Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
Paul more than once desired to return to the believers at Thessalonica, but Satan prevented him when hostile Jews followed him to Berea, stirred up violence, and forced him to leave before he could revisit them. God in providence permitted this hindrance, which made the work difficult but could not stop the advance of the gospel. Satan still with all his power opposes every good to be done and the prosperity of the mission, hindering testimony, publishing of truth, and planned journeys through illness and attacks, magnified petty trials, human agents who block and divide workers, a wrong controlling spirit, and undue delay. Such hindrance is no cause for discouragement or waiting, but calls for prompt, courageous pressing forward in duty, trusting in the Lord with prayer and cheerful faith, knowing the truth will triumph.
Paul's Hindered Return
Paul more than once longed to go back to the believers at Thessalonica, yet was kept from doing so because Satan stood in the way. After he had left Thessalonica, hostile Jews followed him to Berea and stirred up tumult there, and the violence they raised forced him to depart before he could return to visit the Thessalonians again. Persecution thus drove him from Berea and deprived him of the revisit he repeatedly desired.
This hindrance was permitted by God in His providence, and though it made the labor of the apostles harder, it could not arrest the onward movement of the gospel. Paul did not abandon his calling under opposition and persecution but pressed forward in his mission. That onward course included the work among the Gentiles that had been opened to him in a vision at Jerusalem.
How Satan Hinders
Satan with all his power opposes every good to be done and the prosperity of the mission, seeking to hinder every means used to extend the truth and reach people. The same opposition is to be expected against work in the cities, and against the progress of the cause in a field or on a coast and the strong desire of workers to return to believers there. This hindering is done through human agents who act in aggravated ways to block and divide God's workers, for evil wherever it exists is opposed to right and works to separate those who would serve God from the influence that would help them serve Him.
He hinders assigned labor and the bearing of testimony to a wonderful degree. Obstacles keep workers from speaking and from doing their assigned work, so that their testimony makes less impression on many minds than before. This includes the hindrance of testimony and work at meetings, where a wrong spirit seeks to have controlling power but God works to prevent that spirit from controlling, and the truth will triumph.
He works in various ways through illness and frightening attacks on workers and their families and through opposition to publishing the truth, as in opposition to the publication of the paper. He magnifies petty trials and difficulties so that professed believers dwell on them and consume time that cannot be recovered, and he gains room through undue caution and delay that makes action difficult and lets opportunities pass, which calls for prompt action and pressing forward rather than waiting. When believers give way to this hindrance, the enemies of truth see their weakness, God is grieved, Christ is wounded, and Satan's plan succeeds, though God is willing and pleased to work in meetings.
Standing Firm Against Hindrance
1 Thessalonians 2:18 shows that Satan can hinder a journey through hardship, and a child's severe illness was his attempt to stop a family's traveling for religious labor and publication work. As Satan had hindered Paul from coming to the Thessalonians, so he opposed the publication of the paper and troubled its workers through illness and a frightening attack on their child. They understood the sickness as Satan's work to block the journey and chose to continue it trusting in the Lord. Prayer, faith, and Christ's strength enabled them to press on with their work, and the child recovered during the journey while the work continued.
Luther's illness on his way to Worms was the same kind of obstruction, Satan's attempt to stop him from reaching those he intended to visit by blocking a planned journey. Despite the illness he continued his journey. Such obstruction shows that Satan actively works to hinder progress, and undue caution and delay give him room to let opportunities pass, so workers must act promptly and press forward rather than wait until a later time.
Satan works busily in various ways to hinder the progress of the cause of truth on a coast or in a field and to hinder gospel workers who greatly desire to return to believers there. Giving up such a field to the enemy is a terrible mistake, while right management in the fear of God gains precious victories. Each person must therefore rally individually to the standard and by personal effort in the fear of God press back the opposing forces.
The same opposition is to be expected against work in the cities and against efforts to visit, minister, and bear testimony, for Satan seeks with all his power to hinder every good to be done, at times hindering the bearing of testimony to a wonderful degree so that it makes less impression and bringing a wrong spirit to meetings that seeks controlling power. God works to prevent that wrong spirit from controlling, and despite the hindrance of testimony and work the truth will triumph. Such hindrance is no cause for discouragement, but calls for special seasons of prayer, for refusing the enemy entrance, for leaving past, present, and future in God's hands, and for going right on doing duty in the fear of God, looking up and not down and cheerful in God, trusting in the Lord God of Israel knowing those who trust will triumph with the truth.
Paul more than once desired to return to the believers at Thessalonica, but Satan prevented him when hostile Jews followed him to Berea, stirred up violence, and forced him to leave before he could revisit them. God in providence permitted this hindrance, which made the work difficult but could not stop the advance of the gospel. Satan still with all his power opposes every good to be done and the prosperity of the mission, hindering testimony, publishing of truth, and planned journeys through illness and attacks, magnified petty trials, human agents who block and divide workers, a wrong controlling spirit, and undue delay. Such hindrance is no cause for discouragement or waiting, but calls for prompt, courageous pressing forward in duty, trusting in the Lord with prayer and cheerful faith, knowing the truth will triumph.
Paul's Hindered Return
Paul more than once longed to go back to the believers at Thessalonica, yet was kept from doing so because Satan stood in the way. After he had left Thessalonica, hostile Jews followed him to Berea and stirred up tumult there, and the violence they raised forced him to depart before he could return to visit the Thessalonians again. Persecution thus drove him from Berea and deprived him of the revisit he repeatedly desired.
This hindrance was permitted by God in His providence, and though it made the labor of the apostles harder, it could not arrest the onward movement of the gospel. Paul did not abandon his calling under opposition and persecution but pressed forward in his mission. That onward course included the work among the Gentiles that had been opened to him in a vision at Jerusalem.
How Satan Hinders
Satan with all his power opposes every good to be done and the prosperity of the mission, seeking to hinder every means used to extend the truth and reach people. The same opposition is to be expected against work in the cities, and against the progress of the cause in a field or on a coast and the strong desire of workers to return to believers there. This hindering is done through human agents who act in aggravated ways to block and divide God's workers, for evil wherever it exists is opposed to right and works to separate those who would serve God from the influence that would help them serve Him.
He hinders assigned labor and the bearing of testimony to a wonderful degree. Obstacles keep workers from speaking and from doing their assigned work, so that their testimony makes less impression on many minds than before. This includes the hindrance of testimony and work at meetings, where a wrong spirit seeks to have controlling power but God works to prevent that spirit from controlling, and the truth will triumph.
He works in various ways through illness and frightening attacks on workers and their families and through opposition to publishing the truth, as in opposition to the publication of the paper. He magnifies petty trials and difficulties so that professed believers dwell on them and consume time that cannot be recovered, and he gains room through undue caution and delay that makes action difficult and lets opportunities pass, which calls for prompt action and pressing forward rather than waiting. When believers give way to this hindrance, the enemies of truth see their weakness, God is grieved, Christ is wounded, and Satan's plan succeeds, though God is willing and pleased to work in meetings.
Standing Firm Against Hindrance
1 Thessalonians 2:18 shows that Satan can hinder a journey through hardship, and a child's severe illness was his attempt to stop a family's traveling for religious labor and publication work. As Satan had hindered Paul from coming to the Thessalonians, so he opposed the publication of the paper and troubled its workers through illness and a frightening attack on their child. They understood the sickness as Satan's work to block the journey and chose to continue it trusting in the Lord. Prayer, faith, and Christ's strength enabled them to press on with their work, and the child recovered during the journey while the work continued.
Luther's illness on his way to Worms was the same kind of obstruction, Satan's attempt to stop him from reaching those he intended to visit by blocking a planned journey. Despite the illness he continued his journey. Such obstruction shows that Satan actively works to hinder progress, and undue caution and delay give him room to let opportunities pass, so workers must act promptly and press forward rather than wait until a later time.
Satan works busily in various ways to hinder the progress of the cause of truth on a coast or in a field and to hinder gospel workers who greatly desire to return to believers there. Giving up such a field to the enemy is a terrible mistake, while right management in the fear of God gains precious victories. Each person must therefore rally individually to the standard and by personal effort in the fear of God press back the opposing forces.
The same opposition is to be expected against work in the cities and against efforts to visit, minister, and bear testimony, for Satan seeks with all his power to hinder every good to be done, at times hindering the bearing of testimony to a wonderful degree so that it makes less impression and bringing a wrong spirit to meetings that seeks controlling power. God works to prevent that wrong spirit from controlling, and despite the hindrance of testimony and work the truth will triumph. Such hindrance is no cause for discouragement, but calls for special seasons of prayer, for refusing the enemy entrance, for leaving past, present, and future in God's hands, and for going right on doing duty in the fear of God, looking up and not down and cheerful in God, trusting in the Lord God of Israel knowing those who trust will triumph with the truth.