1 Thessalonians 2:14-18 KJV
For ye, brethren, became followers of the
churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ
Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as
they have of the Jews:
Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own
prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to
all men:
Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they
might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to
the uttermost.
But we, brethren, being taken from you for a
short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see
your face with great desire.
Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I
Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
The
Apostle is giving his description of the contest he had experienced in
Thessalonica. Though the Gentiles there experienced oppression and persecution
from their own countrymen Paul's trouble came from the Jews who had forbidden
him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles that they might be saved. Paul
extended that trouble to a spiritual level and exclaimed that the problem was
Satan's hindrance.
And so we
may view any hindrance to getting the Gospel to a lost soul. It is the work of
Satan.
- When a border prevents a missionary from
crossing it is Satan's hindrance
- When a religious group refuses to welcome a
missionary into a community it is Satan's hindrance
- When violence breaks out and missionaries are
forced to flee (or worse) it is Satan's hindrance
- When economic problems prevent a once
generous congregation from giving as they once did, it is Satan's
hindrance
- When a people who used to support missions
turn inward and selfish, it is Satan's hindrance
No comments:
Post a Comment