Paul Defends His Ministry to the Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 NLT
2:1 You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. 3 So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.
4 For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. 5 Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! 6 As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.
Examine the Scriptures:
1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 NLT
Paul Defends His Ministry to the Thessalonians
2:1 You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure.
- Paul is reflecting on his ministry among the Thessalonians. He reminds them that his preaching was neither empty nor useless but carried eternal significance.
In spite of all the positive comments in our previous lesson one, Paul felt that he needed to defend his ministry and his conduct.
Paul’s words suggest that people outside the church were charging him with unworthy motives and improper conduct.
Paul seems to spend a great deal of energy defending his ministry.
You yourselves know
- Paul begins by appealing to the Thessalonians’ own memory.
Paul’s (along with Silas and Timothy) ministry was effective and fruitful.
The Thessalonians had “turned away from idols to serve the living and true God”. (1 Thessalonians 1:9)
People were saved.
A vibrant church was planted.
The church grew and flourished after Paul left.
You yourselves know
- Never forget the good things God does for you.
Psalm 103:2 NLT
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
Psalm 105:1&5 NLT
1 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
5 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
Psalm 78:4 NLT
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
John 14:26 NLT
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there.
Acts 16:16-24 NLT
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
(This is followed by the conversion of the Philippian Jailer and his family.)
- Paul and his companions were often treated badly because of their faith and ministry. The New Testament records many hardships they faced, including persecution, imprisonment, beatings, and rejection.
Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 NLT
5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. …
- The ministry of Paul, Silas, and Timothy was God-empowered courage, not human ambition.
- Our ministry is God-empowered.
3 So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.
Paul clarifies his motives.
Paul is defending his ministry.
Acts 17:5 NLT
5 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd.
Paul’s message was not deceptive, it was truth.
Paul’s motivation was pure.
Paul’s method was straightforward and transparent.
4 For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News.
- God uses faithful messengers to share the Good News. (That’s us.)
Our purpose is to please God, not people.
- Paul and his companion’s aim was to please God alone.
Galatians 1:10 NLT
10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Acts 5:29 NLT
29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.
Colossians 3:23 NLT
23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Matthew 5:16 NLT
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Romans 12:1-2 NLT
12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
- Our purpose should be to please God, not people.
He alone examines the motives of our hearts.
- God knows the motives of our hearts.
Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
5 Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know.
Flattery and greed were common among traveling teachers in Paul’s day.
- Flattery is deceitful and manipulative
Proverbs 29:5 NLT
5 To flatter friends
is to lay a trap for their feet.
Proverbs 28:23 NLT
23 In the end, people appreciate honest criticism
far more than flattery.
Psalm 12:2-3 NLT
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
3 May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
and silence their boastful tongues.
And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money!
God is our witness.
Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he had every right to claim respect and honor as an apostle, but he did not seek such recognition.
Apostles were entitled to be supported by the church.
1 Thessalonians 2:9 NLT
9 Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.
2 Thessalonians 3:8 NLT
8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.
1 Corinthians 9:3-14 NLT
3 This is my answer to those who question my authority. 4 Don’t we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals? 5 Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves?
7 What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn’t have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk? 8 Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing? 9 For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? 10 Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.
11 Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? 12 If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.
13 Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. 14 In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.
6 As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.
Traveling philosophers and orators were common in the Roman Empire. They traveled from place to place, entertaining others for personal fame and fortune. Paul and his companions had nothing in common with such men.
Instead of demanding status, Paul and his companions chose humility and service.
