1 Th 3:2 And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: 3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. 4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. 5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. 

Oftentimes, when sufferings and afflictions come upon us in our lives, we desire that these things be moved far away from us. And it is the natural reaction of the soul and flesh to do everything possible to avoid afflictions and sufferings that might come our way.

And our Father knows that this is the case, and He has provided us with the doctrine which is according to godliness, and the doctrine whereby we will have deliverance, and salvation from our afflictions and sufferings. Now, this does not mean that we are going to be physically delivered, or that God is going to put His hand physically in front of our afflictions that we face today. But it is by His living Word that we receive the “salvation,’ and deliverance from these things. And as we see in verse 3 above, Paul says that these Saints should not be “moved by” those afflictions, because Paul taught them the glory associated with those things that they would face for Christ’s sake. And Paul says that they be not tempted, and that is, being “tempted” to have their afflictions separated from them, and being tempted from operating upon the love of Christ, because they ought to be not moved away from the hope that is in the gospel given unto them when the afflictions would come their way. And Paul says that they were appointed unto this privilege to suffer for Christ’s sake, this does not mean that they were appointed to suffer, but that they were appointed to the ministry, and to walk in godliness, and by doing such, they would suffer persecution for Christ’s sake.

Col 1:22 In the body of his [Christ’] flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 

Moreover, the Thessalonian Saints understood, and was taught by Paul the glory of associated with the sufferings of Christ. And notice in Colossians chapter 1:22, and in first Thessalonians chapter 3:13, Paul makes mention about being “unblameable.” Paul teaches the Saints that they ought not to be moved away from the ‘calling’ that they have in Christ for the ministry’s sake. These Saints understood that “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” They knew that when they ‘are weak, then are they strong.’ They knew that the power of Christ would rest upon them when they were weak for Christ’s sake, and they did not fall victim by the temptation of this world in being moved away from the glory of operating upon the selfless love of Christ. They were not “tempted by the tempter,” nor did they allow themselves to be separated from the love of Christ. And when we today desire that God would take away sufferings, tribulations, and afflictions out of our lives, we are desiring that God would take away the very thing that will not only make us strong, but it makes Christ’s strength “perfect” in our weakness. God is not going to physically deliver us from our sufferings, but He has given us the doctrine of His Word to strengthen our inner man when we face the afflictions of the gospel, or whether we go through the sufferings of this present time today.

1Th 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith? 11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. 12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. 

Furthermore, as we see Philippians chapter 1:29 say, it is given on the “behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but to suffer for His sake” also. This gift is given on His behalf, and this ‘gift’ is given by God, and this is not in hope that we will suffer, but he has given us the privilege to operate upon his word when we are going through the sufferings of this present time, or facing the afflictions of the gospel for Christ’s sake. And this is where the godly deliverance, and the salvation from sufferings is found, and it is found within His Word. God desires that we know Him through His Word as the “God of all comfort,” and that we also know Him through His Word as the “God of peace.” And God’s Word is designed to comfort us in our time of afflictions, and sufferings, but the natural man desires to avoid sufferings at all cost. This is the natural response of our flesh, and our soul, and as we see Paul’s exhortation unto the Saints, he reminds them of the glory, and the selfless love of God, and this selfless love of Christ for their sakes.

2Ti 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 

Finally, being appointed unto the afflictions of the gospel relates to being given this ‘Divine privilege’ on the “behalf of Christ,” and it is our Father’s gift unto us to suffer for Christ’s sake. And when someone is appointed unto something it is usually a privilege, and a ‘favored position.’ And as we see in the verses below, Paul understands that a son would not let ‘anything,’ not even the sufferings of his own flesh, separate him from this privilege to suffer for Christ’s sake, and to be “more than a conqueror through” the love of Christ, and the doctrine which is according to godliness. And this is what Paul means when he says,” in all these things,” Paul never says that he is being taken away from those sufferings, but he says that he is more than a conqueror while he is going through those things in Christ. And it is by the doctrine of the “God of all comfort” that we be “persuaded,” and we are “killed all the day long” for Christ’s sake, and the faithful in Christ are those that are “appointed thereunto” these things. And as Paul says he will allow “nothing” to separate him from the love of Christ. And asking God to take sufferings, and afflictions away from us, will be separating us from the glory, separating us from the gift that we have been appointed unto, but also separating us from operating upon this selfless love of Christ when we are suffering, instead of operating upon the power of Christ whereby when we are weak then are we strong, and Christ strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

• By Rod Jones