1 Thessalonians 2 verses 1 to 12: Faithful Ministry in a Fake News World

 

Introduction

How do you react when you are wrongly accused?

Most of us, I am sure, will want to defend our action and intentions. We will want to explain why the allegations are false. We will call on others to witness to our innocence.

When we first read our passage today it can feel as if Paul is doing something similar. However, as we explore the passage further, we will see he is doing more than defending his ministry.

So far, Paul has provided assurance to the Thessalonians about the genuineness of their faith. However, he is also aware that doubts have been circulating about him and his ministry. So Paul writes to answer his critics by showing that his was a ministry given by and focussed upon Christ.

Paul reminds the Thessalonians that his ministry among them was aimed at pleasing God and caring for His People through faithful Gospel proclamation in the face of suffering. And so, our passage can be understood like this:

Price (verses 1 to 2)

Purity (verses 3 to 6)

Pastor’s Heart (verses 7 to 12)

 

 

Paul provides a striking portrait of faithful Christian ministry. Alongside a willingness to suffer for the Gospel, there must be a faithfulness to the Gospel and a desire to please God rather than anyone else. Alongside a concern to preach God’s Word, there must be a sacrificial commitment to love, care and work amongst God’s People to encourage them to greater spiritual maturity.

In describing ministry in this way, he defends himself against the various slanderous accusations that have been levelled against him and has also provided a wonderful example of faithful ministry for us to follow today.

So let us turn, firstly, and consider the… Price

Our passage begins in verse 1: You know, brothers and sisters…

This begins a section where Paul defends his character and ministry before the Thessalonians. This wasn’t because Paul was insecure about his ministry, but because his enemies in Thessalonica sought to undermine him and his message.

Paul’s self-defence reveals the allegations he was facing from those who were seeking to unsettle the Believers in Thessalonica by undermining him; they probably said something like this:

This Paul fellow ran away and hasn’t been heard of since- when things got too difficult, he scarpered to exploit some other group where things are easier. He doesn’t really care about you or his message! He used every trick in the book and then he abandoned you! He was obviously only ever interested in using you to enhance his reputation as a travelling speaker and make some money along the way

For young Believers, facing persecution, this would have been heartbreaking to hear.

Rightly Paul feels the need to refute these allegations, and he starts by showing his ministry was not linked with a life of ease and prosperity. In verses 1 and 2 he effectively says: Brothers and sisters, you know from your own experience that I didn’t come to you as a mere peddler of philosophy for profit. Think of the brutality endured in Philippi- flogged naked and imprisoned unfairly. And so, we (my companions and I) came to you only because God called us to do it. We came to share His Gospel even though it would likely mean more conflict for us- we were prepared to suffer because God has called us and we genuinely care for you.

Paul had not preached the Gospel only when it was convenient or simply because it served his self-interest. He knew what it was to face fierce opposition as he shared the Gospel. Wherever he went, he and his fellow workers experienced suffering, insults and shameful treatment- and they kept on preaching!

This was certainly the case in Philippi and in Thessalonica. Indeed, Paul arrived in Thessalonica with the wounds on his back from Philippi still fresh. It wasn’t a simple thing to come to Thessalonica and preach the gospel. Paul is clear that he depended completely on God to have the courage to come, as he knew it would inevitably involve more suffering.

So, faithful ministry is marked by a willingness to suffer for the Gospel. We must count the cost and be willing to pay the price.

Paul, the imitator of Christ, took seriously the call to suffer for his Master and give his life in the cause of the Gospel. The call of Christ is to give up our lives so that we can gain full life in the Kingdom of God. The call of Christ is the call to lay up treasure in eternity through giving up comfort in the here and now.

The lives of past saints are a challenge to us in the contemporary Church. So many have been willing to suffer for the cause of the Gospel and see many reached near and far for the glory of God.

Think of Jim Elliot and his four fellow missionaries who were martyred as they sought to reach the Auca tribe in Ecuador. Each was married; four were fathers, and one wife was pregnant. These men understood the risks; their wives had even spoken about the possibility of widowhood.

Jim Elliot famously said: ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’. Jim Elliot, understanding the emptiness of what this world can offer, was willing to pay the price for the cause of Christ. Jim Elliot and his family paid the ultimate price for the Gospel- they knew that our calling as Believers is to take up their cross to follow Christ.

We may not be called to die in a jungle, But we are called to die to self- to sacrifice our comfort and plans- so that we might live fully for Christ and fruitfully witness for Christ.

It is only with the help of God that Paul was able to dare to share the Gospel. Similarly, it is only with the help of God that we will be able to share the Gospel in our own day. And when the reality of His love for us really takes hold of our hearts, then we want to tell others of that  love- whatever that may cost us.

We are called to pay the price. But we are also called to… Purity

 

 

 

You will remember that Thessalonica was strategically important city and a melting pot of various cultures and religions. As such, it would have seen its fair share of itinerant preachers, travelling speakers, and popular philosophers. Some of these men were sincere, most were opportunists and cranks, using their rhetorical skills to grab the attention of the crowds and line their pockets.

In this context it understandable how easily his critics could have questioned his motives- he was just another ‘preacher for hire’. And it may have been tempting for Paul to ‘adapt’ his message and ‘adjust’ his methods to get the crowds onside.

However, in verses 3 and 4 Paul appropriately responds to his critics:

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.

These verses are the key to understanding our passage.

Paul insists that his message was true, his motives were pure and his methods were above board. In what he said, and in why and how he said it, he was free from anything underhand.

He preached the Gospel- a message from God- as one approved by God. And in all he did, his aim was to please God, not people.

Like Paul, we live in a world where people will seek popularity and use it for their own gain. We live in a world where many promise much and deliver very little- satisfaction and salvation are offered by social media influencers, genuine but misguided teachers, and those who are simply out to get what they can.

But we are called to be people of purity- our message, motives and methods must honour God. We must cling to the truth of the Gospel- our precious, life-giving message. We must value truth and integrity over pragmatism and popularity. And we must live for the glory of God not the applause of man.

Paul’s life and ministry centred around pleasing God rather than himself or anyone else; in verses 4 to 6 he explains:

We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.  You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed- God is our witness.  We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else…

Paul’s underlying aim was to please God because he had been entrusted with the Gospel message by God. Knowing that God had approved Him and would assess his faithfulness was what guided Paul in his ministry.

We could think of it this way: if someone entrusted us with their money or car for a specific purpose, we could use it for ourselves or to impress others- but that would betray the intention of the person who trusted us with it. Paul knows that he is accountable to God. And so he calls on God as his witness that he has acted faithfully according to God’s desire when the Gospel was entrusted to him.

So, faithful ministry is marked by a desire to be faithful to God and the Gospel message. Pleasing God is essential. The Gospel is His Gospel. It belongs to Him and therefore we have no liberty to change it, whether by watering it down or omitting certain aspects.

 

Every Believer has been entrusted with the Gospel. So we share it faithfully. People will react in different ways to the Gospel, but it is God’s approval that matters and this should shape the way we share the Gospel. Having been entrusted with the Gospel, the crucial issue is whether we have maintained our purity as we have ministered.

Faithful ministry, then, is about pleasing God through a willingness to endure suffering for the Gospel and a determination to truthfully present the Gospel. Paul maintains this is how he acted and the Thessalonians have witnessed this reality.

Paul then goes on to teach that faithful ministry is also about loving God’s People. Again Paul grounds this in what the Thessalonians witnessed during his mission with them- they experienced for themselves the… Pastor’s Heart

In verses 7 through 12 Paul develops the point he made in verses 3 and 4. In contrast to the travelling speakers of the day who peddled philosophy for profit and prestige, Paul and his companions preached the Gospel with integrity. They didn’t seek the praise of men, but were faithful to the message, gentle with God’s People, and they loved them sacrificially.

In fact, Paul deliberately avoided behaviours that might lead people to doubt the truthfulness of the message. And so, in verses 6 and 7, he is clear that although, as an Apostle, he had certain rights he chose not to exercise them so that he wouldn’t be a burden to the Thessalonians. Then in verse 9 he makes a similar point:

… we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached…

Paul took every possible precaution to ensure his Gospel ministry couldn’t be compromised by insulation or false accusation.

As an apostle he had a right to be supported in his ministry- he could have made demands for financial aid or imposed his authority. But for the sake of the Thessalonians and for the integrity of the Gospel, he voluntarily gave up his rights.

Instead, he preached by day and worked as a tentmaker by night. Paul was not ashamed of doing any sort of work that would help further the Gospel. While the other travelling philosophers would have despised manual labour and thought it below them, Paul embraced all that was necessary to further the Gospel.

Paul modelled the Gospel in his lifestyle and behaviour. He embodied what it meant to truly, sacrificially follow Christ. So, just as Christ had not grasped His privileges, Paul loved God’s People with a sacrificial love.

Throughout verses 5 to 7 Paul spells out the behaviours he avoided. And in verses 7 to 12 he speaks of the heart behind his care for the Thessalonians.

Here Paul uses too striking, parental pictures. Firstly, in verses 7 to 8 Paul uses the picture of a nursing mother gently caring for her little children, coping with sleepless nights and developing a bond of love and affection. So, instead of milking them for financial gain, he provided spiritual milk for them with genuine affection and deep concern. Rather than taking from them, he had given them the Gospel and had given himself- working tirelessly for them with sacrificial love and affectionate commitment.

Then, Paul switches the metaphor to the image of a father. In verse 10 he speaks of how as a father he wanted to set them a good example, modelling appropriate Christian behaviour; then in verses 11 and 12 we read:

For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Paul wanted to see them grow in Christian maturity. So, as a father, Paul got alongside these Believers giving them instruction and encouragement so that their lives would bring honour to God. Faithful ministry involves journeying with Believers in the walk of faith so that they might reach the goal.

Faithful ministry requires us to love God’s People with a love that is sacrificial and committed, desiring that our fellow Believers will grow in Godliness through an appreciation of God’s love. As those who have experienced God’s love, we must desire to show that love. As those who are growing in Christlikeness, we must want to see our fellow Believers growing in maturity, advancing in faith, and living life with fullness.

 

Conclusion

As we conclude our time considering Paul’s faithful ministry- pleasing God and loving God’s People- we should be mindful of the lessons we are to draw from this passage. Here we learn that we are to live to please God, not people, because we belong to Him and not the world.

In Paul’s faithful Gospel ministry, we are given an example to follow in four ways:

• Paul had a clear sense of priorities: For Paul, serving God was the most important thing. Paul made it his priority to please God as a servant of Christ.

Are we living our lives to please God above all else? Is God, and His glory, the first and last thought in the decisions we make?

 

• Paul had a clear concern for the integrity of the Gospel: Paul was careful about how he presented the Gospel- proclaiming the truth of the Gospel truthfully. And Paul ensured that his conduct did not compromise the message he proclaimed.

Are we careful about how we live before our neighbours, colleagues and friends so that we might point them to Jesus? Does our walk match our talk?

 

• Paul really loved those to whom he ministered: Paul loved these Believers like they were family- because, in Christ, they were! He didn’t love them at a distance, but sacrificially and affectionately sought their good. The love of Christ provoked a deep and genuine love for His People.

Does the love of Jesus for us motivate and maintain our love for those in our congregation? And does our love for others cost us? Will we love and serve others even if we do not benefit from doing so, or if it actually puts a strain on our money, time, agenda?

 

• Paul was clear about what he did and why he did it: Paul’s goal was that the Believers would live lives worthy of the Gospel and enjoy fullness of life in following Christ.

Are we- as individuals and as a congregation- clear about what we do and why we do it? Or do we just do things because they are comfortable?

Faithful ministry calls all Believers to remember that we live to please God not people. We belong to God, called to Him in Christ at great cost, so we live for Him so that all might know Him and fullness of life in Christ.