Morning Message Text: 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8
Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica
1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.
2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.
3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.
4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.
5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.
6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.
7 Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children,
8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
Morning Message:
There are parts of God’s word that rarely gets our attention. Even avid readers of scripture sometimes pass over the books of the prophets and kings. However, these books are eerily familiar to what is taking place in our world today. Many times, the prophets speak of a nation that is in chaos with outrageous violence on the streets. Governments that made things worse rather than better. Institutional systems were collapsing. The economy was tanking. People were defiant and divided. Religion was man-centered. Morals were virtually nonexistent. The people only wanted to hear words that made them more comfortable. We are called to be meek not weak, and we must be truthful with ourselves. We can’t go through this life pretending that everything is good and turning a blind eye to the evil that is all around us. There is not always common ground in the issues that face us, and sometimes we need to choose.
The prophets looked at the world and felt what God feels, saw what God sees and knew what God knows. They articulated the real problems and called the people back to God. Hence, the prophets’ writings are very corrective in nature. I never noticed this before. The writing Prophets, (Isaiah through Malachi) take up as much space as the whole New Testament. The book of Jeremiah alone is the same length as all of Paul’s letters combined. The volume of inspired writings in the Prophets and Kings makes me think I better not skip over these books. God has something to say. His warnings need to be heard and heeded. The Prophets tell us, “You were made for so much more. Pay attention to God. God will not be mocked. God is more interested in our character than in our comfort.” We are not Prophets, or are we? I believe that the followers of Jesus are all called to be prophets. We should feel what God feels; see what God sees; and know what God knows. We have something constantly that the Prophets only had occasionally: The Holy Spirit.
What does this have to do with today? A quick story that I recently read: A man promised his daughter that if she did well in high school and got a full scholarship to college, he would get her whatever she wanted. She got the full ride to the university, and he needed to honor his promise. He knew what she would ask for. What do you think it was? “A car,” he thought. What did she ask for? A puppy. All her life she had wanted a puppy and was never allowed to have one. Now was her chance. Dad could not refuse. He promised. The puppy was a bundle of energy and was always trying to escape from the house. One day the puppy scampered out the door, and instead of immediately chasing the dog, the daughter knew it was best to head to the refrigerator first. Then she high-tailed it out the door and ran up the street. Her dad followed her out the door running as fast as a middle-aged guy could run. The whole time his daughter was yelling, “Cheese, Cheese.” The dog was thinking, “Freedom.” The father was trying to keep up. “Cheese, Cheese.” The puppy was torn between FREEDOM AND CHEESE. Finally, the puppy turned around with the Cheese winning the day once again. The application: Often in American-style faith, the message becomes “CHEESE, CHEESE” rather than “Jesus Christ and his call to follow.” This is what happened 2500 years ago, and it is happening again today. Run from ministries that only give fun messages that tickle ears and teachers who never nail our blind spots.
Okay, this is my personality, but I think that this is so important today.
Psalm 1 verses 1 and 2 says something very simple, but very profound. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” God clearly makes a distinction between righteous and wicked, the right way and the wrong way. All too often in today’s world we try to walk a tight rope between right and wrong, so not to offend anyone. Sometimes by going out of our way to not offend or be critical, we find ourselves walking in step with sinners. Sometimes, I believe most times, there is a very clear distinction between the right way and the wrong way, and all we do by trying so hard to be fair is muddy the waters. When evil and wickedness clearly rears its ugly head, we Christians need to be very clear which side we are on.
Now we need to take this boldness of declaring what is right from what is wrong and apply it to our ministry to the world. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians lays out a very honest picture of what ministry should be. First, he proclaims to them that everything that he has done in the Lord has produced results. That is very important for us to realize that there are results from our efforts. Paul and his companions have been through a lot, but it has not been in vain. Paul says several things that speak to the honesty of his ministry. He did not try to trick anyone into believing; he was not about pleasing people. He did not have impure motives. In other words, he did what was right. There is a right way and a wrong way to minister. You should never try and trick someone into following Jesus, but isn’t that exactly what we attempt when we try to please people instead of simply speaking the truth of the gospel. We should not try to flatter people, but isn’t that exactly what we do when we see unrighteousness and wicked things and don’t take a stand. We don’t need praise from people, nor do we need to apologize for what we believe and know to be right.
Listen to how Paul approached ministry. He encouraged, comforted, and urged them. He worked hard; he was delighted to share the gospel. In other words, he enjoyed sharing his faith, and that joy made his message believable. Now listen because there is a very important part to the success of Paul’s ministry. He knew that he was approved by God. How can you know that? By spending lots of time with God. Now don’t miss this. Paul dared to speak the gospel of God. Do you think that it was easy for the early church to testify to the facts of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Here is the mindset that they had to have had. There is a difference between righteous and wicked. There is a right way and a wrong way. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. There is no other way and no room for compromise. We have allowed society to blur the lines between right and wrong, righteous and wicked, and we need to be clear-headed on where we should stand as a church.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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