Rev. David Holwick ZI Baptism Sunday
First Baptist Church (very short sermon)
Ledgewood, New Jersey
October 24, 1999
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
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I. A model for ministry.
A. Most of us aren't ministers, but all of us minister.
1) Others look up to us for guidance and wisdom.
2) Are you effective at it?
B. This chapter gives wonderful advice on influencing people.
1) Paul is defending himself, but the principles he gives
go beyond his specific situation.
2) We would do well to understand them and apply them.
II. Maintain your own integrity first.
A. What Paul was accused of. (Compare television evangelists...)
1) False doctrine. 2:3
a) His opponents were most likely Jewish outsiders,
not people in church.
b) They accused him of being a heretic, and Jewish
converts may have started to have doubts.
2) Impure motives.
a) Has connotation of sexual misconduct.
b) Probably nothing specific, but Christians did a lot
of hugging and kissing.
3) Trickery.
a) Paul says he is completely above-board.
b) Not all evangelists have been - one had secret
earphones rigged up, others make deceptive claims.
4) People-pleasing. 2:4
a) What is our ultimate goal? For many, it is to be liked.
b) What does God think? He is the only one who matters.
5) Racketeering. 2:5
a) Greed has brought down multitudes of people, even
religious ones.
b) Whenever money is involved, be careful.
B. Integrity is not claimed, but lived.
1) Do people ever question your motives?
a) What is your defense?
b) Are YOU even sure what you are really after?
2) We should not influence others unless our own life is in
order.
III. Making a positive impact.
A. A gentle and motherly approach. 2:7
1) Shared lives as well as gospel. 2:8
a) Influence is best done personally.
1> They developed a close bond with them.
2> "each one of you" 2:11
b) Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, wrote
concerning discipleship programs:
"Is the answer merely materials to distribute to
those who come to Christ?
No, it is obvious from the experience of successful
follow-up programs, both in the New Testament and
out of it, that follow-up is done by SOMEONE, not
by SOMETHING." #4907
c) People need others to care for them.
The Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas, once had a
fascinating experiment.
They identified a group of crib babies who did not cry.
It seems that babies cry because they instinctively know
that this is the way to get attention.
Crying is their way of calling out.
These babies, however, had been in abusive situations.
Their parents let hem cry for hours on end and never
responded.
Do you know what happened?
The babies eventually quit crying.
It is almost as if they had learned that it was not
worth trying.
So the Menninger Institute came in for an experiment.
They got some people from retirement and from nursing
homes, and every day these people held these babies
and rocked them.
The object was to get these babies to start crying
again.
It worked. Physical touch had made the difference.
As important as physical touch is there is another
kind of touch that is even more important.
It is spiritual touch.
This is that special touch that influences and impacts
the lives of people.
The telephone company some years ago had a slogan that
you probably remember: "Reach out and touch someone."
God wants us to do that in his name.
#4607
2) Hard work. 2:9
a) Influencing people takes lots of time and toil.
b) Don't begrudge it.
3) Transparent lives. 2:10
a) They weren't trying to hide anything.
b) Blameless - not sinless but above-board.
B. A firm and fatherly approach. 2:11
1) Encouraging.
a) Has more a sense of exhortation or admonishing.
b) Lay a particular course of conduct before them
and encourage them to pursue it.
2) Comforting.
a) Cheer them on in the midst of difficult circumstances.
b) Conforting is not difficult. Just give attention.
3) Urging.
a) The solemn weight of authority, like a dad.
IV. The Goal - Lives Worthy of God.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#4607, Rev. Brett Blair's Illustrations By Email, www.sermon-
illustrations.com, sent June 2, 1999.
#4907, "Assimilating New Converts Into The Local Church," by R. Larry
Moyer, Bibliotheca Sacra, V 151, #603, in The Theological
Journal Library CD by Galaxie Software.
These and 4,900 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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Other notes:
Expositor's Bible Commentary:
Vindication Through Methods (2:1-12)
I. Preaching, replete with power (2:1,2)
II. Preaching, removed from untruth (2:3,4)
III. Preaching, reinforced by godly concern (2:5-12)
A. Evidenced by the absence of lower motives (2:5-7a)
B. Evidenced by the presence of higher motives (2:7b-12)
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Master's Seminary Journal
Volume 6, #1, Spring 1995, page 39
"Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry"
by Richard L. Mayhue
To be biblically specific, God has given several defining passages
explaining who a pastor is to be and what a pastor is to do, e.g.
1 Tim 3:1-7; Tit 1:6-9; 1 Pet 5:1-5. But perhaps the most explicit books
in the NT regarding the work of the ministry are 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
A careful analysis of these "pastoral" epistles leads to this basic
"ministry description." A pastor's primary activities include:
1. Praying 1 Thess 1:2-3; 3:9-13
2. Evangelizing 1 Thess 1:4-5,9-10
3. Equipping 1 Thess 1:6-8
4. Defending 1 Thess 2:1-6
5. Loving 1 Thess 2:7-8
6. Laboring 1 Thess 2:9
7. Modeling 1 Thess 2:10
8. Leading 1 Thess 2:10-12
9. Feeding 1 Thess 2:13
10. Watching 1 Thess 3:1-8
11. Warning 1 Thess 4:1-8
12. Teaching 1 Thess 4:9-5:11
13. Exhorting 1 Thess 5:12-24
14. Encouraging 2 Thess 1:3-12
15. Correcting 2 Thess 2:1-12
16. Confronting 2 Thess 3:6,14
17. Rescuing 2 Thess 3:15
Paul exemplifies the character of a pastor and how that character relates
to ministry conduct (1 Thess 2:1-6). He describes the nature of pastoral
leadership in terms of a mother (2:7-8), a laborer (2:9), a family member
(2:10), and a father (2:11-12). Though these texts do not exhaust the
subject, they unmistakably point to Scripture as the appropriate source
from which to answer contemporary questions about ministry.
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