ^cwith your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹²so that you may walk properly ^dein the presence of outsiders ^fand not be dependent on anyone. ^gh

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. ⁱ¹⁴Since we believe that Jesus died and rose ^jagain, ^kin the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through ^lJesus. ^m15For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: ^noWe who are still alive at the Lord’s coming ^pwill certainly have no advantage over ^qthose who have fallen asleep. ^r16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, ^stwith the archangel’s ^uvoice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ ^vwill rise first. ¹⁷Then ^wwe who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds ^xto meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage ^yone another with these words.