“Excellence is never an accident”
—Aristotle
Let’s read the next text in our series of Excellence: 1 Thessalonians 1.5-10
“For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. So that ye were ‘ensamples’ to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
Notice in verse 9 the phrase— “what manner of entering in we had unto you.” This basically means the Apostle Paul’s way of doing ministry. Incidentally that was approximately only 1 month (3 Sabbaths) of ministry. impressive, to say the least.
Notice also that the ‘manner’ of ministry Paul demonstrated was continued by the Thessalonians after he left. A spirit of excellence spreads much like it’s antitheticals— mediocrity and status quo. For the Thessalonians, it was excellence to the point— those that were impacted gave proof of:
- How they were taught (9)
- The great change in their life (9)
- Their eternal focus. (10)
We know from verse 7-8 that they were— examples. The word used in my Bible is: “ensample”. This word means an imprint like a die that is cast. So they ‘lived it’, just like Paul did, in front of others. There is no way to be an example to others in your protective bubble of seclusion. Unless your goal is to be an unsociable hermit. This church was the opposite! It says “in much affliction” and “with much joy”… they were being persecuted. The one was not conditional upon the other, neither was one affected by the other. The Jesus followers in Thessalonica didn’t stop their commission and maintained their joy in the process. That is an example indeed! Paul said— “followers of us and the Lord”. What does that mean? Glad you asked! The word “followers” literallymeans: ‘imitators’. They were imitators of Paul and his ministry team and the Lord. That makes sense. They didn’t just follow the teachings and pattern of the men training them… they went further and followed the leadership of the Holy Spirit and allowed God to take them further, at His will. Again, what an example to us!
We also know from verse 7-8 that they were not only examples but also— evangelists. We know this because it says: “sounded out the word of the Lord.” They told others. That is what a Jesus-follower with a spirit of excellence does. They are not lazy and not ashamed. Someone has to be brave and open their mouth (sound out). History confirms what we have written in scripture, that this way of doing ministry evangelized the entire region! Is that not what we want in our spheres of influence. A church with a spirit of excellence seeks the vision of God then, which is nothing less that the entire world. The scripture says in Revelation— every tribe, tongue, nation (ethinic people groups). It is Jesus’ will to reach them all. Then a Jesus follower who is seeking a spirit of excellence will seek the goals of the Jesus whom they say they follow. Looking at this church as an example of evangelism, Paul explained here specifically, the Macedonian call had now ended— “so that we need not to speak anything”(8). This doesn’t mean that everyone was saved; but that the ministry had come to a place where the local churches could easily handle the rest of the population without any help from the Apostle or others. This is stunning, yet possible then and now. If only believer were not limited in their scope of excellence, maybe God would grant them a vision for the world.
Here is the kick for me personally. This letter was written in 51AD— that is approximately 1 year after his departure from there. They had reached an area the size of the combined states Oklahoma and Arkansas with a population approximately the same as present day Oklahoma (3 million). That is excellence for-sure! How many churches are in Oklahoma today? How long have they been ministering? Something is up! I do not condemn these churches, of which I pastor one of them. My point is simple… we have grown lackadaisical and tend to coast. That is NOT excellence of any sort. Maybe a short walk into the remainder of these particular verses can help us see their example’s spirit of excellence.
What was the Apostle Paul’s manner or pattern for excellence?
- Word. “not in word only”— indicates that the word was given; just not alone. Someone stood and exposed truth from the word. Today we have a lot of opinions convincingly given… but not truth! Without the truth people cannot be set free.
- “in power”. Paul didn’t simply deliver a message. He didn’t just read an outline for the class. It wasn’t merely a carefully packaged cluster words. He didn’t simply stand and tell of the death, burial, and resurrection in a new or more insightful way. It was given with power! And the power of it was evident.
- “in the Holy Ghost”. The Holy Spirit brings unconfused, full conviction, truth! He said in John 6.44 that the Holy Spirit must draw a person to Himself— “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:” It must be a It must be a work of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit isn’t doing a work on the heart, we really are just wasting our breath. If it isn’t a work of the Holy Spirit, a discipler may even convince people, but then they will just follow the disciples only and not Christ. Remember, the Holy Spirit is to point to Christ and Him alone.
- “in much assurance” This is the Greek word: ‘plērophoria’. This is ‘full’ assurance or to be fully assured of. This is critical. We aren’t responsible to convince people (necessarily) but to bring them to the One who can.
I think we need to identify every part of this equation and start practicing it, as they did. That is the how-to, but there is something more… Excellence. Excellence is the motivation or the ‘why’ they mobilized so rapidly with such little distraction in their way. All the while being under serious opposition. Next, we will tackle why the Thessalonians practiced a spirit of Excellence in ministry. They had their example of evangelism before them, but why did they do it?
For me, to obey Christ with anything less than my all is to be ashamed or selfish. My motivation, as so should your’s be, is my love for God. This cannot be lazy love. This cannot be an easy-come easy-go love. This cannot be a convenient love. This has to be a love of excellence. Love with all I am and with all I have got! Why? Because He first loved me! Because He changed me! Because He is working on me! Because I cannot deny the One whom I spoke with just this morning. Next, we will tackle the specifics of why the Thessalonians practiced a spirit of Excellence in ministry. They had their example of evangelism before them, but why did they do it? Until then…
Is there a spirit of excellence in your walk with Christ? Do you follow with and in excellence?