Proclaiming The Good News Rightly Series

Proclaiming the Good News Righteously

1 Thessalonians 2:1-6

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

For over 2,000 years humanity has been wrestling with how to proclaim the Good News. As I hear ministers proclaim God’s word using flattery and “watered down” proclamations of “self-reflection-based righteousness,” I can’t help but be sad that the predicted time has come when people will no longer put up with sound doctrine but only accept what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-5). As I point my condescending finger outward I do so with great humility for inwardly I am far from blameless and upright! But it is not sinlessness that Christ demands of His ambassadors but merely for one to offer one’s body as a living sacrifice by striving through the power of the Holy Spirit to no longer conform to the ways of this world (Romans 12:1-2). So, with many specks in my own eyes, I pray that God would search my heart, reveal my sin and through confession continue to renew my mind in His holy precepts! You have my word that I will strive to preach the word of God not to appease either you or the culture but only God Himself! Centuries ago, Apostle Paul told the church of Thessalonica how important it was to preach the Good News with motives that were pure and blameless in God’s sight. Please turn in your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 and see how Paul handled the demand of his culture to water down God’s truth!

Bold Preaching

If one is to preach the Gospel to the nations with passion and truth, Paul rightly reminds the Thessalonians, such a high calling often comes at the price of great persecution! Paul invites them to remember how he suffered outrageously in Philippi. One day Paul was going to the place of prayer and met a woman who could predict the future and “earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling” (Acts 16:16-17). Because she kept repeating the phrase, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved,” Paul commanded in the name of Jesus Christ the spirit leave her (18). When the owners realized they she was no longer demon possessed and could no longer make money from this woman, they ceased Paul and Silas and “dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities” (19). Their accusation was that “these men are Jews and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice” (20-21). The magistrates ordered Paul and Silas to be stripped, beaten with rods, and after having been severely flogged thrown into prison, their feet fastened with stocks (22-24). It was not just “considered an outrage for a Roman citizen to be flogged without a trial” but in the customs of Paul’s day such public shaming was extremely effective in degrading not only their own personal honor but their Gospel message as well!

Paul told the Thessalonians this persecution ironically did not lead to shame but authenticating the messengers and the Message! Because Paul preached the Gospel and many became followers of Christ this created jealously and animosity from some of the Jews and “fellow citizens” of Thessalonia. These two groups started a “smear campaign” against Paul, questioning his character and integrity. They accused Paul of being like the Cynic philosophers and wandering teachers of his day who promoted gods, “were dispensers of salvation, adroit and eloquent” but had “the notorious reputation for being interested solely in winning praise and financial gain.” Paul states that his “courage, confidence, boldness, and fearlessness,” were gifts given to him by God! He took no payment from preaching and lived his life in a “manner worthy of the Gospel” (Philippians 1:27-28), even in the face of intense persecution. “Contrary to cultural norms, the apostolic team did not attempt to hide the fact of their beating. Nor could they have hoped to gain sympathy, as if their experience was proof of the sincerity of their beliefs.” He did not grumble or complain when the opposing groups treated him unjustly but instead remained blameless and pure child of God “without fault in a warped and crooked generation” (2:14-16). Instead of holding a grudge against his humiliating treatment in Philippi, he chose to “forget what is behind” strain forward and press on to “win the prize for which God called him heavenward in Christ Jesus” (3:13-14).

Reflection. God calls us to have the same kind of commitment when ministering to others. The kind of God-given courage Paul and Silas showed at Thessalonica is sadly missing in the lives of many Christians today. As Christ’s ambassadors and royal priests we too are called to be holy and to serve, calculating and accepting the costs of any ministry He assigns to us (Luke 14:28)! How can we as God’s own truly inspire the world to give up their broad path of pleasure when we ourselves are unwilling to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus? How can we ask others to embrace the Gospel wholeheartedly and live in accordance with its principles if we are not willing to submit ourselves to our Creator and boldly declare, even amid adversity, "Here I am, use me"? Is not unspeakable joy and love in midst of persecution authenticate our unwavering trust and faith in the Lord as our portion and theirs?