After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
--Parallel verses:
1 Thessalonians 5:5, 8-11
You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Sometimes in ministry, when you are going through many trials of various kinds that test your faith (I Peter 1:6-7), it is important and good to be welcomed by those who can encourage you. It is so impressive to me that these brothers and sisters traveled from far and wide to encourage Paul as he was heading to great peril in Rome, at the call of God.
Paul calls the Thessalonians to this very thing: to encourage one another and build each other up. How do I advocate for and build up the brothers and sisters around me? Do I come alongside them and help, or do I point fingers at them in judgment?
I imagine there were some detractors in the church who used Paul’s trials as an opportunity to question his God-given calling or authority. But there was undeniable truth on Paul’s side — his very actions were selfless and for others. It doesn’t seem like Paul paid a lot of attention to the advice of his detractors. He instead focused his attention on those God called him to and praised those who helped him in this work.
If we are focused on eternal things, the attacks of the temporal world do not carry nearly the weight they otherwise might. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)
Lord, so much in my world, my life, and my relationships is outside of my control. There is so much focus on earthly things in this world. You have called me to focus on what I have been raised into (Jesus Christ), not from out of what I was raised (this world)! Help me to train my mind each day to seek you first, walk in your ways, and ask you for help often when the trials and temptations come.
