ES 1 Thess 2:1-6 - Marks of a True Steward of God
Paul’s mission to Thessalonica was brought to a sudden end when the Judaizers – enemies of the Gospel - stirred a public riot and brought charges against them.
• It became so intense that Paul and Silas had to take flight out of the city.
• Such a vacuum could have given the enemies the chance to discredit the Gospel and also slander the missionaries.
• “They were simply not sincere and genuine; they fled and abandoned the church they started.”
And so it seems. Paul wrote back. In the next two chapters, we see how he set the picture right and put away all possible misconceptions.
• Paul rehashed how he came to the Thessalonians and what he did among them, which was known to all.
• He explains why they were forced to leave and their longing to return and see them again.
• 2:17-18 17But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavoured the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.
In retelling his time with them, Paul models for us the attitudes of a good steward of God who is entrusted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• I like to highlight the INTEGRITY of his ministry and the AUTHENTICITY of his life. Nothing false, nothing fake.
• As stewards of God, these are the lessons we can learn from Paul:
1. Paul’s Ministry is Marked by INTEGRITY, Nothing False.
Paul came to them as an open book. Nothing was hidden.
• 1:5 “You KNOW what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”
• 2:1-2 “1For you yourselves KNOW, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you KNOW, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.”
• No doubt they HEARD the Gospel from him but they also SAW the way he lived.
Paul said 6 times that they were his witnesses and 3 times God was his witness.
• We read verses 1 and 2 that they KNOW… 2:5 “For we never came with words of flattery, as you KNOW, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.”
• 2:9 “9For you REMEMBER, brothers, our labour and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”
• 2:10 “10You are WITNESSES, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.”
• 2:11 “11For you KNOW how, like a father with his children…” – how we exhorted you and encouraged you…
God is his witness – three times, in 2:4 we “please God who tests our hearts”, 2:5 “God is witness” and 2:10 “You are witnesses and God also…”
• What men cannot see, God sees.
Paul’s conduct among them was public, able to “face the light”. His conduct was open and transparent to the people and to God, both are his witnesses.
• Paul has been honest and true to his calling and he had nothing to hide. That’s integrity.
Apostle Peter wrote this in 1 Peter 3:15-16
• 15But in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame.
• We maintain a “good conscience”, a clear conscience so that any false accusations or slander against us ultimately cannot stand.
• Those who try to malign us will be ashamed of their actions.
Blessed is the man who has nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of, who is known for WHO he is and WHAT he does, in Christ.
• He can stand before the God “who tests our hearts” (2:4) without fear.
Some time back, on the cover of the New York Herald Tribune Sunday magazine, was a picture of the Statue of Liberty, taken from a helicopter. From that angle, it showed the top of the statue’s head.
The reporter was amazed at the detail there. The sculptor had done a painstaking job with the lady's face and dress, and yet he must have been thinking that the only eyes that would ever see this detail (from the top of her head) would be the eyes of seagulls. He could not have dreamt that any man would ever fly over this head.
Yet he was artist enough, to finish off this part of the statue with as much care as he had devoted to her face and her arms, and the torch and everything that people can see as they sail up the bay.
“When you are creating a work of art or any other kind of work, finish the job off perfectly. You never know when a helicopter, or some other instrument not at the moment invented, may come along and find you out.”
For the Christians, we know God is always watching.
Paul models such a life and ministry for us.
• He set a very high benchmark but this is what we ought to strive for – to be open, truthful and transparent in life and ministry.
• That’s the mark of a good steward of God. We are accountable to God.
Looking at the Thessalonians, it seems likely they have learned.
• Paul came to know of their work of faith and labour of love (1:3) and that they have become imitators of them and Christ (1:6).
John Stott [Bible Speaks Today, The Message of Thessalonians, p.44]:
“No church can spread the gospel with any degree of integrity, let alone credibility, unless it has been visibly changed by the gospel it preaches. We need to look like what we are talking about. It is not enough to receive the gospel and pass it on; we must embody it in our common life of faith, love, joy, peace, righteousness and hope.”
2. Paul’s Life is Marked by AUTHENTICITY, Nothing Fake.
Before coming to Thessalonica, Paul and Silas had been persecuted in Philippi.
• They suffered both injury and insult, beaten with rods and thrown into prison with their feet fastened in stocks. We know that from Acts 16.
• Yet Paul and Silas prayed and sang in the prison. An earthquake struck and the eventual outcome was the salvation of the jailor and his family.
• They saw the authenticity of the Christian life.
• The persecution did not hinder the work of God but expanded it.
Again when they came to Thessalonica, the Gospel was met with strong opposition.
• 1:6-7 – Yet the believers became imitators of them and of the Lord.
• They “received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and they became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”
• The persecution did not curtail the spread of the Gospel but expanded it.
Paul said, “…we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.” (2:2)
• Paul did not change anything; he preached the Gospel as it is, even amid the opposition and persecution.
• Paul could not control the circumstances or how people would respond to the Gospel but he could draw on the courage God gives to preach it.
• For “we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.” (2:4)
Paul speaks the Gospel and lives it as it is, nothing more and nothing less.
• 2:3 “For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive…” No ulterior motives or personal agenda.
• 2:5 “For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.”
• No changing of the message to gain favour or approval or self-gain.
• Sadly this is very prevalent today but Paul would not manipulate the message in any way to suit his audience or for his own benefit.
We see Paul’s faith in the Gospel.
• Acts 17:2-3 “2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
Look at the way he made references to the Gospel of God:
• 2:2 “We had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God...”
• 2:4 “Approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel…”
• 2:8 “Share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves…”
• 2:9 “We proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”
• 2:13 “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”
Rom 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
• It is not about what I say but what God has said through the Scriptures…
• That we are to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be transformed by the power of God, which the Thessalonians did and experienced.
Paul did not try to mince his words, sugar-coat the message, or manipulate or trick the people into believing.
• He did nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. No striving for personal glory, power, position or prestige.
• Rather he came with a pure motive and a genuine love for the people. Nothing false and nothing fake.
That’s a faithful steward of God who is entrusted with the Gospel.
• The Lord says in Luke 16:10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
• We learn not to compromise even in the smallest way.
• If we allow ourselves to be dishonest in the slightest way, we will soon find ourselves compromising in a big way.
CONCLUSION
Paul models for us the example of a true STEWARD of God:
– One who is approved of God, seeking only to please Him, not men;
- Presenting the truth of the Gospel as it is: no compromise and no fear.
- With no impure motives: no personal agenda or selfish motivations.
- All that he did was open for all to see and completely above board.
Let us learn from Paul and be good stewards of God.
• Ultimately, we are accountable to God. God tests our hearts. He alone knows the true motivations behind our actions.
• Our integrity and authenticity in service are what matter most in His eyes, not how others perceive us. We live to please God, not men.
This must ultimately define our life and ministry.
• We are NOT serving for ourselves, our own glory, or even for the church.
• We serve God and seek to please Him in every way.
• We are motivated by His approval and not the praises of men.
PRAYER:
Lord, help us serve You with clean hands and a pure heart. Let us live the Gospel and proclaim it with integrity and authenticity. We live what we preach.
May we reflect the heart of Christ in all that we do, seeking not our own glory but Yours alone.
Empower us with Your Spirit, Lord, to be faithful and true in our calling. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, AMEN.
