The Spiritual Leader & The People: Part 1 - 1 Thess Lesson 20

The Spiritual Leader’s Love for His Followers

1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

 Today we will finish chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians. This chapter has given us an in-depth look into the ministry of the spiritual leadership of the great Apostle Paul. I have said that apart from the Lord Jesus Himself, my conviction is that Paul was the greatest spiritual leader in the history of the church. No argument could be made to put forth anyone else. Paul stands alone in that regard.

 As we have worked through chapter 2, we have seen that he was willing to endure mistreatment and suffer persecution because of his commitment to preaching the gospel of God. No amount of opposition would keep him from his mission. We have seen his commitment to preaching the uncompromised truth of God’s word. We have seen his willingness to balance that truth with the tenderness of a mother. We have seen him bear the burden of the work required to support himself and those with him, and living the devout and blameless life before others that confirmed the message he preached. He was committed to his duties as a spiritual father exhorting, encouraging and imploring them. All this Paul did so that they would walk in a manner worthy of the God who called them into His own kingdom and glory.

 After looking at all Paul did as a spiritual leader, we saw the proper response of the Thessalonians, who received and heard and accepted the word from Paul for what it really was, not the words of mere men, but as the word of God. The word of God did its work in the Thessalonians and they became imitators of other faithful followers of Christ. And they were ready for the suffering that would come as the enemies of the gospel descended with hatred and violence.

 Paul presented the response of the Thessalonians in contrast to the improper response of the Jews to the spiritual leaders who tried to tell them the truth of God’s word. The Jews response was to kill Jesus and the prophets, and drive the apostles of Jesus out of Israel. They rejected the word of God and the messengers who delivered God’s word. This improper response, which we studied last week, stands as a warning to all of us to make sure our response to the word of God is a response that is pleasing to God.

 There is chapter 2 in a brief review. The chapter, up to verse 17, describes the work of spiritual leadership and the response to spiritual leadership. If Paul had stopped right here, we might have a tendency to think that spiritual leadership was all about the work of teaching the word and the concern that those being taught are hearing and receiving the truth. Spiritual leadership doesn’t just involve teaching and making sure that followers respond properly to the word of God. Spiritual leadership isn’t just about following a process. Spiritual leadership is also about caring for people. Spiritual leadership also requires the building of relationships. What we find in this next section reveals a great deal about Paul’s relationship to the Thessalonians. I’m thankful for what is revealed in this next section. The next section starts here and goes through the end of chapter 3. Stand together with me and let’s read 1 Thess. 2:17-3:13.

 Spiritual leadership isn’t just about planting churches, preaching the word, and telling followers what they need to know to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. These are important! Don’t get me wrong. Spiritual leadership cannot happen if the instruction from the word of God isn’t taught, and the expectations aren’t being set regarding how followers should respond to that instruction. But true spiritual leadership also involves the building of relationships between the leader and the followers. It is obvious from the passage we just read that relationships developed, love grew, bonds formed, friendships flourished, and God’s people grew to genuinely love and care for one another.

 Paul had been taken away from these people. He had been forced to leave. We might think that can work because we live in a disconnected world. We live in a remote world. We live in a world where you can work remotely, get a college degree remotely, bank remotely, and even visit your doctor remotely. If spiritual leadership was just about teaching the word, and telling followers how they should respond to the word, then we could do all of that remotely. We could just do church like many people are doing college now. Unfortunately, this is how many are choosing to do church. I think it is just another unfortunate way that the influence of the world has crept in and influenced the church. 

 Based on what we just read, where do you think Paul wanted to be? I think it is obvious that Paul wanted to be with these people. Paul had been forced to leave the Thessalonians. We will talk about how this happened. He was forced to leave after being with them for only a short time. This brief time of separation was almost more than Paul could bear. Paul was being forced to provide spiritual leadership remotely, but he was not happy about it. But there was nothing Paul could do about the circumstances. Things had not gone the way Paul would have liked for them to have gone.

 What we have in this passage is another important lesson from Paul the great spiritual leader. We learn from Paul what we are to do when the circumstances in which we work as spiritual leaders don’t remain as favorable as we might like. Paul stayed at Corinth for a year and a half. He stayed with the Ephesians for three years. He probably had in mind that a lengthy stay among these believers was in order. After all, this church was on the major east/west trade route. It was an important port city. The greater impact he would have among these Christians, the greater impact of the gospel to all corners of the world.

 But Paul’s plan got turned upside down. Go back to Acts 17 with me for a moment and let’s review what happened. Read verses 1-10. We can’t be certain about this, but it is likely that the pledge from Jason and the others was a bond. The conditions are unclear, but it may have been that if Jason and the others who gave this pledge violated the conditions of the pledge, they may have been killed or beaten and imprisoned, or would have had to forfeit their possessions and property. Evidently Paul agreed to leave town so that the conditions of this pledge would not be violated.

 So the bottom line is that things weren’t working out like Paul planned. The circumstances weren’t as favorable as he would have liked. It was going to be more difficult to accomplish what needed to be accomplished, and we find in this passage Paul’s approach. This is Paul’s “Plan B” if you will. Plan “A” would have been to stay.

 It is worth noting what isn’t here. If you have been here very long you will recall that sometimes I can’t help but notice what isn’t in a text. What is missing here is Paul’s pouty attitude that says, “Well, things went south in Thessalonica, so I guess its time to move on to the next church.” If Paul was like a lot of “so called” spiritual leaders today in many churches, he would have thrown in the towel. After all, Jason had buckled under the pressure and agreed to Paul leaving town. Jason was not alone. Others had agreed also. But Paul understood that these men had only been in the faith a few weeks. He wasn’t easily offended, or frustrated, and eager to walk away. But that is exactly what happens with a lot of churches and their leaders today. The first time something goes wrong, the pastor just resigns and moves on to the next church.

 I talked with one of the funeral directors at Granny Harlin’s funeral yesterday. I told him that I had been Craig and Cindy’s pastor for over 30 years. He said that he grew up in a church that got a new pastor every 2-3 years and it was usually because of problems with the people in the church. Paul did not run away from these people because there were problems with the people. He had to leave to protect them.

 Something else is missing here. Paul fails to employ the popular tactics employed today against Satan. He doesn’t rebuke Satan, or bind Satan and send him away. Satan is hindering Paul from coming back to be with the Thessalonians. Commenting on this verse, John MacArthur asked why Paul didn’t rebuke or bind Satan. He said he guessed it was because there wasn’t any television yet so there weren’t any television preachers to teach him how to do that.

 Ok, I won’t take any more time to point out what isn’t in the text. But what do we learn from Paul in this text? There are three important things to take away from verses 17-20. From this text we will see that even though things were not going the way Paul would have preferred, and the circumstances had become unfavorable, and even difficult,  Paul kept the people as his first priority. We will see that he kept the problems in perspective. Finally, we will see that he kept his eye on the prize.

First, the people are the priority. We learn that good spiritual leaders put the people ahead of the problems that stand in their way of doing God’s work. The measure of your devotion to people is seen, not when things are going the way you want them to go, but when things get tough and start to go south. If we say we really care about people, we won’t give up on them the first time they let us down, or the first time they do something that disappoints us. Or when circumstances make our work hard, we don’t throw in the towel because things aren’t going exactly as we planned. This is what it means to make the people we lead our first priority.

 Look again at verse 17-18. “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while – in person, not in spirit – were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. For we want to come to you – I, Paul, more than once.” This is obviously describing a situation that Paul did not like. His separation from the people had not created ideal circumstances. Paul had seen their conversion and he was witnessing their response to the word of God, but there was still a lot they needed to know. He wasn’t comfortable that they were ready to stand on their own two feet spiritually.

 There was another thing that threatened the spiritual well being of these beloved people. Paul knew that his enemies would be there as soon as he left. Paul’s enemies always followed him wherever he went. He knew what they would say about him to these beloved brethren. He knew his enemies would say that Paul didn’t really care about the people. The enemies would say that Paul was only in the ministry for money and power and popularity. He would be accused of just trying to make a name for himself. The fact that he left was proof that he didn’t care about the people and the fact that he had not come back was the confirmation that what they were saying about him was true.

 So things didn’t look like the efforts in Thessalonica were going very well. The people he had poured his life into had agreed to send Paul on his way. Enemies were quick to come in and try to tear the work of Paul to shreds. It may have been easy for Paul to have written the whole thing off as a failure and move on to the next opportunity. This may have been what some would have done, but not Paul. Paul may have been forced to leave the city but his heart never left the people. And the people never left his heart. He genuinely cared about them. He made them the priority.

 The word Paul uses that is translated “having been taken away” is “aporphanizo.” It is a compound word using “apo” which means “from” and “orphanos” which is “orphan.” Paul says that they are like a child that has lost his parents. They had been left as spiritual orphans. They had lost their teacher and leader. He had been taken away from them by these unfortunate circumstances. But he wanted them to know they were still his priority. He wanted to be with them more than anything. He may have been taken away in person, but his heart was still with them and they were still very much in his heart.

 This would do at least two things for the Thessalonians. This would counter the accusations of his enemies that his leaving was proof that he didn’t really care about them. Look closely at the first two words of the verse. “But we…” is written to set Paul in contrast with the people described in those verses just before this. The Jews were the kind of people who rejected the messengers of God, expressed their hostility to all men, hindered the progress of the gospel, and were piling sins upon sins and were destined for the inevitable wrath of God. “But we” Paul says, to the “brethren” having been taken away from you for a short while are still very much with you in heart. Our hearts are with you. We love you. You are our priority. We are not like the Jews who are following us around trying to hinder the work of God. 

 The second thing this would do is comfort, and assure, and relieve those like Jason and the others who may have been feeling guilty about agreeing to the terms of their release. I’m sure they were questioning whether or not they did the right thing. I’m sure they were wondering how Paul felt about them since they had agreed to his leaving. They had promised that if he came back they would forfeit whatever was required under the agreement. It would have been so comforting for them to hear the words of this part of the letter read to the church. This is another indication that the people were Paul’s priority. He wanted them to know he cared about them and that what had happened was not going to change his commitment to them.

 When it comes to spiritual leadership there will always be the need for the process. The word of God must be shared. Followers must be taught what is expected from God and they must know what is expected from them as a response to the word of God. But the spiritual leader must remember that while the process is important, the people involved in the process are the priority. The spiritual leader will always have to give his followers grace, especially when they fail. Spiritual leaders will always have to encourage the faint-hearted. Spiritual leaders will always have to adapt to difficult circumstances and do so by keeping the people they lead the priority.

 The second thing we learn from this passage is that Paul, the great spiritual leader, not only kept the people his first priority, he kept the problems he encountered in their proper perspective. Verse 18 says, “For we wanted to come to you – I Paul, more than once – and yet Satan hindered us.” That word “hindered” was used in ancient times to describe an action that one group would take to prevent an enemy from advancing on their territory. The ruler would order his troops to go out onto the roadways leading to the city and dig trenches or destroy the roadway to impede the progress of the enemy.  This is how Paul describes Satan’s activity. He says that Satan is impeding the path. Satan is putting obstacles in the way. Satan was preventing Paul from being able to get back to the Thessalonians.

 Satan is our enemy. He is a tempter, an accuser, a murderer, a liar and the father of lies. He is described as a roaring lion roaming around seeking whom he may devour. He is an instigator of false doctrine. He is a deceiver. He disguises himself as an angel of light. Martin Luther described Satan very appropriately in his great hymn entitled, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. “For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe, his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.”

 It is absolutely true that on earth Satan has no equal. But it is also true that in heaven God has no equal. Satan is not free to do whatever he wants to do. If Satan is a being who has the power to do whatever he wants to do, what do you have? A being with the ability to do whatever he wants to do is, by that very definition, God. Satan has a great deal of power, but his power is not greater than God’s. The fact is that Satan is still God’s devil. God is preeminent over Satan. God is sovereign over Satan. Satan cannot do anything other than what he is permitted to do by God.

 So why did God allow Satan to hinder Paul from going back to the Thessalonians? I don’t know the full answer to that question. Isaiah tells us that God’s ways are far above our ways. It is way above my pay grade to explain why God as done everything He does. But I do know this. We have this letter in our hands to read and study because Paul was not allowed to go back. If Paul had been allowed to go back there would have been no reason for him to write the two letters to this group of Christians. I’m thankful for the way it worked out.

 And Paul was not all frustrated, and angry, and upset because he didn’t get things the way he wanted them. His preference would have been to be with these dear people. He was more than eager to be there. He had a great desire. That word “great desire” in verse 17 describes an intense, compelling desire. It is the kind of desire that, if it goes unfulfilled, the result can be great frustration. But not for Paul.

 Paul was able to avoid the frustration that goes along with unfulfilled desires because he kept these problems in a proper perspective. He understood how Satan worked. He understood how God used Satan. He had personally experienced a thorn in the flesh from Satan and he had asked God three times to take it away and he had heard God say “no” all three times. So he accepted what was happening as the will of God and determined that if this is the way God has allowed things to unfold, it must be the will of God, and he would just do the best he could do under the circumstances.

 As a spiritual leader, it is important that people be able to see that the leader is able to keep a proper perspective on the problems we encounter. We must never forget that God is always in control, and He always works things together for our good and His glory, and He hasn’t made His first mistake yet. Because He is God, He isn’t going to make a first mistake. He does all things well. He does all things perfectly. He makes all our circumstances work together for His glory.

 How many martyrs has Satan been responsible for putting to death? He has killed untold millions. What has been the result? The result is always explosion of growth in the kingdom of God. We must all keep our problems in the proper perspective. God is on His throne and His sovereignty rules over all. (Ps. 103:19)

 There is a third thing we learn from Paul in this passage. Not only does he keep the people as his priority, and the problems in a proper perspective, Paul also stays focused on the prize. Look at verse 19-20. “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.”

 Paul always lived in light of the return of Jesus. He consistently taught others to live in the light of Christ’s return. He wrote to the Philippians in 3:20, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” He told Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:8, “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” He made similar statements in many places.

 Paul knew that there was a prize to be awarded. He looked forward to that prize. But this was not something he selfishly looked forward to simply for himself. He understood that it was a prize that involved those he loved, those he led, those he had brought the gospel to, those who had been converted to Christ under his ministry, the prize involved them. In fact, they were the prize. It wasn’t just about him receiving honor and glory in the presence of the Lord. It was about the people he loved and led.

 Look at his question in verse 19 and the way he answers it. “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation?” Who might we think the answer to that question would be? We might say, “Christ.” After all, Christ is our hope. Christ is our joy. But Paul answers his question. He says, “Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? You are our glory and joy.”

 Paul saw these precious believers as his eternal prize. They were what made all the pain and suffering worth enduring. Them, standing in the presence of Christ at His coming was reward enough. Paul paints us a picture of a scene. He is standing before the Lord after Christ returns and before him and Christ are the precious saints who have been reached through his ministry. They have been saved. They have been sanctified. They have been glorified. They will be with him and the Lord throughout eternity. They are the prize.

 As he thinks about all the suffering, all the trials, all the shipwrecks, beatings, hunger and thirst, all the verbal attacks, all the false accusations, all the sleepless nights, all the effort that went into doing the work of God, he sees these dear Thessalonians with him there, in the presence of the Lord. And it is worth it.

 So Paul kept the people as his first priority. He kept all the problems in a right perspective. Paul kept his eye on the prize. The result was a bond between the spiritual leader and these followers that redounded to the glory of God.

 As the spiritual leader of this fellowship, know that you are the priority, all problems will be kept in perspective, and I remain focused on the prize, which is you and I standing together in the presence of the Lord. You are my hope. You are my joy, you are my reward before Christ. You are my glory and joy.

 Let’s pray. 

In preparation for the Lord’s Table note the parallels of this to the life and ministry of Jesus. People were Jesus’ priority. He died for us. Jesus kept the problems in perspective. The Cross was part of the plan of God. Jesus kept His focus on the prize, the bride He would obtain.