1 Thessalonians 2:1-16--Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
English Standard Version

Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians
2 For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 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. 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. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 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.

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. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 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.

​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. 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, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 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!

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Paul goes back and gives a slight recap of what his time ministry was like there in Thessalonica.  He had been persecuted in Philippi before he arrived, and the people saw that he was fully committed to the message he was preaching because of the trouble and hardship he was willing to endure.  Paul reminds them also that this is what the Lord appointed him for when he was chosen as an apostle, and the fact that he was chosen by God was validated by God with many miraculous signs and wonders.  Therefore, Paul's works was done to please God who had already declared him to be approved by the Father, Son and Spirit, but we need to live in our lives in a way that shows that we are approved by God and that we are workmen who need not be ashamed.

Unlike the false teachers that the Thessalonians are familiar with, Paul did not seek glory for himself.  Even with the signs and wonders that were performed, all glory was given to God.  They were merely ambassadors there to proclaim a message from their king, and it was the king, not the ambassador who was great.

Paul took care of the Thessalonians and a gentle way, like a mother that takes care of an infant that is still nursing.  Paul feels like these church members are his own spiritual children, so he has an affectionate care for them, and a desire to see them and be with them (as we'll see next time).  That being said, Paul was not effeminate, and he took on the masculine role of a father to them being their teacher and protector for as long as he was able to be with them.  He worked to provide for the expenses of his ministry so that he did not burden them with these expenses (even though it was his right as an apostle to expect them to pay his way).  He lived his life in such a way that his walk was described as both holy, righteous and blameless (this is something all of us should hope to have said about us and our conduct before God and men).  As mentioned earlier, Paul also acted as a father to these young believers encouraging and exhorting them (and I think the Idea of disciplining them as necessary is wrapped up in there, as that is a main biblical responsibility of a father, and we see Paul talk about that responsibility with other churches. like the church in Corinth).  They charged these church members (make them know it was their solemn duty) to live lives that were worthy of God, His kingdom, and His glory.  As my friend Phil would say, "That is a high calling."

​The Thessalonians heard all this and received it joyfully as the word of God, and not merely the word of men.  And, since it was the Word of God, they accepted it as being able to accomplish in them everything that they were commanded to do, for God would not command us to do something that He was not able to do in and through us.  That's part of the gospel--that it is God's will to change us so that He lives in us and works in and through us to make us more into the image of Christ.

In fact, that is Paul's next thing he talks about--we are to be imitators of God, but they had an example to follow as they tried to imitate the churches in Judea that were led by the Apostles.  Though these Christians were Gentiles, they suffered the same kinds of things that their Jewish brothers suffered (and the Romans didn't treat them any better just because they were Gentiles).  The same people that killed the Messiah and the prophets that foretold His coming would be happy to kill His apostles and disciples, no matter what their ethnicity.  Satan is opposed to God and all of His people--Jewish and Gentile believers alike.  We know Satan especially hates the Jews because of the covenants that God made with them, and that through them, the Messiah was born, and that they still have an important role in taking the gospel to the whole world and proclaiming the name of Jesus as their Messiah before He returns.  Satan wants to do everything within his power to try to keep God from fulfilling His promises.  Now Satan is acting through men to try to prevent the gospel from going forth to the Gentile nations that have historically been part of the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of darkness, but God has opened the Door (that is Jesus) so that all men can become citizens of the kingdom of His marvelous light.  This was always God's plan (we can see it the book of Isaiah the prophet).  Because such men have allied themselves with the devil and his kingdom, and they have rejected the Lord and His kingdom, those that die in this state of rebellion or are in this state of rebellion at the end of days will have the wrath of God poured out on them.