1 Thessalonians 2
This second chapter is useful for those who want to become servants of God because it tells us what to expect and what a true servant of God must, and must not, be like.
1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain,
2 but after we had already suffered and 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.
Paul had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, not for some wrong that he had done, but for preaching the true gospel – and God allowed it.
The truth will always have opposition, because there is an enemy of our souls.
To be a servant of God you must be willing to endure unjust suffering – again and again. God tests you in your home and your place of work before He sends you out to represent Him. If you fail the test then you are put on the shelf.
After suffering in Philippi, Paul came to Thessalonica and saw opposition there as well. So he had to decide whether he should keep quiet and escape the persecution, or whether he should preach the truth and risk suffering again. He had such a love for the people, and for the truth, that he chose to preach the gospel and endure the suffering.
Paul’s boldness to speak was rewarded – it resulted in the church of Thessalonica!
Are you like Paul? Or would you have taken the easy way out?
3 For our exhortation does not {come} from error or impurity or by way of deceit;
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.
5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is witness –
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.
Now there were other preachers all over the place, but they were not doing things the right way.
Paul was observant – he saw what was happening all around him, and he learnt from other people’s mistakes, and carefully navigated around these traps so that he himself did not fall into any of them. And he warned others about these traps and about those who were in these traps.
We should do the same.
Here are some of the things that Paul found…
Some were preaching without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and as a result, were teaching error. Like many preachers and pastors today, they didn’t bother to get their truth from the Holy Spirit, but from the seminary. They figured that the seminary teachers were infallible.
Others were teaching impurity; they were saying that it is okay to practice sin. That is, they taught that once you said the sinner’s prayer your salvation was eternally secure, and nothing you do after that could cause you to lose your salvation.
And some were deceivers – they would tell you what you wanted to hear even if was not true just so that they could get your money.
Others came with flattering speech – that is, they would find out what you are proud of, and then they would stroke you in that area. You take pride in being a smart man? They will tell you again and again how smart you are. You want to be considered as a pretty woman? They will tell you how pretty you are. They have no intention of pleasing God; rather, they want to please you so that they can get something out of you. They will gain your confidence, and then take your money, or use your influence and time for their ends.
Others want your money. So they will convince you that if you don’t tithe then you are being disobedient to God and will therefore never profit financially. They have a pretext for greed. That is, they make it appear that your tithing will benefit you, but they really want your tithing to benefit them. Those who want to profit financially will listen to them and tithe.
Still others desire to make a name for themselves. That is, they want your glory; they want to look good in your eyes. They will serve you just so that you will think that they are very spiritual. They want you to consider them as your leader. They want you to consult with them on things, and they get offended when you don’t.
Just like in Paul’s times, we see such preachers all over the place today as well. And many people cannot recognize them because they do not know the word of God.
For God to entrust you with His truth you have to first gain His approval. That is, He has to test you and you have to pass the test. The test is in how you handle the different situations that come your way, and the answers are written in your heart, which God can see and examine.
If you think that going to seminary equips you to preach God’s truth you are sorely mistaken – there is no verse in scripture that teaches that going to seminary equips you to preach God’s truth!
7 But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing {mother} tenderly cares for her own children.
8 Having so fond an 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.
9 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, {how} working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
10 You are witnesses, and {so is} God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;
11 just as you know how we {were} exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father {would} his own children,
12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
There are different ways to minister to people…
Some will minister only if they get paid for it. They don’t really want to minister to you if you are not going to pay them back, if the form of tithes, either now or later.
Others will minister to people, but they don’t really care for the people they minister to, and are not really fond of them.
Paul was not like that! He ministered free of charge, and didn’t expect any immediate or future compensation. He worked to support himself so that he wouldn’t be a financial burden to those he was ministering to. It was hard and laborious but he was motivated by great love.
Further, he really cared for those he ministered to. He dealt with the people he ministered to as if they were his own children. He was like a nursing mother as well as like a father; gentle and nurturing, yet tough and firm. He wanted so much that these people walk in a manner worthy of God that he wanted to give them no excuse for not walking in a manner worthy of God. When exhortation was needed he exhorted. When encouragement was needed he encouraged. When imploring was needed he implored.
He kept reminding them of the amazing fact that God has called them into His own kingdom and to partake of His glory.
Paul is a great example of how to minister to others. I want to be like that.
It is important to continually remember that God has called us to be a part of His kingdom. Just like how one takes pride to work for a well-known and highly reputable company, we should consider it a great honor to work for the best CEO of all – God the Father. And when we are tempted to do something stupid we should consider how it will affect God and His kingdom.
It is also important to remember that God has not only given us a piece of the action in His kingdom, but He is also going to give us His glory (Rom 5:2, Rom 8:18,21, Rom 9:23, 2 Cor 3:18, 2 Cor 4:17, Col 1:27, 2 Thess 2:14, 1 Pet 5:10) – that is, He is going to share with us the best thing about Him – His character!
Keeping these two things in mind helps us walk in a manner worthy of God.
13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted {it} not {as} the word of men, but {for} what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
The Thessalonians saw the genuineness of Paul and responded well, and Paul was very thankful.
For God’s word to change you, you have to really believe it, truly knowing that is has come from the all-wise God, and your actions have to reflect that belief. As James says, "Faith without works is dead."
14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they {did} from the Jews,
15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men,
16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.
Acceptance of the truth brought persecution to the Thessalonians, but that did not weaken their faith. That was how it was in Judea, and that was also how it was in Thessalonica. And we should not be surprised if we see the same thing happening to us in this day and age.
Those who hinder God’s work will face the utmost wrath; that is why we need to be careful about persecuting anyone, for we ourselves could be wrong.
17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while – in person, not in spirit – were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.
18 For we wanted to come to you – I, Paul, more than once – and {yet} Satan hindered us.
Satan hoped that persecution would weaken the church in Thessalonica, especially if Paul was not around. So he persecuted the church there and put stumbling blocks in Paul’s desire to see them. But God didn’t remove those stumbling blocks, and this enabled the Thessalonians to develop spiritual strength.
Sometimes, we want to do good to someone because we see them suffering, but God allows Satan to stop us from doing that ‘good’ so that the faith of the other person may become stronger by their learning to depend directly on God.
19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
20 For you are our glory and joy.
When Jesus comes and the rewards are given out, the Thessalonians will rise up and bring praise to Paul because Paul blessed them spiritually. Will anyone be able to do the same for you and me?
Paul was conscious of that future reward, and looked forward to it. It helped him endure the hardship and labor. We too need to look forward to that reward so that we can be steadfast.
The key takeaway from this chapter is insight into the proper attitude of a servant of God.
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