Don't Be Their Excuse

 

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

1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ESV

 

As Christians, and as congregations, we have a tendency to shoot ourselves in the foot. As a people who sincerely desire the salvation of the lost, and as a people who are making every effort to reach out to them, we have a tendency to put off those to whom we’re ministering. We have a tendency to be demanding of those who have come to learn more about Jesus and the gospel we proclaim.

 

When I say this, I’m not referring to the preaching of the law. I’m not referring to the fact that we talk about sin. We must, after all, present both the law and the gospel if people are to receive Jesus in faith. I’m talking, rather, about things in our behavior that turn them away.

 

We often seek to burden those new to our congregation. We push giving too hard and too soon. And we push them too hard in terms of involvement in the church.

 

In addition to this, our behavior is often unbecoming to those who have yet to receive the gospel or are new to our faith. In some cases, we are abrasive in terms of our behavior. And, in others, it seems to them that the faith which is displayed in our life doesn’t match that being proclaimed to them.

 

As we look at the words of Paul, above, we see that these are things he avoided. He worked night and day that he might not be a burden to them while he proclaimed the gospel of God. He didn’t seek financial support from those to whom he was reaching out. In addition to the support he received from congregations that were already established, he worked quite literally as a tentmaker to make ends meet. This, of course, is the source of the term “tentmaker” that we use today, referring to those in ministry who are bivocational.

 

He also says that his behavior, along with that of his companions, was righteous and blameless. In saying this, Paul is not claiming to be without sin. He is saying, however, that they were in no way hypocrites. They authentically lived out the faith that they proclaimed to the people.

 

These are things that we must consider as we reach out to the lost. It must not appear that we are trying to gain at the expense of those with whom we share. And, at the same time, the faith that is seen must match that which we proclaim.

 

Although we must take care to proclaim both the law and gospel in all their purity, we must make sure that we do not come off as selfish or greedy. We must also live a life of ongoing repentance and faith before those to whom we are ministering. We must do all that we can to ensure that we are not the reason that others reject the message of Christ.