The Church in Action | The Wesleyan Church

For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. (1 Thess. 3:8)

Expanded Passage: 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Transitioning from one biblical community to another can be hard. My wife and I experienced that when we moved from South Carolina to Zambia. We left behind a community full of trusted friends who we had ministered alongside, laughed with, and cried with, and entered into a new, welcoming community where we knew the same would be true. I had to trust God to take care of my friends and my church. Before we left, my lead pastor and friend reminded me that we all work for the same global church, but sometimes we are called to minister in another branch.

In times of hardship from being overseas and missing home, it was truly encouraging to hear the reports of what was happening with our friends. In this passage, Paul found himself encouraged by Timothy’s report because he could see that the people he spent time discipling were thriving in the Lord. Their friendship and partnership continued even from a distance. Paul was encouraged in his time of trouble and he wrote to teach, encourage, and pray for the church in Thessalonica. This is the church in action, the global church that doesn’t care about borders or distance.

We need one another. Maybe you need encouragement from a friend’s report, and maybe you can give encouragement to a friend in need. All you need to do is reach out.

Reach out to an old friend and listen to their report.

Ethan Zent is an ordained pastor in The Wesleyan Church, serving as a full-time missionary alongside his wife with the organization Poetice in Zambia.