Paul continued his thought from the previous chapter, noting their absence from Thessalonica. So he sent Timothy to them to “establish you and encourage you concerning your faith” (2).
The encouragement was needed because of their suffering. The Thessalonian Christians were being persecuted because of their faith. Notice the words used by Paul in these verses: afflictions, tribulation, tempt [-ation]. A lesson for us today: if we serve the Lord we too will suffer. What was true for them can happen to any of us at any time. “For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know” (4).
Paul was concerned about their faith. Understand, the devil (our tempter) is diligent in his efforts to thwart our faith and cause us to fail the Lord (cf. 1 Peter 5:8). So Paul’s motivation as he lived his life for Christ was to save himself, and as many others as he could. It made him a very effective ambassador for Christ!
