‘A MINISTRY THAT SHEPHERDS THE SOUL’—
—1Thessalonians 2:1-12
‘A faith that soothes the soul’(1:1-10) leads to....
‘A Ministry that Shepherds the Soul’(2:1-12)
Paul, Sylvanus & Timothy exhibited a ministry that shepherded the soul of the Thessalonian Christians.
God-called men have a ministry that shepherds the soul.
What characterizes a ministry that shepherds the soul?
3 characteristics of ministry that shepherds the soul.
1—A ministry that shepherds the soul
Exhibits a SUBSTANCE(:1)
—Explanation:(:1) Lack of Vanity
:1—For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain,”
“Coming to you/Entrance in unto you”—eisodoV—An entrance
“Not in vain”—kenoV—Empty, vain, devoid of truth.
‘NOT with outward pomp & splendour, as the public entrances of ambassadors into cities usually are; but with great meanness, poverty, reproach, & persecution, having been lately beaten & ill used at Philippi’—Gill
—Argumentation:
Lk. 1:67-69—“And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, & prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us & accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant--”
Lk. 18:7-8—“now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day & night, & will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?””
Rom. 15:17-19—“Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word & deed, in the power of signs & wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem & round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.”
Rev. 10:7—“but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.”
—Illustration:
Our baseballs & softballs/15-20/1 is spongy rubber(full of air pockets) &1 is hollow plastic/Can’t get it across the plate or distance on the hit—too flimsy/SUBSTANCE missing
Car with no engine/SUBSTANCE missing
—Application:
?Your Pastor/Elders/Deacons exhibit a SUBSTANCE in their approach to ministry?
?You under a Ministry that Shepherd’s the Soul?
2—A ministry that shepherds the soul
Exhibits UNRELENTING CONFIDENCE(:2)
—Explanation:(:2) Unfaltering in Opposition/Boldness
:2—“but after we had already suffered & been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.”
“Mistreated”—ubrizw—To be insolent, to behave insolently, wantonly, outrageously.
Philippi—Acts 16:14-40—1)Lydia & family baptized; 2)Drove the possessing spirit out of Slave-girl with a spirit of divination;3)Master’s profit gone they beat & imprisoned Paul & Silas; 4)City officials begged them to leave the Philippi.
“Boldness”—parrhsiazomai—to use freedom in speaking, be free spoken; To speak freely; To grow confident, have boldness, show assurance, assume a bold bearing.
“Opposition/Contention”—agwn—The assembly of Greeks at their national games; An assembly, an arena or place of contest; A battle, struggle or contest. From agw meaning ‘to lead away from’.
—Argumentation:
1Jn. 4:15-19—“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, & he in God. And we have come to know & have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, & the one who abides in love abides in God, & God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, & the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.”
1Tim. 1:7—“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power & love & discipline.”
2 Corinthians 4:7-12—“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God & not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.”
—Illustration:
Our return from St. Joseph’s Penninsula St. Pk./Missed my turn off of FL 20 at Bristol,FL/Wife concerned/I continued heading east knowing that there were at least 3 more exits north/UNRELENTING CONFIDENCE
—Application:
?Your Pastor/Elders/Deacons exhibit an UNRELENTING CONFIDENCE in their approach to ministry?
?You under a Ministry that Shepherd’s the Soul?
3—A ministry that shepherds the soul
Exhibits GOD’S APPROVAL(:3-6)
/Not of Men
—Explanation:(:3-6)
:3—“For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit;”
“Exhortation”—paraklhsiV—A calling near, Summons; Admonitioin, Encouragement, Consolation. Noun form is the same word used to as a title for the Holy Spirit in Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7.
“Error”—planh—a wandering, a straying about; One led astray from the right way, roams hither & thither; Mental straying; Error, wrong opinion relative to morals or religion; That which leads into error, deceit or fraud.
“Impurity”—akaqarsia—Uncleanness; Physical; In a moral sense: The impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living; Of impure motives.
“Deceit”—doloV—Craft, deceit, guile.
:4—“But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts.”
“Approved/Allowed”—dokimazw— ‘To test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals; to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy.’
“Entrusted”—pisteuw—To believe; Be trusted with; To have confidence in.
“Gospel”—euaggelion—Good tidings.
“Pleasing”—areskw— ‘To please;To strive to please; To accommodate one’s self to the opinions desires & interests of others.’
“Examines”—dokimazw— ‘To test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals; to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy.’
Jer. 17:10—“I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”
Rom. 8:27—“& He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Heb. 4:13—“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open & laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
:5—“For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed--God is witness--”
“Flattering speech”—kolakeia—logw kolakeiaV—Flattering words—To praise excessively with a motive of self-interest.
“Pretext”—profasiV—A pretended cause; Literally a Covert or ‘Under appearance’
“Greed”—pleonexia—Greedy desire to have more, covetousness, avarice.
:6—“Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”
“Glory from men”—Praise & recognition from others.
“Asserted our authority/Been burdensome”— dunamenoi en barei—dunamai—To be able to do something; To be capable, strong & powerful—baroV—Heaviness, weight, burden, trouble.
—Argumentation:
1Cor. 2:4-5—“And my message & my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit & of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
Acts 2:22-23—““Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles & wonders & signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know--this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan & foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men & put Him to death.”
2Cor. 10:18—“For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”
Gal. 1:10—“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Heb. 11:1-2—“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.”
Jas. 1:12—“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
—Illustration:
Flower’s Baking Co. Bread vendor/Price increaseaccepted by customers/Not because of me but because I exhibited Flower’s approval in my heart & thus my attitude & actions/GOD’S APPROVAL
—Application:
?Your Pastor/Elders/Deacons exhibit an GOD’S APPROVAL in their approach to ministry?
?You under a Ministry that Shepherd’s the Soul?
4—A ministry that shepherds the soul
Exhibits PARENTAL LOVE(:7-12) Maternal & Paternal
**MATERNAL Love(:7-8)
—Explanation:(:7-8)
:7—“But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.”
“Nursing mother/Nurse”—trofoV—A Nurse
“Tenderly cares”—qalpw—to warm, keep warm; To cherish with tender love, to foster with tender care.
“Gentle”—nhpioV / hpioV—Infant / Affable, mild or gentle
“Children”—teknon—Emphasizes the idea of descent, giving prominence to the physical & outward aspects.
*Rather than asserting their authority or throwing their weight around, these 3 apostles proved themselves gentle. Reminiscent of how “a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.”
:8—“Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”
“Fond affection”—omeiromai—to desire, long for, esp. the longing of love.
“Impart”—metadidwmi—Impart or Literally— ‘Give after’.
“Lives”—yuch—Soul, breath of life—From yucw—meaning to cool by blowing.
“Very dear”—agaphtoV—Dear, Beloved, Esteemed.
—Argumentation/Illustration:
Isaiah 66:9-14—“Shall I bring to the point of birth, & not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God. “Be joyful with Jerusalem & rejoice for her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her, That you may nurse & be satisfied with her comforting breasts, That you may suck & be delighted with her bountiful bosom.” For thus says the LORD, “Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; And you shall be nursed, you shall be carried on the hip & fondled on the knees. “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” Then you shall see this, & your heart shall be glad, And your bones shall flourish like the new grass; And the hand of the LORD shall be made known to His servants, But He shall be indignant toward His enemies.”
—Application:
?Your Pastor/Elders/Deacons exhibit an MATERNAL LOVE in their approach to ministry?
?You under a Ministry that Shepherd’s the Soul?
**PATERNAL Love(:9-12)
—Explanation:(:9-12)
:9—“For you recall, brethren, our labor & hardship, how working night & day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
“Labor”—kopoV—A beating; Beating of the breast in grief or sorrow; Trouble; Intense laborious toil.
“Hardship/Travail/Toil”—mocqoV—labor, hard & often painful. It is the ordinary word for common labor which is the usual lot of humanity.
“Burden”—epibarew—Burdensome
“Proclaimed”—khrussw—Heralded; Publish publically.
:10—“You are witnesses, & so is God, how devoutly & uprightly & blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;
“Devoutly/Holily”—osiwV—Piously, holily.
“Uprightly/Justly”—dikaiwV—just, agreeably to right; Properly, as is right; Uprightly, agreeable to the law of rectitude.
“Blamelessly/Unblameably”—amemptwV—Blameless, so that there is no cause for censure.
:11—“just as you know how we were exhorting & encouraging & imploring each one of you as a father would his own children,”
“Exhorting”—parakalew—to call to one’s side, call for, summon.
“Encouraged/Comforted”—paramuqeomai—To speak to, address one, whether by way of admonition & incentive, or to calm & console; To encourage, console.
“Implored/Charged”—marturew—Bear witness, conjure, implore.
:12—“so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom & glory.”
—Argumentation/Illustration:
Lk. 19:41-44—“And when He approached, He saw the city & wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, & surround you, & hem you in on every side, & will level you to the ground & your children within you, & they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
—Application:
?Your Pastor/Elders/Deacons exhibit an PATERNAL LOVE in their approach to ministry?
?You under a Ministry that Shepherd’s the Soul?
—CONCLUSION—
Action:
A ministry that shepherds the soul Exhibits....
A LACK OF VANITY(:1)
UNRELENTING CONFIDENCE(:2)
GOD’S APPROVAL(:3-6)
PARENTAL LOVE(:7-11)
MATERNAL LOVE(:7-8)
PATERNAL LOVE(:9-11)
Presented 09/07/03am to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 39897
