INTRODUCTION TO JULY LESSONS
The Christian experience is often referred to as a journey, pilgrimage, battle, or race. One of the major metaphors for following Jesus is walk (meaning, “live this way”). And this walk is more like a march than a stroll. Paul’s Epistles to the Thessalonians are likely among the earliest New Testament documents, and the word walk occurs six times in those letters. In this unit students will learn how that walk is motivated by love, how it requires endurance and spiritual alertness, and how people who take this walk can leverage their time.
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Unit: 1 & 2 Thessalonians
Theme: Walk Worthy
Lesson Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
Supplemental Text: Matthew 10:38; Ephesians 4:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; 1 Timothy 4:10
Aim: Walk worthy in a tireless labor of love, acting with holiness, righteousness, and blamelessness.
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Download a PDF of this week’s lesson material (the Study by Mark Scott, Application by David Faust, and Discovery Questions by Micah Odor): LOOKOUT_July 3_2022.
Send an email to [email protected] to receive PDFs of the lesson material each month.
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By Mark Scott
Christianity is not for the lazy. This does not mean believers should ignore the sabbath principle. Nor does it mean life must be lived at some frantic pace that can actually destroy the work of the gospel in the soul. There is a need for Making Room for Life (a book by Randy Frazee). But “Christianity is not for the lazy” does mean the Christian experience can be described by the word labor. The apostle Paul did not labor to achieve salvation; he labored because he had salvation.
We might ask what motivated Paul’s labor in the Lord. In this lesson text, Paul explained how his message was pure, how his motives were noble, and how his ministry methods were unimpeachable. His loving ways stood in stark contrast to the practices of the traveling philosophers of his day (e.g., flattery, extortion, etc.).
The Labor of Preaching
1 Thessalonians 2:1-6
Paul reminded the Thessalonians of his initial visit to their city, a time when he (not surprisingly) preached the gospel to them (Acts 17:1-9). Paul had suffered and been treated outrageously (insulted and injured) in Philippi (Acts 16:19-40). But that did not stop his labor of preaching. His witness was bold even amid strong opposition. Paul’s appeal (encouragement) was free from error (deception), impure motives (uncleanness), or tricky methods (guile).
Paul’s preaching goal was to be approved (tested) by God and to please (to fit or be inclined toward) God. That is why Paul did not use flattery or greed (desire for more). Paul’s preaching was for an audience of One. He did not seek praise from people, even though he could have made some demands because of his status as an apostle.
The Labor of Soul Care
1 Thessalonians 2:7-12
The pulpit can be an integrative point for the church, but it cannot accomplish everything. Labor prompted by love must also include taking care of people—something preaching alone cannot accomplish. Paul drew on mother and father metaphors to illustrate his labor of soul care for the Thessalonian church.
Any nursing mother knows the tenderness and long hours required to care for little ones. Paul used deeply affectionate language to describe how he conducted himself toward the church. This tender love caused Paul to reveal his heart toward the people. Verse 8 is one of the more beautiful in this section, “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Paul’s labor was always more than just being a depository of information.
Paul’s work ethic was evident in this soul care. He deeply desired not to be a burden. He was willing to go through toil (labor that made one sweat) and hardship (day-to-day labor). He was tireless in his efforts, working night and day. Paul could accept pay or reject pay for preaching the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:15-18), but he never wanted to burden people for his preaching. This same work ethic drove his behavior, which was holy, righteous, and blameless.
Mothers may be tender, but fathers often function more like coaches. Dads encourage (uplift or exhort), comfort (pacify), and urge (bear witness to) their children. Paul acted the same toward the church. Paul gave them the best of the metaphors—i.e., tenderness and encouragement.
The Labor of Suffering
1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
Labor that is not prompted by love can degenerate into duty, obligation, and drudgery. In addition, it will not have the power to endure the tough times. Paul acknowledged that the gospel was the source of transformation. No human word could do the work in a believer that God’s Word could do.
When the Thessalonians ended up suffering for the gospel, they proved they were imitators (mimics) of other Christians (e.g., the ones who had suffered so much in the earliest days of the church in Judea—Acts 8:1-4). Paul was not being flippant about this. Suffering is serious. Neither was Paul being anti-Semitic. When he spoke of the Jews, he did not mean all Jews, but the Jewish aristocracy (leaders) who persecuted Jesus and his followers.
Sometimes God’s people suffer at the hands of the religious, not the irreligious. People displease God by causing such suffering. They displease God and are hostile to everyone. The reality, though, is they end up simply adding to their sin. God’s wrath is what awaits them. That is not a positive prospect. Whatever labor they are giving, it certainly is not motivated by love.
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