1Thes 2

Ministers who minister

1) v1: This chapter describes how Paul ministered to this church as a missionary. Why did he want them (and future generations!) to remember? Does v1 give a clue?
  • v1 starts with a conjunction “For…”. Why would Paul want them to see how the exemplary success (and inspiring influence) of their church was connected to his work among them?
    • Did he crave to get credit for this success from men? Why not? v4; cf 1Th 1:2; 2:19-20
    • Read 1Th 1:6; 1Cor 4:16; 11:1 => Given that the Thessalonian church did so well, why remind them to not forget Paul’s example (and how they imitated it)? [It seems as if this chapter is a manual for future leaders to learn from the success of this church plant]
2) vv2-6: Instead of a claim to fame, Paul wanted to leave a record of his example to instruct future leaders how one must plant churches if they are to thrive. Where does he begin here?
  • v2 mentions conflict: Which kind? Acts 16:22-23; 17:5
    • Was his own conflict with the religious, or with irreligious men? v15
  • Why was Paul afflicted by such violence from the religious when the gospel promises to give peace (1Th 1:1)? cf Ps 120:7
    • Why do church planters need to know this? cf Jn 16:1-3 [To be prepared]
  • vv3-4: What did Paul himself find to be the source of those conflicts? [As a faithful minister, he had no choice but to preach the truth without compromise, whether people liked it or not]
3) vv5-8: Besides discouragement by conflict with the religious, what other traps are identified here that can defeat ill-prepared leaders?
  • …v8: According to his own testimony, what prepared Paul to share the truths of the gospel so effectively?
  • Did he congratulate himself for this? v13
4) vv9-13 warn that to plant this kind of church is hard work. Why? Why is the Christian minister’s task not yet finished after his prayers?
  • What protected Paul from a burnout under such conditions? v13 [The word of God that is effective in believers, leading also Paul to depend on and thank God and not himself]
5) vv14-16 reminded these Christians that their affliction by persecution was not an experience that Paul himself was spared, but that the hostility against himself originated from religious fellow Jews.
  • Did Paul in any way incite believers to retaliate such hostility?
  • Why else did he pronounce such a verdict that ‘at last’ God’s wrath has come upon them’? cf Mk 12:7-11
    • Why was/is it important for missionary church planters to understand that Israel as a nation (and its Levitical priesthood) can no longer be expected to lead world evangelism?
    • How then did Paul see God’s promises to Israel fulfilled? cf Ro 11:1-10; 25-26
  • When Paul wrote of God’s wrath that came on Jews who refused to believe Jesus, did he lay a seed for future antisemitism by Christians? cf Ro 10:1
    • When antisemitism calls for hatred of Jews, or for their discrimination, how does this pervert the meaning of Paul’s writings (and all other Bible passages) that reprove Israel’s unbelief)?
    • Hint: In which form did Paul see God’s wrath come upon unbelieving Jews? [Spiritual blindness (and only for a time, Ro 11:23; Rev 3:9), not discrimination or destruction: cf Ro 11:8-10 (quoted straight from Israel’s prophet Moses, Deut 29:4, and her king David, Ps 69:22-23]
6) vv17-20 mention yet another aspect of Paul’s ministry: His physical separation from this church, and how he coped with it. Why was he separated from Thessalonica, and how could this (or its effect on himself!) have spoiled his effort to make this church as vibrant as it now was?
  • Hint: How did Paul cope with this frustration? [Probably, the hindrance by Satan was in the form of persecution, hence Paul’s certainty that he was opposed by the enemy, and not by God. Knowing to be on God’s errand, he could still rejoice and trust that God will take care]
7) Personal & application
  • What does this chapter add to your desire and vision how the gospel may more effectively reach the unreached?
  • Should conflict with the religious establishment be a reason for missionaries to bury plans for a church plant? On what factors does that depend, if you consider Paul’s example?
  • Key to Paul’s successful ministry that he shared here was his ardent love for the people he ministered to: What can you learn from his example (in prayer) what he did to be inspired with such affectionate love?
  • What can you learn from his example what protected him from becoming hateful towards opponents, and to experience a burnout from tireless work?
  • How can you help one another to develop such leadership skills?

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