1 2 3 Christ-like Character Trumps Professional Qualifications 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13 Core Value #5: The Environment that makes Church Ministry contagious and credible is where ministry is expressed through God-like character and unconditional love. not professionalism. 1 Thessalonians 1:6 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, (x) Christ-like Character Trumps Professional Qualifications 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13 I believe every church exists to have an enduring discipleship impact on their immediate family members, then their community and if possible, in various points on the globe. I suspect that this is the original intent of every church ministry that we give ourselves to. We are not always successful at it, are we? Sometimes our attempts at ministry are a flop right from the word, "go."others have endured decade after decade. Somehow, over time and after many attempts to revive different ministries, we have to just let some ministries die. What kind of environment produces a better chance for a church ministry to survive? Most of us understand the importance of environment. Living in a rural community we understand the effects of frost, of heat, of rain and shade. We know that different crops require different soils, amounts of water, fertilizer etc. What environment makes a church ministry conducive to being fruitful? (x) Core Value #5: The Environment that makes Church Ministry contagious and credible is where ministry is expressed through God-like character and unconditional love not professionalism. BOOK: The church at Thessalonica had some of the hardest soil to plant the seed of the gospel. In Acts 17:1-10 the Jews in the city were militant in their efforts to stop Paul and Silas from spreading their teaching. Within three weeks of their arrival, they were driven out of the city. Yet, the church at Thessalonica was one of the most highly commended congregations in all of the NT. It had a tremendous impact on its surrounding world. Listen to what Paul writes about them: (1 Thess 1:7-8) (x) 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,
4 5 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 3 qualities of the apostles that made their ministry flourish. Quality #1: I. Their ministry started with inner character, not professional skill. (1-4) You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. (1 Thessalonians 2:1, 2) (x) 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. The environment in which the apostles did their church ministry created this kind of an impact. (x) What kind of environment did the apostles create that this congregation's impact was so great? To find out, open your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13. In these verses we will find... 3 qualities of the apostles that made their ministry flourish. (x) Quality #1: I. Their ministry started with inner character, not professional skill. (1-4) Professional skills did not develop character. (1-2) In the following verses we will discover that character qualities are perfected by three outside forces. The first force indicated that forges/purifies/perfects inner character: suffering/trials/brokenness (x) You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. (1 Thessalonians 2:1, 2) The apostles did not arrive in Thessalonica with suits and ties, degrees in theology, a 5-year business plan for establishing a church and suitcase full of money. The professional skills and resources that we bring to church planting today were absent when Paul's team arrived to share the good news of Jesus in Thessalonica. Their most recent ministry had been in the city of Philippi. 1. Phillipi was the place where Paul and Silas had been beaten & thrown in jail. 2. While worshiping God in their jail cell, an earthquake occured. Instead of using the natural disaster as a means to break free from their prison chains, Paul and Silas decided to stay and use the opportunity to build a relationship with the jail keeper. That is what I mean by character. 3. Their commitment to God caused them to stay and minister to the jailer at the risk of being incarcerated longer. To me the earthquake would have been a sign to leave. To Paul it was an opportunity to proclaim. His
character was not dictated by fear, but by God. Christ-like character is the most valuable resource that a Christian can own. The problem is that, character is forged by trials, suffering and brokenness. In verses 1-2, we see that Paul had suffered and been insulted in Philippi. If that had happened to me, my human nature would be screaming to my brain - "You don't have to take this. Look for another avenue of ministry!" How did Paul and his people remain true to their calling? Paul says in verse 2, "but with the help of our God, we dared to tell you his gospel." Ministry does cause brokenness. Ministry does produce suffering. Ministry creates trouble for those who get involved in it. But, these things perfect our Christ-like character. 6 Follow the words You know... 1 Thessalonians 2 1 You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.... We previously suffered... as you know... (5) we never came with words of flattery, as you know... (8) 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... (10) you are witnesses... (11) For you know how, like a father... Force #2 through which our character is perfected is relationships. (x) Paul says in verse 1: You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.... We previously suffered... as you know... (5) we never came with words of flattery, as you know... (8) 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... (10) you are witnesses... (11) For you know how, like a father... Professional skills were not the best tools in the apostles' war chest. However, relational skills were. Paul's statement in verse 1 is important: You know... that our visit to you was not a failure. It could have been. Paul only had 3 weeks of exposure time with the people. Yet in that time frame he could say "you know... you know... you know... you know." Paul was saying that he got to know them and they got to know him. It was not the quantity of time but the quality of time. If one has a Christ-like character, it does not take someone a long time to discover it. Christ-like character is the primary shaper of another person's life - not professional skills. Relationships are the means by which character is observed. Therefore relationships have a way of perfecting character. 7 1 Thessalonians 2:2 2 We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. Force #3 through which our character is perfected is: understanding the gospel. (x) In verse 2, Paul says that there are two incentives that keep you going when ministry gets overwhelming: (a) the help of God and (b) the gospel of God. You cannot do it in your own strength.
8 1 Thessalonians 2:4 4 On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. (x) In verse 4 Paul considers it a priority and a privilege to be entrusted with the gospel. 9 10 1 Thessalonians 2:8 9 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 4 On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. (x) In verses 8-9 the impartation of the gospel is so important that it requires personal sacrifices of time and safety to communicate it. The willingness to make those sacrifices is the evidence of Christ-like character developing in a believer. (x) Understanding the importance of the gospel has a transforming effect on the life of the apostle: As it says in verse 4, Paul has become more interested in pleasing God than pleasing people - including himself. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 - On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. The gospel of God/Christ is not that we can have a changed character. The gospel of God is the message that Jesus is the promised Savior and Lord and that he has come to fulfill all the promises that God has made to mankind since the beginning of time. In effect, God is the gospel - not character. THAT S WHY WE TEACH THE GOSPEL, NOT MORALITY. Morality is good, but it is not the principle thing. Morality, or character, is the result of understanding the gospel. If a person became very moral without the gospel, it would totally miss the purpose of God. Morality does not result in a right relationship with God. The only way we can have a right relationship with God is by understanding and receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ by faith. Therefore we conclude that Christ-like character is produced by trials, relationships and by understanding the gospel. As we expose ourselves to these things (trials, relationships & the gospel), Christ-likeness will arise out of the experience. The most important quality in the fruitfulness of the church's witness is a Christ-like character - not professional skills like degrees, image and fame. Let's look at a second quality in the ministry of the apostles that made the church flourish and bear fruit.
11 12 3 qualities of the apostles that made their ministry flourish. Quality #2: II. Their ministry was motivated by God's love, not self-love - like power or money. (3, 5-6) 1 Thessalonians 2:3, 5-6 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trickyou.... 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 men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 1 Thessalonians 2:7 7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. (x) Quality #2: II. Their ministry was motivated by God's love, not self-love - like power or money. (3, 5-8) 1 Thessalonians 2:3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.... 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 men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you... Of all the Christ-like character qualities, love is the most prominent feature of being Christ-like. The word "love" in our generation has often assumed the very opposite of the meaning of love in the Bible. "Love" has come to mean "what we desire", and what we desire is often evil or injurious to our well being and so the term love has become connected with the very things God declared unholy or sinful. The word "love" is really a desire for self or selfishness. That is a vice. The word "love" in the context of a virtue mean "love for God". So the object of what we desire determines whether something is love or not. If the object of what we love is self, then it is a vice and not suitable for ministry. If the object of what we love is God, then it is a virtue and will always promote redemption in our own lives and in the lives of others. Therefore if ministry is done for self it becomes a vice and is ultimately in God's eyes, unloving. If ministry is done for God, it is a virtue and is redemptive for others and loving in the eyes of God. So let's look at how desire affects ministry. Traits of an unloving ministry style A. Error, impurity and deception (3) B. Flattery, ambition to get, need to be recognized, (5-6) Traits of an unloving ministry style: (1) verse 3 - error, impurity deception (2) verses 5-6 - flattery, greed, the need for recognition (x) Traits of a loving ministry style The most favourable impression left on people is a ministry that originates out of love for God (7-8). A ministry that is motivated by Christ-like love has the signs of parental compassion or unconditional love. A. A loving ministry style is like the love of a nursing mother. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. (7)
13 1 Thessalonians 2:8-10 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyonewhile we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. Ministry is best pictured as a mother nursing her new-born child. (7) Much can be said about a nursing mother. It is a phase in the mother's life when her time is not her own. What is required of a nursing mother is a lot of gentleness and patience in the context of interrupted routines. If you are looking for great rewards or strokes to your ego, think again. You will only get brief glimpses of appreciation - like a smile. The rest of the day is interspersed with crying. The child never withholds its dissatisfaction and constantly demands immediate gratification. This phase of life is filled with personal sacrifices and unconditional love. This is not a phase in which you can reason with your child. The child will not speak your language. Your life has to be so interwoven with the life of the child that you learn the child's language. This is what verse 8 tells us about love. Love must be unconditional - one-sided love. What love requires is more than transmitting facts; it requires learning a new language forging an initmate relationship. (8) Paul says that he did this with the Thessalonians. (x) 1 Thessalonians 2:8 10 8 We loved you so much (mother to child) that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well (mother to child), because you had become so dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day (mother to child or father to child) in order not to be a burden to anyone (mother to child child assumes no responsibilities) while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. This was a giving relationship, not a taking one. Great sacrifices were made with no expectation of being paid back. The Thessalonians were like the masters (ie. newborns), and Paul and Silas were the slaves (mom). It was like Paul and Silas were the parents providing for newborns. They took the whole burden upon themselves. They were the ones who had to "break out in a sweat". They were the ones who suffered the hardship. They did this in order that the Thessalonians would neither have to sweat or feel the burden of hardship. Maybe we need to caution against taking on too many ministries. We can only give of ourselves to this degree in a limited way.
14 15 16 1 Thessalonians 2:11 12 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. 3 qualities of the apostles that made their ministry flourish. I. Their ministry started with inner character, not professional skill. (1-4) II. Their ministry was motivated by God's love, not self-love like power or money. (3, 5-8) 1 Thessalonians 2:13 14 13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, (x) In verses 11-12, Paul enhances his thought about a loving ministry style. He expands upon the idea of parental compassion. B. A loving ministry style is like the love of a responsible father 1 Thessalonians 2:11 12 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. The verbs used here to communicate love are characteristic of a father when children are old enough for the father to reason with them - we exhorted... we encouraged... we charged you... The expressions of a father's love give... 1. direction (exhort/advise/counsel you to do) 2. support (encouragement or the support to do it) 3. motivation (being emphatic about doing it) What is the ministry about then? (1) It is about one's walk - about it being worthy of the God who calls you. Ministry gives you opportunity to demonstrate the credibility of God's intervention in your life. (2) It is about being partners with God in his kingdom and his glory - partners in his mission to get the word out about who He is and what He desires. (x) 3 qualities of the apostles that made their ministry flourish. I. Their ministry started with inner character, not professional skill. (1-4) (x) II. Their ministry was motivated by God's love, not self-love like power or money. (3, 5-8) Let's look at a third quality in the ministry of the apostles that made the church flourish and bear fruit. (x) 1 Thessalonians 2:13 14 13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews,
17 18 19 3 qualities of the apostles that made their ministry flourish. I. Their ministry started with inner character, not professional skill. (1-4) II. Their ministry was motivated by God's love, not self-love like power or money. (3, 5-8) III. Their ministry objective was to develop loyalty to God, not loyalty to themselves as individuals (13-14). 1 Thessalonians 2:13 14 13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, (x) Quality #3 III. Their ministry objective was to develop loyalty to God, not loyalty to themselves as individuals (13-14). In the final analysis, the congregation that started in Thessalonica was being trained to be loyal or accountable to God and his word, not primarily to the apostles nor to each other. The word of God would be the authority - not the plans of men. (x) How was this loyalty to God made evident? (a) It was made evident by receiving the word of God That is to say: (1) - accepting the message (2) - accepting the message as God's message - not man's message Therefore in areas where God's word conflicted with man's word and man's understanding of the way things are, faith in God's message was to overrule. God is in the business of creating faith in people. He is not in the business of creating doubts. Explanation: Doubts are not wrong, but they are not a state of mind in which we should feel at home. Doubts require answers. When creating doubt becomes an end in itself, it is sinful. When creating doubt becomes a means to faith, it is redemptive. How was this loyalty to God made evident? (b) It was made evident by imitating (or modeling) the character of those already renowned for doing God's work. Because of their acceptance of the word of God, the church in Thessalonica was ridiculed and persecuted, receiving the same treatment that the churches in Judea received when they believed. Faith in God will often upset the world around you. That's what loyalty to God does. You don't have to go looking for persecution. It will come to you. (x) LOOK: 1. It's not what we do that is going to make our church ministry have an enduring impact. It is what we are while we are doing church ministry that is important. ill. I had a teacher in grade 7. I do not have a clue what I learned in grade 7. There is not even an event worth remembering in grade 7. But this one thing I can tell you about grade 7 I had a good teacher, even though I have absolutely no idea why I think so. The point is this: it's not what he did, it is who he was -- his combined qualities told me that he was a good
20 Consider... 1. Make a (mental) list of things you are doing for the Lord or in church ministry. teacher. What programs we offer will not make or break a ministry. We will be remembered more for the way we did it. A thing worth doing, but done stripped of the character qualities we looked at in this text today, totally negates any positive impact. For instance: teaching Sunday School or being a day camp worker is a good task to be involved in. Both tasks have impacted children's lives through the last few decades. But if a teacher takes on the task in order to simply save face among friends and teaches the children just what is in the curriculum, withholding from them love and servanthood, the impact on those children will be negative and detrimental to their spiritual formation. TOOK: (x) 1. Make a (mental) list of things you are doing for the Lord or in church ministry. 21 22 Consider... 2. Subject those ministries to the following criteria: a. Is the picture that people see when I do a ministry the same picture that God - the One who tests the heart - sees? b. Are you involved in this ministry for what you receive or what you can give? c. If this ministry were to cost me more would it be worth it to me to continue in it? Consider... 2. Subject those ministries to the following criteria: d. In performing this ministry who are you attempting to be faithful to: i) yourself (to squelch guilt)? ii) others (because there are so many people depending on you or needy)? iii) God (who has given you the pleasure of partnership in His plan)? (x) 2. Subject those ministries to the following criteria: (x) a. Is the picture that people see when I do a ministry the same picture that God - the One who tests the heart - sees? (x) b. Are you involved in this ministry for what you receive or what you can give? Are you involved only because your children are involved - and your agenda is simply to be with your children? This tests love; love always is motivated to give. It is not done only because "it makes me feel good about myself." (x) c. If this ministry were to cost me more (ie. time, money, sacrifice) would it be worth it to me to continue in it? Or do you just draw the line and say "no more. (x) d. In performing this ministry who are you attempting to be faithful to: (x) i) yourself (to squelch guilt)? (x) ii) others (because there are so many needy people depending on you)? (x) iii) God (who has given you the pleasure of partnership in His plan)?