Category Archives: Ministry Focus & Equipping

Based on 1 Thessalonians 2:3-6a, we can conclude that in coming alongside of people in ministry, we need to keep our message true to God’s Word and our motives pure. When that happens, our methodology will be filled with integrity. So, check your methods. If there’s any form of manipulation, something’s askew.

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. (1 Thess. 2:3-6a)

Check Your Methods to Make Sure They’re Upright

Paul said he never used trickery, flattery, or cover-ups. All of that would have been manipulating people into doing what he wanted them to do. How he treated people stemmed from an upright heart, one that was genuine and maintained the right motives. He would set aside his own comfort, convenience, and rights to win people to the Lord (1 Cor. 9:19-23), but not in deceptive, self-serving ways. To help identify how our methods may not always be fully upright, read:

• Trying to Attract People to Your Church Through Manipulation?
• Trying to Attract People to Your Church by What You Offer?

Think about it: The message we proclaim comes from the Almighty God, the One of whom there’s none greater. Why would we think God needs our help to manipulate people into believing and changing? Isn’t God’s Word powerful enough to thoroughly equip people (2 Tim. 3:16-17)? Isn’t it “alive and active” (Heb. 4:12), sufficient to produce faith and lead to salvation (Rom. 1:16; 10:17; 1 Pet. 1:23-25)? Remember, God’s Word is “sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

How to Safeguard Your Methodology

Paul went to great pains to be upright because He sought approval from God, not people. What God thought mattered more than any perceived benefit from others. He knew that doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord also benefited others (2 Cor. 8:21). For that reason he told Timothy, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Tim. 4:16) That would take diligence and giving himself wholly to it (1 Tim. 4:15).

Paul likened the discipline needed to that of the strict training needed to win in a sports competition. He said, “Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Cor. 9:24-27) — How far are you willing to go to make sure your ministry methods remain upright, approved by God?

In doing a personal ministry check-up, it isn’t enough to make sure we have the right message. We also need to check our motives, to make sure we’re coming alongside of people for the right reasons. We can learn from the Apostle Paul’s example.

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. (1 Thess. 2:3-6a)

Check Your Motivation to Make Sure It’s Pure

We have pure motives in ministry when we do what we do because we love the Lord with ALL of our heart, soul, mind, and strength which spills over into loving people (Lk. 10:27). Impure motives come when we put anything or anyone, including ourselves, above the Lord. When, however, we put our “all” into loving God, there’s no room for selfish ambition. He’s the One who gets the glory, not us (Ps. 115:1). It’s His agenda we seek, not our own. It’s His approval that matters, not people’s (Gal. 1:10).

Think about it: We serve the Almighty God, the One of whom there is none greater. Shouldn’t everything be centered around Him. Who are we to claim that which belongs to Him? Who are we that we would seek to draw attention to ourselves rather than the One who can truly make a difference in people’s lives? — “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Cor. 3:7)

How to Safeguard Your Motives

Paul kept his motives pure by looking at ministry as a heart issue, not merely tasks to be accomplished. He knew God “tests our hearts” (1 Thess. 2:4b) for “the Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7).

So, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Prov. 4:23). Remember, “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Lk. 6:45). Take great care to sow good into your heart.

For more about the role of the heart in ministry, read the following:

• Ministry Efforts Done From the Heart?
• Why Don’t We Get That It’s About the Heart?
• The Value of Heart Preparation
• The Need for Heart Preparation
• God’s Search of Who We Are

In 1 Thessalonians 2:3-6, Paul did a personal assessment of sorts in defense of the message he shared with this church. Therein we learn of the need to check our message as well.

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.

Check Your Message to Make Sure It’s True

Notice how Paul said, “the appeal we make does not spring from error” (1 Thess. 2:3). We mustn’t wander from what’s true to make the message seem more appealing. People need to hear truth, not what makes them feel good. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32)

While we mustn’t stray from the truth, we must make sure we’re presenting it rightly. The Greek word for “appeal”, paraklesis, suggests that Paul came alongside of the Thessalonians with truth. He came alongside with encouragement, entreating them, rather than with an iron fist as an authoritarian. He didn’t, however, merely say what he thought they wanted to hear, but rather what God wanted them to hear. He didn’t stray from what was true but rather aligned with God’s message. In coming alongside of people in this way, he was speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

Paul’s words to Timothy further explain that we’re to communicate truth “with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations …” (2 Tim. 4:2-5)

How to Safeguard the Message

Paul kept true because he looked at the message he had been given as an entrustment for which he’d be held accountable. He wrote, “we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thess. 2:4a). No wonder Paul exhorted Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). If we’re not investing sufficient prayer, time, and study into God’s Word, we may find ourselves failing to accurately communicate God’s truth.

Think about it: The message we proclaim comes from the Almighty God, the One of whom there is none greater. Shouldn’t we handle it carefully? Who are we to make adjustments to it? Who are we to pick and choose what’s true when He says “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)?

Read the following articles for more thoughts about accurately presenting the message. These articles target Bible teachers, but anyone communicating God’s Word, in any capacity, can benefit.

• Teaching the Whole Counsel of God?
• Approach to Teaching the Whole Counsel of God
• Since Everything was Written to Teach, Then …
• Faithful Bible Teachers

When was the last time you did a personal ministry check-up? The Apostle Paul made this kind of assessment of his ministry in light of criticism levied at him. False accusations that could have stirred up doubts within the Thessalonian church required Paul to defend his ministry. In order to do that, he had to step back and look at himself, to do a check-up of sorts. We can learn much from his conclusions.

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. (1 Thess. 2:3-6a)

Value of Personal Assessments

For Paul, doing a ministry check-up became essential for the purpose of defending his ministry to reassure others of the validity of his message. We might not be in the same position as Paul so we might not need to broadcast conclusions. We do however need to be ready should the need arise.

Like Paul, we need to know before God, with Him as “our witness”, that we’re doing ministry as He would have us do it. Whatever we do, we do it to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). We ultimately stand accountable before God to be good stewards of that with which we’ve been entrusted. Two times in just a few verses, Paul stated the perspective that kept him from failing the check-up. He wasn’t trying to please people, to gain their praise, but rather cared most about what God thought, for he realized that God was the One who tested his heart. He knew he could fool other people, but not God.

What to Consider When Doing a Personal Ministry Check-Up

Look back at Paul’s words to the Thessalonians. There we find three different areas for us to assess.

1. Our message – Make sure it’s true.
2. Our motives – Make sure they’re pure.
3. Our methods – Make sure they’re upright, filled with integrity.

Be sure to click on the above links for more on each area.