Proven Spiritual Leadership

Today there is a great need for proven leadership, and at the same time, we also know that leadership is very difficult.

Everybody recognizes the tremendous need for capable, enthusiastic, and inspiring INFLUENCE which is the primary role of leadership.

The question is, how can spiritual leaders be effective? Is there a path to, or model of genuine spiritual effectiveness for the leader today?

YES! — (1 Thessalonians 2:1-6)

In these six verses Paul shares his experience with the church at Thessalonica, and in these six verses we learn at least five principles for an effective ministry!

By way of footnote, the tone of Paul's words here sounds like a DEFENSE, because IT WAS!

Somehow and in some way not known to us, someone, or some group (either in or out of the church) was telling lies about Paul—attacking both his integrity and sincerity!

They were doing everything they could to be hostile toward the church by attempting to destroy their confidence in the one that God used to found it, namely Paul.

This group may have included the Jews who were so utterly hostile to the gospel, it may also have included pagan Gentiles who would be hostile to it as well.

The accusation was an effort to make the Thessalonian church believe that Paul and his companions were wicked intentioned men—that they were self‑seeking phonies!

So, Paul writes to this church, ANSWERING HIS CRITICS in a very simple, very direct way.

There's another little footnote here also that will help us understand Paul’s discourse: He primarily calls them to remember their own experience with him:

(2:1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 11)– Six times in eleven verses he says let me just appeal to what you know!

All they had to do was remember and that could and should dispel any such accusations.

The question we want to ANSWER is, “What are the marks of proven spiritual leadership?”

There are FIVE of them: Paul was confident in God's power, he was committed to God's truth, he was commissioned by God's will, he was compelled by God's knowledge, and finally, he was consumed with God's glory.

I. Paul was CONFIDENT in GOD'S POWER! – (2:1-2)

Paul was confident in God's power and that gave him tenacity! – (v.2)

Simply stated, Paul was so confidentin the power of God to energize his ministry and to protect him from anything that might come against him that he had a sense of INVINCIBILITY.

Romans 8:31 – “…If God is for us, who is against us?”

Romans 8:31 CSB

What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

A. The NECESSITY of COURAGE!

“But” - ἀλλὰ, is a strong adversative. He is saying our ministry was not in vain, but on the other hand, our ministry came to you with great boldness and was full and rich and effective.

WHY? Because we knew the power of our God and we were confident that our God was more powerful than our opposition. That's what gives strength to the ministry, tenacity. You don't bail out.

Just to touch with what he says specifically, (v.2a) This takes us back to (Acts 16:20-24).

You remember the story of Philippi, how he wound up in jail, he and Silas. You remember that they were placed there because of the preaching of the Word of God, because they had confronted the kingdom of darkness and dispossessed a girl who was demon possessed and caused great trauma to her owners who were making a lot of money off of her. You remember that they were mistreated really two ways and that's what it indicates in those two words.

1. “Suffered” has to do with physical abuse. They were beaten and put in stocks in prison.

2. The words "treated outrageously" (ὑβρισθέντες) have more to do with legal abuse—they were unjustly judged and made prisoners when they had committed no crime.

So, Paul says, (v.2) - (read verse).

NOTICE what he didn't say. "You know, it was really rough up there and they didn't welcome us and they didn't accept us and if we're going to reach our culture we need adopt a strategy so subtle, so clever, we'll get them saved before they even know it!”

Not only did he NOT say that, he said, “…as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition.” Opposition to the Gospel does not change the message, or method (preaching)!

WHAT DO WE LEARN from this?

I believe that the preacher's responsibility is NOT to minimize conflict. The preacher's job is to EXPOSE sin, to show the SYMPTOMS of sin, the SEAT of sin, the FATAL CONDITION of the unsaved, and offer the CURE for their sin in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

B. The SOURCE of COURAGE! – (v.2c) – “...we were emboldened by our God to speak”

His confidence is not in his flesh, it's not in his method, it's not in his cleverness, it's not in his popularity. He knew that if he preached a TRUE MESSAGE (“...the gospel of God.”), God would hold him up and sustain him.

Ephesians 6:10 CSB

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.

I submit to you that this is a mark of effective ministry. You preach a true Word, you do not alter the Gospel, you preach God's gospel and not your own, you preach the message that God has laid out in His Word, not some other message. You do it not for popularity but for the sake of truth. And when the opposition comes, you trust in the power of your God no matter what!

C. The COST of COURAGE! – (v.2d) – “…in spite of great opposition.”

“…great opposition” – from πολλῷ ἀγῶνι – ‘opposition, struggle, conflict, fight.’ The term refers to a life-or-death struggle, an agonizing.

In the ministry there's always pressure to compromise, there's always pressure to soften the message, to not offend someone, to soften the message, to make it acceptable to sinners so it doesn't offend them. But that wasn't Paul's strategy, and it should never be ours!

II. Paul was COMMITTED to GOD'S TRUTH! – (2:3)

Paul was committed to God's truth and that’s what gave him INTEGRITY!

If the ENEMY can’t destroy you by OPPOSITION, then he’ll try to destroy you by questioning your integrity and having people lose their confidence in you.

(v.3a) – "For our exhortation..." The word exhortation means an urgent appeal with a view toward judgment, a cry, an appeal, a calling. It speaks of the urgency, the directness of his message.

(v.3) – Undoubtedly these were the things that were being said. "Well, he's saying things that aren't true! If you really knew him, you'd know he was an impure man and a deceiver. He's preaching untruth; he's preaching deception; he's a hypocrite!" And so PAUL RESPONDS!

A. His MESSAGE was TRUE!

"…from error" from πλάνης. We get the word planet from it. The word means to wander, to roam.

Error is roaming from the truth, wandering without any standard, without anything to contain or control you.

So they say...Look, he's just teaching error. Paul says NO, our exhortation does not come from error. He was committed to God's truth. It was accurate. He was not deceived, neither was he a deceiver. There was no false teaching here. There was only the Word of God.

1 Timothy 6:20 CSB

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent and empty speech and contradictions from what is falsely called knowledge.

We are guardians of the truth, keeping it pure to hand it to the next generation. That's our responsibility.

When you look for a church don't ask how good their music is, or how good is their children's program. Don't ask how clever is their preacher, how interesting he is, ask this: “How well do they guard the truth? How well do they take care of the treasure of truth? That is the issue!”

1 Timothy 6:3–5 CSB

If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.

2 Timothy 2:15 CSB

Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.

Paul was committed to God's truth. He did not speak from error. He spoke from truth.

B. His MOTIVES were PURE!

“impurity” is from ἀκαθαρσία (akatharsia). We get the word catharsis from it which is a cleansing. This is a‑catharsis, something that's unclean.

The word can be used of a physical uncleanness, dirty, it can be used of a social stigma, or social uncleanness, but PRIMARILY refers to sexual uncleanness.

It has always been true; it is still true that false teachers and false prophets are not pure in the sexual area. False teachers are not the ONLY ones who are susceptible to sexual temptation. But for some false teachers, it is a motivation for what they do!

IN PAUL'S DAY the same thing was true. Many of the Greek cults and mystery religions were associated with sexual perversion. In most of the temples of the cults of ancient days there were temple prostitutes, who claimed that the sex act was a religious experience.

False, wicked religious leaders would seek converts then for the purpose of having a sexual encounter with them, which is what they were Paul of: winning converts for sexual favors.

Unimaginable. Yet that’s part of the accusations against Paul and his companions.

NOW, lest you think I fell of the wagon and landed in the sewer to think all this up...

(2 Peter 2:1-22) (Revelation 2:14, 20-23)

Paul is no filthy dreamer. Paul is no fornicator. Paul is no adulterer. He speaks truth, he speaks it out of a pure life.

C. His METHOD was STRAIGHTFORWARD!

The word "deceit" is dolos, fishhook, trap, trick, that's what it means. He's not a deceiver. There is no “bait-and-switch!”

The Greek false teachers would go to any length with their sorcery, their magic, their juggling, their tricks, their theatrics to gain a convert not only for sexual favors but for money.

Listen, you show me a false teacher and a false prophet, and I'll show you a person who is looking for sexual favors and money. The pattern has never changed.

(Jeremiah 23:9ff.) – The false shepherds in the nation of Israel were looking for the same thing they were looking for in Paul's time.

Paul insists that his message was true, his motives were pure, and his method was above board!

III. Paul was COMMISSIONED by GOD'S WILL! (2:4a)

Not only did Paul have TENACITY and INTEGRITY but he had AUTHORITY.

“Why do you speak, Paul? Why are you doing this?” TWO REASONS:

A. He was QUALIFIED to PREACH THE GOSPEL! – (v.4a)

The phrase, “we have been approved by God...” is the Greek verb dokimazo which means to be tested and found valid, found good, to be approved after testing.

It's a perfect tense verb which means it indicates a lasting approval. We have been and continue to be approved by God. God tested us, we passed, and we are the authorized ministers of the gospel.

Ephesians 3:8 CSB

This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ,

God gave me the grace to do it! I am NOT worthy apart from grace, but I am worthy IN his grace.

B. He was ENTRUSTED with the GOSPEL! – (v.4b)

1 Timothy 1:11 CSB

that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

Titus 1:3 CSB

In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior:

So here you have a man who is under command, under authority and has delegated authority. And I believe that we have authority in our ministry when we speak as those who have been chosen, approved, and placed by God in this world to preach His truth.

What gives authority to our ministry? Speaking the Word of God powerfully and clearly.

Your authority doesn't go beyond the Scripture, but, boy, when you come you better come with the message entrusted to you and know that when you preach it with power and conviction you carry the authority of God.

END of Part One…