1 Thessalonians - Chapter 2
Leaders in the Christian church must be spiritual physicians who can apply biblical cures and truth to the issues and vices of the assembly.
In addition he must be a champion for scriptural understanding, a guardian and protector of the purity of the Word, and of spiritual virtue.
Paul was all of these things and more. In spite of Paul’s integrity, his enemies, the false teachers and those who simply did not wish the status quo of the law’s traditions to be challenged, all were striving to diminish Paul’s message. Paul found himself in a position of having to defend his work among the church and to provide reassurance that his message was pure, sound, and was from the Lord.
1-6:
Paul opens the defense by reminding the church that the ministry had made a powerful impact upon the lives of the believers and was not in vain.
Positive effects had been realized among these new converts.
While Paul and his helpers had suffered and been badly mistreated in Philippi, he is still convinced of the power of the Lord’s gospel. Note that his confidence was not in himself, but rather properly placed in the Lord.
Paul clearly confirms his unwavering belief in God’s truth. The truth had been shown by him in both word and conduct. There had been no deceit. So Paul was not only guarding the truth but was also living the truth for all to see.
Paul reminds that his ministry had been given to him by a commission directly from God. He was approved by God to bring it. Paul confirmed his mission in exactly the same way throughout his several letters. We can see it in the following examples:
1 Cor 15:10 “But by the grace of God, I am what I am; and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”
Eph 3:8 “Unto me, who am the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ:”
1 Timothy 1:11 “According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.”
Titus 1:3 “But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior.”
Paul teaches that he was accountable to God, and in that manner, God had examined his heart and was witness to his work not to please men nor in greed.
His dedication was to God’s glory, not his own. He and Silas & Timothy could have claimed special status from their authority but never did so.
7-12:
Scripture offers us many examples of the plan of God for spiritual leadership. From the beginning the Lord has repeatedly established leadership as a strong component of His will, starting in Gen 2:18 with Adam being presented as first leader.
We see in the first six verses of chapter two, the leadership qualities of Paul, Silas, & Timothy, which are tenacity, integrity, authority, accountability, and humility.
Now Paul begins to contrast the behavior of himself and his helpers with those who try to diminish the gospel. Here are the qualities Paul mentions to the church that were adopted by him and his helpers to bring the ministry to the church:
Gentleness – Paul compares his efforts to the gentle way a nursing mother cares for her child. He uses the soft word “tenderly” to describe their care.
Fond Affection – Paul extends the comparison by a phrase all could understand, as parents surely have such fond affection for their children.
Giving of Self – Paul says he and the other preachers imparted their own lives into the church as well as the gospel.
Unselfish Labor – The preachers worked night & day to help the church and to meet its needs.
Father Figure – Paul tells the believers that they have led the church just as a father leads his children, exhorting, encouraging, imploring. He further notes that all in the church were witnesses to the upright behavior of the preachers and that this behavior brought the believers into a worthy walk with God.
13-16:
God’s plan of redemption is a two edged sword. On one side is the happiness for those saved and the other side represents sadness for those who are not. The Jews are likely the people who have most rejected the Lord throughout their history and of course His Messiah.
The Thessalonian church had accepted the word of God and had put His gospel in their hearts and lives. The proof of this acceptance was their imitation of Paul, his teachers, and through them, Christ. Even through persecution and its hardships, these believers had persevered.
The people that all should be sad for are those who killed Jesus, killed the prophets, and drove Paul and his helpers away. These, Paul warns, are to be subject to wrath. We must keep in mind that the Romans executed the Lord, but only at the insistence of the Jews (John 19:12-16).
17-20:
Paul left Thessalonia only because he was forced to leave by the mob of Jews (Acts 17:1-10). His love for this church and its people was unchanging. He felt the same way about the Philippians (Phil 1:7-8). Although he had only been apart from them for a short while, he missed them and longed to return.
Paul also faced much more opposition than just angry mobs or unbelievers who rejected the gospel. A strong second reality to Paul was that Satan was actively working very strongly against his efforts to spread the word of God. The word Paul used for Satan’s efforts “hindered” is a military term meaning to destroy the path of an army, as in ripping up a road or digging a trench that is unpassable. Paul knew well the work of the evil prince and we know that the demons knew Paul and his work.
Acts 19:15 “And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?”
But after all these obstacles and problems and difficulties, Paul closes the chapter in glory by asking the beautiful question of who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Paul had the assurance that at the coming of Christ, he would see all those who he had converted and those who had learned the word from those and become Christian. His true honor from God will be those whom he reached as God’s chosen vessel.