The Nature of Ministry

 

“For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 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.”

1 Thessalonians 2:5-8 ESV

 

We tend to think that ministry means giving to people what they want. We think that it means telling people what they want to hear.  And we think that it means telling them what they want to hear in the way they want to hear it.

 

We also think that it means seeking our own gain from it. We think of it as a job or a profession. We think of it as a means that we can use to gain for ourselves the things that we desire.

 

And we tend to think that it means growing and building our own influence.  We think that it means building a following for ourselves. We think that it means encouraging a devotion in others to ourself.

 

This, we believe, is how we build the church. This, we believe, is how we reach people for Christ. It’s all a numbers game. As someone once told me, it’s all about butts in the pews.

 

These things, however, completely contradict the true nature of ministry. We can see this above, in the words of Paul. He tells us that neither he nor his companions came with words of flattery. They did not come with a pretext for greed. And they did not come to the Thessalonians seeking glory from people.

 

Even though they did have a measure of authority, as apostles, they did not use that for their own advantage. Instead, their reason for coming was to serve. And the way that they conducted their ministry was in love.

 

Paul says that he and his companions were gentle among them. He compared their ministry to that of a nursing mother, taking care of her own children. They lovingly nurtured and tended to the people.

 

Because they affectionately desired the people of Thessalonica, they shared with them not only the gospel, but their very selves. They shared with them their very lives. In other words, ministry happened in the context of relationships.

 

This is something that’s largely missing in the church of America today. Church, for most of us, is about fulfilling our obligation. It’s about attending worship, but getting out of there as quickly as we can and interacting with as few people as we can. There is little, if any, desire for relationship with the other members of the church.

 

We, then, wonder why we leave church feeling so empty. We wonder why our attendance at church seems so meaningless. And it becomes easy for us to remain absent from the church.

 

Yes, it is by our faith that we are saved. Our forgiveness isn’t dependent upon church attendance. However, that being said, we both receive ministry and minister to others only in the context of relationship. We both receive ministry and minister to others only in the context of love.

The Source of Our Message

 

“For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 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. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 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.”

1 Thessalonians 2:1-4 ESV

 

Although we like to think of it as a peaceful work, the simple reality is that ministry often brings conflict along with it. It can be conflict from the outside, from unbelievers to whom we seek to minister. But it can also be conflict from within, among the church itself.

 

Although we hate to admit it, this conflict can change the way in which we seek to minister. And it tends to do so not for the better, but the worse. What I mean is that we begin to neglect or even forsake our God-given duties in an effort to avoid conflict.

 

If anyone had reason to do so, it was Paul. We see in the above passage that he had suffered and been shamefully treated in Philippi. And it stands to reason that this could cause him to be a bit gun-shy as he stepped into the next community. 

 

However, Paul said, he and his co-workers had boldness as they came to Thessalonica. They had boldness in God to declare the gospel even in the face of conflict. And they had this boldness due to the source of their appeal.

 

Their appeal, he explains, did not spring from error or impurity. Nor did it spring from any attempt to deceive. It came from the fact that they had been entrusted with the gospel by God.

 

For this reason, they spoke not in an effort to please man. They rather spoke to please God who tests our hearts. In other words, regardless of the response they received, they sought only to faithfully carry out their calling which had been given to them by God.

 

What an example this is for us. After all, like Paul, we too have been entrusted with the gospel. And we too have been commissioned to proclaim this message to the world.

 

However, that being said, as we face conflict, we often tend to modify either our approach, our message, or both. We often approach ministry for our own sake, seeking to gain from it personally. And, in this way, the gospel and our ministry are corrupted.

 

As God is the source of this message, as well as our hope, we must not waver even in the face of conflict. We must deliver this message not in an effort to please man. We must seek only to please God who entrusted to us this great work.

A Sincere Faith

 

“For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 ESV

 

One of the primary accusations thrown at believers today is that of hypocrisy. And while we sometimes dismiss these accusations, citing our sinful nature, while we often write them off because it’s impossible to live a perfect life, they are not unfounded. It’s true that many of us, who profess to be believers in Jesus, are hypocrites.

 

It’s true that we are actors. It’s true that we are posers. It’s true that we don’t sincerely believe the faith that we proclaim.

 

Those making these accusations do not expect perfection. Believers and non-believers alike understand that no one is perfect. They do, however, expect to see evidence of the faith we confess.

 

If we proclaim the Word of God, it should be evident that we receive the Word of God. If we proclaim the Word of God, it should be clear that we’ve turned from the false gods we once served and that we now serve the Lord. And if we proclaim the Word of God, it should be clear that we are sincerely awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promises, that we’re awaiting the return of Jesus along with the blessings this will bring.

 

When our life fails to align with the faith that we confess, it affects our witness in a negative way. However, when the two match up, it has the opposite effect. It creates a strong witness that can have a powerful impact.

 

This is exactly what was going on among the believers in Thessalonica. Paul says that the word of the Lord had sounded forth from them. In other words, they were faithfully proclaiming the Word of God.

 

However, in addition to this, their reputation was known everywhere. The faith of the Thessalonian Church was well known. It was reported how they had received Paul. It was reported how they had turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. And it was reported how they awaited the return of Jesus.

 

In the same way, when our life matches the message we proclaim, it will certainly have this effect. It becomes clear that our confession is not empty or hollow.  It is clearly seen that our faith is genuine. It’s clearly known that we believe and hold to the faith that we declare to the world.

 

That being said, if it becomes clear that we are hypocrites, the answer is not for us to try harder. The answer is not for us to conform our life to the message we proclaim. We must, rather, trust in the message we proclaim. We must receive the salvation that God has provided for us in Jesus, and offered to us in the gospel. And the rest will come naturally. The evidence of our faith will flow naturally from our belief.