Introduction:
A. Last week, in our sermon, we worked our way through 1 Thessalonians chapter one and noticed why the church at Thessalonica was a model church.
1. We discovered that they were a model church for at least three reasons: (1). Their Faithful Service. (2) Their Open Receptivity. (3) Their Evangelistic Influence.
2. Today we want to continue our study of the letters to the Thessalonians by moving into chapter two.
3. What we will notice is Paul’s description of his ministry among the Thessalonians.
4. From that description we have the opportunity to learn some important lessons about being model ministers and having a model ministry.
B. Before we get into the text let’s think for a minute about what model ministers and model ministry should look like.
1. Sometimes the best way to gain insight into something is to think about its’ opposite.
2. What would bad ministers or bad ministry look like?
C. Let’s look at a few cartoons to get us thinking.
1. In this first cartoon, the minister is being carried like a king by his followers. He says: “Just remember guys: you are doing this for God, not for me.” (Right! Some ministers are all about being served, rather than serving).
2. In this second cartoon, take a look at the door of this minister’s office…what is wrong with this picture? (If he is a humble servant, why is he listing his many degrees and credentials?).
3. I had to use this last cartoon for those “Lovers of Apple Technology” (Can a preacher minister effectively without an Apple I-Pad? I just don’t know!).
D. So far in our study of 1 Thessalonians, we have seen how the church at Thessalonica was born.
1. As I mentioned, last week we learned about how the church at Thessalonica was a model church.
2. Certainly the church would not have been planted nor would it have become a model church without the work of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. But as I mentioned in the introductory sermon, God always uses people to plant churches.
4. Not only does God use people to plant churches, God also uses people to grow churches.
5. The church at Thessalonica was born through the faithful preaching of the apostle Paul and his team, and then the church was nurtured through the faithful ministry of Paul and his team.
E. In the first 12 verses of chapter 2, Paul reminded the Thessalonians of the kind of ministry he had conducted among them as he taught and cared for that young church.
1. The first-century world was full of false spiritual leaders and charlatans, so it was easy for Paul’s critics and persecutors in Thessalonica to lump him in with those charlatans who ministered merely to gain personal power, wealth, and prestige.
2. Therefore, it was necessary for Paul to remind them of just how different and godly his ministry had been among them.
3. Let’s notice the three pictures of his ministry that emerge and see how they can be a model for our ministry.
I. A Model Ministry Includes Being a Faithful Steward
A. Let’s look at verses 1-6: 1 You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.
B. Paul points out that he and his team had been “entrusted with the gospel.”
1. Paul saw himself and his ministry as the stewardship of the good news about Jesus.
2. As you know, the steward owns nothing, but he possesses and uses everything that belongs to his master.
3. In the OT we read about the story of Joseph.
a. Joseph was a steward in the household of Potiphar (Gen. 39).
b. Joseph managed his master’s affairs and used all his master’s goods to promote his master’s welfare.
4. Every steward must give an account of his stewardship.
5. If the steward is found to be faithful, he will be rewarded; but if he is found to be unfaithful, he will suffer.
C. Let’s notice two things that were a part of Paul’s faithful stewardship.
1. First, Paul was a courageous steward.
a. Paul had been beaten and humiliated at Philippi; yet he came to Thessalonica and preached and faced persecution there as well.
b. Many of us would have taken a vacation after Philippi or had found an excuse not to preach at Thessalonica.
c. Not Paul, he was a courageous steward – he was not a quitter – he was determined to faithfully carry out his responsibilities, regardless of the personal pain or price.
d. How willing are we to be courageous stewards of God’s Word when we face trouble and persecution because we are trying to share the good news?
2. Second, Paul was a credible steward.
a. His credibility included several things.
b. First, he spoke the truth – his appeal did not spring from error. He taught only the truth.
c. Second, his motives were right – he was trying to please God – he wasn’t trying to please others, nor was he trying to make money – unlike some of the televangelists we have seen.
d. Third, his methods were right – he never tried to trick people or manipulate them through flattery.
- The word used here for “trick” was originally a fishing term that described using a lure to entice fish to bite the hook.
- If you have ever gone fishing you know that you try to put the worm on the hook in such a way as to hide the hook.
- I read about a meat store owner who had a sign in the front window that said in big letters “T – Bones 25 Cents” – but in fine print it said, “with meat $5.00.” There was no “bait and switch” with Paul.
e. So we see that Paul was a credible steward – he had the right motives, he spoke the truth, and never tried to trick people into being saved, like a salesman might trick a person into buying his product.
D. Our ministry must follow that same model – we must strive to be faithful stewards.
1. We must be courageous and credible in our stewardship.
2. Our motives for ministry must be as pure as our methods.
II. A Model Ministry Includes Being a Loving Mother
A. So if the emphasis of the steward is faithfulness, the emphasis of the mother is gentleness.
1. Paul wrote: As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
B. There are two aspects of motherhood that I see Paul using to illustrate his ministry.
1. First there is the gentleness of a mother.
a. Good mothers are characterized by gentleness.
b. Paul said that they were gentle among them.
c. How gentle? Like the gentleness involved in a mother nursing her child.
d. How is that for an amazing picture of gentleness? Just picture that young mother sitting in a rocking chair; gently holding her precious little one close to her as the baby is fed.
e. Even though Paul was a man of authority, he was careful to employ that authority in a gentle way, especially when he was working with babes in Christ.
f. Infants are so fragile and must be handled gently and must be spoken to softly.
2. The second aspect of motherhood that Paul used to illustrate his ministry was devotion.
a. Good mothers are devoted to their children.
b. What does a mother’s devotion cause them to do? Literally everything.
c. Their children are so dear to them that they would do anything for their child.
d. The devoted mother will work night and day for the good of her child.
e. Babies and children are a lot of work; they require a lot of attention.
f. The devoted mother can expect many sleepless nights, many mounds of laundry, many times of sacrificing what she might want to do, but that’s what good mothers do!
C. Paul was like a loving mother to the Thessalonians.
1. He helped bring them into existence.
2. He loved them and was devoted to them.
3. He was willing to sacrifice and labor so that their needs might be met, rather than his own.
4. He was gentle with them as he taught them the basics of Christianity and tried to help them grow up in the faith.
D. In truth, it is not easy to be a loving mother to our physical children, nor our spiritual children.
1. But that is what good ministry calls for.
2. It calls for us to be loving mothers to God’s spiritual children.
3. It calls for us to be gentle and devoted.
4. It calls for us to be willing to labor and toil; to be a blessing rather than a burden.
5. It calls for us to sacrifice for the good of the spiritual children we are trying to raise.
E. So, Paul’s ministry was a model ministry because he was a faithful steward and a loving mother.
III. A Model Ministry Includes Being a Concerned Father
A. So if the emphasis of the steward is faithfulness, and the emphasis for the mother is gentleness, what is the emphasis for the father? Attentiveness.
1. Paul wrote: 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
B. Paul considered himself a spiritual father to the Christians at Thessalonica.
1. As a concerned father, he was attentive to two things.
C. First of all, Paul was attentive to his example.
1. As with all leaders, a father’s duty is to lead by example, setting a standard of virtuous integrity for his family.
2. The effect of a father’s leadership is determined by the power of his example.
2. So Paul reminded the Thessalonians about the kind of example he strove to be while with them.
a. Paul was so sure of the example he had set that he called God as his witness.
3. Paul tried to set them an example of holiness, righteousness, and blamelessness.
a. The first word in the trio, “holy,” describes religious piety (reverence for God and fulfillment of religious duties), while the second word “righteous” pertains to moral conduct.
b. The last word “blameless” literally means “not able to find fault in.”
c. Paul’s enemies might accuse him of wrong, but he knew there was no proof of it.
d. The blameless person is not sinless, but they must be honest and seek to repent of any sin they are aware of.
4. If we want to be good examples in our families, communities and in our church, then we should strive to be like Paul in this way – holy, righteous and blameless.
5. As a good spiritual father, Paul was attentive to his example and so must we.
D. Second, Paul was attentive to communication.
1. Paul explained that he interacted with the Thessalonians like a father who deals with each of his children individually.
2. Children need their father’s to be attentive to their needs and to craft their communication to meet those needs.
3. The kinds of communication that fathers must give their children falls into the categories of encouragement, comfort and urging.
4. These three aspects of communication show the important balance that there must be – children need all three of these from time to time as the situation calls for.
a. Think about the kind of communication that children need when they are learning to walk.
5. Fathers must encourage.
a. Children can be easily discouraged – learning to walk is hard.
b. I don’t remember learning to walk, but I remember learning how to snow ski.
c. I must have fallen 1000 times that first day I was learning to ski – boy did I need a lot of encouragement!
d. What’s true for physical children is also true for spiritual children.
e. Fathers must guard against being overly critical and harsh.
f. Encouragement says, “I’m proud of you. You are coming along; I can see the changes. You are going to make it. I know you can do it. I am with you. Don’t give up.”
6. Fathers must comfort.
a. Children need a lot of comfort when they fall down – life can hurt, and we get our share of bumps and bruises.
b. That’s when fathers need to step in there and with a hug or an arm around the shoulder say, “I know it hurts and I know it’s hard, but I know you are going to get through it. It’s going to be alright.”
c. One of the worst things we can do when someone is hurting is tell them it doesn’t hurt, or ridicule them for having feelings.
d. When our physical or spiritual kids are trying to learn to walk and they fall down and hurt themselves, we must be ready to help them get up, and sooth them with comforting words.
7. Fathers must urge.
a. Beyond encouraging and comforting, sometimes there is also a need for urging.
b. If your child is 10 years old and still isn’t walking, then don’t you think it’s time for some urging.
c. Urging or imploring adds an element of authority and challenge.
d. Whenever there is deviation from the right course, then there needs to be some correcting.
E. And did you notice what the goal of this good fathering should be – helping our kids to live lives worthy of the Lord.
1. The goal of good ministry must be to help all of God’s children grow up to live lives worthy of our calling.
2. This passage gives us a beautiful example of proper Christian follow up.
3. Paul has shown us how to raise spiritual babies.
4. We must be faithful stewards, loving mothers, and concerned fathers.
5. If we don’t follow through in these ways then we will find ourselves being absentee workers, doting mothers or oppressive fathers.
6. No wonder the church at Thessalonica prospered in spite of severe persecution, and became a model for others.
7. They were born right and nurtured right.
8. Paul has left us an excellent model for ministry.
Conclusion:
A. I want to make two points about ministry as we bring this lesson to its conclusion.
1. First, the purpose and goal of Christian ministry never changes – it is always the same.
2. Second, there is nothing more important than Christian ministry.
B. Several years ago in the movie Hoosiers, Gene Hackman played the part of Norman Dale, a former college coach with a tainted past who was hired to coach a rural high-school basketball team from Hickory, Indiana.
1. Coach Dale led the team all the way to the state finals.
2. On the day of the semifinals, the team arrived at Butler Field House, the huge inner-city arena where they would play in just a couple of hours.
3. When the players entered the arena, their jaws fell slack and their eyes opened wide.
4. Gawking at the seats, the stand-alone goals, the suspended scoreboard, and the lights, they were awestruck and intimidated.
5. Coach Dale instructed one of his players to take a tape measure and determine the distance between the free-throw line and the goal.
a. “What’s the distance?” he asked. “Fifteen feet,” the player said.
6. The coach then told the smallest player on the team to climb on the shoulders of a taller player so they could measure the goal. “How high is it?” he asked. “Ten feet,” the player said.
7. Coach Dale said, “I believe you’ll find these are the exact same measurements as our gym back in Hickory.”
8. The team members nervously laughed and everybody began to relax.
9. As they exited the gym, Coach Dale turned to his assistant and whispered, “Sure is big isn’t it!”
10. The mission, purpose and goal of Christian ministry is always big and never changes.
11. It is the same regardless of the century or the country or the city we live it.
C. Let’s end with this short piece written by Daniel Webster called “The Glory of Ministry” – it points to the importance of ministry.
If we work upon marble, it will perish; if we work upon brass, time will efface it;
If we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; But if we work upon immortal minds, and instill into them just principles, We are then engraving that upon tablets which no time will efface, but will brighten and brighten to all eternity.
1. Let’s strive to embrace Paul’s model for ministry by being faithful stewards, loving mothers, and concerned fathers.
2. Nothing is more important than letting God minister through us.
Resources:
The NIV Application Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Michael W. Holmes, Zondervan, 1998.
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, John MacArthur, Moody, 2002.
The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Thessalonians, Warren W. Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989.
Three Pictures of Paul the Pastor, Sermon by Evie Megginson, SermonCentral.com
The Home – A Biblical Model for Leadership, Sermon by Mark Clarke, SermonCentral.com
