Satan the Hinderer

Jan. 18

Read: 1 Thess. 2:17-19, Chapter 3

Satan the Hinderer

“…because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.” (v. 2:18)

Satan wars against the work of God’s people in ministry. In particular, the Devil seeks to keep mentoring / discipling from happening. There was a concerted effort to stop Paul from making his way to the church in Thessalonica to encourage them and to correct the false teaching that was leading them astray. Satan is always “hindering” the community and encouragement of one another - especially seeking to stop more mature believers from leading younger believers.

What is at stake?- “Our glory and joy” (v. 2:19) This is what Paul says about the Thessalonians: “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.” (v. 2:19) Those people who we minister to, share the gospel with, and invest in will be our “crown of boasting” before Christ at the second coming. Whoa! That is some crazy stuff right there. Evidently, when Christ comes again and we are reunited with him, our “hope, joy, and crown of boasting” will be linked to the ministry we share here on earth.

The enemy - Satan - is always seeking to “steal, kill, and destroy”. (cf. John 10:10) As a “tempter”, the enemy is not only trying to side track the Thessalonians, but also rob Paul and his team of their “hope, joy, and crown”. See here: “For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.” We should have a genuine fear that we are wasting our lives… that our “labor is in vain”. In what ways is Satan - the “tempter” - trying to squander our lives? In what ways are we being hindered? Who will be our “crown of glory”?

The good news is that Satan does not win… at least not in Thessalonica. Paul was willing to sacrifice (in this case his closest companion Timothy) to ensure that the Thessalonians were cared for and his “labor was not in vain”. Satan cannot hinder the work of the Lord when we are in community! Paul “beat” Satan by sending Timothy… who was himself a product of Paul’s ministry and investment. Satan is fighting a losing battle when he seeks to hinder the unified people of God who are in relationship. What you do in this life matters. Relationships matter. Investing in others -although tremendously hard- is not in vain… it is actually the path to honor, joy, and a “crown of glory” before Christ! Do not under estimate the attacks of the enemy… we will rise victorious over the one who seeks to hinder the work of the Lord. Love you guys. - JDP