Dr. Ben Stubblefield
Visiting Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
Shared
1 Thessalonians 2:1–12
Persistent (1–2)
One of the greatest sports movies of all time is “Rudy,” the story of Rudy Ruettiger, a dyslexic, 5’6”, 165-pound kid who got into the University of Notre Dame — no easy task in itself — and then got on the Fighting Irish football team through sheer grit and persistence.
He was beaten down, undervalued, bloodied and bruised, but Rudy kept striving for his dreams. I know there are all kinds of people out there, but if you can watch that movie without shedding a tear, I don’t think we can be friends (just kidding!).
We demonstrate what we prize by what we’re willing to suffer through to win it. Paul and his companions endured hostility and hardship in Thessalonica yet continued speaking the gospel there to bring people into the kingdom of God. Why? Why persist through such adversity? Because there is no greater call upon our lives than the call to preach the gospel.
Jesus summons us to share the good news, and to do it in season and out of season, irrespective of how the message is received. The call to faithfulness isn’t conditional, which is why we’ll find Christians in a bunker in Kyiv, in a Manhattan office space or in a gas station drinking coffee in rural Alabama letting “their light so shine.” Everywhere, every day, Christians must, like Paul, persistently share the gospel.
Gentle (3–7)
I understand the value of networking. But there are times — in ministry life particularly — when the whole notion feels icky. Ever had the feeling that the only reason someone wanted to be friends was because you were a means to an end? It’s understandable, but it’s a little slimy, because it’s not love.
Paul reminds the Thessalonians that his ministry was legitimate because he didn’t come to them with ulterior motives. No, he came to give as a mother gives to her child: without thought of recompense or remuneration.
Most of the time people can smell selfishness. It’s sulfuric. But they can also smell sincerity, kindness and love. I bet a lot of folks received Jesus because the church practiced loving on them instead of yelling at them, serving instead of using — because, like Paul, they had “so fond an affection” for their neighbors, lost and ruined by the fall.
Blameless (8–12)
Paul then shifts to remind the Thessalonians of the way he lived while serving the church as further evidence of his trustworthy character. He didn’t come to Thessalonica to mooch; he cared for them as a mother and labored for them as a father.
While I do not think Paul is giving a theology of parenting, I do think he is implying he understands his responsibility to this young church the same way parents understand their responsibility to their children. All the time, night and day, through toil and trial, Paul endeavored to raise them up to Christian maturity.
Isn’t it right that people trust you when they know you have their best interests at heart? People often say: “Folks don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” God didn’t just give us the law, as wonderful as it is. He also sent His Son, for He so loved the world.
If we’re going to make an impact in our time, it seems paramount to love like Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, and, most importantly, like our Lord.
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