Greetings, chosen ones,
Today, let’s take a moment to learn from Paul’s exhortation of the gospel to the Thessalonians:
“For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.”
1 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Paul begins this chapter by sharing his rough struggles at Ephesus and goes ahead to express his reasoning behind him and his colleagues enduring such hardships in sharing the Gospel.
He first clarifies that unlike those who share teachings out of vainglory or impure intents, Paul says his reason for sharing the Gospel is unlike the others. He then establishes that as apostles, they have been established by God and that the authority with which they share the gospel is not by mere men, but rather a God-given mission. The phrase that Paul uses “entrusted with the gospel” speaks of an authority that is not originating with themselves but rather by God who entrusted the gospel to them.
Paul then goes on to clarify the intent of his sharing the gospel: he first deals with the negative by stating that he doesn’t share the gospel to please men. After that, he addresses the positive by stating that the purpose of sharing the gospel is to please God.
He then finishes this verse by stating that God examines our hearts, which further highlights his intentions by suggesting that even God Himself examines his heart, that the only intention for his sharing the gospel is pure and aimed at pleasing God and not men.
Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonians is a stark reminder to us as believers to rethink our motives in sharing the gospel. Upon self-examination and relating our findings to Paul’s clear intentions, we can diagnose why we find it so difficult to share the gospel with those whom the Lord has placed in our lives.
More often than not, we find ourselves more concerned about how we’ll look and how much our public image will be affected when we do go ahead and share the gospel. Paul takes time to point out that the intentions of the believer in sharing the gospel should not be focused on himself but rather in pleasing God.
Here are some key takeaways from this exhortation:
- It’s not about us: the sharing of the gospel should not be for any other reason other than pleasing God.
- We’ve been entrusted with the gospel: this gospel is not our own; it has rather been entrusted to us by God.
- The authority is with God: the effectiveness of the true and pure gospel message is not dependent on us but rather on God’s sovereignty and power.
I pray these words will encourage you to share the gospel with someone today!
Blessings, Paul.
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