Paul Bares His Heart - 9

I have a question for you this morning, and that question is, was the Apostle Paul an emotional person? And I would say that for most people that's not the way we normally think of him. We think about him as being studious and intellectual, bookish, learned, logical, factual, doctrinal, all of these things, but emotional?

But yes he was. He was emotional, and passages like our text for today show to us that reality, another side of the Apostle Paul that we can all too easily overlook, but we really should not. You remember that in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul is answering his critics, those in Thessalonica, who were attacking Paul and undermining his ministry and authority to the saints there. And one of their lines of attack was, Paul doesn't really love you, he doesn't really care for you, because if he did, he would not have abandoned you so quickly after coming here, and he certainly would have returned before now to visit with you, but he has not, and therefore he has demonstrated that he really doesn't care for you at all.

In chapter 2, Paul begins his answer to those slanderous accusations, but in chapter 3, Paul goes a little bit deeper into his explanations of why it was he was not able to return to them, at least not yet. And yet what his true heart attitude was toward them, and how deep was his anguish because of the forced separation from them. And in doing that, he bears his heart to them and by the design of the Spirit of God also to us, because it is written in the Word of God for our admonition as well. And so Paul shows us his emotional side, his deeply emotional side, and in doing so, Paul shows us how to balance our God-given emotions. We are not to let emotions control us as they do some people. Emotions are not to be in the driver's seat. Emotions are not what directs our thoughts and our actions and our perspective on life, and we must guard against that error, but neither should emotions be denied. Neither should emotions be suppressed. Emotions have been given to us by God.

They're part of the makeup of the human being as God designed it. Therefore, we need to learn how to direct our emotions in a God-honoring way, how to develop them in ways that are pleasing to Christ and that are useful for the gospel in this world. And among other things, human emotions should motivate us to love one another more deeply. And so in our text for today, verses 1 through 5 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 3, we find that Paul bears his heart. We see insight into the heart of the apostle Paul, which ought to encourage and instruct us as the people of God. In verse 1, we look at a difficult decision. In verses 2 and 3, we examine a trusted emissary. And in verse 5, we notice an urgent investigation, a difficult decision laid before Paul. And he writes about it in verse 1 of chapter 3. Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it would be good to be left in Athens alone.

When we could no longer endure it. And Paul prefaces that statement by that word therefore, which forces us back into the previous context if we're going to understand the reason for the therefore. And that takes us back, for example, in chapter 2 to verse 14 where Paul says, For you, brethren, Thessalonian saints, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans.

You have suffered persecution from the people in your community, just like the Jews who became followers of Christ in Judea suffered. And therefore, there is an anguish in the soul of Paul because he can't go back and strengthen and help them in this situation. That's part of the therefore. The therefore also points us back to verse 18 of chapter 2. Therefore, we wanted to come to you, even I, Paul, time and again, but Satan hindered us.

Paul had a great desire to return to the Thessalonians. It wasn't that he didn't want to come, he did. It wasn't that he didn't love them, he loved them greatly, but he was hindered. Satanic opposition kept him from his desire.

He was not able to come as he desired to come. And Paul recognized that that satanic opposition was not only directed to him, as it surely was, but was also directed to them, the Thessalonians. Because Satan, in keeping Paul from coming back to Thessalonica, was trying to make the Thessalonian believers more vulnerable to Satan's attacks upon them. Satan didn't want Paul to come and to fortify them against the attacks which Satan was bringing upon them.

Therefore, because they were enduring persecution, therefore because they were very much under the assault of Satan, Paul is very, very concerned. And so we read about Paul's anguish in verse 1. Therefore, when we could no longer endure it. When we could no longer endure it.

The word endure carries the meaning of to bear or stand up under. When we could not bear the mounting pressure in our souls any longer. When we could not stand any longer this anguish of wondering what was happening to you when we could not be there to help and strengthen you. And Paul is describing intense emotional pain. And here is a window into Paul's emotions. Was Paul an emotional man?

Yes, he was. And he's writhing in emotional pain as he longs to be with the Thessalonians and he's concerned about their well-being. And he is prohibited from returning to them, which is the desire of his heart.

And this anguish is great and it's made greater because of the fact that he doesn't really know what is going on with them. He doesn't have lines of communication with them. He can't pick up the phone and talk to them. He can't text them.

He can't email them. He has no communication, no idea what's going on. All he knows is they are new Christians and therefore more vulnerable than if they were more mature Christians. And they are under the attack of Satan. He knows that they are being persecuted by those in their community and that Satan is doing everything he can to keep Paul from coming. And Paul is just writhing in emotional agony as he considers this situation. He has a real dilemma.

When we could endure it no longer, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone. Now when we study the life of the Apostle Paul, we come very quickly to the understanding that Paul nearly always worked in teams, not alone. He was not a solo preacher. He was not a solo missionary.

He was not a lone ranger kind of servant of Christ. He worked in teams. I think it would be accurate to say that he always intended to work in teams. And when he was not in a team, it was only because something had impeded his usual design. It's clear that Paul's effectiveness to a great degree depended upon team assistance.

He did not believe that he could be as effective alone as he could working with others. He was absolutely persuaded of that. We read a little bit of the background of what's going on here with Paul and Thessalonica and the missionary team and all of the comings and goings of this when we turn back to Acts chapter 17 and we read this in verse 13. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, this is after he's been forced out of Thessalonica and he went down the road, I think about 100 miles as I recall, to the city of Berea and there he found a very eager reception. The Jews there, though they didn't all become Christians, at least they were respectful and studious and willing to examine the scriptures that Paul proclaimed to see if these things were so.

They didn't just reject them out of hand without giving them a careful hearing. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul in Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. They weren't content to run him out of Thessalonica.

They followed him down the road and were determined to run him out of Berea as well. And then immediately the brethren sent Paul away to go to the sea, but both Silas and Timothy remained there. So we're trying to track the travels of this missionary team.

They have all three been ministering together in Philippi, in Thessalonica, in Berea. Now persecution is hounding the apostle Paul and apparently is directed to him more than anybody else. And so for his own safety, the Christians force him out.

They are pretty determined that he must leave. And so they arrange for his escape. He goes to the coast.

He boards a ship. He sails down to Athens, down in southern Greece. He's been ministering in northern Greece. And Paul and rather Timothy and Silas remained behind in Berea. So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens. He had some people with him, but it wasn't Silas and Timothy. And receiving a command, Paul gave a command to those who accompanied him, for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed they departed. The first thing Paul did when he got to Athens was to tell those who traveled with him, please go back and get Silas and Timothy and tell them to join me here in Athens. So we know that they were instructed to come to Athens. And it would appear from the text before us in 1 Thessalonians 3 that they came to Athens because now he talks about we thought it good not to be left in Athens alone. We.

It's a team decision, a team conversation. What should we do here? The situation in Thessalonica looks like it could be very desperate. And nobody is there to minister to them.

Nobody is there with the knowledge and the ability to minister and strengthen them, minister to them and strengthen them at this time. So what shall we do? So Paul is telling us here in the Thessalonian Epistle that what he did was to send Timothy back to Thessalonica. And evidently must have also sent Silas somewhere. That's not mentioned here, but if he's going to be left alone, then Timothy went to Thessalonica. Silas probably went to Philippi, though we don't know that.

That's merely speculation. In the meantime, Paul moves from Athens to Corinth. He moves in a lateral direction. He moves from the eastern coast where Athens is over to the western coast where Corinth is. And he begins to minister there.

Now he is alone, ministering all by himself. And then we read in verse 5, when Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia. Macedonia is the territory that contained a number of cities, including Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea.

So they came from Macedonia. Paul was compelled by the Spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. Now, I'm taking the liberty of doing a little bit of reading between the lines here, but it seems to me that what Luke is describing in Acts 18 is that Paul struggled in his ministry in Corinth when he was alone. But as soon as reinforcements arrived, as soon as the other two men arrived in his missionary team, he was immediately more effective. He was immediately able to minister more powerfully. There was something about ministering in that team that greatly strengthened Paul in his ministerial effectiveness. So Paul's effectiveness depended upon team assistance. The team working together in their mutual labors, each contributing what they could according to the gifts that God gave to them.

The team encouraging and supporting one another so that nobody would become overly discouraged. So Paul not only desired but I would have to say insisted that he must be involved in team ministry if he's going to be effective. But here's a situation where he's making a difficult decision between abandoning that principle of always working in teams and working alone for a while in Corinth so that he can send Timothy back to Thessalonica or saying, I'm sorry, as badly as I would love to send help to Thessalonica, that's going to weaken the cause of the Gospel here in Corinth.

I just can't afford that cost. And so Paul is wrestling with a dilemma. What is the highest priority in this situation? Is it maximizing Paul's ministerial effectiveness or is it strengthening the church at Thessalonica? You can almost see Paul wrestling with this decision. I think it's more important that they stay here and that the Gospel go forth more effectively in Corinth.

No, no, no. I think it's more important that Timothy go to Thessalonica and that I be left alone even though that will weaken my ministry here. And back and forth and back and forth Paul is going in trying to come to a conclusion. It was a difficult decision.

And finally, when the decision was made, how was it made or what direction was it made in? And we find out that the needs of the Thessalonian saints get the highest priority. As important as it is for Paul to work in a team, he comes to the conclusion that it's even more important that the saints at Thessalonica get reinforcements.

And so we thought it good for me to be left alone in Corinth. It was a difficult decision. But that decision serves to answer the slander that Paul doesn't love the Thessalonians, doesn't love them. Look at this situation.

Look at this decision. Look at what Paul was willing to do for them. And thus we see a difficult decision in verse one. Verses two and three tell us a little bit about a trusted emissary, namely Timothy, who was an apostolic representative who was sent on a defined assignment with a significant purpose. When we thought it good not to be left alone in Athens, we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God and fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith that no one should be shaken by these afflictions.

For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. We sent Timothy. Timothy is no new name to any student of God's word. Timothy is the young traveling companion that went with the Apostle Paul on his missionary journey. He picked him up at the beginning of his second journey. He is Paul's ministry assistant.

He started out, it would appear, as more or less a gopher, a person who would run the errands, buy the groceries, take care of the details. But the more he worked with the Apostle Paul, the more involved he got in the ministry of the gospel. Until, when you get to the end of Paul's life, not even all the way to the end, but when you get along into the development of Paul's missionary labors, you find out that Timothy becomes his most trusted assistant, his most dependable partner, and one that he can send on assignments anywhere and be assured that Timothy is going to represent Paul, and that having Timothy in any location is almost as good as having Paul there.

That's pretty high commendation. Now, Timothy's not quite at that level of development yet, as we're reading about it in 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. But he is described as a brother, certainly a Christian, a minister of God, not a minister of the gospel, but even a little bit higher designation than that, a minister of God, as Paul certainly was. And so Paul is putting him in the same category. He's a gospel minister. He's a servant of God. He's not just a servant of Paul, not just a servant of the missionary team, but he's a servant of God. In other words, Paul is expressing that he has detected the hand of God upon Timothy for ministry. He sees that God has called Timothy to the gospel ministry, and God's hand is upon him, and God is using him. And when Timothy ministers the word, God speaks through him and touches the hearts of others.

That's being indicated here. He's described as a fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ. And he is sent, and sent Timothy, our brother.

That's a loaded word. It means sent on an official assignment. And as far as the record goes, this would be Timothy's first solo assignment. Paul is entrusting him with a great responsibility, but it is important that the saints at Thessalonica receive help. And so an apostolic representative, namely Timothy, goes on a defined assignment, which is described as strengthening, I'm picking it up here, establishing you, a word that could also be translated strengthening you, encouraging you concerning your faith. He is sent to strengthen their faith, a word that means to make it firm, more firm than it would be otherwise.

He is sent to encourage their faith, that is to urge them to keep on keeping on, urge them to persevere in the face of the afflictions which they are facing. Paul doesn't tell us how Timothy is supposed to accomplish this, but I don't think it's too far out of line for us to speculate. I think we can hit it pretty accurately when we say Timothy is sent to do this by primarily the ministry of the word. Timothy's going to preach the word. Timothy's going to teach the word.

And that along with personal interaction and personal encouragement to the members of the church is going to be used by God to strengthen them, to encourage them, to firm them up in their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and in their faith in the gospel of Christ. And so this is a significant purpose for which Paul sends Timothy to Thessalonica. Verse 3, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions for you yourself know that we are appointed to this. Timothy is sent to prevent casualties to the faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions. No one should waver in their faith because of persecution, that no one should abandon the faith in order to avoid persecution.

Paul knows that these are possibilities. Timothy is sent to prevent casualties. Timothy is sent to confirm realities.

What realities? The reality of persecutions. That no one should be shaken by these afflictions for you yourselves know that we are appointed for this.

How did they know that? Because Paul had told them. Afflictions, according to the Apostle Paul in this text and several others in the New Testament, afflictions are appointed by God for every Christian's life.

Got that? They are appointed, says Paul, not just for you Thessalonians in a special situation, but for all of us. For you yourselves know that we, Christians, are appointed to have afflictions. Do you know that?

Do you understand that? I'm afraid some Christians don't. Afflictions are appointed by God for every Christian's life. In other words, afflictions are not to be viewed first and foremost as punishment because of our sins, though we should always search our hearts to see if God is getting our attention about something in our life that is displeasing to Him. But afflictions are not sent, certainly not always, and I would say most of the time are not sent as punishment for our sins. I know some Christians who live their whole lives in worry and fear and agony. When anything comes into their life that seems to be a difficulty, it's like, what is God punishing me for now? Because somewhere along the way, they've imbibed the idea that if you're living for Christ, living by faith, living like you ought to live, you won't have these afflictions. What Bible are you reading, pray tell?

Not the one I have. It tells us just the opposite. We are all appointed for afflictions. Is that something we want to hear?

No, but that's the truth and we need to know it and we need to act accordingly. Afflictions are not to be seen as punishment for sin. Afflictions are not to be seen as a result of our weak faith. Afflictions are not to be seen as some kind of mistake that shouldn't have happened to us. Afflictions are not to be seen as something that sort of got out of God's control.

It slipped through his fingers. He really didn't intend for that to happen to us. No, afflictions are something that are appointed to Christians. God appoints them. God designs them. God sends them. God intends for them to be in our lives. Afflictions are normal. They are the God-intended reality for every Christian, no exceptions.

And you say, well, why? And Paul doesn't tell us why here, but I'm going to give you an answer to that question that I've pulled out of general revelation and other parts of Scripture. Why has God designed afflictions for the Christian life?

Well, probably more reasons than I can tell, but consider these. Number one, afflictions test our commitment to Christ. How committed are we? Will a little affliction drive us away from Christ? Then our faith wasn't very strong.

It probably wasn't even real. It wasn't true saving faith. Why afflictions? Well, afflictions purge out sin and wrong priorities in our lives. We do tend to question and to examine as we ought to and confess sins when we are afflicted.

Why? Because afflictions cultivate loving compassion for others. If we never had an affliction, then we wouldn't really understand other people when they're going through afflictions.

We would take this superior attitude. Well, if you had more faith, if you were more godly, you wouldn't be suffering that way. And then it hits you. Suddenly you're a little bit more sympathetic and compassionate, hopefully a whole lot more sympathetic and compassionate. You begin to view these things as the normal part of the Christian life, and you begin to have compassion for others. And you have a platform in order to reach out and help them because you've been through something similar. You have experience by which to help them because you know what God taught you in the midst of that affliction. I remember, I don't hardly remember, it may have happened, but I don't really remember hardly anyone coming to me to talk about the trials of enduring cancer until I got cancer.

Way back in the 80s. And then suddenly, it wasn't immediate, it was after I was coming out of it and it looked like I was going to live beyond it. And I started getting phone calls, I started getting inquiries, I started getting all kinds of people reaching out to me saying, I have cancer, can you help me? Can you strengthen me?

Can you suggest anything to me? If nothing else, will you please pray for me? I know you understand what I'm going through. What an opportunity to minister that I wouldn't have had if God hadn't sent cancer into my life in 1984. Trials develop dependence upon God. It shows us how weak we are and how much we need Him. It forces us to trust His power and His love in greater ways in our life. And another reason is that trials, afflictions, help prepare us for heaven.

It helps to make us want to go. When things go and really, just, can I use an old phrase that probably you young people have never heard before? When everything is hunky dory here on earth, you heard that before? You have, Larry. You're old enough, you never did?

Oh, okay, yeah. When everything is hunky dory here on earth, we don't long for heaven that much, do we? You know, I want to go there when I die, but let's not get up a load right now.

I'm enjoying life. And then the afflictions come, and the pain comes, and the difficulty comes, and a lot of times that makes us cry out, Lord, how long? How Lord?

How long? Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. I'm ready. I'm ready to go. And it prepares us for heaven. Is that enough reasons?

I'll stop there. But can you see that God has a lot of reasons why He may bring afflictions into our lives? Remember that old southern gospel?

I think it's a southern gospel song. Through it all, through it all, if I never had a problem, I'd never know that He could solve them. Through it all, I've learned to trust His word. That's it.

That's it. And so Paul sends a trusted emissary to help them with their afflictions. And then we come finally to a helpful explanation of verses four and five.

It's kind of an expanded explanation beyond what Paul has already given by way of explanation four. He says in verse four, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation just as it happened, and you know. For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you and our labor might be in vain. In verse four, Paul describes again, he's already mentioned this, but he describes again an affliction prediction. He told them. He told them that they were going to be afflicted.

He told them to expect it. We told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation. He told them to expect tribulation.

It sounds like that when Paul was teaching them, this was almost a basic doctrine of Christian living. When Paul was teaching the Thessalonians the ABCs of the Christian life, one of the things he incorporated into that as a very major component is this is how you suffer tribulation. This is how you face tribulation because you are going to happen. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter only of when.

It's coming. It's part of Christian living. For Paul, teaching about tribulation seems to be Christianity 101. That's not advanced doctrine. That's basic, simple doctrine. You're new Christians, but I taught you that when I was with you. In fact, it's even possible to understand Paul's words here to mean that he included the message about afflictions in his evangelism even before they came to Christ, if you can imagine that.

But that's probably part of it here. He told them, if you believe in Jesus, it'll bring tribulation. If you believe in Jesus, you're going to suffer persecution. If you believe in Jesus, you are going to be dishonored in your community. You are going to be considered shameful. You are going to be considered dishonorable. You are going to be considered undesirable. Now, come to Christ.

Oh, wait a minute. Our modern wisdom would say, you don't evangelize like that. Nobody will come. Every one of God's elect will come, and they'll come with a proper understanding of what they're in for.

They're not going to be sunshine patriots who sign up for something when they have no idea how difficult it's going to turn out to be. If they'll come to Christ knowing that, it's probably true Holy Spirit-wrought conversion. So expect tribulation.

Recognize its source. It comes from God. That's why Paul's prediction was fulfilled. When we were with you, we told you that you would suffer tribulation just as it happened, as you know. Paul is saying, I told you so. I told you so. So, therefore, don't be surprised. I told you so.

Don't act like it shouldn't be here. I told you so. And when it happened exactly like Paul had said, what did that do? That increased their confidence that Paul is speaking the truth. Paul is speaking for God. Paul is speaking by revelation. Paul knows what's going on and what will happen even in the future, not in every detail, but in general. He's exactly right, and it increased their confidence in him. That brings us finally to an urgent investigation of verse five.

This is all part of the helpful explanation. And Paul gives another reason for sending Timothy to them. It was not only to strengthen them, but also because Paul needed to know how they were doing. For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain. Paul restates his emotional anguish again.

Here he is, an emotional being. When we, when I could no longer endure, he'd already said that in verse one. And he reports how important it was to send somebody who could come back to Paul and tell him how the church was doing. Are they withering the attacks of Satan? Are they standing against persecution? Are they clinging to Christ, or are they wavering?

Are they abandoning the faith? And so he sent Timothy to find out how they're doing, and the next verses tell us that Timothy came back with a good report. But in this, Paul again reveals his fears. He fears, as he tells us in verse five, that the tempter could have been successful in their midst. Lest by any means the tempter had tempted you.

Lest by any means the tempter had been successful in tempting you, in enticing you, one way or another, away from Christ. So sometimes he's called Satan, our adversary. Sometimes he's called the devil, the accuser of the brethren. Sometimes he's called the tempter, because that's what he's doing all the time, tempting, tempting, tempting, tempting God's people.

That's another thing. Some people say, if I'm a true Christian, how come I'm still battling all these temptations? Because you are a Christian, and because there is a tempter, and that's what he does. And Paul realizes that it would be possible that his labors in Thessalonica might be wasted. That is, that it would turn out that all of them, I don't think he really thought this would happen, but it's certainly a hypothetical possibility that all of them would turn out to have a superficial faith, which would be abandoned when the sun came out with its affliction to scorch that new shoot that sprang up out of the rocky soil.

Thank God it didn't happen that way, but he said, I had to be assured that our labors were not in vain. Paul wasn't satisfied with empty professions. Paul didn't take the position, well, at least they made a profession of faith when I was there, and so I know that if they die, they're going to heaven no matter what else happens.

That wasn't Paul's concept at all. Paul knew that genuine conversions take time to ascertain. Yes, we rejoice when people profess that they have come to faith in Christ, but we also know that it takes some time to see if it's real, if it's genuine.

We rejoice, but we don't get giddy until we've had some time to observe the reality of their faith. Well, I want to mention two lessons that go out of this as I bring this to a conclusion. And both of them have to do about God's purpose for the body of Christ, why God has designed the body of Christ the way he has. And the first purpose is for teamwork, and the second purpose is for encouragement. Teamwork. This passage shows us that effective gospel labors require teamwork. We work together as a team. We work together as a body. We work together as partners in this work of the gospel. Every member of the body of Christ has different gifts, and every one of them are needed in order to accomplish the task that God has given to us. And our gospel work is less effective without every member participation. So don't let the tempter tempt you into thinking that my part's not important because I can't preach, I can't teach. I even have trouble talking to people about the Lord. I try to do it, but it doesn't come easily for me, so I can't do anything. Oh, banish those thoughts forever.

Understand that God has made the body with many gifts, and all of them are needed. And it's together working as a team with different members and different gifts doing different things that makes the labor effective. I was thinking about that again while reviewing these notes. I was thinking about that again this morning and thanking God for the people that God puts in the body who understand technology, who understand how to get us on sermon audio, who understand how to work the sound system, who understand how to make computers work and so forth. If the effectiveness of our ministry, who understand how to make the radio technical parts work, if any of that depended upon me, we would have none of it, none of it. And think how impoverished our overall church ministry would be without those members of the body exercising their gifts and we working together as a team, each doing what God has gifted us to do and the task that God has assigned to us. Thank God for those men who work at the sound board. Thank God for those people who work with the radio ministry.

Thank God for those who know what they're doing in those areas, because I don't. Thank God for teamwork in the body of Christ. The second purpose for the body of Christ is encouragement. We are emotional beings. By design, don't deny it, don't suppress it, don't try to act as if it's not so. We need to encourage one another, and that is one of our most important assignments, is to encourage one another. And those who don't think they need that probably need it more than the others. That's an illusion, to think I'm strong, I don't need that, I can go it alone.

Not as well as you think, in fact a whole lot more poorly than you imagine. Let me read again these familiar verses from Hebrews chapter 10, but think about it in the light of this message. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching. One of the primary purposes for the assembly of the saints is to encourage, strengthen, and minister to one another. If you have the mindset that we come to church to hear the sermon, and that's sort of the beginning and the end of what your concept is, you've missed a whole lot of it. Sure, that's a big part of it, that's important. God does minister to us in the sermon. That's very important, but that's not everything. And that's why there are some things that there's no replacement for, the assembly of the saints. Yes, you can get the preaching of the word sitting in front of your computer at home, but no, you can't very successfully stir up one another to love and good deeds when you're sitting in front of your computer at home. And this passage shows us how important that is. This is one of our most important assignments, shall we pray. Father, take your word and teach us your ways and show us your paths for the honor and glory of Christ, we pray. Amen.