The Thessalonians # 5

As he was pounding away, he noticed that a little boy was watching him. The youngster did not say a word so the preacher kept on working, thinking the boy would leave. But he did not. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the preacher finally said, “Well son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening, huh?” The boy answered, “No sir, I’m just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer.”

The world today is watching, looking for leaders. Leaders who can react in a way that is pleasing to the Lord during trying times. Right before Paul went to Thessalonica, he had been humiliated and abused in Philippi. Then he got into another difficult situation in Thessalonica. In fact, it seems that during most of Paul’s ministry he was “jumping from the skillet into the frying pan.” Through all of this Paul revealed the Lord to the people.

Illus: Someone said that Paul never called ahead to make reservations at the local inn, he pretty much knew he would be sleeping in the city jail.

Nevertheless he always exhibited good leadership qualities through the trials he went through.

Illus: Moses had been a great leader, but under stress he would get angry.

Nowhere do we find that the apostle Paul did anything other than bring glory to the Lord. Moreover, he was a tremendous leader. He taught other men how to be great leaders. Throughout his writings we read that he had men with him who were being trained. Oh how we need men like that today!

Illus: Every church that hopes to do anything for the Lord must have strong spiritual leaders. A church must have someone to lead...

• The music

• The ushers

• The choir

• The Sunday School department

• The youth

• The elderly ministry

• The bus ministry

• The kitchen ministry

• The nursery

• The gymnasium activities

The church has to have many spiritual leaders.

If a church is going to achieve anything for the Lord, the leaders must not be leaders in name only. They have to be able to get jobs completed.

One can buy all kinds of books on leadership, but if you want to be the best leader God would have you be, the best book you can read and learn from is the book of Thessalonians.

There are other places in the Bible that tell us about specific leadership positions within the church, but in Thessalonians we are given qualities that must be inherent in all leaders in churches. What does it take to be a real leader?

I. REAL LEADERS ARE CALLED

Look at verse 6, “Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.”

Notice, Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Christ. The word “apostle” means: “One sent.” In other words, if you had asked Paul:

• Why are you in CORINTH? He would have said, “God sent me.”

• Why are you in EPHESUS? He would have said, “God sent me.”

• Why are you at THESSALONICA? He would have said, “God sent me.”

He was able to say, “I am doing what God has sent me to do!

While Paul recognized God had sent him to do certain things, God did not send everyone else to do the same thing. Look at I Cor. 12:29, “Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?”

The answer to all of those questions is NO! God does not call everyone to be all these things. There are several things to consider here:

• If God has called you to do something, He will equip you to do it and you should do it.

• If God has not called you to do something, you are not equipped and you should not be doing it.

• When a man is called and does not do what God has called him to do, he is out of the will of God.

• If a man is doing something God has never called him to do,

he also is out of the will of God.

For example, a man who acknowledges God has never called him to preach is the pastor of a small church. If you ask him why he is the pastor of that church since God has not called him, he will tell you that he is praying whether or not he should continue to pastor it. Listen, he does not need to pray about it. The fact that God has not called him to preach should tell him that he is out of the will of God to pastor that church.