A Holy Charge (4)

 

 

“For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is witness – nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority” (1 Thess. 2:3 – 6).

 

As we read the first lines above, we may recall Paul’s words to Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Also, “Pay close attention to yourself and your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16).

 

Doctrine and dogma matter, navigation matters; this is not primarily an intellectual endeavor, it is a spiritual necessity, for our thinking molds our minds, our hearts, our souls. Error corrupts our souls, desecrating the image of God within us; rightly understanding God’s Word, the Word of Truth, draws us to Jesus and transforms us into His image.

 

A “way of deceit” can take many forms. It can take the form of overt false teaching, such as trying to convince others that the Bible is unreliable and that there is a higher way, a better way, than Jesus as our Way. It can take the form of repudiating the image of God in mankind – this occurs in myriad ways. It can take the form of religious pragmatism, in which money, wealth, numbers, popularity become our religious goals. It can take the form of legalism and seeking to bring us back under the Law, whether the Law of Moses or the law of other religious traditions.

 

It can also take the form of making us think that if we are having a good time in our gatherings, getting pumped up, feeling better about ourselves, and having perpetual group hugs that that is all we need. There are more forms of deceit than we can possibly number, playing whack-a-mole is never helpful; what is helpful, what is necessary, is having our focus on Jesus Christ and only on Jesus; this is the only way we can ensure that we are not leading others astray and that we are not being led astray.

 

Not all error, I think, is intentionally deceitful, much of it is simply that we don’t know; we don’t intend to teach or model error, but we do. This is one reason why we desperately need the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and one another. It is one reason why we need to constantly be asking God to search us and try us, it is why we need to collectively exam ourselves, our practices, our teachings. Diligence is a lifelong way of life, for our own sake and most importantly for the sake of others.

 

Paul writes that they “did not come with flattering speech.” This may remind us of what he wrote to the Corinthians, “When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:1 – 5).

 

I confess that I wonder how many times I have been more focused on the method of my preaching rather than the content of my preaching. Paul was vulnerable with the people he served, being with them in weakness, fear, and much trembling; do I know what it is to be like this? Do you? We must not attempt to be something we are not, we must remember that the word “hypocrite” carries with it the meaning of “to wear a mask.” Would we have welcomed Paul with his “weakness, fear, and much trembling”? Would we have invited others to come and hear this man? Keep in mind that rhetoric and oratory were highly valued in Paul’s time, people were trained in it, it was not only a form of learning, it was a form of entertainment. If we take Paul’s words at face value, he would not have compared well with professional orators.

 

When Paul writes of “not pleasing men,” I think of his statement in Galatians, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). We cannot be people pleasers and serve Jesus Christ; we cannot be people pleasers and teach the Gospel. We must not be people pleasers if we are to serve the flock of God.

 

Yet, do not our congregations expect their pastors, elders, and deacons to please them? Do we not have such turnover in pastors because the pastors do not please their congregations?

 

A person called to Gospel ministry must be a bondservant of Jesus Christ. He or she must be Christ’s servant, owned by Christ, belonging to Jesus Christ; the servant of Christ no longer has a life of his or her own, he belongs to Jesus and only to Jesus.

 

When Paul speaks of God who examines the hearts, I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 5:9, “We also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or evil.”

 

What other dimensions of Gospel ministry do you see in 1 Thessalonians 2:3 – 6?