Joy in the Gospel and Its Fruit --- 2019/12/06

Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Guttenberg, IA and St. Paul Lutheran Church in McGregor, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13. Timothy’s visit to the Thessalonians yielded a good report to bring back to Paul. The Thessalonians were standing strong in the Lord in the midst of affliction. This was good news for Paul, the fruit of the Gospel in the lives of the Thessalonians that rightly brought Paul great joy and comfort. The fact that they desired to see him face-to-face in the same way he desired to see them showed that the Gospel was bearing fruit among them still. The mystical union that each believer has with Christ also brings a union among fellow believers, a union that produces a longing to see each other as we rejoice and confess the truth before the Lord we do not yet see. Paul’s desire to see the Thessalonians face-to-face also includes his desire to continue to instruct them in Christian doctrine. Even as much as their faith has abounded, he knows that every Christian continues to need the nourishment of God’s Word. Therefore, Paul concludes with an invocation of the Triune God. For him and his companions, Paul asks God to bring about a reunion with the Thessalonians. For the Thessalonians, Paul asks God to continue to increase His gifts among them and establish them in His gift of holiness until the appearance of Jesus on the Last Day.