The Gentle and Nurturing Servant

PASTORAL PRAYER

Gracious and Almighty God, We come before You today with hearts open to Your Spirit, seeking to be used by You for the work of Your Kingdom. Lord, You are the God who calls, the One who sends, and the One who empowers. We thank You for the privilege of being part of Your mission to redeem and restore this world. Father, we lift up the mission of Your church—both near and far. We pray for those who have been called to go, who have left the comforts of home to bring the Good News to the nations. Strengthen them, protect them, and let their labor bear fruit that brings glory to Your name. We also pray for those who serve in our local communities, quietly and faithfully, offering food to the hungry, comfort to the grieving, hope to the hopeless. Let every act of service reflect the love of Christ, and may our deeds open doors for Your Gospel to be heard. Lord, stir in us a deep compassion for the lost and the broken. Teach us to see the world through Your eyes—not with judgment or fear, but with mercy and love. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours. Empower our church, O God, to be a sending church—a serving church. Raise up men and women, young and old, who are willing to say, “Here I am, Lord, send me.” Whether it’s across the street or across the globe, help us to be faithful in the call to go, to give, to pray, and to serve. We ask, Lord, that You would give direction to our efforts through Your Spirit. Without You, our work is in vain. But with You, even the smallest act can be life changing. In the powerful name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

INTRODUCTION

The church has always had the responsibility to identify and appoint biblically qualified men who lead and, at the same time, are capable of selecting and training the next generation of spiritual leaders.

2 Timothy 2:2 ESV

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

Effective spiritual leadership is a combination of character and activity.

As we have been examining 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6, we saw that the Apostle Paul’s leadership is defined by several characteristics that we must adapt for ourselves as servants of Christ.

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6

Last week, in verses 1-6, we saw how Paul embodied The Bold and Faithful Servant.

He was an unashamed proclaimer of the gospel

He remained faithful to the Word, despite the reaction from the crowd

This week, we will see how Paul emulates The Gentle and Nurturing Servant.

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8

BE A GENTLE SERVANT

verses 7

The word gentle is the same Greek word that we get infant from.

the implication behind the use of the word is that there is a tender innocence in Paul’s approach to the Thessalonians

He and his companions did not come to Thessalonica to exploit the people for their own prosperity, but to live and serve among them with kindness.

Paul compares his work among the people to a nursing mother taking care of her own children. The imagery is not of a surrogate type of mother or a baby-sitter or a daycare worker.

All of those are mother stand-ins, but still don’t measure up to the real thing

Paul sought to care for the spiritual needs of the believers at Thessalonica in the same way that a mother would her own children.

The thing about the mother in the home, especially with her babies, is that she is not promoting her own interests

A nursing mother does not merely take care of her children… she imparts her own life to her child.

A faithful Christian who is discipling others will give of themselves in order to see the young believer grow.

Paul picked the most intimate, tender, cherishing human relationship there is to describe the care he had for the church.

Galatians 4:19 ESV

my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!

Paul’s care for the churches was second to none.

He saw the young believers that he led to Christ as his own children.

He sacrificed for them and gave of himself in order to see them grow in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:28 LSB

Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

The word concern can also be translated as worry or anxiousness

Basically, the same kind of concerns that mothers have for their children, especially as they go out on their own

1 and 2 Thessalonians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Spiritual Leader as Mother

As mothers are absolutely and indisputably essential to the well-being of children, so spiritual leaders who minister with a mother’s gentleness, intimate affection, sacrificial love, and unselfish labor are essential for the health of the church.

Gentleness, intimate affection, and sacrificial love are not at the top of the list for qualities possessed by CEOs of corporations.

In fact, those qualities may even be seen as weaknesses that cannot push the company to the next level

But the church is not a corporation… it is not a business… it is the Body of Christ that works out its obedience to His Word.

Read Matthew 20:25-28.

Gentile leaders lord it over their subjects…they exercise authority over them

In contrast, Jesus expects His disciples to be servants and slaves among each other, because that was the example He set

He gave his life… and the leader in the church is expected to do no less

2 Timothy 2:24–26 ESV

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

BE A NURTURING SERVANT

v. 8

Paul’s motivation for being like a nursing mother to the Thessalonians was that he was affectionately desirous for them

This is an affection that is so deep and compelling that it is unsurpassed

While this is an affection that God has hardwired into the hearts of mothers, He has also supernaturally given that same type of affection to spiritual leaders for their people

He expressed being ready to share with you… our own selves

It is like saying “we put ourselves at your disposal, without reservation.”

There was no obligation or assignment being carried out; it was merely the highest joy of their hearts to love and minister.

It is the same kind of attitude that Paul commends in the churches of Macedonia Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

Paul, Silas, and Timothy shared their own lives with the people. As missionaries to Thessalonica, they shared the gospel of God with them.

They exhorted them to repent and embrace Christ’s death and resurrection

They instructed them on how to live holy lives in obedience to Scripture and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

They encouraged them as they wait for their eternal glory at the Second Coming of Christ

CONCLUSION

Paul, Silas, and Timothy loved and nurtured the believers at Thessalonica in the same way that a mother loves and nurtures her children.

There was a gentleness and honest approach to the ministry

There was a fondness and love for the saints that ran deep and led to their service to them

As we seek to be Bold and Faithful Servants of Christ, we must be careful not to allow our boldness to go so far that we forget to be Gentle and Nurturing Servants.

These descriptors are not about different personality types among believers

They are descriptive terms about the same individual…the Apostle Paul… who embodied it for all believers to follow