2 Thessalonians 1:4
So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
Paul himself boasts about the Thessalonian believers in the congregations of God because of their patience and faith under every persecution and tribulation they endure, holding them up before other churches as an example and as ground for praise, rejoicing, and encouragement. Their steadfastness amid hardship and suffering made them a reason for glorying and a source of encouragement among the churches. His ministry among them included laboring with his own hands so as not to burden them and so as to give no one grounds to suspect selfish motives and thereby discredit the gospel.
Their patience and faith were accompanied by faith growing exceedingly and by love toward one another abounding, with trials drawing believers together in mutual care. That glorying rests on grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and on bounden thanksgiving to God for that abounding faith and love. Their endurance is clear evidence of the righteous judgment of God, showing they will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which they suffer.
The opening verses are to sink deep into every heart and to be studied together with the fifth chapter of 1 Thessalonians, to be heeded and carried into practice, and the whole chapter is a lesson of greatest importance. For believers facing oppression for their faith, persecution does not leave them abandoned but gives opportunity to remain faithful and encourage one another. Christians facing trials are to guard their souls, remain courageous, and grow in faith, hope, and love.
Opposition and unbelief coming into the churches is no cause for discouragement; the mind is to stay on the Lord, His armor is to be put on, unclear matters are to be rested with God, and the faith that works by love and purifies the soul is to be encouraged in the heart. The oppression and persecution the saints endured with patience and faith in Paul's day will soon come to all believers in this age in connection with laws exalting Sunday and putting human inventions in place of God's holy day.