"Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see our face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?" (Vs.10).
How much Paul and his men loved the saints of Thessalonica from the depth of their hearts! They did not covet any material assistance from the Thessalonians. Nor did they pray to God for opening the hearts of the Thessalonians for ministering to the needy missionaries who brought the good tidings. They prayed night and day exceedingly for God to enable them to see the faces of the Thessalonians. The only desire of their heart was to see the Thessalonians. What for? It was to perfect which was lacking in their faith.
Paul was hopeful that God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ would direct their way unto Thessalonica. Paul just trusted the Lord for meeting the people of God whom he loved.
We should desire in our heart to meet the people in person to whom we want to minister. Our motive should be pure. It should not be to seek their financial help for our ministry.
Paul writes that they desired to see their faces so that they might perfect that which was lacking in their faith. We should have personal fellowship with the people to whom we minister so that we may edify the latter or perfect that which is lacking in their faith. These days, many ministers of God arrange special meetings with their sheep so that the latter may be induced to donate to their coffers. It has been always the desire in my heart to meet everyone personally whom I minister so that I can edify or comfort the person concerned who needs my ministry.
Nowadays many ministers and pastors are so busy with their tight schedule of meetings that they have no time to have fellowship with the apostles and prophets in the body of Christ or to have fellowship with every sheep of their congregation. They think it is enough to preach a message to them in a big gathering. Their only ministry is to preach and not to minister. What is the malady that afflicts our Christian ministries today? It is not the lack of funds or resources. It is the lack of "co-workers" with them who can do the ministry in their places. A busy evangelist or a busy pastor has virtually no time to minister individually to the people who seek his ministry. But if he has a body of ministry of "co-workers" who are coequal with him in the ministry, every sheep can be ministered to in a personal manner. We build our ministry on our own images but do not develop co-workers. We do not equip the saints for the ministry. We want to do everything ourselves.
Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to strengthen the faith of the Thessalonians because he could "no longer forbear" when he came to know that the Thessalonians were facing afflictions for the sake of their faith. He feared that if the Devil, the Tempter, temped them, his labor would be in vain (Vs.5). A true minister of God always guards the faith of his sheep against the temptations of the Devil. For this purpose, he does not only pray but also meets or sends someone in his place to the afflicted soul. A true minister of God like Paul should take all precautions to preserve and edify the faith of the sheep under his care.
Paul then prayed to God for opening a way for him to see their faces just to perfect that was lacking in their faith. Dear servant of God, let us dedicate ourselves today to the ministry of seeking personal fellowship with the sheep over whom God has appointed us as overseers.
- Job Anbalagan