009 Authentic Ministry: A Thriving Church Has the Proper Motives (Part 2)

1 Thessalonians 2:3–6 ESV

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.

Paul gives 3 negatives.

1 Thessalonians 2:3 ESV

For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,

A. The gospel does not come from error ,but it has the proper message.

B. The gospel does not come from impurity, but has the proper motive.

C. The gospel does not come by way of deceit, but has the proper method.

2. Gospel ministry is motivated by its divine commissioning.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV

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.

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.

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 ESV

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.

Matthew 28:18 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

The approval of God is not earned but received.

We are not approved basis of merit, but because of God’s mercy.

A life of ministry does not flow from an attempt to win the approval of God.

It should naturally flow from or thankfulness for receiving the undeserving approval of God through the work of Christ on the cross.

Colossians 1:17 ESV

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

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.

Matthew 25:14 ESV

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

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.

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

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.

Romans 3:10–11 ESV

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…

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

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.

Acts 26:17–18 ESV

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.

We should regularly ask God to fill us with a passion to do our part in opening the eyes of the blind.

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

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.

1 Corinthians 1:20–21 ESV

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.

i. Remember God entrusted the gospel to clay pots.

2 Corinthians 4:6–7 ESV

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.

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.

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.

Last week we said: “Spend money to buy time”

We have to be willing to spend money to reach the lost.

Find out what people like and give accordingly.

It is an opportunity to pour out love and build a relationship.

You may need to spend some money to be in a place where lost people are.

Maybe you need to spend money to join a sports league.

Or a club of some sort.

We have to be willing to give money and time if we are going to invest the treasure that was entrusted to us.

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.

We talked about caring for souls as we one-another.

Start caring for the souls of lost people around you.

Don’t allow their sin to push you away.

Remember that Romans tells us they don’t know any better.

The do what they do because they are blinded by the god of this world.

Jesus spent time with people who’s sins and life choices would make us very uncomfortable.

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.

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.

We need to learn from others.

We need to sharpen our skills.

Sometime reading a book completely changes my perspective.

Sometimes it gives my that one little thing I needed to take the next step.

Sometimes it is an encouragement that I am doing the right thing the right way and I just need to stay faithful.

Evangelism for the Faint Hearted (Floyd Shneider)

Evangelism as Exiles (Elliot Clark)

Questions for the week:

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 to show Him how I’ve invested His treasure, or will I need to unbury it to give it to Him?