008 Authentic Ministry: A Thriving Church Has the Proper Motives (Part 1)
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For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.
Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
1. Gospel ministry is motivated by its own integrity.
1. Gospel ministry is motivated by its own integrity.
Paul gives 3 negatives.
Three distinctly different words to affirm the integrity of his ministry.
Each in direct contrast to false teachers.
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
1. Gospel ministry is motivated by its own integrity.
1. Gospel ministry is motivated by its own integrity.
Paul is comparing them to religious swindlers of the time.
The city of Thessalonica sat on the Egnatian Way, the famous highway that went east to west through Macedonia.
Thessalonica was also an important port and a melting pot city with cultures from all over the world.
There were a incredible variety of religions and religious professionals in Thessalonica.
Paul said in chapter 1: “You know what kind of men we proved to be.”
A. The gospel does not come from error ,but it has the proper message.
A. The gospel does not come from error ,but it has the proper message.
He didn’t come selling some made up cult trying to gain something for himself.
The message of the gospel is true.
We take confidence in that.
It motivates us and gives us boldness.
“Error” = wandering or roaming
Paul did not deviate or wander from the truth.
He preached a clear, to the point gospel.
Paul brought truth to the people of Thessalonica.
They had no delusions.
They didn’t cause the people to hold a wrong view of God.
In a world full of lies and coverups, we have truth.
Shouldn’t that be a great motivator to take the gospel to those who need it?
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
A. The gospel does not come from error ,but it has the proper message.
A. The gospel does not come from error ,but it has the proper message.
Paul brought them truth and they turned from idols to the true and living God.
We must give the world the truth.
Not the God they want.
We tend to present a gospel that gives eternal life for free!
How often do the lost wrestle with knowing their lives will drastically change because of salvation?
B. The gospel does not come from impurity, but has the proper motive.
B. The gospel does not come from impurity, but has the proper motive.
They didn’t come with impurity or dirt.
Self-gratification or gain.
There was no ulterior motive.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
B. The gospel does not come from impurity, but has the proper motive.
B. The gospel does not come from impurity, but has the proper motive.
Our only motive should be love!
We aren’t trying to get some sort of gain for ourselves out of it.
If we happen to get some gain, then that an extra blessing from God.
Our motives should be for the right reasons.
C. The gospel does not come by way of deceit, but has the proper method.
C. The gospel does not come by way of deceit, but has the proper method.
He didn’t try to bait and switch them.
Deception by trickery.
We sometimes hear: I don’t care what the method is as long as your message is right.
Some methods cheapen the gospel.
We can make the gospel man centered instead of God centered.
Paul didn’t use gimmicks to win people to christ.
He used the right methods and strategies.
Just preach the gospel and let it do its work.
Am I preserving the integrity of the gospel when I share it with others?
2. Gospel ministry is motivated by its divine commissioning.
2. Gospel ministry is motivated by its divine commissioning.
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
2. Gospel ministry is motivated by its divine commissioning.
2. Gospel ministry is motivated by its divine commissioning.
A. Paul’s ministry was approved by God.
A. Paul’s ministry was approved by God.
Dokimazo = metal purifying
Testing metals to prove their genuiness.
Deemed fit through testing.
God has approved each believer to carry the gospel.
And continues to do so through testing.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
We are approved by God and authorized by Him.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
A. Paul’s ministry was approved by God.
A. Paul’s ministry was approved by God.
B. Paul was entrusted with the gospel.
B. Paul was entrusted with the gospel.
Entrusted - to be put in trust with as a manager.
God’s plan was to put the gospel in our trust.
Think about the parable of the talents in Matt 25 with what we learned last week about investment of time and money into gospel opportunities.
Paul said: “Our coming was not in vain” it was a good investment.
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
B. Paul was entrusted with the gospel.
B. Paul was entrusted with the gospel.
5 talents
2 talents
1 talent.
The Bible says the one with 5 and 2 TRADED them and doubled what was entrusted to them.
They invested it well.
The last one buried it.
Didn’t use it.
Didn’t invest what was entrusted to them.
Knowing Christ is fundamentally different than knowing an science or academic discipline.
We can’t know God by means of natural investigation or study.
Therefore, natural man or unsaved people cannot know God by simple academic study of Him.
Follow this thought biblically.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Even if they could learn Him on their own, they will not seek or study Him.
as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands; no one seeks for God.
There is yet another obstacle in the way…
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
There is not a natural desire to seek and learn God, so God has entrusted the gospel with us, to take it to them just as someone brought it to us.
Look at the words of Jesus to Paul.
delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
The application is the same for us.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
He uses us to shine the light in the darkness.
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
B. Paul was entrusted with the gospel.
B. Paul was entrusted with the gospel.
Let me give you some encouragement.
i. Remember God entrusted the gospel to clay pots.
i. Remember God entrusted the gospel to clay pots.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
i. Remember God entrusted the gospel to clay pots.
i. Remember God entrusted the gospel to clay pots.
What is the treasure we have?
We have the gospel with its light-giving power.
The jars of clay are us.
Nobody puts treasure in clay pots.
We are not gold or silver.
We are clay pots.
Yet God chose to entrust tray pots with a great treasure.
Here’s the encouragement.
When you feel below average.
When you feel insufficient.
From the most scholarly Christian to the most average christian we are all simply clay pots.
The pot is nothing.
It is the power of the treasure in the pot that is something.
It is the power of the gospel we have been entrusted with that does the work.
ii. Find good resources to use.
ii. Find good resources to use.
There are plenty of tools that help you.
Get familiar with several and use some prayerful wisdom to know what to use with certain people.
Simple Christianity (Grace Discipleship series)
By This Name (John R. Cross)
Done. (Cary Schmidt)
The Gospel of John or Mark.
iii. Be a giver.
iii. Be a giver.
Last week we said: “Spend money to buy time”
Find out what people like and give accordingly.
It is an opportunity to pour out love and build a relationship.
We have to give money and time.
iv. Remember that every person is created in the image of God.
iv. Remember that every person is created in the image of God.
So we should care about people.
How often to we really think about out neighbors or people in our community?
Take an interest in them.
Figure out what makes them tick.
What makes them who they are.
We start carrying the gospel by genuinely caring about people.
v. Remember you are not alone.
v. Remember you are not alone.
This isn’t easy for many of us.
You aren’t the only one struggling along.
Encourage each other.
Celebrate your victories and others - even the small ones - together.
Regularly share good new testimonies.
This is part of one-anothering.
Ask for help if you are stuck.
vi. Use your God given gifts and desires.
vi. Use your God given gifts and desires.
Don’t overthink it.
Find something you like to do and do it in the community.
Do it with unsaved people.
Find an intentional fishing whole using something you enjoy.
You may find yourself wondering if it’s even work!
What is something I enjoy doing?
How can I use it to carry the gospel I’ve been entrusted with?
Do I need to carve out time in my schedule?
Do I need to spend some money to make it happen?
Is that a worthy investment of my time and money?
vii. Read books on evangelism.
vii. Read books on evangelism.
We need to learn from others.
We need to sharpen our skills.
Evangelism for the Faint Hearted (Floyd Shneider)
Evangelism as Exiles (Elliot Clark)
Questions for the week:
Am I preserving the integrity of the gospel when I share it with others?
What am I doing with the great treasure that I have been approved to carry and been entrusted with? Am I excited for the Master’s return or will I need to unbury it to give it to Him?