A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 3:4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.
Some prophecy is just no fun!
Who wants to hear of problems coming, of tribulations and trials on the horizon. It seems Paul just kept on telling them of afflictions coming, and considering the short time he was present with them, this must have been a predominant emphasis of his message.
This desire of Paul to communicate the upcoming afflictions for the body of believers seems to make sense once a review of the book is considered. You see, at the end of each chapter, Paul summarizes each chapter’s thoughts by referencing the Lord Jesus and His return for the church.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I realize Pula never considered his letter would be broken up into chapters, but the recurring theme of the return of the Lord is a common thought in this book. Paul, in referring to afflictions over and over again, seems to have two overarching messages for the Thessalonians
Troubles are a coming. But so is the Lord Jesus!
Yes Paul spoke of afflictions, and he reminded them over and over again of the trials they should expect, but more importantly, he taught these young believers of the soon coming of the Lord to rescue them from this environment of sin and death.
Some may say it has been thousands of years for the church waiting on the Lord, but my friend, for these Thessalonians, they were prepared if He came, and eventually, they met the Lord in their own time.
As I mentioned earlier, some prophecy is just not fun, but as Paul mentioned the trials coming, he also wrapped those trials in hope. A hope of the Lord’s return in His timing. Each of these believers met the Lord, and each of these believers were looking for His return. And because of that, they were ready for the afflictions, and they were ready to meet the Lord, whether by His return, or their departure from this old world.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 3:3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.
We are not destined to be unmoved.
A careful reading of this passage will uncover an untruth I leaned on for years.
Let me explain. I would read this passage as follows.
Let no one be moved by these afflictions for you know that we are destined to be unmoved, destined to never falter, destined to always and only be sturdy, stalwart, and without stumbling.
Of course as I read this, (or at least was encouraged to think this way of my life in Christ), I have to admit that inside I became despondent, down and depressed, for I knew otherwise. I had been “moved” by affliction, torn down and ravaged by the afflictions arriving in my spiritual life.
I wasn’t experiencing that abundant life that had been promised! My abundant life was not all that abundant!!!
It is so important to take my time with the Word, to consider what the author is trying to say, before I make my assumptions, before I walk away from the Word with an untruth!
Paul is giving the Thessalonians a challenge, an exhortation as described in our earlier verse. Let’s read the short passage together.
1 Thessalonians 3:2,3 …..we sent Timothy ….to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.
Paul provided exhortation, through Timothy for a distinct purpose. And what was that purpose Carl?
That no one would be moved. That means that without these exhortations, we may be moved. Afflictions that come will move us, will impact us, will “wag” us.
Wag? What confusing wordplay are you trying to get over on us this time Carl? Well it seems Paul used a term here that was typically used of dogs “moving” their tails. Dogs wag their tail.
If I follow the metaphor, it is the affliction that “wags” the believer as the dog wags the tail. The tail has no say in the matter, but is only a helpless appendage that wags as the dog desires.
Afflictions can have that power over us. Complete control and impact. Unless we are warned, exhorted, taught and built up by the Word, afflictions can dominate our lives.
My friend, believers are destined for affliction, but we are not without power in the midst of the trial or turbulence. We are not to be tossed about, back and forth, without a response from our inner man. We will have trials, troubles and problems. It is the life of the follower. As a follower though, we have the opportunity to find strength in the Word, to find strength in the the truth that we can cling to when all else is falling around about us.
Beyond that, is it not the grace of God that provides each of us those “Timothy’s” to enter our lives, either through congregational messages, or via personal challenges, that we also may find strength to stand. This is Paul’s specific message to the Thessalonians in this passage, that Paul was sending a helper to provide a strengthening, a source of resistance against afflictions. Paul is reminding the Thessalonian church of the believer’s fate to experience affliction, but also of the resulting strength we can find in our Savior.
Through afflictions, we can stand, not “wagged” about every which way, but firm in our faith in the Savior.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 3:2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,
Timothy. Paul’s son in the faith.
A young man who has already been through much to enter into the kingdom of God. A young man who has been selected by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, an apostle who has experienced the greatest of persecutions for his faith.
Timothy is a young man who has been granted great privilege and great responsibilities in his life. And he is being sent out to provide ministry to a tiny church Paul can’t get to.
It is interesting that though Timothy was presumably Paul’s closest son in the faith, there were extended periods of time when the two were separate from each other. This truth is spoken of here and in Philippians 2:19, where Paul speaks highly of Timothy, and of the need to send him away again.
It is as if to be Paul’s servant is to be the servant of others in need, and not necessarily of Paul himself. What I mean is that Paul did not gain the companionship comfort and supply of nis needs we sometimes assume Timothy provided. He gave him up for others. Paul exercised a sacrificial giving, even in the time he had with his closest friends.
For our verse this morning, Paul speaks of Timothy in two ways and in two efforts.
Two descriptions
Brother
Timothy was a brother to Paul. This may seem obvious, but this relationship bears a bit of reflection.
Though Paul was the great apostle to the Gentiles, his authority, though directly proffered to him by the Messiah, seems to be exercised by example and not by lording it over someone. This is reflected in Paul’s description of Timothy as a brother. Timothy was an equal in Paul’s eyes before the Lord, at least in responsibility to his call of God.
Timothy, like Paul, and like each believer today are brothers in a family that relates to the Father directly and not through any intermediary other than the Son of God, the Savior of us all.
God’s co-worker
As mentioned above, as a brother, this may relate to the equality of each of us in our calling of God. We are each responsible before the Father to know our calling and to exercise that calling in our lives. Paul was called as an apostle to the Gentiles. He was to be faithful to that calling. Timothy was called to be an evangelist, and an elder in a church. He was to be faithful to that calling.
Though it may be claimed that Timothy was an apostle of the churches (2 Corinthians 8:23), Timothy was never to answer to God for Paul’s calling as an apostle to the Gentiles. Likewise, Paul was not responsible to God to fulfill Timothy’s calling.
Both men, as brothers and co-workers with God, had different callings to the same God, and both owned the same helper in God.
Two missions
establish
Timothy was to establish the church in their faith. To establish is to make firm, to strengthen, to render constant and to confirm or make resolute. Timothy was to be the one that would continue Paul’s original the teaching of the Thessalonians, providing the same guidance and instruction, repeating the old story that we all love, the story of a loving God, His sacrificial Son and the proper and righteous way of life He has called us to.
exhort
Timothy was also to exhort the believers. To exhort, is somewhat of a more personal ministry, for it not only was a term of teaching and encouragement, it included the concept of being alongside in a struggle, to walk with, to console and to comfort.
This term is what takes the teaching (establishing) that is required and puts flesh on it. Though the facts of the gospel are wondrous, to see it lived out in a life of service and communion with God provides an example that can’t be argued against. It provides a powerful motivation for those who come into contact with that facts simply do not provide.
Personally, I have met a few believers that, though I had not the honor of being in their presence for long, impacted my life far deeper than they could have imagined.
An example may help. One night, one late late night, as I was making deliveries, I passed a brother’s home, and his lights were on. Did I tell you it was late that night? He invited me in, made me a drink, and provided an “off the cuff” Bible study on a question that I was struggling with. I spent too few hours with this man, but he exhorted me, and lived a life of example I could not argue against.
How about you? Have you a brother that has “exhorted” you, that has provided an example, and the encouragement in real life that has made a lasting impression? If so, be thankful.
How about you as that example? We need to be God’s co-worker if we are to impact others, which means we need to be open to God’s call on our lives each moment, so that God can use us in other’s lives.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 3:1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone,
As a young believer, many many moons ago, I searched the Scriptures to find the truth regarding the premillennial pretribulation rapture teaching. For those who may not have heard of this teaching, it refers to the sudden catching up of the saints prior to the great tribulation that was/is to come upon the earth in the last days. I scoured and found every hint of teaching that might slightly refer or suggest such a glorious teaching. I was expert, taught it passionately and lived in anticipation of being taken up.
After all, Revelation 4:1 speaks clearly of the pretrib rapture.
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
Since John was told to “come up here”, obviously acting as a model for the church more than 2000 years in the future, and was called up before any of the following horrible depictions described in Revelation was provided, logic led me to believer this was irrefutable evidence of the pretribulational rapture.
Irrefutable logic!!! Or so I thought!
Our verse this morning seems to fight against that teaching though. It must be obvious to all that when Paul spoke of being “left behind”, he was referring to the teaching of the tribulational time schedule and date declaring that many find scattered throughout the Word.
Of course I jest, for when I saw the “left behind” term in our verse, my mind lept to foolishness. This minor side comment reminded me how easy it is, at least for myself, to find a passage and build a teaching that takes me down a garden path.
Irrefutable silliness!!!!
Suffice it to say, Paul is not speaking of the end times in this verse. I tend to think John wasn’t thinking end times either, but that is for a different time.
Paul is speaking of a self sacrificial giving up of one who was near and dear to him, one who was his closest ally while he is on mission, his child in the faith, the man he was grooming for great things. Timothy would be sent, with Paul left behind in Athens, a city he found little fruit in.
As a matter of fact, it appears that according to Acts 17, Paul had commanded Timothy and Silas to come to him as soon as possible in Athens. I assume that as these two men were on their way to minister to Paul, he gave instructions for Timothy to detour to Thessalonica.
Act 17:14-15
14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.
So though this verse does not speak of end time escatological timing or provide a detailed rapture schedule, it does speak of the love of God, the self sacrificial love of God being expressed in the actions of an apostle that cared more for his people than for his own needs.
To balance out this self sacrificial act, Paul does speak of his inability to bear the burden of not connecting with his church, but even if we consider this to dull the point of the self sacrificial love he had for them, and that it was simply to provide him relief from this burden of taking care of the church, the end result is the same. He gave up for his church, not only out of love for them, but also to relieve the concerns and cares he had for his church because HE LOVED THEM.
No matter how you slice this little passage up, we can glean two truths, a varying importance from it.
Our first truth? This is definitely the greatest truth to cull from this passage!
Paul loved his church self sacrificially. This is a heart worth having, a heart that reflects the very love of God, in a sacrificial, other centered love.
Our second truth? This is definitely the least important, silliest “truth” to come across, even to the point that if you ignore it, my feelings wouldn’t be hurt in the least.
Paul was willing to be “left behind” for his church, modeling the church in relation to a tribulation schedule. Yes – this is a foolish statement, but it is good to remember the great teaching throughout the Word, and to avoid distractions such as time schedules and date settings.
Let us remember the major teachings of the Word, the infinite love of God, the sacrificial love of the Son and the patient endurance of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we seek to follow the Living God. Timing and schedules are for those who want to major on the minors, and miss out on so much. Leave the highly subjective and overly detailed schedules behind and focus on the One who leads us.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:20 For you are our glory and joy.
We have dealt with both the joy and the glory aspects of Paul’s heart regarding this church in a previous discussion. See last weeks posting 1 Thessalonian Bits – 2:19.
For this mornings brief verse, Paul simply wants to summarize his heart towards those he longs to see, Yes it appears as though he has vanished, yet all the more he desires to see them, and to let them know of how circumstances and forces have restrained him.
As a minor add on to the discussion of glory, as we previously mentioned the association of glory with boasting and that boasting in others may be a righteous activity, a unifying energy, and a faith building exercise that not only honors God, but builds up the church.
Of course, self boasting, that type of boasting of which I am expert at, seems to be the problem. Did you know that I am the greatest boaster of them all? Boast boast boast – Look at me!
Not going to go there!
Paul continually boasts of the Lord Jesus and not himself. And Paul is boasting of a tiny little band of folks that may be struggling with the apparent absence of their father in the faith. He is boasting of a small congregation that has turned their lives around in the face of opposition, even in the face of the evil one.
Yes Paul was separated from his loved ones, but he took great pride in his little church.
Struggling little churches are not to be looked down upon. Without velvet or silk pews, fancy hymnals and solid oak pulpits, God can still perform mighty miracles in the lives of the sanctified. Churches that may be vilified by the common man, or the high powered influencer can still produce a light for those who are seeking.
If my reader is in the midst of a struggle, be it personal or body life, remember God is the God of little things. He seeks to change the world through one life at a time, and He has been pretty dang successful so far.
Trust Him in the difficult times, when loneliness, distractions and discouragements seem to pile up. His heart towards the little church just may be the same as the apostles heart to the Thessalonians!
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
Paul can’t get back to his friends. He has experienced an opposition that is frustrating him, hindering him from returning. It isn’t just the roadblocks that were being put up by the adversary that was the frustration, serious though they be, but the fact that the young church may be thinking he was a “one and done” type of fella, a flash in the pan, a man that comes into a town, disrupts the status quo and then runs away.
We must remember the times Paul lived in. No cell phone, no internet connections, not even a modern type of snail mail. Communication between parties was rare in the ancient world. So while Paul is being directed by God, and Satan is putting up roadblocks, Paul has time to think about the Thessalonians. Think about how they received him and his team, took the side of truth when the powers of deception came to shut them down. He thought of their possible sense of abandonment. And of how special these folks were in the faith.
He needed them to know that though he was not able to make it back, his heart was overjoyed in hearing of them, of remembering their faith and steadfastness. He speaks of them in the most glowing terms, and as such, wants them to know of his love for them.
Hope
We have spoke of hope in previous studies, and of the different uses of the term depending on the context of the discussion. It has been over 5 years ago, when I stumbled over the Greek term for hope and included it in a 16 part series on faith (Faith – Introduction). I provide the link for my new readers.
One somewhat unorthodox way of understanding a word or thought is to consider the antonym, or a word that presents an opposite thought or concept.
For hope, opposing thoughts or emotions would include despair, fear, disbelief and uncertainty. Paul was not entertaining these thoughts toward the Thessalonians. He had great expectancy, and this is the nature of a great leader, a great minister, a great father.
A great father figure presents an expectation to his children, and with encouragement, discipline and guidance, sees his children enter into those very expectations. Paul’s hope was not merely a warm fuzzy, but included an expectation of good things ahead for the church.
Joy
It is not surprising that joy and hope are closely linked together in the believers life. To continue our exercise in antonym offerings, opposing thoughts of joy would include despair, misery, anguish and gloom.
Note that both hope and joy are the very opposite of despair. Ours is not the life of despair. The Christian life is not looking to the troubles and trials of day to day problems, finding and focusing on the hills we need to climb, but realizing we have such a great salvation that roadblocks, frustrations and hinderances, though causing us concerns, are not the focus of our lives.
The focus of our lives is to be about others, and specifically to focus primarily on One other person. He has provided us the joy of the Lord, for in His sacrificial offering, He showed us the drawing power of joy as He endured the cross.
Hebrews 12:2a looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross..
Joy is a powerful motivator, not only in the present but also for the future!
Crown of Boasting
Now this term, at first glance, seems to be out of sync with Paul’s list. Is not boasting linked to pride and pride is one of the seven sinful activities that God hates?
Proverbs 6:16-17 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
That may be an early conclusion but consider the focus of the boasting. In the proverb, Solomon is describing the worthless person, the one who devises wicked plans and sows discord amongst the brothers.
Not so with Paul and the Thessalonians. Two differences for Paul’s use of the term boasting should be considered.
Righteous
Paul’s boasting is related to a people who were not evil. The Thessalonians had become imitators of the Lord (1:6), examples of the faith (1:7), and had turned from idols to the Living God (1:9). A completely different context.
Others
Secondly, Paul was boasting of someone else and not his own accomplishments. There is nothing I like less than to hear someone continually speak of his or her accomplishments. I am of the opinion that any works we perform or seek to accomplish should speak on their own merits. For one to remind others of our accomplishments is offputting.
Although the Lord was specifically speaking of giving in Matthew 6:3, I see a principal that relates to this topic and is applicable throughout our daily lives.
Matthew 6:3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
A similar teaching was provided regarding prayer.
Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
While I am at it, this teaching is also found in relation to fasting.
Matthew 6:18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Keep your deeds between you and God. Boasting or showing off of my achievements provides an instant reward, an instant reward that is fleeting, empty and temporal!
Matthew 6:2 …. that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. Matthew 6:5 …that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. Matthew 6:16 …they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
Paul speaks of the opportunity for believers to boast of other believers, and openly speaks of not commending himself to them
2 Corinthians 5:12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.
All of that to say, when Paul speaks of boasting, he is speaking of others, of their faith and the work of God in their lives. To boast of myself is wrong. To boast of others is proper and an expression of love and unity within the church.
It would be wise for us to remember this difference!
Although Paul was not able to come to them as he wanted to, he wanted them to know of his deep love for them, and of a day when One would be coming for them, when the Messiah would have no roadblocks, no frustrations, no impediments in visiting this church. He would arrive in glory and that glory would include the little band of faithful in Thessalonia!
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:18 because we wanted to come to you–I, Paul, again and again–but Satan hindered us.
Last time in our study of Thessalonians, we were breaching the subject of the source of Paul’s separation from his young believers. Yes he had mentioned those who displease God and oppose all mankind! He had become specific in identifying the the human instruments of persecution, even calling out the religious Jews persecuting the new believers in Israel, and the Thessalonian countrymen persecuting this tiny church.
Both experienced a similar suffering. From appearances, the actions of those against believers were so similar that it surely represented a single source of hatred. Those performing the persecution seemed to be motivated and directed by a single source, and Paul is not shy in identifying this source.
Satan, the adversary is the source of the persecution, but in this passage, it seems Paul is directing us to a method of the enemy that is unexpected.
Yes, Satan at times uses brute force (spiritually speaking) for his opposition to the gospel, but for Paul in this passage, he speaks of a different attack, a subtle, indirect method Satan uses in fighting against the gospel.
Hindering. To cut into or impede progress by interruption. The specific term Paul uses here is very relatable for the author, as I have spent my life in the design and construction of modes of transportation, being either roadways or railroads. The term to hinder in this passage was used in the first century of impeding people by the “breaking up the road, or by placing an obstacle sharply in the path; hence, metaphorically, of “detaining” a person unnecessarily”.
Now of course any rebuilding of any road I was involved in was not “unnecessary” so I take exception to this description, and the breaking up of any road was for the purpose of increasing safety of access for the public.
Not so for Satan, for we know he is the enemy of our souls. Paul is graphically describing Satan’s method of slowing us down or impeding us in our seeking after God. Paul, in a similar passage in Galatians, speaks of those Judaizers who were throwing up obstacles and “breaking up the road” believers were travelling in following the Lord Jesus.
Galatians 5:7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
Now before I jump to any conclusions, focusing on Satan and his methods, it would be wise to remember that he is only a created being, a rogue spirit that seeks to topple the King of Kings. He is, even from the very beginning, on a fool’s errand, for who can fight against the King. His ways are of eternity, and though He allows hinderances, delays and “broken up roads” that we need to traverse, He is faithful, and all wise.
In Paul’s case, he did not allow any hindering to stop him, but continued to look for ways to visit with his people in Macedonia. He speaks in 1 Corinthians 1:15-16 of his plans to visit that area, and in Acts 20:1-3, Luke describes his journeys through Macedonia strengthening the churches.
For us today, what hinderances are before you? What portion of the way is broken up before you, making progress harder than expected? It is good to remember that the context of Paul’s concerns was the hinderance of both the spread of the gospel and the fellowship of the saints together. Both are critical for the church.
May we find strength in Him as we travel the way of God.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face,
Paul, ever the missionary, speaks of his heart for his fellow saints, those who he had been “torn away” from. As you may remember, he did not want to depart, but was forced from their fellowship by those who displease God and oppose all mankind!
Paul uses an interesting term when he speaks of being torn away from his brothers in Christ. It is only used once in the New Testament, but in writings of the same era, it is used in describing the “bereaving of a parent or parents”, or to “be orphaned”. The root meaning is complete separation, to bereave wholly, especially in the sense of the child parent relationships.
Leave it to Paul to tell us in one word the depth of the separation he experienced in relation to these young believers.
This provides us with a startling truth. With the enlivening of the Holy Spirit, complete strangers become as close as natural born brothers, achieve, or better yet have been given, a deep family relationship with those of like faith in the Son. Time is not necessarily required to foster this depth of relationship, for Paul only had at most three weeks with these saints, and he openly speaks as a father to his children.
He had been torn away, and he wants his brothers to know the impact this has had on him, and in our next verse, he designates the source of this pain. But we will wait for the next post to delve into that topic.
For now, Paul has opened his heart regarding the separation they are experiencing, and of his desire and efforts to visit his young church. He let’s them know of his efforts departing and of his eagerness, and great desire to see them again. Surely the young church was beginning to wonder where their missionary was. Was he ever going to return? Heaven forbid, but was he just a fly by night preacher? Suspicions might be running rampant within the small body of believers and Paul wanted to at least inform them of his heart, of his efforts and of the one who was hindering!
For this verse, he speaks of his great desire, his heart to return, but more than simply his emotions, but his efforts to return. He had not simply experienced an emotional drain, but he speaks of an effort, an exertion he has put forth in returning.
You know, it is one thing to say nice things, to speak of emotional longing, to bemoan a separation and speak of a longing, but without making an effort to correct the painful situation, it is but smoke and mirrors, an empty claim that dulls and disappoints the recipients heart. Paul did not want to hurt his children in the faith, by providing nice words, but wanted them to know he had given diligence in returning, that he was laboring to return. This is the message he was speaking when he wrote of his endeavoring to see them. To endeavor is to give diligence, to work at getting something done, to exert effort to attain a goal.
His heart was broken for them, and his love for them prodded him to find a way back. He was eager to see them face to face.
But someone was producing a similar effort in the opposing direction. Someone was resisting his diligence to return to Thessalonica, to a small, persecuted and very young church. Someone wanted them to be separated!
I can’t tell you who, for that is for our next post. Will you return to find out?
Of course you can crack the Word open and find out – as a matter of fact, I would encourage you to!
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved–so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!
In our last post we ended with Paul declaring that the enemies of the gospel “displease God and oppose all mankind”. In this verse, he fleshes out the specific actions of those who displease God and oppose all mankind.
In Paul’s day, the specific ones displeasing God and opposing all mankind were Jewish religious zealots. They would not accept Jesus as the Messiah, and out of a supposed loyalty to God, sought to block the progress of the church. This first century condition of Jewish persecution of the church was not consistent through the ages, for I understand after the destruction of the temple, the primary force against the church became the Roman Empire.
I mention this only to emphasize that the religious Jew is no different, no greater, and no more guilty of persecuting the church than any other group or society that persecutes the church. Sometimes this portion of 1 Thessalonians is used to justify antisemitism, and this is wrong.
Even if a Jewish society restricts Christian proselytizing, (and it currently does), it is no justification for treating them, or any society or people group as enemies. Though they may set themselves up as enemies of the gospel, “displeasing God and opposing all mankind”, we as believers are to love our enemies and pray for them.
Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Nevertheless, in Paul’s day, it was the Jewish religious zealots who hindered Paul and his message, and he minces no words in his denunciation.
First, he likens the Jewish religious zealot to Amorites! Yes, for I believe Paul reaches back to Genesis 15, where God was speaking to Abraham of receiving the promised land. The holdup for Abraham’s descendants to enter the land was the sinfulness of the Amorites.
Genesis 15:16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
Consider for a moment that God was allowing time for the Amorites to repent! He has always been about the whole world hasn’t He?
This phrase Paul uses, referring back to Abraham’s time, make the Jewish religious zealots to be equal with the Amorites a people group opposed to the people of God. Now, those very people who claimed the bloodline of Abraham have become the first century Amorite!
Paul was not the only one who referred to the Jewish religious leaders as Amorites. In Matthew 23:31-32, Jesus makes reference of “filling up” and “measuring” that the Jewish religious scholars of the Old Testament must surely have recognized.
Matthew 23:31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Matthew 23:32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
The sin specifically that Paul calls out on these that are filling up the measure of sin?
Hindering
Hindering the spread of the gospel. Being a resistance to speaking to the Gentiles. Now of course, they resisted the spread of the gospel to the national Jew and now restricting the rest of mankind from the grace of God! The cup of wrath is surely filling up! The gospel is for all, and any restrictions from sharing with anyone should be understood as displeasing God and opposing all mankind.
Consider those in Palestine even at this present time. I have heard (just recently) of some Christians considering them the enemy, and should be treated so. Any restrictions (passive or active) in supporting those reaching out to them, in my mind would liken them to those persecuting the missionaries to the gentiles 2 millennial ago.
I have a friend ministering in the Middle East even as I write this, and she is speaks of the tremendous hunger for the Word in the region. I am so thankful that she has not found justification for any political, national, or religious barriers to be erected in her mind against those in the region.
Of course much more is going on with the nation of Israel in the first century than could be attributed to any nation today, for Israel was ripe for judgement, soon to be completely removed forever from the land, with any shred of covenant removed. Having had their hand in the very death of our Savior, it seems their judgement was sealed. The cup of wrath was near to spill over.
You see, Paul informs us that judgement for Israel is near, and judgement for Israel would be complete. The amplified translation brings out the nuance of Paul’s message regarding the future of Israel.
1 Thessalonians 2:16 AMP – forbidding us from speaking to the Gentiles (non-Jews) so that they may be saved. So, as always, they fill up [to the brim] the measure of their sins [allotted to them by God]. But [God’s] wrath has come upon them at last [completely and forever].
The wrath of God is complete and forever. Paul informs us that the nation of Israel would cease to exist, never to be restored. The Old covenant would vanish away, making way for the New Covenant.
Hebrews 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
No excuse or confusion. The church is the only expression of the body of Christ on earth and in God’s plan. The shadow would vanish.
For us today, let us pray for those missionaries that are in the Middle East, who are ministering to those desperate for the gospel. For my friends security, I refrain from mentioning her name, but if you think of her in your prayers it would be appreciated!
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind
Paul does not mince words in this verse, comparing those who persecute the Thessalonians with those who persecute his countrymen.
But Paul doesn’t speak of those of Judea as if their persecution of the Christian church is simply a misunderstanding, or that this persecution will fade and cease soon. He eventually reveals the motivation and power behind this persecution. But let us not get ahead of ourselves.
This passage provides six acts of unbelieving Jew’s who took it upon themselves to quell the Christian message providing the Thessalonian church a sense of the depth of motivation and source of persecution that is against the church as a whole.
Now before we get into this passage, I need to warn my reader that this passage has been used in the past to foment hatred for the national Jew, and to provide justification for attacking, persecuting and causing great harm to the Jewish population through the centuries. I am convinced this is not the intent of the apostle, for he has in multiple passages to the churches spoke of living in peace with all men and loving our enemies.
The Christian message does not include retaliation.
Nevertheless, the apostle wants the Thessalonians to know they are not the only ones being persecuted.
Killed the Lord Jesus
Paul starts the list with reminding the Thessalonians that the One they follow was persecuted to His death. In my mind, this is the capstone of persecution, revealing how far those who hate the gospel will go in order to stop the message of a loving God reaching down to all mankind.
Killed the prophets
Many of the Thessalonians may not be as aware of the persistent and continual persecution the prophets of old suffered under the hand of the unbelieving Jew in the past. The history of the nation of Israel could be traced through the blood of the prophets, revealing the unbelieving Jew’s willingness to remove the influence and message God provided them.
Jesus Himself also referred to the history of persecution by unbelievers when He reminded the Jewish leadership of their compliance in the shedding of righteous blood.
Matthew 23:35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
Drove out the Christian Missionaries
How often has a motivated Jewish contingent of Paul’s day not only physically forced the Christian messenger from their promised land, but also followed after them, undoing the work of the apostle, defaming the messenger and his message and twisting the gospel to eliminate it’s freeing message. Those persecuting the church in the days of the apostle were very motivated, seeking in many ways to keep the message from those who need it.
The Thessalonian church witnessed this very hatred of the Christian message during their initial hearing and acceptance of the gospel! Luke is clear in who led the persecution of the missionaries in Thessalonica.
Acts 17:5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.
Displease God
But Paul, how can you say those who follow after Moses, and therefore follow after God, displease God. They claim such devotion to the God of their Fathers! Do they not have the same faith, and therefore live the same life as those of the patriarch’s?
Do they?
Claiming the same God as the father’s of the faith, and exhibiting a different life than that of the fathers is contradictory. Something is amiss, and I suggest the Lord addressed this very problem in Mark 7.
Mark 7:8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
This speaks of a challenge for our own lives as the church. The Jewish people of Paul’s day thought they followed after God. They were devoted, motivated and zealous in their understanding of Moses. As the Lord had taught, and we need to hear, the danger for each generation of those claiming to follow God is that they are to depend on the original message of God. We are not to trust in the interpretations of ancient commentators, former instructors and influential teachers. Each generation, each person needs to hear from the Living God directly through the written record He has provided, in understanding His message for each of our lives.
How dangerous for any of us to reject the Word in favor of a man’s teaching. Those who trust man’s teaching typically assign Almighty God’s authority to the teaching, and thus provides justification for untold atrocities in the name of God to be allowed. Even the murder of those who seem to be against a cherished teaching they hold to. The Lord warned His followers of this very motivation by those opposing them.
John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
Claiming to follow God, while at the very same time displeasing God, is a very real possibility. Let us remember we need to hear from Him as our Master and not only from those who are also following Him.
Oppose all mankind
This final statement of Paul’s is also somewhat amazing. He does not teach the Thessalonians that the unbelieving Jewish forces are only offering an alternate way of life for those in the church. Those persecuting Christian apostles and adherents are actually opposing all mankind. They are fighting against the whole of mankind.
The phrase “oppose all mankind” in this verse may be translated as antagonistic to all mankind, or that they are adversarial to all mankind, hostile not only the the Messiah, and to His followers, but also to those who have yet to know the Savior.
He is not simply suggesting the persecutors of the church are passive towards all mankind, but informs us that they are active in opposing all mankind as they fight against the Savior and His message. This is incredible!
A very difficult passage to consider, and honestly not an enjoyable verse to discuss. Personally, I want to think the best of others, and yet the Word wants believers to live in truth. We as believers, are to understand that those who have not trusted the Messiah, be they Jewish or Gentile, have the capacity, given the right conditions and motivations, to become persecutors of those who follow after the Messiah.
It is this nature of the two kingdom’s taught in the Word, that is becoming clearer in my mind as I read and study. Either we enter the Kingdom of God, and follow after the One who was rejected, or remain in the kingdom of men and persecute by word or deed, those who follow the One who was rejected.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
For the next three verses, we are going to read of the life of the Thessalonian church in relation to persecution. A persecution that has followed faithful churches as local, regional and national authorities seek to control the life of individual believers, and congregations of the faithful.
One item to note in this passage is that the persecution is due to the competing authorities that exist. Two kingdoms. One kingdom of this world, seeks to control by power and fear, and one kingdom that seeks to lead by love and sacrifice.
As I read this passage this morning, I want to compartmentalize the “church” away from the day to day authority of the local/regional/national political power. I am not convinced this is Paul’s intent as he used the term ἐκκλησία ekklēsía. The common interpretation of this term in the first century, prior to becoming associated with religion, was “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into a public place”
The term is used in the secular, common way of the first century in Acts, where a riot breaks out in Ephesus and the local method of governing is referred to as “an assembly”. This is a helpful passage that speaks of ekklēsía as the term describing civil bodies of authority in the first century term.
Acts 19:32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Acts 19:39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. Acts 19:41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Assembly is a great translation of this Greek term, and Paul uses this term in describing each group of believers in local areas that leave their homes in their desire to partake in their “civil meetings” in relation to the kingdom of God. Paul was intentionally describing each group of believers as an alternate government, an alternate authority, and as having an alternate King, that just so happened to exercise great authority, even over the other kingdoms leaders.
It was not religious verses civil. It was kingdom vs kingdom. A direct challenge to the existing authority of the region.
As an interesting side bar to this discussion, during the translation of the Greek New Testament into the English language, I understand King James instructed the translators of his famous KJV Bible to use “church” instead of assembly in every instance ekklēsía described Christian meetings.
The word church is from a Greek word “kuriakos”, a word not found in the Greek manuscripts. It means “pertaining to the Lord”.
Though an arbitrary and somewhat confusing insertion into the translation process by the king, (the ultimate governing authority of the nation), he may have desired to dull Paul’s intended association of the faithful as belonging to an alternate authority, pigeonholing the church into a portion of the world’s culture, and not as a direct competition for the obedience of each man’s soul and heart.
This sidebar may have seemed to wander from the purpose of this verse, but I would remind my reader that the apostle is describing the persecution of the Thessalonians. Persecution arose because of the Thessalonians faithfulness to an alternate King, King Jesus, and that the governing civil authorities are reacting to this loss of control over a part of the population.
An obedient church will face persecution, in various ways and in various forms. This passage speaks of how the Thessalonian believers imitated the assembly in Judea in their obedience to Christ. For those in Judea, the powerful countrymen, the Jews, rose up and persecuted the faithful. In Thessalonica, the local countrymen also persecuted the faithful believer.
Two kingdoms. One kingdom, ruled by a resurrected Savior, and one kingdom, failing, fading and loosing it’s authority over its population. It must seem obvious that the fading kingdom needs to persecute, for it has no other method to retain it’s citizens. Power and persecution, fear and the power of the sword are the only tools this fading kingdom has at it’s disposal.
King Jesus, in His resurrection, has disarmed the local authorities of even this power over it’s citizens.
May the King continue in expanding His Kingdom, even as the competing, fading kingdom of this world thrashes about in it’s last days.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 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.
Let’s try to remember what Paul is thanking God constantly for in this verse. The previous two verses spoke of how he as thier father figure in faith, spoke to them, that he exhorted them, encouraged them and charged them.
For this he was thankful. Now of course he may be referring to the following message within this verse, but I think his flow of thought goes something like this.
I acted as a father to you, sometimes saying difficult things, challenging you to make life choices, to do hard things! But you realized that though I am a mere man, the message was from God, and it carried great authority!
One reason, I fear, that the church nowadays is quite shallow, is that the message is simply a message of man, and we know it. We do little challenging, rebuking or charging due to the knowledge that the authority is our own.
For the Word of God to be “unleashed”, I understand that in a number of ways.
We are to know the Word enough that when we come to a situation we can unsheathe the Word and make a statement, using the bare Word of God.
I admit that this is easy when it is a time of encouragement, but when the difficult truths have to be expressed, I tend to want to soften the blow, dull the cut, and explain away some of the toughness of the Word.
If I am honest with myself, it is for my own comfort. I will have to face hard difficult truth first! For any truth to be communicated correctly, for the Word to be “unsheathed”, the truth has to go through the vessel, through the messenger. The Word has to be active in the messenger before it can intentionally and effectively be communicated to another.
Not only does the Word have to be acting in the messenger, the Word has to have the priority. Priority over your own thoughts, feelings, sensitivities and concerns. The Word is to be understood as having come from God, through a man. The truth is originating from God, and as we understand this, the Word should become more and more of a priority in our lives.
A final thought as to why I may not speak the Word in difficult situations or as a challenge to others is that I fear I will loose the one I am speaking to. In the culture we live in nowadays, many are easily offended. Feelings are hurt and people shut down, refusing to communicate. Believe me when I tell you that I have experienced decades being outside of a loved ones life, simply because of an offence, and sad to say, it was not due to the gospel. This is wasteful, sinful and so unnecessary!
I consider this as simply a wrong focus if I am honest about it. Consider the teaching of the Lord. He is teaching us
to love one another
to serve those in need
to be meek and lowly for those who are around us
to live in peace with our neighbor, as much as we can
to not place (personal) stumbling blocks before others
and yet not fear the offense of the gospel
I suppose in the end, we all need to prioritize the Word in our lives, accepting and speaking of hard things when necessary. As Paul started out this passage, even the difficult things need to be spoken as a father to his child. He had authority as the great apostle, but he did not describe this interaction with the faithful as a judge to a criminal. Let us remember that the Word is over all of us, we are all under the Word. As those of us who may be maturing, we need to recall this truth. Maturity does not set us up as judges, pouring commands on those “below us”. What a foolish, religious stance!
Difficult truths, as they work in us as believers, will produce a patience, an understanding of others struggles and in my own life personally, recognizing my very deep weakness before Him.
Consider thought that if the Word is creating a hardness in you, an impatience with others, even a disdain for those who haven’t attained to your level of spirituality, consider your position before God.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Let’s remember this is the completion of the previous verse, where Paul describes himself as a father to this group of believers.
1 Thessalonians 2:11 For you know how, like a father with his children,
Paul continues his thoughts on how he has treated these young believers as a father in the faith.
At the risk of beating a dead horse (again), make note of Paul’s emphasis on the individual in each of these actions. He starts his thoughts with “exhorted each one of you“. Now, of course he may be speaking in the manner we are accustomed to when some one gets behind a pulpit, and speaks to mass audiences, saying “I am speaking to each one of you”, but for some reason, I think Paul meant he spoke individually to each one of his children, exhorting them, encouraging them and charging them in a singular, personal way. Every one equally, and constantly, I can’t imagine, but I lean to the thinking that he was involved in their lives in a one on one relationship, short as that was.
Now, leaving behind my minor little rant, lets consider the three ways Paul related to these believers as a father
Exhorted
As a father Paul exhorted (παρακαλέωparakaléō) each one. Note the greek term, where includes “para”, typically speaking of by the side, along side or with. Kaleo is to call out, to call a name, to be called.
Putting it together, this term is a calling of the one spoken to as an invite to be with, an invite to walk together. Paul was not in an ivory tower, telling them to do this or that. He was in the midst of the Christian walk and actively exhorting those who claimed the name of Christ to walk in like manner with him.
Encouraged
As a father Paul encouraged (παραμυθέομαιparamythéomai) them. This word speaks of a range of meanings, from consoling in failure to admonishing from errors, with encouragement being the basis of each. Note again the prefix “para”, emphasizing the togetherness Paul intended, that as a Father he was not standing above them, but with them in the walk of faith.
Charged
As a father Paul charged (μαρτυρέωmartyréō) them. No it does not refer to a fee that he places on each of them for his services. It’s not that kind of charge!
To be “charged”, in Paul’s mind, and in the mind of the Thessalonians, was to be a witness, to speak of what you know, to bear record of the life you live and to openly speak of the One from whom this life originates. You may have noticed, the Greek for this word looks alot like martyr in the English. It has morphed into a word that describes one who dies for his faith, but this is not how it would have been understood in Paul’s day. The term simply meant to give evidence of the life you now live, to give testimony.
Did I hear you ask why the term morphed? Because early believers took the charge seriously, and the local and regional governments couldn’t handle it. Those who testified were put to death, and the link between the action of testifying and the ultimate result – death – has morphed that word into what we know today. To be a martyr used to mean to simply give testimony is now identified as an act of testimony to death!
This is the call Paul speaks of when he describes God calling us “into his own kingdom and glory”. It is not the way of the world, but the way of the cross.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:11 For you know how, like a father with his children,
Sadly this verse breaks a thought continued in the next verse, but it does provide an opportunity to set up the next post. Let’s consider Paul as he speaks of being “like a father”.
It may be a difficult discussion regarding what a father is, for I realize the disintegration of the nuclear family has been painful and destructive in the last two to three generations. On top of that, the vagaries of life sometimes touches families without warning. Such was my case, for as a young boy, my father was taken from the family by way of a traffic accident.
For myself, becoming a believer before a family man afforded me the opportunity to know the grace of God, and to begin to understand God’s loving care for His children. Although I was a poor reflection of this love to my children, I am thankful for the beautiful children he granted my wife and I.
Now, back to the passage.
I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but this verse directs me again to the primary topic of individual relationships with those in Thessalonica. Paul expressed a deep commitment to the success of individuals within the church, of his desire to see his offspring live in peace with each other, successful and secure in the Lord.
As a father, I do not think of my children as a conglomeration of persons, as a unit to address, or to be thought of. Each is their own person, wonderful in their differences. As a family man I greatly desire for unity within the family, but that desire is not to force any type of uniformity, nor does not reduce the individuality of each. It is very special to see each work together with their siblings to bring about good for the whole. I think this may be a glimpse of what Paul sought for within local congregations, for the honor of the Lord.
Nevertheless, let us consider two aspects of what it means to be a father, at least from Paul’s previous teaching found in verse 9.
1 Thessalonians 2:9 For you remember, brothers, our labor 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.
To Work Hard
The few memories of my father have left me with a bigger than life image of a man that was in control, that knew his place in life, that loved his wife, and that worked hard, very hard! I wish I knew him better, but the few memories I have are very special to me, and provided some foundation for my own family.
Paul also worked hard, for in a verse before he spoke of his labor and toil, working night and day. To be a father is to provide for his loved ones by sacrificing his time and desires for the sake of his wife and children. Long hours, diligent effort and dying to your own wants is required to be a good and loving father.
To prioritize the family above himself is the way of a father’s life. Paul lived out the life of a father for his children in the faith!
Don’t Take
Another aspect of fathering in relation to the previous verse could be described as “not taking”.
The previous verse where Paul talks of not being a burden to his loved ones makes me think of a father’s place in the life of his children.
As a father, I do not seek to receive from my children. It is not my goal nor desire as a father to find resources I can “tap into” from those I love. They are my responsibility not my resource! They are those I love, not those I look to for gain. This is the attitude that Paul was expressing earlier, and I find it is a fitting reminder of the life of a father.
We shall find in the following verses, Paul speaks as a father that exhorts, encourages and charges his children to walk properly.
In our next post, we shall consider those three characteristics of a good father.
For our verse today, and that we have read up to so far in this letter, Paul has given us two characteristics of the life of a father.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.
In our last post I made hay by speaking of the personal interaction Paul had with these believers, poking at the “foolishness” of his method of ministry, or at least my understanding of his ministry amongst the faithful.
His connection with those who believed his message was relied upon for a character judgement on his own life. He appealed to their memory of his interaction with them. He spoke of the tireless effort he put out, to make time for them, and to not be a burden.
What a minister! What an attitude!
In this verse, he appeals again to them as witnesses of his character, and appeals to God Himself, of his manner of life amongst them.
Now it is one thing to appeal to a man’s memory, but a quantum leap to appeal to God as a witness of his character. This is not a light thing for the apostle to do, for it brings his audience to a point of acceptance or rejection of the claim. In rejecting this claim Paul is making is to reject God’s witness, and to call God a liar.
Of course it may be claimed that Paul is simply telling stories, but note the wisdom of the Apostle. First he appeals to their memory, and then seals it completely as truth by appealing to God. Those believers remembered Paul and his manner of life and would mentally agree to his character description but when the witness of God is included, it caused any middle ground that might be argued to be abandoned. Either Paul was what he said he was, or he wasn’t. No middle ground!
He describes his conduct with three terms.
Holy
I have written on holiness previously (Share His Holiness), and am always challenged by the topic, not only of the call of God for my own life, but also as to my understanding of this word.
To be holy has many implications, some of which are to be physically pure, morally blameless, or religiously consecrated. All that is theologically true, but a brother once provided me a picture of how holiness and ice cream are related. Check out Names of God – JEHOVAH MEKODDISHKEM (THE LORD WHO SANCTIFIES YOU) – 13.
To make the point, to be holy is to be completely devoted to God by God Himself. He owns us, and has made this ownership known to all of creation.
We are to strive for holiness, for right living and moral purity, but it is so encouraging to realize He has “licked us” first. (If you didn’t check the link out above, you many not get that last statement, but trust me – it makes sense for my puny mind!)
Righteous
To be righteous, is to obey a standard. The Lord has provided a standard in the Old Testament, that of the Ten Commandments. This law was the standard to judge all righteousness, and of course we know from New Testament teaching that the law could not produce righteousness, it simply defined the standard.
And we miserably failed at every attempt.
Some may think I am over the top in my statement, saying we miserably failed at every attempt. For your sake, I would challenge you to take one of the commandments – not all ten – just choose one, and keep it perfectly, every minute of the day, with no “let up”, continually obeying not only the written command, but the spirit of the law given, to have a pure motive in honoring that one command, to follow after it with all your passion and effort.
Let me know how long you last. I am truly interested!
But I digress.
We have a standard today, which is far greater than the written law of God. It is the life of Jesus, His perfect character, His loving kindness, His sacrificial acts. The standard we have is a life lived perfectly righteous in conformity to the command of God and the Fathers instantaneous will as He followed His Abba-Father.
Remember, we all judge righteousness according to an accepted standard. Many use the culture we live in as a standard, and judge themselves better than the average. Might I say – that is a very very low bar to be judged by.
Some may take on a religious standard, even claiming to follow the ten commandments. If so, we can end up in two conditions.
Complete failure mode constantly.
That is if we are honest with ourselves – remember that test above? Try it! Come on – it is good to know experientially how utterly weak and helpless we are.
Self delusion.
If we are not honest with ourselves, we may claim a righteousness, feel superior, and yet are only fooling ourselves. That self righteous stench permeates everyone’s nose but own own!
The only standard that is the righteousness of God is the man Christ Jesus, and He is our only hope. I say no more.
Blameless
Is to be blameless synonymous with being perfectly sinless?
Let us consider what it means to be blameless. I propose that it does not mean perfect sinlessness!
To be blameless is to keep short accounts. Let me explain with a silly story.
I entered my Sunday School class early one morning, and Fred was already there. He approached me for a friendly handshake, but instead of receiving that gesture of friendship, it got in my head to give him a punch in the gut. He went down hard! I am to blame for this violent action.
(Remember this is a story to illustrate a truth and not a retelling of an actual occurrence! I would never punch Fred – He is so much bigger than I!)
I am to blame for this action, but if a few hours pass, or better yet, a few moments pass, and I come to my senses, realizing I am to blame, that I have no justification for my action, and that I will not make excuses, but simply and humbly request forgiveness from Fred, I have at that point become blameless. I have sought to repair my relationship with Fred!
If he receives my request for forgiveness or not, when I in truth admit my fault and request forgiveness, I can no longer justifiably be “blamed” for that action. Even if Fred harbors an unforgiving spirit, my desire to be right with him provides me the covering of blamelessness!
Now of course this concept may be abused, deceiving ourselves as we may not truly seek forgiveness, or use this concept to perform an evil, with this as a “backup” plan. This simply reveals our wicked heart, and any thought of righteousness must be abandoned!
I have run on too long for my reader, but these concepts, these truths Paul speaks of as being his manner of life are truly humbling, especially in that he called for both his friends and God to witness to his life.
To be holy. To live righteously. To be blameless, (especially by not punching poor old Fred) This is the call of God on each of our lives.
It is a high calling, much higher than I first expected as I entered the faith. May we all have the humility to seek Him for strength to live as He pleases.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:9 For you remember, brothers, our labor 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.
Paul continues his appeal to the Thessalonians based on their shared experiences. He calls on them to think back to his time with them, when he lived his life before them, for all to see. He does not appeal to what others may say about him, of his many travels and the stories his friends may tell, but what the believers saw and experienced when he was there. Tremendous authenticity was gained by the apostle Paul as lived a life of self sacrificing love to those he had just met!
Let’s take a moment to consider this verse.
Labor and Toil
Labor
This term surprised me. I thought this term in the Greek would be the term we get agony from, but I was wrong! So much for guessing – so thankful for books of men who have labored tirelessly to provide reference material to keep me straight!
Nevertheless, this word labor is κόπος kópos, kop’-os, and it is associated with pain, beating, trouble and grief. It isn’t the same as simply exercising energy to get a job or project done, but speaks of disappointment and suffering.
Toil
This word μόχθος móchthos, and is considered a synonym to the previous word.. It also speaks of labor, of distress and hardship, of the hardness of an effort.
With these two terms, Paul is trying to make a point. In the work he was doing, he faced trials, disappointments, struggles and trials, even pain and suffering.
Consider that for our own lives. I just got back from a business meeting where I was wined and dined with the finest foods, treated with outlandish benefits, given tokens of appreciation and came back refreshed, energized and anxious to keep moving forward.
Paul experienced none of that. Every step he took forward had push back. Every decision would result in an opposite and equal (or greater) resistance.
His work was continuously resisted, always finding difficulties that obviously were from a source not of this earth. His “labor and toil” in this portion describes the negative character of the work, the struggles associated with it, but not necessarily the content of the work itself.
Work
This is the term I was thinking of earlier. The Greek term is ἐργάζομαι ergázomai, and I think we can see the English word energy in it. When Paul speaks of the work, he speaks of the energy expended, not of the resistance as above.
The two earlier terms spoke of the headwinds he faced, whereas this speaks of the extent or concentration of the effort. He speaks of working night and day, and of course we should not be woodenly literal here, but understand his message. He was up very early, possibly getting things done with his tent making vocation, to provide for himself, – more on this later – and to have times of availability for people to approach him concerning their questions, their concerns, their fears and their encouragement in the Lord. Time for his focused effort to proclaim!
This hints to me that he was a time management type of fella. He maximized his time so that others might benefit from his availability.
This topic screams at me! For you see, I am a full time employee at a great engineering firm, while trying to establish a side hustle business, with 4 loving adult children and spouses, providing my wife and I the most beautiful 9 grandkids on this blue marble. My wife also works full time, and on top of all that, we are building an extension to a home we own. To be clear, my wife and I are building the addition – not contracting it out. My wife and I regraded the entire site to correct drainage problems, put in a foundation, built floor beams, laid the floor, raised the walls, added patios, revised fencing – on and on I could go. I think I made my point.
Time management has become critical for my wife and I. We have responsibilities that we cannot shirk and yet our hearts are to be with our loved ones also. To fit all our desires into our measly 24 hrs a day is a massive challenge. We are becoming scheduling freaks!
But even as I say that, this type of effort is standard fare for the average person in our society, for we are all super busy. As I say that, I fear my super busy and Paul’s super busy is somewhat different. I think we may not have the “people” emphasis Paul had, and as I come to realize this, I have often spoken to my best friend about our priorities. We need to honor God in our time management decisions better.
Burden
Since I have been loading this post up with Greek words, here comes another. This one is ἐπιβαρέω epibaréō, and has the connotation of “being heavy”, even “to be expensive”.
Now I have written on this topic of support in relation to Christian service, and have tried to understand if this equates with the modern notion of providing salary’s for Christian ministry. I will not belabor that point in this post, since I have referred to the topic three verses earlier (1 Thessalonian Bits – 2:6), and provided a short 3 post series, beginning with Salaried Pastors? A discussion with a Pastor 1.
Whatever Paul’s exact meaning he intended the Thessalonians to understand, we know he was thinking of them and not how they may provide him a 401k, a health plan or a healthy living wage. Imagine, Paul getting the deacons together to hash our a contractual agreement for his services, before he would love them.
Am I the only one who sees a two opposing philosophies of ministry? One philosophy of unconditional love as exhibited by Paul, and the second philosophy of ministry as seen in our modern church, of conditional service to the Body based on a guaranteed renumeration provided every two weeks.
As an aside, and to request comments, I would appreciate any of my readers to begin an open discussion on this topic. Your views are appreciated.
As my wife often says – Someone’s gotta make that make sense!
Proclaim
So Paul had troubles. Trials and disappointments. He expended his energy in spite of these trials, often as he spent this effort, having greater trials fall upon him. Beyond this, he was intentional in being available with no cost associated with that availability.
Consider that for a moment!
And what was the goal of fighting though the trials, the disappointments, expending his energy, only to face more trials, and then working his off hours to provide a condition where his newly acquainted believers would experience no burden, no financial obligation, no contractual commitment?
What was the goal? To proclaim the gospel of God.
He proclaimed it for sure. Not only in the mysteries of the gospel that stunned the Gentile world, that the Creator God would die for them, even as they were enemies, sinners pumping a fist at Him, but that they would be enveloped in the love of God so deeply that his verbal explanations always fell somewhat short.
But he loved them, and he lived his life to show them a short glimmer of that gospel by the actions he took, by the very effort and manner of life he exhibited.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
For our passage this morning, I can’t help but to consider the pastoral character of the apostle Paul.
What do I mean by this?
I often consider, rightly so, that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, the great missionary, the one chosen by God to lay a foundation for the church. An incredible man, transformed by the grace of God to traverse the known world with a message that caused riots, brought persecution, imprisonment and deprivation.
1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
To be pastoral speaks to me of one who is with the sheep, understanding their needs and daily concerns. In my mind, Paul came into a region, provided the gospel in all it’s glory, accepted rejection, difficulties and persecution, and then headed off to the next area of need.
To hear Paul speak of sharing “our own selves” gives me pause. Oh yes, he gave his life for the church, no debating that fact, but is he speaking of giving his life for individuals in this context? Is he speaking of taking time to be with individuals, to understand their needs and wants, their misunderstandings and confusions. To feed and tend to the sheep takes time, and we know he had little of that with the Thessalonians.
Paul was forced out of the city, but he may have been recalling his attitude towards those he ministered to prior to that expulsion by the city government.
If so, that is quite telling!
The great apostle Paul, the great missionary of the Gentiles, travelling throughout the known world, had time for individuals! Would his time not be better spent in the development of planning sessions with church leadership, of producing vision statements for the deacons, and of pushing agendas for the growth of church ministries?
I apologies, for my jadedness may be peeking through, but I sometimes worry on the effectiveness of our modern way of church growth. Now don’t get me wrong, for I have not a better way than the common way we see nowadays.
But I wonder. If a pastor shared his life with a few others, and not only a set of doctrines to large groups, (necessary as the truth of the gospel is), might we see, albeit slowly, a consistent growth of not merely numbers but of maturity in the church?
Might Paul be describing his intent, disturbed by his ousting by the city, for this fledgling church. He loved them, as individuals, and not only as a corporate body, a organism that needed oversight.
I freely admit I may have seen too much of the corporate church growth methods for my thoughts to be balanced, or to have any weight for my reader. That is fair, and for those who have a pastor, or a another believer act pastoral in their lives is the very intent I see in Paul’s description. Forgive me if my thoughts may be somewhat reactionary to the common aggrandizement of a professional Christian over thousands and thousands of sheep, yet I think Paul may be onto something.
Might it be wise for each of us to find someone to share our very life with. To share the Lord Jesus with, not only to introduce someone to His grace, but of His continual working in our lives.
Paul’s motivation for this interaction with individuals in the Thessalonian church was based on them becoming “very dear” to them. The root of this word is the well known “agape” we hear of in church. A self sacrificing love for someone else, a caring for others that relegates self’s needs to the back burner.
Truly incredible how Paul could say that! Does he not know that he has a massive mission ahead? How can he “waste” time with individuals when he has to reach the masses?
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
Paul has been battling the onslaught of rumor and innuendo, of the outright attack on his apostleship by those who have entered in among the new believers at Thessalonica.
As he is preaching and teaching the gospel to others, experiencing sufferings and persecution, he maintained his desire and care for this church.
In in effort to remind my reader of the life Paul lived as he was sent into ministry, I refer you to a a list of Paul’s sufferings as described in the book of Acts. (My thanks to the people at https://www.biblecharts.org/ in providing this free resource for the Body of Christ.)
His life was threatened in Damascus. Acts 9:23
His life was threatened again in Jerusalem. Acts 9:29
Persecuted and run out of Antioch in Pisidia. Acts 13:50
Faced possible stoning at iconium. Acts 14:5
Stoned and left for dead in Lystra. Acts 14:19
Opposed and made the center of controversy. Acts 15:11
Experienced the loss of his close friend and co-worker, Barnabas. Acts 15:39
Beaten with rods and imprisoned at Philippi. Acts 16:23
Cast out of Philippi. Acts 16:39
His life was threatened in Thessalonica. Acts 17:5-7, 10
Forced out of Berea. Acts 17:23-14
Mocked in Athens. Acts 17:18
Taken before the judgment seat in Corinth. Acts 18:12
Opposed by the silversmiths in Ephesus. Acts 19:23-41
Plotted against by the Jews in Greece. Acts 20:3
Apprehended by the mob in Jerusalem. Acts 21:27-30
Arrested and detained by the Romans. Acts 22:24
Barely escaped being scourged. Acts 22:24-29
Rescued from the Sanhedrin mod action. Acts 23:1-8
Assassination plot against him. Acts 23:12-22
Two-year imprisonment in Caesarea. Acts 23:33-27:2
Shipwreck on the island of Melita (Malta). Acts 27:41-28:1
Suffered a snakebite. Acts 28:3-5
First Roman imprisonment. Acts 28:13-15
As I read this list, and consider our verse this morning, I am astounded at the ability of Paul to maintain a caring and loving attitude through all of this opposition. He did not exhibit any sense of being a victim, or of the unfairness of life. No where do we find him describing the sufferings as unfair, or undeserving. It was his life story showing of his deep love for the Messiah, of his caring heart for the people of God, and of his desire to see others catch this love of God that had so captured him.
When he mentions that he was gentle among them, this statement represents the heart of a man truly focused on the Messiah, and His great love for the people of God, in spite of opposition, persecution and suffering.
Even as we have ventured through the last 6 verses, where Paul is defending himself against the slurs and lies being spread by those in Thessalonica, he maintains his loving care towards the church, speaking of his gentleness, even as a nursing mother.
Consider the very image of a nursing mother, how she will give everything she has for the sake of that little, helpless child. My wife and I have five beautiful children, and as I watched her cry over, love and sacrifice for those children, it brings into focus this expression of Paul.
Even as Paul makes this claim, would he be implying that this church is still as a helpless little infant, and his heart is to protect them, to provide for them, to sustain them in this barrage of hate that is being inflicted on them by a group of gossip mongering, slur spreading haters within their midst?
Paul has taken six verses to defend his love for the church against the twisted self serving message of some in the church. He fully understands that the message he delivered is dependent on his authority, on his being sent directly into their midst by the Messiah, and that the destruction of his character and the attack on his motivations towards those he preaches to is a direct attack on the message.
As a summary for these 6 verses, I would like to offer Barclay’s summary of 1 Thessalonians 2:2-7. Barclay supplies what he thinks are the slurs Paul has to defend himself against.
“Paul was in prison and and is therefore untrustworthy” (1 Thessalonians 2:2, suffered before referring to his imprisonment in Thessalonica). “Paul is delusional” (1 Thessalonians 2:3, error). “Paul’s ministry is based on impure motives” (1 Thessalonians 2:3, uncleanness). “Paul deliberately deceives others” (1 Thessalonians 2:3, in deceit). “Paul preaches to please others, not God” (1 Thessalonians 2:4, not as pleasing men). “Paul is in the ministry as a mercenary, to get what he can out of it materially” (1 Thessalonians 2:5, 2:9, nor a cloak for covetousness). “Paul only wants personal glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:6, nor did we seek glory from men). “Paul is something of a dictator” (1 Thessalonians 2:7we were gentle among you).
Although our next verse will summarize Paul’s desire for the church, this list of the attacks of those against the gospel and the apostle has been illuminating for myself, reminding me of a number of truths that should impact the believer.
The message needs to be spread by those infused with the character of Christ to have impact those around them
The message is not a message of arguing with the Body of Christ, but of self sacrificial service.
To speak the message will incur the opposition form those outside of the church. It is not ungodly, though sometimes necessary, to defend your actions to those you love!
It is important to remember that the audience we speak with may be very immature, and this is not to be looked down upon, but to be cared for, as a nursing mother over a young child
What a heart Paul had! Beyond the religious standard, he was a man that cared in spite of physical opposition and verbal defamation.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
Paul continues in his defense of the critics in Thessalonica, and this verse brings up a topic of discussion that may be instructive for us.
Authority of an Apostle
Paul brings up the possibility of a demand (or the right) of an apostle. First off, this “demand” (δύναμαι dýnamai) or assertion of authority upon the church needs to be defined within the limits of Paul’s discussion.
Is he claiming an apostle can demand glory (δόξα dóxa) from people? Is he directing the church, (and his detractors), that the apostles of Christ have the right to demand honor or dignity?
Or might he also be reaching back to the previous verse in demanding support for the ministry he has entered? My reader will have to consider the argument for financial support as a possible demand the apostle may refer to. Personally, I do not read this demand as one for financial assistance.
For some thoughts on the teaching of financial assistance for the professional Christian, I would refer you to earlier posts I published as I tried to understand this topic. Salaried Pastors? A discussion with a Pastor.
I will suggest that Paul is speaking of an honor that should be afforded the apostles, and that he has the right to demand this from his people.
Incredible! Paul could demand, in that he had the right to receive honor from his people. He had sacrificed his life on the altar of Christian service to his Lord, and to the people he brought the gospel to. To honor the apostle as he has served the people should be considered a natural reaction of a sane and thankful people.
Let me ask my reader a question.
Try to remember the last time someone demanded respect from you? Was there any reluctance in your spirit? If you did not respect and honor the person before the demand, did you suddenly commence to respect, honor and dignify the leader after the demand?
Paul had the right to receive glory, respect and honor from his church. Paul states that he does not seek this glory. His detractors are actually using what is a rightful claim as an excuse to defame the apostle. Yet Paul did not seek it, though he had every right to.
Rights and Self Denial
Which brings me to the tension for every Christian in their relationship of rights and self denial.
As a believer, we are afforded certain rights, some of us experiencing this privilege more than others. Factors such as the nation we live in, the class of people we live among, the wealth we may accrue and other issues provide believers varying degrees of rights. Nevertheless, all believers have a choice to make when it comes to exercising whatever rights we possess in relation to our call to love sacrificially, to give up what is ours for the sake of others.
What is more difficult is that Paul often used his rights to further the gospel. Consider his right as a Roman citizen in the beating he took in Philippi. He took the beating and imprisonment, not mentioning his citizenship, yet when it came to his expulsion from the city, he used it to his (or possibly the churches) benefit. (see Conditional Security – Philippians 1:3-11 for a possible discussion Paul had with the officials of Philippi)
Truly we need the wisdom of God to know when to exercise our rights, how to best exercise those rights, and the strength to deny the forcing of rights in order to gain the respect we deserve and not simply demand!
May God have mercy on our lives and provide us the wisdom and strength we so desperately need. Thank you Jesus for such an example, and for providing the apostle as an example for us all.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed–God is witness.
Can you hear those in the church trying to degrade Paul? Their “ministry” of destruction describes his inner motives, his desire for things and his manipulation of those he seeks to gain from.
Flattery
This term is only used once in the New Testament and is associated with greed. It is a tool of the speaker to get on the good side of the hearer, to gain something from them. It is always associated with a message that favors the hearer, or the hearer’s condition. It includes excessive compliments, praising them beyond what the situation deems necessary.
Yes, the apostle who had been whipped and tortured, imprisoned and beaten was a man pleaser. Sometimes the defamation of a man’s character is blatantly flimsy, and so it is in this claim, yet it must have been accepted by some in the church to afford a response from the apostle.
This speaks of our responsibility to reject gullibility, to be willing to listen to others yet not to be swayed by arguments that are baseless, that we as believers are to be grounded in the truth, ready for those who may seek to convince us of their opinion, to our own hurt.
Paul a flatterer? This was a weak attack and speaks of the hearer’s willingness to let go of Paul’s message of self sacrifice and giving to others. Those not committed to the Savior and His apostle may seek an alternate opinion, that would allow their faith to settle elsewhere. A dangerous situation!
Greed
We have considered flattery, and the impact this claim may have on those in the church, but when we get to greed, this touches a nerve for myself. Not that I consider even a hint of this avarice expressed in the apostle Paul’s life, for he spent much of his ministry working for his own support, and rejected the common teaching of a salaried position. He lived by faith, went without, suffer hunger and deprivation and found God to be enough.
This claim of greed that is attached to the apostle Paul is as weak as the flattery claim in my opinion, and as such should be rejected.
When I suggested above that this topic touches a nerve for myself, I am referring to a modern church that is mad with greed. A modern church that accepts millionaire pastors, that feed the shepherds even as they consume the flock. A modern church that pushes a physical wealth as promised by the poverty stricken Messiah (He had no place to rest His head) and His apostles, who spoke of having no silver or gold. A modern church that is distracted from the kingdom in order to enjoy the world. A modern church, that sadly infects us all.
Flattery and greed. Paul was accused of this approach and motivation to the Thessalonian church, even though they experienced his life practice for a period.
Sadly, though the claim is baseless against the apostle Paul, it is not baseless against many in the modern church, and yet no one seems to care. No one sound the alarm that this is the very death of true Christianity, leaving behind an empty shell of what was. A hollowed out, weak church with nothing but self love.
I must quit. This topic is heavy on my heart, and I fear the worst for the modern church.
May the Lord Himself speak to the church, (may He speak to me!). May He drive into our thoughts and hearts the depth of this infection, and guide us out of the mire of greedy motivations and coveting of lowly things!
May we be like the apostle, slurred with the claim of flattery and greed, but clearly without a basis of the claim sticking.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 but just as 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.
Paul has just defended himself from the claims his detractors spread of his impure motives, errors and any attempt to deceive. As mentioned earlier, he fully understood the reason those in the church may spread this slander about him, for if the messenger was defamed, the message became null and void, even harmful. A little slander goes a long way and though it may not be trusted by all in the church, it can be a very effective tool to split a church, to cause disunity and distract from the goal of the church!
Paul saw the writing on the wall, and he fights back, beginning with his commitment to God, and God’s commitment to him
Approved by God
Paul goes to the core of the issue, by speaking of the One who sent his troupe with the message of the gospel, and in the sending has approved of these men and their preaching.
In the trials and sufferings of this group, God has “dokimzoed” these servants
To be “dokimzoed” (δοκιμάζω dokimázō) is to be tested and to be found genuine. The object, or person in this instance, was examined and after a period of time, was found genuine. Once the testing is complete, the person has the approval of the testing authority.
God had placed on the apostle Paul and his team testing that is not described in this verse, but since he has recently spoken of his time in Philippi (vs 2), we may surmise he is speaking of the beatings, jailing and rescue from the prison. But let us remember he is defending the message here, the gospel he is preaching by describing God’s actions in rescuing him.
If God did not approve of this message he was spreading, this miraculous rescue from a prison must be explained by his detractors.
No, Paul and his team had been tested, at the very least in Philippi, but I suspect Paul could speak of more, and they were approved, found to be the real deal, and due to this, could be trusted to provide a truthful, God approved message.
Entrusted with the gospel
This is exactly what has happened, for as these men were tested and approved by God, God entrusted them with the message that cost His Son His life.
Earlier I had mentioned that the apostles testing may have been more than just in Philippi. To be entrusted with the spreading of the gospel, from what I understand Paul is saying, is to be tested by God first, and then to be sent out. Or at the very least, in the sending, testing would occur. Note that Paul mentioned “as we have been approved”, speaking of a past testing. The faithfulness of the servants had been tested and found genuine, and due to this, the gospel was committed to Paul and his team in their missionary travels.
Consider the importance of this message to God. The truine God had been establishing and orchestrating a condition for His Son to enter a sin sick world, provide a message of life to the world, and as the love of God was spread out to those who claimed to know God, those who claimed to know God crucified the very God they claimed to follow. Our messenger, God’s Son was crucified. Rejected. Murdered. And yet, in all this, the Son was resurrected from the grave, with one message – He is King, Savior of the World and Lord of all.
This message was and is the heartbeat of the Living God, and to be entrusted with this message is of the highest honor. God actually trusted Paul with His message, in the diffusion of His gospel throughout the known world.
Please God
Because of this successful testing, and because of this entrustment between God and His servant, Paul speaks. He is providing the source, even the motivation of speaking and spreading this message. Out of this mutual trust between God and him, Paul speaks.
And his goal as he speaks is two fold.
Not Please Man
To please someone is to seek their approval, to work to gain the approval of their audience, to adjust their lives in order to satisfy someone else’s opinions or desires!
Although I cannot prove this, I suspect he is separating himself from those in the church who seek the approval of men, those religious men (and women?) who spread errors, impure teaching and attempt to deceive, as they claim he does.
In general, Paul cares little for the approval of man. But is he seeking man’s disapproval? Is he speaking in order to offend, or is he simply seeking to provide a faithful witness.
There are those in the church who seek position, or office in the church by comforting those in the church in order to gain authority. This is not Paul’s goal. There are also those in the church who unnecessarily offend their listeners, thinking they do service to God by their harsh message.
Neither of these positions is taken by Paul. He has a goal in mind, and pleasing men is not a part of that goal!
Please God
This is central to Paul’s motivation. Since a wee boy, he has sought to please God. Through the trials and through the preaching, he is adjusting his life and thoughts to find approval before God.
Paul adds a critical phrase after this statement of his goal to please God. He speaks of God as the One who tests our hearts. This testing is the very same testing we spoke of in the earlier portion of our thoughts on this verse.
God “dokimzoes” our hearts. He is testing our hearts, through trials and circumstances to determine our genuineness as believers. I suspect God does this for a number of reasons, but the one reason I would like to end this post on is that He tests us for our own instruction!
We are a self deceiving people and in the daily back and forth of living, we make decisions and act out our desires. Our “heart” actually is the source of our actions, and in the testing of our hearts God provides proof of our desires in concrete, historical actions we do.
I am of the opinion that His heart wants us to succeed, to be faithful, to pass the tests we face as we walk with Him.
God tests our hearts, and we should be thankful for the nudging, conviction and call to repentance we experience as we seek to walk with Him.
He is faithful to us. May we seek to be faithful to Him!
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
Error
It has been s few weeks since we spent some time in 1 Thessalonians, so it may be wise to remind ourselves that Paul is in the middle of responding to the slurs and slander being slung around in the sanctuary.
Enough of the alliteration!
He was addressing the claim of those in the church that were charging multiple offences against the apostle, before his very church! In our last verse he spoke of his defense against the implication of his previous suffering. If he suffered under the authority of the city of Philippi, he surely was not to be listened to. Dang – he was “corrected” by the city government of Philippi when they put him to the rods!
For our verse this morning, he again speaks out against the enemies of the church by bringing to light a claim against him associated with the message he brought them. Specifically, the claim he is addressing is the moral character of the content of his message.
Impurity
First off, Paul speaks of his exhortation, his message to the Thessalonians as an encouragement, a supplication and of a persuasive discourse. This exhortation of pleading with the Thessalonians brings to mind a messenger that seeks the best for others, and has the best on intents.
But the detractors are not spreading a message of Paul seeking the best for the church. They are claiming that Paul’s message is sourced of impurity.
What is Paul speaking of? Is it that they claimed he was in error, that he simply was deceived? This would be a very effective claim since all intuitively knows that nothing pure can come from the impure. If this claim of those in the church stuck, Paul’s gospel becomes polluted, and is not to be trusted.
Attempt to decieve
But the detractors were not done. Paul goes on to to add the defense that his message of the gospel did not spring from any attempt to deceive.
Both of these claims center around error or deception.
The first speaks of Paul as impure, possibly unknowing of his error, teaching what he thinks is true, but because he is impure, the message is impure. His intent may be good, but because he is mistaken, his message is wrong.
This claim is attacking Paul’s attempt to deceive. It is as though Paul knows the truth, but decides to lie to the Thessalonians for some hidden reason.
That simply doesn’t make sense, and as we follow the Lord, we too will come up against inconsistencies of the enemies of the gospel over and over again.
Let me try to explain.
Paul has just suffered in Philippi, having been beaten by the rod, humiliated, and run out of town. He enters Thessalonica, and a crowd erupts in anger against him. He again is rejected by the masses, having to abandon those few that believed his message of a rejected and crucified Savior.
If his message is fueled by deception, where is the gain for this apostle? Why? If he is wrong, or his intent in delivering a message is to deceive, why go through all the trials and troubles he has went through.
The very claim of his being a deceiver, or of being deceived has to pass one sniff test. There are other tests of course, but for this short verse we are addressing the claim of deception in Thessalonians.
What is the sniff test?
Why suffer for a lie?
His detractors are silent in this regard! They wouldn’t suffer for their message. As a matter of fact, their message is compliant with the enemies of the cross. They are towing the line of the world in fighting against God and his Savior! No suffering for them. They have picked their camp!
But Paul knows the truth and in spreading the truth, he is attacked, defamed and tore down by those who fight against God. Paul experiences a constant barrage of pain and trial, yet he stays the course, holding desperately onto the truth, for in a world of detractors dealing in deception, Paul found his only sanity in looking to the way the truth and the life!
It is true for us today also. Look to the truth of Jesus, and detractors will come. But Jesus is the truth. Trust Him only.
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 But 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.
Last post we spoke of the ongoing attempt of some amongst the Thessalonians regarding the character assassination of Paul, and how this may lead to the weakening, even the loss of faith for those who were so strongly converted and were such a bright light of witness in the region. Paul spoke of his initial entrance into their lives and that his coming was not without results.
In our last post, we considered the recent suffering Paul endured prior to his arrival in town. Paul sought to remind the Thessalonians of his history, as a defense against his detractors who were seeking to spread malicious statements of the apostle, in order to pull church adherents away from his teaching.
In our second post on this verse, let’s move on from Paul’s history of suffering in Philippi, and consider his time amongst the Thessalonians. He has some pointed items to remind them of!
Much Conflict
He speaks of his past suffering, and then has the Thessalonians recall their city’s response. Conflict. Contention. Fighting. Struggle.
The Thessalonian city authorities did not take kindly to Paul and his team entering their city and “upsetting the apple cart”. Thessalonica seems to be of the same general opinion as Philippi, with a similar response of resistance to the gospel that he suffered so recently.
By this time in Paul’s life, he could see the handwriting on the wall. More suffering, upheaval, conflict.
By this time, Paul should have tempered his message, guarding his communication to those most offended by the cross.
Though the Philippi experience was about to erupt in Paul’s face again in this little city, he did not hold back. The fear of suffering did not hold on to Paul’s heart or mind, but he spoke boldly.
Let’s remember that Paul’s detractors, those seeking to pull the Thessalonians from Paul’s teaching, are claiming he has impure motives for the church, that he is a liar and cheat, one who is seeking his own advancement.
Consider this claim of evil deception on the part of Paul, as he speaks of his history with both Philippi and Thessalonica.
Liars lie for self advancement.
What personal advancement did Paul gain, other than broken ribs, lacerations, severe bruising, continual pain, and walking away from public humiliation?
Liars lie to escape suffering.
Again, he endured suffering, even to the point of willing to take the suffering though it was inflicted illegally. Consider Paul’s possible motivation for accepting the beating – See Conditional Security – Philippians 1:3-11
Liars lie to gain a reward.
What reward has Paul received? Where is the gain?
Liars lie out of fear.
Here, we refer to Paul’s manner of speaking in the very passage we are in today. He spoke boldly. Freely. He spoke without considering the past or the possible outcome of his message on his own person.
This witness the Thessalonians heard and saw, for he spoke his message freely and continually though the city rose up against him. The Thessalonians knew this and needed to be reminded of his manner of life.
To speak freely is a rare commodity in today’s world. The atmosphere of restricting speech is choking the church. and I for one admit to succumbing to this environment of fear.
Let us look to the Lord for the boldness we need. A boldness that only comes from the Lord. For Paul clearly states that his boldness was “in our God”.
May God have mercy on our souls for being so timid, and may we ask Him for strength in the midst of our trials that may come!
A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.
As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 But 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.
Last post we spoke of the ongoing attempt of some amongst the Thessalonians regarding the character assassination of Paul, and how this may lead to the weakening, even the loss of faith for those who were so strongly converted and were such a bright light of witness in the region. Paul spoke of his initial entrance into their lives and that his coming was not without results.
1 Thessalonians 2:1 …our coming to you was not in vain
In chapter two, Paul depends on the memory of these Thessalonians as compared to what others are saying in his absence. Paul’s detractors, in their efforts to draw away converts, had to sow doubt in the Thessalonians mind about who Paul “truly” was.
So, for the Thessalonians sake, and as a defense against the mud being slung, he calls them to remember his actions before them, and of the history of his ministry.
Shamefully Treated
Paul has suffered and been shamefully treated prior to his arrival in Thessalonica. Lets recall what happened 90 miles down the road in a little town called Philippi.
Acts 16:23-24
And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The “many blows” referred to by Luke is a Roman beating, not the flogging with a whip that many may think is referred to. That doesn’t necessarily make it much better.
To be beaten with rods is to be publicly stripped of their clothing, inflicting humiliation on the victims. But that is merely the beginning. The professional Roman torturers, the lictors, were skilled in both beatings and scourging, but when under Roman authority without Jewish influence, there was no restriction as to the number of beating that could be inflicted. No limit as the “40 less one” rule that dominated the scourging in Israel.
I have not found the specific material used for Paul’s beatings, for the rods used could be from a variety of trees, such as elm, red wood, vine wood, hazel or willow. There is some history that rods were also made of iron or lead.
So with such a variation of materials, we can let our imagination run wild. But there was another form of rod that may have been used. A rod often called a “scorpion” may have been used, a rod that was knotty, even of a prickly structure. These “scorpions” were hardened woods with the added effect of sharp piercings or cutting edges on the rod.
Nevertheless, with no limitations and with such vicious weapons, the humiliation of publicly stripping the victim was simply the beginning.
And what was the intent of this torture? To inflict the will of the authorities on the victim.
And what was this will of the authorities in Paul and Silas’ case? The claim was disturbance of the city, and teaching unlawful customs.
Acts 16:20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. Acts 16:21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.”
Paul preached Jesus and the Philippians disguised their hatred with civic concerns. How socially acceptable.
This short study on the beating Paul endured is to remind my reader that Paul suffered under the hand of authorities, with fresh wounds being carried into Thessalonica. He suffered these beatings and kept preaching.
Who does that? Where is the personal gain, the “best life now” attitude that would allow Paul’s detractor a basis to stand on? The Thessalonians were not dependent on simply word of mouth regarding the treatment he succumbed to in Philippi. His beating left marks, and his partners must have recalled the humiliation the apostles endured.
Paul looked to the Thessalonians to remember his past, and the witness of his suffering as he was amongst them.
His witness speak to us today, for he mimicked the Master in providing for us an example of living for others, of suffering and maintaining a life dedicated to others.
There is no effective argument against that type of love for others!
May we exercise this life as we follow the Master.
Considering the Bible 