A Holy Charge (3)

 

What kind of leadership example did Paul, Silas, and Timothy give to the Christians in Thessalonica? Whatever that example was, it is reasonable to think that it was Paul’s expectation that the leaders of the church in Thessalonica would emulate it.

 

What do you see about Paul, Silas, and Timothy in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 2? What did their service in the Gospel look like? What was the nature of their ministry, its character? How would you describe it?

 

The first thing to note in this chapter is that Paul and his friends were under intense pressure when they arrived in Thessalonica. “After we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God amid much opposition” (1 Thess. 2:2; see Acts 16:1 – 17:9).

 

I point this out because what follows is, in my thinking, a remarkable description of sacrificial leadership, and I want us to note that it was exhibited under the pressure of persecution, that Paul and his coworkers were hardly in an ivory tower, they were not in a quiet church setting, they were rather experiencing pain and uncertainty and fierce opposition – they were paying a price to share Jesus Christ with others.

 

We see the true character of others, and we see it in ourselves, in suffering, persecution, and opposition. In such times we can go either “inward” or “outward,” that is, we can either focus solely on ourselves or we can serve others. Paul and his friends chose to serve Christ and the Thessalonians (for another striking example of this see 2 Corinthians 1:3 – 11; 4:12).

 

What is our response when we are under pressure? When we suffer for our obedience to Jesus Christ? Do we go into a defensive posture, or do we seek to be a blessing to others? Do we withdraw from others, or do we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Christ on behalf of others? Do we allow our hearts to be hardened, or do we ask the Holy Spirit to make us compassionate and tender toward others as we live in Christ and as Christ lives in us?

 

After being beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, would anyone have blamed Paul and Silas if they had returned to their home church in Antioch seeking safety and rest? Would it have been understandable for them to seek confirmation of the “Macedonian Vision” of Acts 16:9? Surely God would not lead them into a furnace of trial and persecution?

 

Do we question God’s Word when we face opposition? When the Holy Spirit challenges our actions and attitudes? When life is hard, which it often can be, do we continue on our pilgrimage of obedience to Jesus Christ, taking up our cross daily to follow Him?

 

When the going gets tough, we can be tempted to think that the church or the world owes us something. If Paul had thought this way he may not have gone to Thessalonica sharing the Gospel. If Paul thought the world or the church owed him something, he and his friends would not have worked “night and day so as not to be a burden” to the Thessalonians (2:9).

 

Paul did not think that the church or the world owed him anything – quite the opposite, Paul saw himself as being in debt to the world. “I am a debtor to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish” (Romans 1:14).

 

How do we view our relationship with the world? Do we think the world owes us something? Or do we see that, in Christ, we are debtors to all mankind to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them?

 

If we are indeed debtors to the people of the world, are we paying our debt to them by sharing Jesus Christ?