Trouble and Suffering Will Come. 1st Thessalonians 3:4 Servants of God will suffer, but that does not mean suffering is due to sin. God permits the loneliness Paul experienced to occur in our lives at times. During those periods of desolation, we need assurance about the well-being of the saints, about our own calling, and to be reminded that God has not abandoned us. Problems and persecution can strengthen our faith in God. Often, the greatest work for God is accomplished when there are obstacles and opposition, and we realize our own inability to accomplish what needs to be done.
Paul never hesitated to tell the Thessalonians that they would face opposition, tribulation, and persecution simply because they became followers of Christ. That still happens today in every part of the world. When a born-again child of God testifies to their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, relatives, friends, and neighbors will often take the fact that you have been converted as a personal insult. “You’re as much as saying you are right and we are all wrong” is a common reaction when a convert says God has just saved them.
These things happen to preachers who expect them because they know the adversary does not give up his people without a fight. We are not surprised when such things arise against us and are not easily dismayed or deflected by them. But for new Christians, it is unexpected, even though they have been told that opposition will come when the power of God is seen and the Gospel is spread. There are consequences that come with new work that are often not seen after an assembly has been in a location for several years.