First Thessalonians 2:3-8: Qualities of Paul's Ministry Pt. 1
In the last post in our series in First Thessalonians, we began a section of Paul’s letter often called his apostolic defense. Timothy has returned to Paul and Silas in Corinth and has brought word that there are some who are disturbing the church by claiming that Paul is not to be listened to and that his ministry is only self-serving. It is difficult to tell what all is being said about him, but whatever it was, it was enough for Paul to take the time to address it.
When a man is installed as a pastor at a church, it is customary to have a charge delivered to him. Before the congregation, another pastor or elder calls the new pastor to fulfill his duties as a servant of God and the people. To me, much of what Paul says here would work well as a passage to charge an incoming pastor. But as we will see, this is not just for pastors.
In verses 3-8, I detect at least four qualities of Paul’s ministry to the Thessalonians that should encourage them and acquit Paul of any wrongdoing. We will take the first two qualities today.
A Desire to Please God
3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 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.
Probably a constant battle for all of us on some level is people-pleasing. We want to be liked, and sometimes pleasing others can just make life easier for us. Paul is making it clear to the Thessalonians that his chief motive in coming to them was to please his God. He had been called to preach the gospel, which was causing him to suffer greatly in various ways, but he loves God above everything else. His desire was not to earn the approval of men, it is God’s approval he seeks.
But Paul is not seeking to please God so that God would love him. God loves him in Christ, therefore, he seeks to please him. We can often get that confused. Because we naturally tend toward works-based salvation, we can fall into the trap of trying to please God so that he will love us. That is so backwards! God has already demonstrated his love for us in Jesus (Roman 5:8), and because he loves us, we love him (1 John 4:19). This is the foundation for our desire to please the Lord.
We all desire to please those whom we love. In this sense, not all people-pleasing is bad. If we think of this in a parent-child relationship, it is a good idea for children to seek to please their parents.1 In Christ, we have been made children of God and we have a heavenly Father who loves us with an unfathomable love. His love has been poured into our hearts and it should be our greatest pleasure to please our loving God. In this, we can see that our enjoyment is not disconnected from our pleasing the Lord. Actually, they are deeply connected.2 In other words, it should please us to please the Lord.
With Humility
6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
Another battle that might rage on within our hearts is the desire to be known and honored. Personal glory can be as inviting as the Ring of Power3 and the sound of others’ praise can cause us to be drunk on our own perceived self-worth. It seems that this is what some are saying about Paul: he is only after his own glory.
There have been only twelve men to walk on the moon. Twelve. As part of that incredibly limited group, you would always have the opportunity to overshadow any story shared at a dinner party.4 Having a resume like that could cause one to struggle with humility and one might use that status for their own selfish gain.
Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He had seen the resurrected Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus and had been called by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles. He spoke will all the authority of Jesus Christ.5 This was a pretty good resume, if you think about it. Very few were called to be apostles.
But Paul did not use his status as an apostle for his own selfish gain, or push people around. He was not after fame, riches or glory of his own. He came as one seeking only to make Christ and his gospel known to the people. He came in a humility.
A few questions for us might be: do we tend to use our status for our own glory or for the glory of Christ? Do we seek to be honored, or do we seek the honor of Christ? Do we put others’ interests first, or are we more interested in ourselves?
This is only part one, but anticipating tomorrow, where did Paul learn the desire to please God and walk in humility?
To be continued.
For now, perhaps this is appropriate for our hearts. This is one of the Greg Wilbur songs we sing.
1 Parents might say, "That's a great idea!"
2 Westminster Shorter Catcechism question #1 says it best: What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever.
3 Sorry, we just watched Lord of the Rings. And I am referring to the One Ring. Please don't write me an email in Elvish explaning the "Rings of Power" and the "One Ring."
4 Please take four minutes and watch this. You won't be disappointed.
5 For a little more on apostles, see here.