But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you – certainly I, Paul, did, again and again – but Satan stopped us. (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18)
The Apostle Paul is here writing to a group of believers who have come to faith through his ministry. He has been separated from them for some time and he sees this as the work of the enemy, Satan.
Satan’s strategy among Christians is to divide and conquer. If Satan can keep us from gathering together for worship, enjoying fellowship with one another, serving side-by-side in the Spirit of Christ, the strength of our mission and ministry is diminished and we are less effective in spreading God’s love.
This week I had coffee with a pastor who serves a church God has recently transformed from a dying church into a vibrant ministry. A couple of years ago, God led this church to merge with another church (that was also dying) and, out of this has emerged a strong, growing faith fellowship that serves two communities, bringing people to Christ and leading them in faith and in love.
We can do so much more together – as individual believers and as churches, if we break through Satan’s attempts to divide and conquer us and come together in the Spirit of Christ’s love.
