Thank you for your patience on Wednesday when I wasn't feeling well enough to work on the blog. I felt so bad yesterday morning that just moving my eyes around to look at the computer screen was making me sick, but I feel a lot better now.
Paul is going to tell the believers of Thessalonica that he and his friends taught the gospel to them, not because they thought it would be accepted, but in spite of the fact that it might not be accepted. He reminds them of how terribly he had been treated at Philippi for preaching the gospel. He could have allowed that experience to keep him from sharing the gospel at Thessalonica. No one would have blamed him if he'd given up due to the fierce opposition to the gospel, but instead the Lord strengthened Paul and the other apostles and teachers so they would have the courage to keep sharing the gospel no matter what.
You will probably recall from some of Paul's earlier letters that there were people who stirred up trouble against him in the cities he visited. In some cities the trouble took the form of physical attacks. In other cities he endured assaults against his character. It's believed that there could have been some unbelievers in Thessalonica who were trying to accuse Paul of having impure motives. He simply asks his readers to consider this: Would a man with impure motives, who is out for selfish gain, keep doing what he's doing even though it has resulted in bodily harm to himself?
"You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you His gospel in the face of strong opposition." (1 Thessalonians 2:1-2) We find the account of Paul's treatment at Philippi in Acts 16. People were converting and being baptized under his teaching, but a slave girl who had a spirit of divination kept following him and his friends around declaring (truthfully) that they were the servants of the Most High God who were telling people how to be saved. Paul, like Jesus, didn't want testimonies about his character given by evil spirits. Jesus often commanded evil spirits to be silent before He cast them out, for they were declaring His identity in a fashion that served not to bolster His claim to be the Son of God but that cast doubt on His claim. Who wants a demon as a character witness? People with any sense won't accept the testimony of demons, so in the cases of Paul and Jesus the demons were trying to prevent people from listening to these men. In annoyance, Paul finally turned to the girl in Philippi and cast the spirit out of her, causing her owners to become enraged because they were used to making money off her sad condition by forcing her to work as a fortune teller. They dragged Paul and Silas into the marketplace where they stirred up the crowd to attack and severely beat them with rods, after which they were placed in stocks in prison until during the night they were miraculously released by God.
No one would have blamed Paul or Silas or any of the other men if they had turned back and gone home. Their health and their lives were at stake if they kept preaching the gospel. But Paul says that with the Lord's help, in spite of all the opposition, they "dared" to keep preaching the gospel. It takes courage to follow the Lord. It doesn't take any courage to go with the flow and blend in with the crowd. When we decide we're going to obey the Lord even if it goes against the flow, we are going to be met with opposition. However, God gives us the courage to "dare" to do what's right.
If Paul and the other apostles and teachers were sharing the gospel out of selfish motives, the hardships that came against them would have compelled them to stop. It wasn't in their own best interests, from a human standpoint, to preach the gospel. The proof that they were on a mission of God is that they kept preaching the gospel even though it might mean the loss of their freedom or the loss of their lives. "For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts." (1 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
If they were trying to please people, people wouldn't have become upset with their message. People don't get upset when they are told things they want to hear. People get upset when they are told truths they don't want to face. Earlier this week I had a customer at work scream at me and accuse me of being an awful person because I wasn't allowed by our home office to do what she wanted me to do. I didn't have any choice about refusing the request she was making. When I calmly tried to explain why I couldn't do what she wanted, she just flew into a rage and made a verbal attack on my character because she wasn't happy with my answer. (Don't worry, I've worked with the public for 30 years and I've heard it all by now and I don't let it upset me.) But this is an example of how people don't like it when they're told the truth if the truth is not what they want it to be. When Paul preached the gospel, some gratefully accepted it because they knew they weren't perfect and they wanted to be made right with God. They wanted to hear a message that told them how to be saved. Others became enraged by the gospel because it told them they aren't okay just as they are, that they are sinners fallen from grace, that they can't make themselves righteous, and that they need to accept and submit to the Lord. They didn't want to hear a message that told them they were in the wrong and God was in the right.
Paul has told us in some of his other letters about neglecting his own comfort and welfare while he ministers to others. He's done without enough sleep, food, and proper shelter in order to share the gospel with as many people as possible. So those who have accused him of preaching for personal gain are way off the mark. When he converted to Christ and began preaching the gospel, he lost his wealth and social status and many of the basic comforts of life. "You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed---God is our witness." (1 Thessalonians 2:5) If the facts of his life don't prove to people that his heart is in the right place, God will vindicate him. God knows he preaches the gospel with the right motives.
People won't always understand our bravery in the face of opposition. They may suspect us of standing firm for Christ not because we love Christ but because we have some sort of ulterior motives. We may not be able to convince them they're wrong and I'm not sure we should bother with focusing our energies on proving them wrong. The best thing we can do is what Paul did. He kept on doing what was right even when people didn't understand and even when they openly resisted his message. He kept on doing what was right even when his character was attacked. He knew that God knew his heart was in the right place. If Paul had been concerned with man's approval, he would have given up. But he was concerned with God's approval, and as a result God gave him the strength to do everything he needed to do. Sometimes we won't be able to convince people we mean well or that we have their best interests at heart. God knows our hearts are in the right place and we have to let His approval be enough. After all, He's the One we will stand before someday to give an account of our lives. He's the One who will reward us for the things we've done for Him. What will man's opinion of us matter on that day?
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