I Thessalonians 3:1-5:
3:1on-which-account no-longer protectively-covering (you) we considered-it-good to be left-down in Athens only .2and we sent Timothy, our brother and worker-together with God in the good-message of Christ, with-a-view to set you fast and to encourage (you) on behalf of your belief .3(so-as-for) not-one-person to be wheedled in these pressures, for you yourselves knew2 that we are laid into this .4for also when we used-to-be with you we used-to say-beforehand to you that we are about to be pressured, according as also it came-to-pass and you knew2, .5because-of-this also I no-longer protectively-covering, I sent with-a-view to know your belief lest-somehow the (one) tempting tempted you and our labor became into emptiness.
Continuing on from chapter two, Paul writes: wherefore because we are not any-longer presently and actively protectively-covering you (no longer sheltering you Thessalonian holy-people because we are physically away-from you at the moment, no longer keeping or fending off anything which may hurt you, as the roof of a house protectively covers the inside of that house which is concealed by the roof, thereby sustaining and supporting it), we supposed it well to be left behind in Athens alone without your companionship at this time and we sent Timothy, our brother and worker-together with God in the good-message of Christ, to you.
Paul describes Timothy as "our brother" – reminding the Thessalonian holy-people (sanctified-people, Christians, saints, children of God) that Timothy, and Paul and they themselves were all brothers in the spirit category because they all had received the same gift of holy spirit which made them all children of God. And Paul also describes Timothy as a "worker-together with God in the good-message of Christ" – he was expending energy in conjunction with God, God's joint or co worker within the sphere of action of the gospel (evangel) of or pertaining-to Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed-one. [Instead of the words "worker-together with God," some Greek texts have the words "minister of God" and others have "minister of God and worker-together with us."]
Why had Paul sent Timothy? He writes: With a view (for the purpose) to set you fast (fix you firmly) and to encourage you (exhort you, call you beside him as a concerned father or mother would call their children close to them under their arms so as to help them to do that which is right) on behalf of your belief (in the interests of your faith or trust of what God has given us to believe regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ) so as for none of you to be wheedled in these pressures (to be fawned, like a dog wags its tail when it hears 'flattering' sounds being said to it, and thereby be deceived and agitated or moved in varying directions off of the truth of God's Word by supposed well-wishers or friends or assistants/helpers during these pressures, the compressions, stress that afflicts you, whatever may be pressing-upon or squeezing you, whether it be physical, mental or spiritual).
In truth, you yourselves (emphatically you) knew and still know (perceive, see) that we holy-people are presently laid into this (we lie in a position directed-to this), for even at the time that we (myself, Silvanus and Timothy) were with you we used-to actively say it beforehand to you (foretell you, we laid it out for you in advance or before these pressures occurred) that we are about to be pressured (on the point of being caused pressure), according as also it came to pass (it happened just as we told you) and you knew it at that time and you still know now that this is true.
On account of this (for this reason) also since I am no longer protectively-covering you at this time because I am physically away from you, I sent Timothy for the purpose of personally knowing your belief (what you are believing, the state of your faith) lest in some manner the one who is presently and actively tempting (making trial of or trying people in the bad sense of putting people to the test with evil and ill-intent enticing people away from believing God's Word; the devil/satan is the one who tempts with evil) has tempted you and so our labor (the wearisome effort that myself and those with me exerted previously with you) came to pass to be into, directed-to or resulted-in emptiness (in-vain, empty of contents having no effect as regards your behavior during your everyday living).
Paul was concerned for these Thessalonian Christians and did what he could do at that time to help them to remain steadfast upon God's Word. He was not 'thinking-evil' of them - he wanted to do his best to make sure that they were not affected by the activities of the devil directly or via his devil-spirits or those people who take their direction from the devil and/or devil-spirits.
[Reference: Matthew 4:3 and 4; Acts chapter 17; Romans 16:25; I Corinthians 3:9, 9:12; Philippians 1:16, 2:16; II Thessalonians 1:4.]
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True Bible Study - First and Second Thessalonians
