Excellence In Action 2

An elderly widow was restricted in her activities but was eager to serve Christ. After praying about this, she realized that she could bring a blessing to others by playing the piano. The next day she placed this small ad in the Oakland Tribune: “Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent—the service is free.” The notice included a number to dial. When people called, she would ask, “What hymn would you like to hear?” Within a few months her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help and encourage them. This one elderly woman was more of a minister than so many so-called ministers today. In the effort to ‘do ministry’ we forget we first minster to God and then for Him as a representative. As His representative we should resemble Him in both our actions and passions. 

Continuing in 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul explains his ministry to the people of Thessalonica. He says in verse 7-12— “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.”

Here we see Paul being a wise builder and planter. He even said so in 1 Corinthians 3.10— “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”As you see even here, “how” we minister matters. Surely you want to do your best and do it right; so that when you walk away people aren’t pointing fingers. Which is why Paul said: “not be chargeable unto any of you” (verse 9).Every believer knows others are watching, infinitely more so, God is watching— “Ye are witnesses, and God also” (verse 10). How we minister matters. 

This text is a good roadmap for reevaluating our ministries: The Way you do it matters; What you do matters; To Whom you do it to matters; and Why you do it matters.  All of this has a goal in mind as Jesus prescribed. If verses 1-6 is, ‘What not to do and why’, this section would be ‘What to do and why’.

The WAY you do ministry matters. Your behavior specifically. Paul said: “how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you” (verse 10).Looking at these words— their behavior was not corrupt, dishonest or immoral; they were not judgmental and were always clear of suspicion. This behavior was mostly covered in the previous section (verses 1-6), but in verse 7 Paul says something unique about their way of doing ministry— “gentle among you.” Some ministries today are the opposite: cold, callous, cruel, harsh, hateful, mean, uncompassionate, rough, and unpleasant. Ministry ought to be as gentle as verse 7says: “as a nurse cherisheth her children.”A nursing mom. There is no harshness there, only affection and great care. Ellicott said it this way: “The contrast is drawn between the charlatan, sophistical, fawning, greedy, vainglorious teachers, to whom Greeks were well accustomed, and the Apostles, sitting familiarly like mothers amidst a group of their own children, folding them for warmth to their bosoms, keeping a mother’s heart for men.”This is why in verse 8 it says “affectionately desirous of you” which is himeiromai— a deep yearning or longing for. Simply put— They loved them—they expressed it—and it showed. If only people would do that today for each other! Church would be so much different. We get in our own way and in our own head about it. ‘what if they think I am weird; what if I say it wrong; they know what I think of them.’  No they don’t! Love them, express it, show it! Notice, they also “exhorted” (verse 11) meaning to encourage; They “comforted” (verse 11) meaning to bring security and compassion; and They “charged” (verse 11) meaninggave direction. Paul said in verse 11 “as a father doth his own children.”A Father or Dad in the Bible isn’t what we make him out to be in our modern western culture. The scripture teaches: he should have a warriors mentality in the protection of his family and his God. As the author Stew Weber calls it— A Tender Warrior.  There is a mildness and tenderness about our heavenly Father and so should be about us to our children. Paul said— That’s the way ministry ought to be done. There should be some personal, loving, tender, affectionate care given… or it’s not Jesus’ ministry. Now we now know the way they did it, but what did they do exactly?

WHAT you do matters. They “…imparted the Gospel” (verse 8). The word “impart”, metadidōmi means to share, to surrender as in giving over or give of. They gave over, shared the Gospel. I suppose the opposite would be: to be stingy with. They shared it, they didn’t hide it or hoard it. They didn’t keep it within the walls of a worship center.  The gospel is designed to bust out of all confinement and reach out to the people that need it. This imparting was intense— “labour and travail night and day” (verse 9). The conjoined statement: “labour and travail” are not mere synonyms here: the first describes the kind of work (labour); the second (travail), the intensity of it. Ministry should be intense work. If you want the results we read in the New Testament, you have to be intensely involved in the yoke of ministry with Christ for others. They didn’t just impart the Gospel only, verse 8 says— “impart our own souls.”Same definition applies then. What they did was: share, surrender, give of— their own souls.  They gave of themselves! They were not stingy! No ministry will last unless people are willing to give up themselves for and to others on the regular. I thank God for those who have allowed me to be in their lives, and have imparted a piece of themselves into me. They were not selfish with their time and space to me. Because of them, I am the man I am today. They were ‘others-focused’ and now even you are reaping the benefits. I could not write what I write, speak what I speak nor be the disciple I am without others being others-focused to me. They were selfless with their time and energy and so should I be. We can’t allow it to stop now. Let people in your bubble— intentionally. Speaking of people…

WHO you do ministry to matters. Ministry done the right way is done for and to others. You have to put others before yourself. In this section alone notice Paul’s emphasis on the church members: “among you; desirous of you; imparted unto you; ye were dear; any of you; unto you; among you; every one of you”.Not to mention the focus on them personally with: 6 “ye’s” and 8 “you’s”. There is an intentional focus on others.  Others-focused! Just as Paul said in Philippians 2-3b “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”He goes on to say in verse 4 of that text—“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”Notice here though in Thessalonians verse 11: “every one of you”—individual recognition.They weren’t all lumped up— the individual matters.  Also, it means no one was left out, no one given special treatment over another. This is condemned in James 2.1-4.Ministry is people and people matter! Every one of them: kids, youth, young adults, married, single, widowed, grey hair, no hair, blue hair, long hair, old, young, skinny, fluffy, tall, short, pretty, and even the freakish… everyone matters! Selfish, self-contrived, self-focused ministries who size up and put people into categories are not Jesus’ ministries. Our targeted audience is… everyone!

WHY you do ministry matters. “dear to us” verse 8 says, andthat’s why. Real, Jesus-style, others-focused, done-right, ministry is from the heart. Sound familiar? Rememeber Jesus said this in Matthew 22.39— “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”It is to be done out of true heart-felt love for others. It was because of love Paul did what he did. We will never witness or disciple like we should until we love like we should. It was because of love He saved me (John 3.16)And He did so before I even knew Him (Romans 5.8). A demonstrable, from the heart, love, is why He did what He did and why we do what we do. If you care you will. If you don’t you won’t. It is that simple—no excuses. The measurement of your ministry is equal to the measurement of your love.

Life didn’t stop at salvation—it began! We are to live life for the One who paid a ransom for our lives. Just as verse 12says: “that ye would walk worthy of God.” That ransom was bought by His blood, and therefore we should have supreme loyalty to Him. That is what all of this is about. Jesus didn’t just redeem us— He called us— “who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory” (verse 12).You were called to be with Him, to be in love with Him, to feel what He feels, to love what He loves. It is an intimate walk with the Person whom you love the most. As I said before— The measurement of your ministry is equal to the measurement of your love. Everything is determined by that.

How is your ministry? More accurately— How is your walk with God?