Monday Reverb – 30October2023

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 • Deuteronomy 34:1-12 • 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 • Matthew 22:34-46

The theme for this week is how to minister to others in spite of yourself. Psalm 90 teaches us that we need to have a foundation of humility before we begin ministering to others. The examples of the prophet Moses and Joshua are offered in Deuteronomy 34, and they’re praised for being full of wisdom and knowing God “face to face.” Matthew summarizes the two Great Commandments of the law, which are helpful in guiding all interactions.  Our sermon text, found in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, allows us to consider the lessons Paul learned about effective ministry and how we might apply them today.

SPEAKING OF LIFE

SERMON REVIEW

Effective Ministry Is Not About You    

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 (NRSVUE)

You’ve probably attended a graduation ceremony before or watched YouTube videos of commencement addresses where celebrities share their hard-won wisdom with new graduates.  You might remember Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, who gave a commencement address at Stanford University in 2005.  A key quote from Jobs was this:

Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

While there is some wisdom in Jobs’ words, there’s also a lot of American individualism.  And the problem with American individualism is that it makes the self the most important part of a good life.

New York Times opinion writer David Brooks suggests that successful people usually don’t focus on themselves when planning a good life.  He talks about how people “are called by a problem, and the self is constructed gradually by their calling.”  For believers, our calling is not a problem, but the new commandment given by Jesus:

Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. (John 13:34b, NRSVUE)

If we think about our calling as Christians, we might see some similarities with new graduates in terms of the advice that we’ve been given.  We might think about 1 Corinthians 12 where the gifts of the Spirit are talked about, and we may have even taken a spiritual gifts inventory assessment to help us understand our gifting and interest.  There’s nothing wrong with understanding more about yourself and how you might best serve others.  But when it comes to ministry (which we’ll define as offering ourselves and our resources to another in loving response to a divine prompting), our aim is to be less about gifting and more about our availability, awareness, and gentleness.   Today’s sermon text from 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 features Paul sharing his insights about what’s important in ministering to others effectively.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-3,4-8

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain.  ² But ^[a]even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.  ³ For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.  

⁴ But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.  ⁵ For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a ^[b]cloak for covetousness — God is witness.  ⁶ Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.  ⁷ But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.  ⁸ So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.    

What’s the context?

Paul was defending his ministry to the Thessalonian church due to challenges from opponents that he, Timothy, and Silvanus, were in error in their preaching (1 Thessalonians 2:3).  They were specifically accused of people-pleasing and flattery, and their motives, according to the accusers, were personal validation and greed (1 Thessalonians 2:5-6).

In response to these accusations, Paul outlines what his ministry at Thessalonica has been, and by doing this, he provides us ideas for what effective ministry is based on.

• Effective ministry is based on a desire to express the same love we’ve experienced from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Paul and his friends faced serious resistance in Thessalonica, as we read in Acts 17:4-10, yet they could not help themselves.  They had to share the Good News as Paul writes in verse 2b:

We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. (1 Thessalonians 2:2 NRSVUE)

They felt as if they had been “entrusted with the message of the gospel” (v. 4), and the message is the love of God for humanity, made possible through Jesus Christ.

This love is defined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 with such descriptors as patient, kind, protective, accepting, hoping, and enduring.  While sometimes we think these qualities must be developed by us, American philosopher and Christian spiritual formation author Dallas Willard points out that Paul is saying that love does these things in us, not our effort.

As we ‘catch’ love, we then find that these things are after all actually being done by us.  These things, these godly actions and behaviors, are the result of dwelling in love (Divine Conspiracy, 183).

Willard says that we aren’t called to do what Jesus did, but we’re called to “be as he was, permeated with love.”  Our ministering to others becomes a natural expression of our life in Christ.  

• Effective ministry is based on authenticity, being true to who we are in Christ.

We don’t leave our distinct personalities and giftings at the door; we understand who we are in Christ and how we’re being transformed by the Holy Spirit.  In fact, the Holy Spirit in us offers us more awareness of others and their needs.  We’re able to step back from our own self-absorption to consider others and their needs, especially those we encounter on a regular basis.  As we attune our ears to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and create relationships, we make ourselves available when we become aware of a need.  Jesus promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would be a teacher and guide:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. (John 14:26, NRSVUE)

Keeping our eyes and ears open for ways to show God’s love is living authentically, free from self-serving motives and in alignment with the Spirit’s guidance.  According to Willard, “You, in the midst of your actual life there, are exactly the person God wanted” (Divine Conspiracy, 284).

• Effective ministry is based on gentle and caring interactions.

Much of Christianity has gained the reputation of being self-righteous and judgmental due to our proclivity for wanting to be right rather than loving.   In contrast, Paul writes of his deep soul love for the church at Thessalonica:

But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.  So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 2:7b-8, NRSVUE)

We must be discerning about whether God is calling us to meet a need.  Part of that might include asking the person in need what would be helpful rather than deciding what they need based on our limited understanding and perception of the situation.  When we decide we know what is best for others, we are not following the lead of the Holy Spirit, but our own ego.

Our timeliness and discernment require us to ask how we might help and then accept the response, whatever it is.  Willard has this to say about our desire to share solutions with those we want to help:

As long as I am condemning my friends or relatives, or pushing my ‘pearls’ on them, I am their problem.  They have to respond to me, and that usually leads to their ‘judging’ me right back (Divine Conspiracy, 231).

Willard suggests that if we maintain a sensitive and gentle stance, not seeking to manipulate, we make room for God to work in us and them.  He talks about the “healing dynamic of the request” and how a simple ask can transform a situation if we keep our desire to control outcomes out of it:

A request, by its very nature unites.  A demand, by contract, immediately separates.  It is this peculiar ‘atmosphere’ of togetherness that characterizes the kingdom and is, indeed, what human beings were created to thrive in (Divine Conspiracy, 233).

Rather than seeking to solve someone else’s problem, we’re encouraged to gently and kindly support them by asking what might be helpful and then respecting their response.

We’re not so different from new graduates, wanting to live a life of meaning and purpose.  As we grow in our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we naturally want to share the goodness, love, and acceptance we’ve experienced.  In our zeal to minister to others, we need to pause to check our motives, stay authentic to who we are in Christ, and approach everyone with gentle requests rather than condemnation.

CALL TO ACTION:  This week, try to ask for what you need rather than demand it.  Even though it might be an established responsibility for someone, kindly ask.  Notice if gentle requests change attitudes (yours and others’).  Give thanks to God for letting us participate in sharing Divine Love.

WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT SAYING TO YOU?

1Thessalonians 2:1-3,4-8

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. 

² But ^[a]even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.  

³ For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.  

⁴ But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.  

⁵ For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a ^[b]cloak for covetousness — God is witness. 

⁶ Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.  

⁷ But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.  

⁸ So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.    

Small Group Discussion Questions