Three Traits of a Faithful Minister

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a young man who had just entered the ministry. He was full of energy, passionate about preaching, and eager to lead. But as we talked, he asked me a question that stuck with me. He said, “What do you think is the most important thing for a pastor to remember?”

I paused for a moment and then said, “Ministry is not just about preaching sermons; it’s about shepherding people.” He nodded, but I could tell he was thinking it over. Many enter ministry thinking their primary job is delivering a message on Sunday, but the true calling of a minister is to both communicate the Word of God and care for the people of God, all to the glory of God.

That’s exactly what we see in the Apostle Paul in this passage. Paul wasn’t just a preacher—he was a shepherd. He deeply loved the people he ministered to. And in 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20, we see the heart of a minister—one who rejoices when people receive the Word, walks with them through trials, and longs to see them grow in their faith.

Let’s read the passage together, and then I want to point out Three Traits of a Faithful Minister.

1 Thessalonians 2:13–20 (NKJV)

13For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

14For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans,

15who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men,

16forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

17But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire.

18Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.

19For what is our hope, joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?

20For you are our glory and joy.

1 Thessalonians is one of Paul's earliest letters, written after a brief missionary endeavor in the city of Thessalonica. The city was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. It boasted a population of approximately 100,000 people. Paul probably wrote the letter between AD 49-51. According to Acts 17, Paul spent three Sabbaths in the city in the synagogue, reasoning from the Scriptures that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead and that Jesus was the Christ. He also shared the Gospel with many Gentiles. Paul's preaching was met with success as several Jews believed on Christ, as did a great multitude of devout Greeks. Some of the new believers were from the upper classes, including some of the leading women of Thessalonica.

The message of redemption, however, eventually led to a major riot in the city. Ultimately, Paul had to be smuggled out of the city under the cover of darkness. He left behind a nascent church with new believers.

Immediately upon his departure, Paul's critics began a smear campaign against him. They carped, "Paul does not care for you. If he cared, he would have stayed. Instead, he ran away. When the going got tough, Paul got going! He was only in it for the money, anyway.” These slanderous charges caused serious concerns among some of the new converts. They questioned if the rumors were true. Had Paul not really cared for them? Had they been duped by a Christian con artist? So, Paul wrote this letter to set the record straight. He defends himself against the criticisms leveled against him, and he expresses his heartfelt concern for the believers.

We can look at the marks of Paul's ministry and evaluate whether those same qualities mark our ministry. It matters not if you are a missionary, a preacher, a teacher, a staff member, a seminary professor, or a layperson. We should each strive to follow Paul’s example of communicating the Word of God and caring for the people of God. Note the first mark of a faithful minister.

I. A Faithful Minister Loves When People Receive the Word of God (2:13-16).

Paul recalls with fondness and gratitude how the Thessalonians responded to the preaching of God’s Word. Though some people in the city rejected the Gospel as merely the words of men, many others received it. In verse 13, he points out both sides of any Gospel message; the proclamation of the Word and the reception of the Word. Note...

A. Paul faithfully preached the Word (2:13a).

· Twice in 2:13, Paul calls his message “the word of God”

· In 1:5, he calls it “our Gospel”

· In 1:8, he calls it “the word of the Lord”

· In 2:2, 8 he calls it “the gospel of God”

There is no doubt that Paul saw himself as one entrusted with the Lord’s message, and he faithfully preached it. Paul thus places himself on the same authority as the Old Testament prophets who would introduce their sermons with phrases such as, “Hear the Word of the Lord,” OR “The Word of the Lord came to me," OR “Thus says the Lord.”

Paul did not seek to deliver palatable messages out of the book of opinions. He was not trying to win a popularity contest. He knew that he was obligated to preach the Word of God. He preached with conviction that the Gospel was the Word of God itself.

Paul rejoiced because after he had faithfully preached the Word, the people sincerely received it.

B. The people sincerely received the Word(2:13b-16).

"...because when you receivedthe word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not asthe word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe" (2:13b).

Paul was thrilled that the Thessalonians had received the Word of God.

1. Their reception of the Word

The Thessalonian believers were convicted in their hearts that they were hearing the Word of God to them when Paul preached. In fact, Paul says they “welcomed” the Word. The word in Greek means to readily accept information as true and let it be at home in your life. They indicated their approval of the Word of God by letting the Word find a home in their hearts. No wonder Paul rejoiced in them!

How do we know that they were not simply being polite to Paul, nodding their heads in feigned assent while he preached? We know because their reception of the Word led to their opposition from the world.

2. Their opposition from the world

14For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, 15who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, 16forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

Paul says the Word of God has an active, powerful influence in their lives. Specifically, they were standing strong in their faith in the midst of suffering and persecution.

The persecution that Paul had endured now fell upon the people who believed the Gospel message. It is a painful thing to experience hostility and rejection from strangers, but even more painful when it comes from your neighbors. That is what the Thessalonians were going through. Paul goes on in verses 14-16 to tell them that they are not alone in suffering for the faith. Paul, himself, was being opposed by his fellow Jews. Jesus Himself was killed by His own countrymen who betrayed him and rejected him. Even the Old Testament prophets of God who spoke the message of the Lord were persecuted. So the Thessalonians were in good company.

Their steadfast endurance demonstrated that their faith was genuine.

It has been said, “The faith that fizzles before the finish had a fatal flaw from the first.”Well, their faith did not fizzle even in withering persecution! And Paul loved it when they received the Word.

One trait of a faithful minister is that he loves when people receive the Word of God. The question for every pastor, preacher, missionary, or Bible teacher is, “Are you preaching the Word of God or the words of men?” Any minister who is called by God will stand and proclaim the Word of God with conviction and authority! We must be convinced that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God!

There is no room for timidity in the ministry. Christ’s Church does not need another namby-pamby, milquetoast, professional pulpit pundit preaching palatable sermonettes to little Christian-ettes. We need men of God who will stand and declare, “Thus says the Lord!”

But I must warn you that to preach the Word is to invite opposition. There will always be some who do not like our message. They will dismiss it as the opinions of men. Be courageous! Phillip Brooksonce said, “Courage...is the indispensable requisite of any true ministry... Courage is good everywhere, but it is necessary here. If you are afraid of men and a slave to their opinion, go and do something else. Go and make shoes to fit them... But do not keep on all your life preaching sermons which shall say not what God sent you to declare, but what they hire you to say.” [Phillips Brooks Quoted in: Who Will Be Saved? Edited by: House, Paul and Thornbury, Gregory. Crossway, 2000, p. 101. http://www.thegracetabernacle.org/quotes/Pastoral_Ministry-Considerations-General.htm]

Will you make yourself a lifelong student of the Word? Will you base your ministry on the communication of this life-changing Word?

Now that we have seen that a faithful minister loves when people receive the Word of God, I want to draw your attention to the second mark.

II. A Faithful Minister Longs To Be With The People of God (2:17-18).

A. Paul felt a strong desire to be with the Thessalonians (2:17).

Paul was burdened to see the believers in Thessalonica again. He was grieved that he had to depart so soon. Listen to how he describes his feelings in verse 17.

17But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire.

From these words, you can see how much he wanted to stay with the Thessalonians. Instead, persecution had torn them apart. The Greek word translated as "taken away” is “orphanizo" which means to be orphaned. He felt like he had been snatched away from them, leaving these new believers as orphans. They were just babes in Christ, and he wanted to be with them.

Listen to how he uses parental pictures to describe his ministry:

· In 2:7, he described his ministry among them as that of a nursing mother: “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children" (2:7).

· Then, in 2:11, he compared his preaching to that of a father’s exhortation to his children. “...as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children" (2:11).

· Now in 2:17 he says he feels as though he has been snatched away from his spiritual children.

· John Stott said, “Pastoral care is parental care.”

· We are to serve with the gentleness of a mother and the encouragement of a father.

Though he could not be with them in person he was with them in spirit.

17But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire.

They had his heart. They were never far from his mind and prayers. Paul's heart had a great and consuming desire to see them again. The word he uses for desire actually means "lust." The word is generally used in a negative sense, but here, it illustrates Paul’s intense longing to see the believers again. He trusted their separation was only for "a short time." Paul had a strong desire to see them again, but his strong desire was met with satanic difficulties.

B. Paul faced satanic difficulties in returning to the Thessalonians (2:18).

18Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.

Paul assured them that his absence from them was not out of indifference and unconcern. His critics were wrong in claiming Paul did not care for them. His heart was truly breaking, and he longed to see them again. He had tried time and again to return to Thessalonica, but Satan hindered him from getting there.

The word "hindered" in Greek means to “break up the road.” It speaks of an army that breaks up roads and bridges to stop an advancing enemy. Satan had broken up the road between Paul and the believers making the way impassable. The church was hurting, and Paul desperately wanted to be with the people he loved, to support them, to encourage them, and to stand with them. But Satan hindered. Satan used hostility, strife, animosity, threats, riots, and persecution to break up the proverbial road, making it impossible for Paul to return to the city this time.

It seems strange to hear the mighty missionary of the Church, the Apostle Paul, say that Satan hindered him. His experience shows that satanic opposition is a part of a minister’s experience.

“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

Martin Luther is quoted as saying: “If you don’t believe in the Devil, it’s because you’ve never tried to resist him.”

In these verses, you can see how Paul longed to be with the people of God. His ministry among them was not just a job to him. Paul did not use people for his own benefit, and then leave them. He ministered to them from a heart of love. When I was ordained into the Gospel ministry, Pastor Clyde Stokes charged me with the words, “Ricky, never use people to build your ministry. Use your ministry to build God’s people.”

Paul loved these people and wanted to be with them during their times of testing, but Satan hindered him. Paul rejoiced when they rejoiced, and he wept when they wept. That is a mark of a model minister.

Since Paul could not return, he sent Timothy. 1 Thessalonians 3:1–3 (NKJV) 1Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, 2and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, 3that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.

According to Ephesians 4:11-12, a pastor’s job is to equip the saints for the work of ministry in building up the Body of Christ. Believers are to minister to one another. That is why the Bible is filled with the “one another” commands such as love one another, serve one another, show hospitality to one another, forgive one another…

I recall a time when I had two church members having surgery on the same day at different hospitals. Until the government legalizes cloning, it is impossible for me to be in two places at once. So I sent the chairman of deacons to visit and pray with the woman having outpatient surgery at one hospital, while I visited a man having open heart surgery at another. He later told me that the woman had several members of her Sunday School class with her. When he arrived and offered to pray, she looked around the room for me and then said, “I guess our church doesn’t care about people, otherwise, the pastor would be here.” She was offended that I was not there even though so many church members were. The chairman of deacons asked, “So what am I, chopped liver?”

It would do us all well to remember that there will be times when the pastor is not able to be with his people in their moments of need. Satan and circumstances can conspire to keep us apart. My job as your pastor is not to lead you to place your faith in me, but to place your faith in God. God has promised that He will never leave you, nor forsake you! If the pastor has grounded the people in the Word of God and built their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and continues to demonstrate his love for them, then they will be able to stand strong in times of testing.

A faithful minister loves when people receive the Word of God and longs to be with the people of God. The third mark is...

III. A Faithful Minister Looks Forward To The Return of the Son of God (2:19-20).

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the most prominent theme in the Book of 1 Thessalonains. Christ’s Second Coming is mentioned in every chapter of this letter. At Christ’s future return, the dead in Christ will rise and be caught up in the air along with the living to meet the Lord! The ungodly will be judged, but believers will be spared. In the meantime, Christians are to live holy lives that glorify God.

Paul looked forward to the return of the Son of God! Listen to his words in verse 19 For what is our hope, joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?

A. Paul spoke of the coming of our Savior.

All was not lost! Paul sincerely wanted to be with the Thessalonians here on earth. But he knew that even if he did not see them down here again, he would see them up there! The Lord Jesus Christ is coming again one day. The word Paul uses for his coming is parousia. Parousiameans presence. It speaks of the visit of an official of high rank. This is the first use of the word in the Scriptures in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It refers to the visit of royalty to a city. A wonderful truth of Scripture is that Christ is coming again one day! He will come personally, and we will be with him and with the family of God (1 Thess. 4:13ff). As the song declares:

What a day that will be When my Jesus I shall see And I look upon his face The one who saved me by his grace When he takes me by the hand And leads me through the Promised Land What a day, glorious day that will be

Pastor, let each of us minister with an eye toward the Second Coming of our Lord. On that day, we will give an account to Him for how we have handled his Word and helped His people. Paul spoke of the Coming of our Savior, and…

B. Paul spoke of the crowning achievement of his service.

19For what is our hope, joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20For you are our glory and joy.

Paul asks some rhetorical questions.

· What is our hope? What gives us the hope that we have not wasted our lives and ministered in vain? What is our hope that we will have something to show for our ministry and endeavors?

· What is our joy? What is our present joy in the midst of trying circumstances? What keeps us going with joy? What is the crown of rejoicing we will wear when this life is over? What is the crowning achievement like a victorious athlete when the race is run?

And what was Paul's answer? Is it not even you in the presence of Christ at His coming?

He was not content with just getting to Heaven and being safe on that shore alone. He rejoiced that the Thessalonian believers would be there, too! They were the crowning achievement of his ministry that he hoped to lay at Jesus' feet![1]Paul looks forward to that day when he stands before the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ and receives one of the greatest rewards he can imagine, the people he had won to faith being with him in glory!

When I was a fifth-grade student at Lake Park Elementary School, our teacher informed us she had to walk down the hall for a few minutes. She instructed us to sit quietly at our desks and complete our assignments. She said, “There is to be no talking or getting out of your seats.” Well, she was gone longer than I imagined she would be. I began to cut up with my friend at the desk behind me. I made him laugh, so I decided to take my show on the road. I expanded my audience until I was out of my desk entertaining the entire class. I had my back to the door when suddenly the room grew quiet. I sensed a presence behind me. As I turned around, I was startled to see my teacher standing in the doorway. She was summoning me to the hallway. Well, I was scared to death. I had seen other students called out in the hallway, and they were never heard from again! I was afraid she would take me to the principal’s office. There was a rumor around school that he had an electric paddle in his office. I could not fathom how he hooked a kid up to an electric paddle, and I did not want to find out! When I got out there, she looked me in the eyes and said, “Richard, of all the students in my class, I never dreamed you would be the one to disobey me.” Her words cut to my heart. I had disappointed my teacher.

Fellow ministers and Church members, Christ has been gone for over 2,000 years, perhaps longer than we imagined. But He is coming back one day, and it could be today! I pray to God that when He comes, He finds us busy completing the assignment He has given us, the assignment of Communicating His Word and caring for His people. Will you have the reward of seeing others in Heaven with you whom you have won to faith? What a crown to cast at Jesus' feet!

Conclusion: Pastor, will you recommit yourself today to being a model minister? Will you follow the example of Paul by communicating the Word of God and caring for the people of God? Church member, will you follow the leadership and example of this kind of pastor?

Invitation

Let us pray.

Our Heavenly Father, we are humbled that you have saved us by your grace. None of us deserve the gift of your forgiveness and eternal life. And then, for you to call us, to entrust us with the task of communicating your Word and caring for your people is more than we can comprehend. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for allowing us to serve you. We need your Holy Spirit and your holy Word to guide our steps and to guard our attitudes as we minister. By your grace make it possible for us to stand before you one day and hear the Words, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You faithfully communicated my Word and you cared for my people." In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.