Ben Brown
© 2003

Chuck Swindoll noticed an ad in a Kansas newspaper which read, "I will listen to you talk for 30 minutes without comment for $5.00." Swindoll said, "Sounds like a hoax, doesn’t it? But the person was serious. Did anybody call? You bet. It wasn’t long before this individual was receiving 10 to 20 calls a day. The pain of loneliness was so sharp that some were willing to try anything for a half hour of companionship."

There are people all around us looking for someone who will show them that they care. Are the people you come into contact with each day convinced that you care about them? If you were asked to give some examples of the things you have done to show concern for others, would that list be convincing? The apostle Paul has recorded for us in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 some evidence of the concern he had for one of the churches he ministered to. Paul’s list gives convincing proof that he cared very deeply for the Thessalonians.

We know from Acts 17 that Paul founded the church in Thessalonica in the midst of heavy Jewish opposition. Paul and his team were falsely accused of treason, physically intimidated, and forced out of town. Intense persecution continued to plague the church after Paul had to leave (see 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2:14-16). The believers at Thesalonica were feeling alone and discouraged. They were beginning to wonder why Paul hadn’t been back to see them, especially given the severe persecution they were having to endure. They were questioning whether or not Paul really cared.

The first three chapters of 1 Thessalonians are devoted to Paul’s response to the Thessalonians’ doubts concerning his interest in them. Paul assured the Thessalonians that he longed to see them and made every effort to do so, but was stopped by Satan (2:17-18). He asked that God clear a way for him to come to them (3:11). As the expression of his care and concern, Paul sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage the Thessalonians in their faith so that they would not be unsettled in their trials (3:1-5). Paul also affirmed his concern for the Thessalonians by his night and day thanksgiving and prayers for the Thessalonians (1:2-3; 3:9-10). In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12, Paul refreshes the Thessalonians’ memory by reminding them of what his initial ministry visit with them was like. Paul’s reminder gave the Thessalonians convincing proof that he did care!

1. Spread the gospel faithfully (1 Thessalonians 2:1-6a).

Paul’s faithful sharing of the gospel involved both his boldly speaking up and his ministering with integrity.

1. Boldly speak up (2:1-2).

Paul begins chapter 2 reminding the Thessalonians that his initial visit with them was not in vain. It was an effective ministry visit that God used to bring about good results. In chapter 1, Paul rehearsed the favorable response the Thessalonians gave to his sharing of the gospel. The Thessalonians’ faith in God had become known everywhere. Their lives had dramatically changed as a clear testimony to the effect of the gospel in them. They had turned from pagan idolatry to serve the living and true God and to wait for the return of His Son.

In verse 2, Paul goes on to remind the church of what he and Silas suffered in Philippi before coming to Thessalonica. There, they were falsely accused, severely flogged, and imprisoned at the hands of the Roman magistrates for having put a fortune-teller’s owners out of business. These magistrates later compelled Paul and Silas to leave town (See Acts 16). Even though they had suffered and been insulted in Philippi, with God’s help, Paul and Silas dared to tell the Thessalonians the gospel of God with bold confidence.

Paul and Silas proclaimed the gospel in spite of strong opposition from the Jews. When preaching the gospel involved persecution, Paul did not shrink from it. He remained faithful. If Paul did not really care about the Thessalonians, he would never have risked what he did for them. Paul’s accounting of the affliction he endured not only affirmed his concern for the Thessalonians, but it also served to remind them that he could relate to what they were going through. He endured the same kind of treatment. He understood! He cared!

By his example, Paul pointed out to the Thessalonians what they needed to do in the face of persecution. They needed to continue to let the Lord’s message ring out from them, depending on God’s help to continue their bold proclamation of the gospel. God helped Paul to remain faithful in the midst of persecution and the Thessalonians needed to depend on Him also to help them remain faithful.

Illustration: During WWII six Navy pilots left their aircraft carrier on a mission. After searching the seas for enemy submarines, they tried to return to their ship shortly after dark. But the captain had ordered a blackout of all lights on the ship. Over and over the frantic pilots radioed, asking for just one light so they could see to land. But the pilots were told that the blackout could not be lifted. After several appeals and denials of their request, the ship’s operator turned the switch to break radio contact—and the pilots were forced to ditch in the ocean. We dare not be like the captain of that ship. Don’t turn off the light of your gospel witness so as to duck under radar detection and avoid attack while letting others perish around you.

Application: Our postmodern society says that there are no absolutes, that truth is relative, that there are many acceptable ways to God, and that we need to tolerate what others believe by accepting their beliefs to be just as viable as ours. This society tells Christians to keep quiet. It tells us to stop being intolerant. The world wants us to be silent about Jesus being the only way to God and faith alone apart from works being the only way to salvation. Will we keep quiet when the world opposes us or will we boldly dare to continue telling others the gospel message?

Application: When we experience opposition for spreading the gospel, how should we handle our fear? When we try to get rid of them on our own, we learn that we can’t do it. The more you and I try to get rid of fear, the more our fears seem to intensify. Instead of trying to handle fear on our own, we, like Paul, need to trust God. God will help us remain faithful by giving us boldness to overcome our fears when we trust Him.

Application: When we observe new believers experiencing opposition for sharing the gospel, we need to get close to them. We need to share our experiences with persecution. We need to show them that we understand what they are going through. We need to help them see that God will help them handle the opposition when they trust Him.

Paul’s ministry was a 100% different than that of the fly-by-night preachers of his day. The goal of these charlatans was to enhance their own reputation by what they said so as to receive admiration and money to line their pockets. Paul was not like these scam artists who were concerned about promoting themselves while caring little about their hearers. As a genuine servant of Christ and true minister of the gospel, Paul avoided the tactics and motives of the peddling preachers. Paul was careful to minister with integrity so that the Thessalonians would not call into question the truthfulness of the gospel he preached. Spreading the gospel faithfully means not only that we boldly share it with others, but that we do it in a way that demonstrates integrity. Like Paul, our appeal for others to respond to the gospel needs to be without error, impure motive, or trickery.

2. Encourage a response:
1. Without straying from the truth (2:3a).

How easy it would have been for Paul to somehow tweak his message so as to make it more palatable and less threatening. Perhaps by making the gospel seem more attractive through the introduction of a change here and there, more people would have given a favorable response. However, Paul assured the Thessalonians that his exhortation did not come out of error. He did not lead the Thessalonians away from the truth. His message was not erroneously false or deceptive in any way, but was absolutely true.

2. Without impure motives (2:3b).

Paul assured the church that his exhortation did not spring out of impurity. Paul’s intentions were pure. He did not have any ulterior motive or hidden agenda.

3. Without using deceitful methods (2:3c).

Paul did not bait people or try to trick them into giving a favorable response to the gospel message the way a salesman might try to trick people into buying his products. His methods in ministry were not deceptive or misleading, but rather they were authentic and straightforward.

3. Desire God’s approval (2:4).

In strong contrast to the improper motives and methods just mentioned, Paul spoke in a manner consistent with what would be expected from someone who had been tested and approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. Paul had been made a steward of the gospel. As a steward of the good news, he would be held responsible for how faithfully he shared it. Paul understood that God had given him a sacred trust and it was to Him that he was ultimately accountable.

Paul was not motivated by the desire to please men. He was not concerned about what others thought. He was not concerned about what the popularity polls or approval ratings were indicating. Instead, his concern was to please God. God continually tested Paul’s heart and it was Paul’s desire that he continue to pass the test and receive divine approval.

Illustration: Knute Larson wrote the following helpful reminder in his commentary on 1 Thessalonians. "In the early 1990’s when President George Bush had fiery John Sununu as his chief of staff in the White House, Sununu was once asked by a reporter if his job was difficult. He answered with a quick and deliberate ‘No.’ The reporter thought that Sununu had misunderstood the question, so he asked again. And got the same reply. The chief of staff explained, ‘I have only one constituent.’ He knew his job was to please the president." We too only have to concern ourselves with the approval of one—God.

4. Avoid self-promotion (2:5-6a).

With God as his witness, Paul stated that he never used flattery. He didn’t speak nice-sounding, but insincere words to win the admiration of the Thessalonians. He did not use sugar coated, smooth talk to serve his selfish interests or to promote himself.

Paul also did not put on a mask to cover up greed. He didn’t pretend to be poor and work day and night as a pretense to get rich in ministry at the expense of his hearers. He did not pretend to do his ministry for the right reasons while all along really being motivated by the desire to pocket cash and then move on. Paul never used his ministry as a means of acquiring something for himself, financial or otherwise.

Because motives cannot be observed, Paul appealed to God as his witness. It is significant that Paul had God bear witness to the things he was recounting about his ministry. Paul’s willingness to invite God’s testimony to the sincerity of what he was saying stresses the credibility of what he said.

Paul was not looking for praise from men, not from the Thessalonians, or anyone else for that matter. He was not like the charlatan preachers of his day who were out to make a favorable impression on others for their own personal advantage. Paul was only concerned about pleasing God.

Application: It is a problem when we become overly concerned about what other people think of us when we share the gospel. If our primary concern is to try to please others or cause them to think well of us, somewhere, truth will be compromised and God will not be pleased. For example:

When we are more concerned about pleasing men than we are about pleasing God, we tend to minimize the issue of sin and act like it is really no big deal.

When we are overly concerned about pleasing men, we tend to be quick to confirm that someone is a Christian without knowing first whether or not that person has trusted Christ. If we affirm that a person who has no understanding of the gospel message is saved, what have we communicated? Is it really worth it to avoid offense and try to please others when it causes them to have false assurance that they are spiritually o.k.?

Application: When sharing the gospel, it is tempting to resort to flattery. It is tempting to say nice things we really don’t mean in our attempts to get others to think well of us and to continue listening to what we have to say. Flattery undermines gospel ministry. If we are untruthful in what we say about another person and they know it, what will they be led to think about the gospel when we share it?

1. Sacrifice rights and privileges for the sake of others (2:6b-7, 9).

Paul was gentle and caring in his dealings with the Thessalonians. As one with apostolic leadership and authority, Paul could have been a burden to the Thessalonians by making claims on them. Paul could have exercised the right to demand and receive special treatment, but he did not seek this right, demand it, or exercise it. He did not come throwing his weight around. Instead, he was gentle among them. He tenderly cared for the Thessalonians with the kind of gentle, caring affection a nursing mother shows towards her child.

Paul expressed selflessness by his willingness as an apostle to forego his rights to be supported financially (see 1 Corinthians 9:3ff.). Instead of depending on the Thessalonians for the meeting of his financial needs or making demands of them, Paul and the other apostles carried on another job (probably tentmaking¾ see Acts 18:3) besides ministering the gospel. Paul endured wearisome labor and hardship both day and night so as not to be a financial burden.

2. Share with others as a way of life (2:8).

Paul not only took delight in sharing the gospel with the Thessalonians, but also in giving his own life for their sake because they had become so beloved to him. Paul committed himself to acting in the best interest of others, sacrificially serving and giving his life for them. Caring for others in ministry was Paul’s way of life. His lifestyle was one of sharing—sharing the gospel and sharing himself.

Paul, through his preaching ministry and example, shared the gospel of God. He shared through his preaching that man is sinful, that Christ came to die in our place to pay sin’s penalty, that Christ was resurrected after three days in the grave, and that salvation is by God’s grace through faith. He shared through his example this same message. Following the example of Christ, Paul showed love by giving up His own life so that others might live when they responded in faith to the message of the gospel he shared.

Illustration: Every year in Alaska, a 1000-mile dogsled race, run for prize money and prestige, commemorates an original "race" run to save lives. Back in January of 1926, a six-year-old showed symptoms of diphtheria, signaling the possibility of an outbreak in the small town of Nome. When the boy passed away a day later, Dr. Curtis Welch began immunizing children and adults with an experimental but effective anti-diphtheria serum. But it wasn't long before Dr. Welch's supply ran out, and the nearest serum was….1000 miles of frozen wilderness away. Amazingly, a group of trappers and prospectors volunteered to cover the distance with their dog teams! Oblivious to frostbite, fatigue, and exhaustion, the teamsters mushed relentlessly until, after 144 hours in minus 50-degree winds, the serum was delivered to Nome. As a result, only one other life was lost to the potential epidemic. Their sacrifice had given an entire town the gift of life. We read numerous accounts like this one of amazing sacrifices made to help save the physical lives of people. How much more important it is that we make the same kind of sacrifices in order that those to whom we minister might live spiritually!

Application: Like Paul, we need to give whatever we have to others when they need it. Our attitude needs to be, "What is mine is yours if you need it." "If you need my time, I will spend time with you." "If you need my sweat and labor, I will work for you." "If you need my life, it’s yours." We need to share with others as a way of life.

Application: When we begin to get involved in the ministry of the gospel, we quickly learn that it will cost us. It will involve receiving late night calls from unbelievers or newborn babes in Christ who are crying out for our help. It will involve hour after hour of lengthy discussions surrounding the questions and struggles unbelievers and new believers have. It will involve time and effort as you exemplify Christ’s love by helping others in practical ways or by simply spending time to get to know them. Ministering the gospel of God will cost you your life. As your life is spent in ministry to others, you will find that you have lost nothing, but only gained.

As Jesus promises in Mark 8:35- "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."

Paul’s goal in ministry was to lead the Thessalonians to live lives worthy of God. Paul worked to foster holy living in others both by the example and by the exhortations he gave to the Thessalonians.

1. By our example (2:10).

Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to live holy lives by his own example of proper conduct. Paul called the Thessalonians and God to be his witnesses of how holy (pleasing to God, pure, in keeping with God’s standards of how he was to live), righteous (treatment towards others that God has determined to be just and right), and blameless (no charge could be made or obvious fault found) his conduct was. It is significant that Paul appealed to both God and the Thessalonians to be witnesses of his holy example. His appeal reflects something we have seen throughout this passage—Paul felt a responsibility and love for both God and the Thessalonians. Paul’s appeal to both God and the Thessalonians to be witnesses of his holy life is also a reflection of his integrity. He had nothing to hide.

Like Paul, we need to foster holy living:

2. By our encouragement (2:11-12).

Paul showed the Thessalonians he cared by the fatherly role he had in their lives. The goal of his fatherly activity was that the Thessalonians live lives worthy of God. As any loving father would do, Paul encouraged and comforted his children in the faith when they needed it. He also urged (made a case for) them to live lives that were worthy of God—lives that reflected His character and brought honor to Him. Paul did not direct the Thessalonians attention to a list of commandments when exhorting them to a holy life. Rather, he directed it to the character of God.

As an incentive for living in a worthy manner, Paul reminds the Thessalonians of God’s calling of them into His kingdom and glory. They had been specially called by God to enter into His kingdom and share in His glory. The bliss ahead, when God fully establishes His rule over all creation and believers experience the radiance and splendor of God’s glorious presence, was to serve as the incentive to be godly.

Application: Is your life communicating to other believers the importance of being holy, as God is holy? Are you living your life in keeping with God’s standards? Notice I did not ask, "Are you living your life in a way that is as good as or better than the other Christians around you?" Their example, whether good or bad, is not our standard. We are to be holy as God is holy. Do you treat others in a righteous and just manner? Are you living a blameless life in which no obvious fault could be found? Are you an example of holiness? Are you also an exhorter of holiness?

Application: Life is not a question of if we will have an influence on others, but what influence will we have on others. It is tragic to me when I see believers live unholy lives in front of unbelievers, caring little about the effect their behavior might have on those without Christ. It is tragic to me when I see believers who have been Christians for years living unholy lives in front of new believers, caring little about the effect their behavior might have on impressionable babes in Christ. Let us be sure to care enough about others that we live lives that lead them in a holy direction.

Is your list like Paul’s? Does the list of activities you have done give convincing proof to others that you care? We need to show others we care by spreading the gospel. We need to show others we care by sharing our lives with them even when it means giving up our rights or privileges. We need to show others we care by living holy lives and urging them to do the same.

We have a great opportunity before us to show others we care by spreading the gospel and sacrificially sharing our lives. With the recent outbreak of war, many around us are finding themselves full of uncertainty and without hope. What an important time to show people the difference Christ makes in us as God’s children. We have a living hope! Let us be faithful to share with those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ how they too can have this hope by trusting Him as their Savior. Consider taking the opportunity of passing out to your neighbors and friends the "got hope?!" tracts and the fliers that were especially prepared to help lead people to Christ in the uncertain time of war. Consider the next step God would have you to take in sharing with others the gospel of God and your life as well.