What does 1 Thessalonians 2:2 mean?
Paul had suffered at Philippi for the sake of the gospel. He and Silas had been beaten and imprisoned at Philippi (Acts 16:19–24), but they did not abandon their missionary ventures. Instead, God gave them the courage to preach the gospel at Thessalonica in spite of fierce opposition.Later in his missionary career, Paul met with the elders of the church at Ephesus. He was on his way to Jerusalem, where his life was in jeopardy, but he was determined to proceed to Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit had testified to him in every city "that imprisonment and afflictions" awaited him (Acts 20:23). He told the elders, "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). Such courage remained a part of Paul's character until he reached the end of life. From prison, where his martyrdom was imminent, he declared, "…the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:6–7).