The Church at Thessalonica
Out of all the congregations that felt the impact of Paul’s life, I’d like for us to consider one specific church as an example of maximum impact because this particular congregation was birthed out of just three weeks of the apostle’s ministry – yet it became a viable and enduring church that, according to Paul’s own evaluation, was an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia and the epicenter from which the gospel was sounded throughout Macedonia and Achaia and beyond. (I Thessalonians 1:7-8) In spite of the fact – or possibly enhanced by the fact – that this church was birthed in much persecution by opponents who were not satisfied to just wreak havoc locally but actually followed Paul to his next destination to engender even more violence (Acts 17:5-9, 17:13), the congregation stood strong and flourished. Yet Paul was able to define in one concise passage what he did in Thessalonica that left such a powerful impact, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” (I Thessalonians 1:5)
The Word
The first avenue he mentioned was the Word. In fact, Paul’s writings are full of instruction to avoid various substitutes that can camouflage themselves as worthy ministry material but actually lead to confusion and disqualification of our ministries: philosophy (Colossians 2:8), vain deceit (Colossians 2:8), the tradition of men (Colossians 2:8), the rudiments of the world (Colossians 2:8), enticing words of man’s wisdom (I Corinthians 2:4), profane and vain babblings (I Timothy 6:20, II Timothy 2:16), oppositions of science falsely so called (I Timothy 6:20), fables (I Timothy 1:4, II Timothy 4:4), Jewish fables (Titus 1:14), profane and old wives’ fables (I Timothy 4:7), endless genealogies (I Timothy 1:4, Titus 3:9), the commandments of men (Titus 1:14), foolish and unlearned questions (II Timothy 2:23, Titus 3:9), teachers having itching ears (II Timothy 4:3), teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre’s sake (Titus 1:11), strivings about the law (Titus 3:9), the doctrines of men (Colossians 2:22), and even doctrines of devils (I Timothy 4:1). Paul himself had a personal experience with the temptation to make a substitute.
Remember the sermon he preached to the philosophers on Mars Hill in Athens.
Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:22-31)
Notice the obvious lack of the name of Jesus in this message – the name that Paul elsewhere described as the name above all others (Philippians 2:9-11) and the one through which men can be saved (Romans 10:13). There is also an absence of any reference to Paul’s own personal testimony – the standard fare in much of his preaching. Additionally, he quoted their secular poets rather than making any reference to the Old Testament prophets – a common element in his other presentations of the gospel. The end result was that he left behind no viable church in the city – unlike his ministry in almost every other place he visited. Have you ever noticed that Paul visited Ephesus, left behind a church and wrote a letter to them and that he did the same in Galatia, in Philippi, in Thessalonica, in Corinth, and in Colossi – but that there is no letter to the church in Athens because one did not exist? Paul obviously realized the ineffectiveness of this “seeker sensitive” approach in that he totally changed his approach when moving to the next city on his journey – Corinth.
I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (I Corinthians 2:1-2)
Power
Paul’s second avenue was power. In a passage we have already mentioned, the apostle described what made his Jerusalem-to-Illyricum ministry effective: mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. (Romans 15:19) All we need is a quick review of his ministry to see that it was, indeed, accompanied with miraculous events. (Acts 13:11, 16:16-18, 19:11, 20:9-10, 28:3-6) However, we may be tempted to relegate such supernatural occurrences to ancient history or to the lives of such men of stature as this apostle of the faith. The truth is that this same supernatural assistance is available for – and actually expected to be operative in – the ministry of all believers (Mark 16:17-18). Some people may respond to – and even recoil at – the concept of the necessity of the demonstration of supernatural power in the ministering of our gifts by questioning why it would be considered necessary to display such supernatural power in any and every ministry. They might feel that such displays of divine power should be reserved for evangelists and crusaders. In a sense, such a conclusion is at least partially true. Paul did teach that these supernatural manifestations are given to different members of the Body of Christ as they would have special need of their operation (I Corinthians 12:11); however, in the same section of scripture he emphasized that each person should have some form of supernatural operation in his ministry (I Corinthians 12:7). Although every person may not require the ministry of healing in order to adequately serve in his gifting, he will need at least one of God’s supernatural forms of empowerment in this endeavor. For example, even in the compassion ministry of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked we will need the gift of faith that is listed right alongside the gift of healing (I Corinthians 12:7). Without the supernatural manifestation of faith, no one will ever be able to finance the gargantuan challenge. In addition, we all need the supernatural assistance afforded us through speaking in tongues that Paul described as an avenue of personal edification (I Corinthians 14:4) – a personal strengthening which is absolutely necessary to meet the challenges of any ministry.
The Holy Spirit
Next, Paul mentioned the Holy Ghost. In that the operation of the gifts seems to have been his topic in the previous category, we must interpret this reference to suggest a fuller meaning of the operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. Turning to his letter to the Galatians, we see at least two areas where the Holy Spirit’s influence must be evidenced in a believer’s life and ministry. The first is in chapter five verses sixteen and eighteen: walking in and being led by the Spirit. Such Holy Spirit orchestrated movement is not only vitally important to the success of our personal lives and the productivity of our ministries; it may also make the difference between life and death. As Paul mentioned in the Galatian passage, the fatally destructive works of the flesh will overcome us unless we walk in the Spirit. In addition to the example we have already examined in how the apostle was directed away from Asia toward a fertile ministry in Europe through the Holy Spirit’s direction, it would be good to remember how the inner voice of the Holy Spirit warned Paul of the impending danger into which his ship was to sail. (Acts 27:10) The other Holy Spirit quality that Paul discusses in Galatians chapter five is the fruit of the Spirit listed in verses twenty-two and twenty-three. Just as no one cares for a barren tree that does not produce fruit, people will not be attracted to our lives or ministries unless we manifest the fruit of the Spirit.
Much Assurance
Paul followed with the quality of assurance. Even without an examination of some of the key biblical injunctions concerning assurance (Isaiah 32:17, Acts 17:31, Colossians 2:2, Hebrews 6:11, 10:22), we can recognize from the natural world that we never want to believe what someone is saying if we don’t feel that he really believes it himself. Paul was persuaded of the validity of his message (Romans 8:38, 14:14, II Timothy 1:12) and admonished his disciples to be fully persuaded concerning their faith (Romans 14:5).
Allow me interject a little personal story at this point. A dear friend of mine in California was diagnosed as having an advanced case of the most aggressive strain of cancer. Her doctor was so concerned because of the rapid growth of this malignancy that he advised her to leave his office and go directly to the airport and book the first flight available to a certain clinic in Texas that was the only facility able to treat this form of cancer. He told her that the time she would waste going home to pack a suitcase would be critical considering the aggressive nature of her malady. The doctor was totally certain that his diagnosis was correct because he had had it confirmed by ninety doctors who worked under him at a major medical facility. Outside the doctor’s office, my friend’s husband asked if she wanted to go directly to the airport as she had been advised. Her response was that she first wanted to go to the church in accordance with James 5:14-15, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” Their pastor called all the elders of the church together for a special prayer meeting and laid hands on my friend; however, she could sense doubt behind their prayer “of faith.” One of them made the comment that when we get to heaven we will all be totally healed and have perfect bodies. That, of course, was a true report; but it was not a good report (Philippians 4:8) for a woman who was asking God to heal her while she was still here on earth! After leaving the church office, she told her husband that she could hear what they were saying with their lips but could also read what they were thinking by looking at their eyes, faces, and body language – and the two did not agree. She told him, “These people are not going to heal me; they are going to kill me! Please get me to a place where people really believe what they say!” When he promised to take her anywhere an airplane could fly, she asked to go to Indiana to be with my wife and me. They flew out on the next flight, and I arranged for special prayer by two great apostles – our pastor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, and the pastor of the world’s largest congregation, Dr. Yonggi Cho. She then spent the next three days in our home and received a constant diet of faith-filled words that came with confidence out of our hearts, not just words out of our heads. My wife and I did nothing but reinforce the promises of God’s Word concerning healing. When our friend did eventually make it to the clinic, the doctor refused to admit her because he couldn’t find even a trace of cancer in her body! Assurance made a life-and-death difference in her case. Remember that her doctor told her that she didn’t even have time to pack a suitcase? Well, that was over twenty-five years ago. Imagine how may suitcases she has packed in that quarter of a century!
The Manner of Man I was Among You for Your Sake
Character was the fifth avenue through which Paul conveyed his gift. In this passage, he speaks of the manner of man he was among them for their sakes – not for his own sake, but for their sake. Here we see a different focus from his reference to character as one of the characteristics that influenced Timothy’s life. In this context Paul was saying that he lived a good, moral life not so that he could guarantee his salvation but so that he could ensure their salvation. In I Corinthians 10:27-33, Paul made the point that our actions must be weighted – not by our own consciences – but by the consciences of those who see our actions. He understood that even thought all things were technically lawful for him, it was not in his best interest to always use his liberty because that freedom might cause a brother to stumble in his faith. (I Corinthians 6:12, Romans 14:21) One contemporary pastor aptly paraphrased what Paul was trying to say, “It’s a lot easier for me to get myself to heaven than it is for me to get you there.” Another pastor illustrated the necessity of living a life of character by saying, “People read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the epistles of Timothy, Peter, James, and Paul,” while pointing toward individuals in the audience with those names. He then went on to confirm the point by adding, “Now you know why your mamma named you like she did!”
In the second chapter of the letter that we are studying, Paul actually goes to some lengths to explain what he meant by the reference to the life that he lived before the Thessalonians. Notice that he concluded this lengthy expose with the deduction that it was because of the way he presented himself before these new believers that they received the gospel as the very Word of God rather than just the words of a mere man – proof positive that our lives really do become the gospel that the people read and believe!
For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. ( 1 Thessalonians 2:1-7)