1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
Series: 1 Thessalonians (Acts)

Rusty's Notes

• We left off last week with Paul’s introduction (opening) and verses of Thanksgiving for the Church at Thessalonica.

 
PAUL’S CONDUCT
1 THESSALONIANS 2

• In 2:1–12, Paul is defending his past character during his three-plus Sabbaths in that church.

1 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our visit with you was not without result.

• Paul emphasized the fact that the readers themselves must testify to his character.
• “You know” is emphatic in the Greek text.
• If Paul was combating critics, he did so by calling on the Thessalonians as defense witnesses.[1]
• He’s reminding them of what was done and also looking for confirmation.
• “Yes, right?”

2 On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and were treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition.

• They were beaten Philippi and ran out of town.
• But then God gave them boldness/courage to come to Thessalonica and teach the same message.
• Tell me today, that Pastors aren’t told what to preach/talk about on Sunday mornings.
• Paul said he came to speak the Good News instead of what everyone else is instructing him to do.

3 For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive.

• Even in Paul’s days, there were people who preached a message with the intent of making money.

4 Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts.

• A person obligated to speak for one who can judge the heart would be foolish to change the message in order to please the hearers.
• Such an act would comprise a breach of trust.
• Thus it was impossible in the mind of the apostle to be a person pleaser and a God pleaser at the same time[2]
• A steward owns nothing, but possesses and uses everything that belongs to his master.[3]
• Are you a good steward of your resources, time and physical body?

5 For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness--

• Paul didn’t put on a show or manipulate emotions to share the Gospel.
• There were no fancy presentations.
• There was no salesmanship occurring.
• Material support in return for spiritual or philosophical instruction was common both in the church and in the Hellenistic world in general.
• It was not considered improper.
• In this context the term indicates more than simple financial support.
• It refers to the weight of authority that might put a demand for financial support or a demand for respect.[4]

6 and we didn’t seek glory from people, either from you or from others.

• What is the problem that Paul is trying to address?”
• And the answer is [that] he’s trying to react and correct criticisms about his character from opponents.
• Paul’s opponents were both the Jews & the Gentiles.
• He was teaching and people were converting from Judaism and the pagan gods.
• You probably have had that experience where someone you know is in the room and they get a phone call, and you hear one half of the conversation.
• But even though you don’t hear the other half, it’s not difficult, usually, for you to reconstruct what the other person is saying.
• And something similar like that is true for us when we read Paul’s letters.
• We are hearing one half of the conversation, Paul’s half, but from what Paul says we can pretty easily and pretty confidently reconstruct what the other half is, what other people were saying to which Paul is now responding.[5]

 

• Paul, in our passage, gives the Christians in Thessalonica three pictures, three family pictures: a picture of an infant, a picture of a mother, and a picture of a father.
• And Paul gives them these three pictures in order to help the Thessalonians think about Paul in the right way.
• Paul is concerned about this issue because he knows of the intimate connection between the messenger and the message.
• The intimate link between the messenger and the message.
• In other words, if there are any questions about the character of the messenger, that automatically can raise in people’s minds questions about the character, the integrity, of the message.[6]
• Trust – If you don’t trust your pastor, you need to find one you can.
• The same thing Paul is teaching is what I am teaching.
• Trust the Father. But how can we teach you to trust the Father if you can’t even trust us?
• One of my biggest issues, is integrity.
• Some say that is a pride issue.
• Let me be the 1st to say, I’m not perfect in my behavior.
• But when it comes to my integrity, you might have just pushed one of my buttons.
• I want to be able to live my life (even though I still do acts of the flesh) so that it will publicly prove my integrity.
• I am not interested in putting on a show.
• I am interested in people connecting with me and trusting me.
• It is through the connection and trust that they will listen to the message of Jesus Christ.
• If I can’t connect with people and build their trust, then I am nothing but a clanging gong.
• I don’t see it as a “pride issue” but a necessity for the Gospel to be heard by the community.

7 Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle (infant) among you,

• The idea of innocence also comes from an ancient author of Paul’s day.
• Philo, the important Jewish writer, said this: “It is impossible for the greatest liar to invent a charge against infants”—same word that Paul uses—“as they are wholly innocent.”
• So this quote from Philo is important to show that in the ancient world the word that Paul uses--nēpios or “infant” or “baby”—was associated with the idea of innocence.[7]

as a nurse (mother/ wet nurse) nurtures her own children. 8 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers.

• Interesting how Paul refers to himself as a nursing mom.
• One that connects intimately with their children no matter what they do.
• Mothers have a tendency to look the child in the eye during nursing and there is a connection there that a Dad will never have.
• The sacrifice of a nursing mother is that she is available both day and night.
• The nursing mother eats the food and transforms it into milk for the baby.
• The mature Christian feeds on the Word of God and then shares its nourishment with the younger believers so they can grow.
• This metaphor Paul uses about his ministry is to help them understand how much he deeply loves them.
• So, although effective ministry demands that pastors and church leaders act in a professional way, ministry must never become a profession.[8]

11 As you know, like a father with his own children, 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to live worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.[9]

• There is no question that, in the ancient world, parents—and especially fathers—were authoritative powerful figures.
• That has changed in our society because we get Homer Simpson, Tim the Toolman Taylor, Al Bundy and Phil Dunfy.
• In other words, it’s important to see that Paul is not misusing his authoritative fatherly role; instead, Paul says the purpose of [his] being a father to [them was to help them] live lives that are “worthy of God.”
• What does it mean to “walk worthy of God”?
• Walk by the Spirit
• Having my integrity with Cory & Chloe is more important than having it with you.
• They have to trust me if I am going to have intimate conversations with them.
• I used to come at them with emotions… it just turned them away.
• So there are clear structures put on the authority and the purpose of that authoritative role that Paul, as a spiritual father, has.
• Pastors do not wait to discover how the rest of the congregation feels about a particular issue before they venture their own opinion; but instead, they, in an appropriate way, move ahead in articulating a vision for the future.
• That means that church leaders don’t quickly retract statements or change their opinion at the first sign that people don’t like what they say.
• In other words, they are not afraid to run the risk of saying things that are biblical and that are relevant and true but are also potentially unpopular.
• These three same family metaphors are true and appropriate not just for those in leadership position but for all members of the church.[10]

[1] Martin, D. M. (1995). 1, 2 Thessalonians (Vol. 33, p. 70). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Martin, D. M. (1995). 1, 2 Thessalonians (Vol. 33, pp. 73–74). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 163). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Martin, D. M. (1995). 1, 2 Thessalonians (Vol. 33, p. 76). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[6] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[7] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[8] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Th 2:1–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Weima, J. A. D. (2020). NT350 Book Study: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.