Approved And Entrusted

The concepts of being “approved” by God and “entrusted” with His gospel played a key role in the Apostle Paul’s self-understanding of his mission, his relationship to God, and his relationship with all people including the Thessalonians. This approval and trust empowered him to minister boldly in the midst of great opposition, to remain committed to avoiding error, impurity, and deceit, and to stay focused on pleasing God rather than people. 

In the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul recounted God’s powerful working among the Thessalonians in their radical conversion to Christ from idolatry and their immediate zeal for spreading the gospel throughout the region. Intense opposition followed Paul wherever he went and the Thessalonian church had already begun to experience it for themselves. And so, Paul, Silas, and Timothy wrote this letter to encourage this new community of Christians in their faith and identity in Christ. They would need to be able to withstand, persevere, and triumph in their new life of adversity and persecution.

For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:1-4, English Standard Version)

Empowerment of the Apostle Paul and His Team

Motivation and empowerment increase when people’s work matches their values, when they possess confidence that they will be successful, when they can choose when and how they perform their work, and when they believe they can make a difference. God delegated to the Apostle Paul tasks of appropriate difficulty that related to his career as an Apostle. In his empowerment of the Apostle Paul, God delegated in a manner consistent with what is considered good delegation: (a) specifying his responsibilities clearly, (b) providing adequate authority, (c) monitoring his progress, (d) providing necessary information, support, and assistance, and (e) turning his mistakes into learning opportunities (Yukl, 2013).

God’s empowerment of Paul noted in 2:1-4 fits with psychological empowerment as a leadership theory. Paul referred to himself in 3:2 as a co-participant, sunergon, with God in the Gospel, and described the delegation of duties in 2:1-4 in various ways. God approved Paul and his team and entrusted them with the Gospel. Consequently, Paul ministered with great motivation to please God and appeal to people with the Gospel. 

The four elements of psychological empowerment are: (a) meaning, (b) self-determination, (c) self-efficacy, and (d) impact. Paul felt empowered because God changed his life and gave him a new mission (meaning), trusted him to develop his own strategies and methods (self-determination), infused him with confidence that he could be successful (self-efficacy or competence), and allowed him to witness the results of conversion and transformation of people, and the establishment of churches (impact).

Empowerment Continues for Us Today

As a public Apostolic epistle, 1 Thessalonians was meant to be read aloud to the faith community in Thessalonica and to all faith communities (5:27) for their encouragement. God’s empowerment of Paul extended to the empowerment of the Thessalonian believers, and it has continued to extend to His Church ever since and all throughout the world. From the Apostle Paul’s ministry model with the Thessalonian church Christian leaders and churches today can shape and re-shape their ministries accordingly, and by God’s Spirit and grace can expect similar results that will bring Him glory through increased effectiveness and spiritual joy. 

Christians should proclaim the gospel boldly and live out the gospel genuinely. The Apostle Paul served as an entrusted messenger, teaching Christ-followers how to live out the gospel they preach. Can Christians today likewise appeal to others to examine their lives as Christians, and ask God to do the same? Such transparency speaks volumes to the world about honesty, integrity, and authenticity. The world needs more Christians like this. This will further strengthen and empower the church as God keeps supplying a greater boldness and the grace to prove faithful as those “entrusted with the gospel” (v.4). 


Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Crafting A First Liturgy

This group of five friends and co-workers were filled with joy after receiving Jesus Christ.  They looked at one another and our team members, and asked with eager expectation, “now what do we do?!”  

They didn’t know any other believers in their small city in southeast Asia.  How were they to worship God together and grow in Christ together?  This is what they wanted to know.  What would you tell them?  How might you help them?

Worship 101

Here is what those creative team members of ours did.  They helped those new believers see themselves as the beginning of a church and helped them craft their first worship service.

The team had to think through all of this from the ground up, looking at Scripture again for themselves.  They were meeting with the new believers the next day in the afternoon  to answer their question, and they had to keep it simple.

They decided to teach on the most basic elements:  prayer, Scripture reading, singing praise to God, teaching the Word, caring and praying for one another.  More involved topics such as the Lord’s Supper, and matters of church life, would need to be covered by national partners later.

Nonetheless, this still would not be as simple a meeting as it might sound.  These new friends didn’t know anything about prayer.  What is prayer?  How do Christians pray?  And when it comes to reading Scripture, let alone studying it together, where should they start?  How will they understand properly?  Singing will be wonderful, but what kind of songs should they sing?  Where will they find the songs and music?

At least the part about sharing their lives, caring for one another, and praying for one another would be easy.

Worship Practicum

The biggest obstacle in all their meetings early that week was the constant distraction of mobile phones.  So, when they wrote out the liturgy for the group it began with the ritual of silencing mobile phones in order to focus on worshipping God and learning from His Word.

The mission team crafted a simple order of worship to follow for now.  They provided the group of new believers with many Scriptures to use and study, and of course Bibles for those who didn’t have one.  

They talked through all the worship ideas together, looking up Scripture passages and learning together by asking and answering questions.  It was a blessed time for all!

Then it was time to do it—how exciting this would be!  This was their very first experience of worshipping God and as a community of believers in Jesus!  So the group of eight, Asians and Americans, worshipped God together for a long time.  

When the afternoon came to a close, the new Christians asked how often their group should get together and worship the Lord and study His Word?  What they really wanted to know was how soon they could do it again!

More to Come

For all that was accomplished that day and that week with this small group of believers, there was so much more for them to learn about worship and living life together in Christ.  They had many more questions.  And our sub-team of three had hearts full of so much more to share.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 ESV “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

There is so much more to this story that could be told.  Likewise, there are many similar stories to tell coming out from this region of the world, both of success and failure.  One final valuable lesson to highlight is that working alongside local Christians and under the vision of local churches is a great honor and comfort.  

It would be up to our trusted partners to nurture this group of believers, and help them grow into a thriving young church.  Ultimately, we must entrust new believers and young churches to the Lord’s care in whom they have believed.  And He will care for them!

Preaching That Doesn’t Spiritualize Idolatry

The majority of the world worships idols—the real kind, made of wood, stone and even plastic.

While it is also helpful to talk about the “idols” of materialism, power, relationships, and whatever replaces God and takes first place in our minds and hearts, we need to talk less about this and more about the other kind of idolatry.

An Opportunity Missed

So often when we in America preach on Bible passages that discuss idolatry we move way too quickly to application.  It is common to hear a preacher describe the background of the text in just a few sentences and then move on to talk about the “idols” of our society and the those things that usurp God’s rightful place as the object of our worship and affections.

We talk as though worshippers of physical idols are from a bygone primitive era.  Anyone who would actually worship a real idol must be ignorant or isolated from the modern world.  But this is not the case.

To move right to this application usually misses the main point, the obvious point, of the text in order to find some spiritual principle that will be immediately personally applicable, or culturally appropriate for us.  We fail to be faithful to the text when we spiritualize idolatry.

Idolatry, real idolatry, has a powerful grip on over 3 billion people in the world today.  They live in remote areas and in urban centers; they are poor and rich, and some are even highly educated.  Idolatry, with all its relics and rituals, is the fabric of many societies, being the key to blessing and safety, and even the conduit for various immoralities.

An Opportunity Reclaimed

In our hasty application we miss an opportunity to talk about the greatest application of our Gospel mission from God in the world.  These idolatry passages offer us an opportunity to understand our world better, to describe the religious nature of man, to feel the burden of the lostness of so many souls, and to burn with jealousy for God’s glory alone!

Acts 17:16–17 ESV “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.”

And when we proclaim the Gospel, people will turn “to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

Instead of using the idolatry sections of Scripture to address ourselves and our own needs first, we could use them to open our eyes to the greatest need of the world!  In fact, these passages viewed and preached in such a manner will become refreshingly new texts for us on world evangelization and mission!

Pleasing God Isn’t That Hard

Christian ethics is a large subject.  It includes living out specific practices articulated in the Bible, while at the same time grasping its broader principles of holiness in order to navigate well the complexities of life.

But at its core, its personal meaning is that of simply pleasing God.  We must ask questions like:  “How might I please God?”  “How might I please God more?”  “How might we be even more pleasing to God as His church?

Getting the Attitude Right

The Thessalonian church was full of new Christians, only three months down the road in their walk with God at most.  They were at the very beginnings of their development, but they were eager to please God.  This disposition would put them on the fast track to Christian maturity; and they would soon take the lead as a model church for the world to follow.

The Apostle Paul considered strong ethical instruction part of basic discipleship for new believers.  They are more likely to obey early on than later if they are allowed to continue unchallenged on any immorality or ethical lapses.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 ESV “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.”

It is not uncommon today to do the opposite, fearing offending or losing new converts.  Perhaps this is one reason why there are so many so-called “Christians” who do not even meet minimum moral standards, who are constantly asking questions about living as undisciplined as possible, and who have such little consideration of, or concern for, what truly pleases God.

Developing Spiritual Instincts

Christian Ethics are all about pleasing God.  The concept of pleasing God is so helpful and so challenging.  It is so much more helpful than a list of rigid rules.  And it is so much more challenging than simply living by a few moral generalizations.

Pleasing God is not about being reactionary against unbiblical standards, nor is it found in self-righteously liking them.  The first leads to confusion and lack of definition.  The second misses out on happiness and depth of understanding.  

It isn’t that hard.  The concept of pleasing God implies that Christians can have their instincts trained by the Holy Spirit.  As maturity is described in Hebrews 5:14 ESV “they have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Move Out, Move Ahead

It requires true spirituality to move beyond rules and regulations, and relying on a Christian culture of policing one another’s lives.  Likewise, it requires true spirituality to leave the realm of culture-bound human reasonings and personal preferences on morality and honestly submit to God.

These are big questions to be asked in prayer, while simultaneously meditating upon the the Word of God and assessing our own lives:  “How might I please God?” and “How might I please God more?”  Embracing this larger concept is part of embracing the onward and upward call. 

Philippians 3:12–14 ESV “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

The Scary, The Draining, The Needy

What to do with difficult people?

Who is responsible for dealing with the difficult people in a church?  The Apostle Paul instructs the new congregation in Thessalonica that everyone has a responsibility toward everyone else.  He urges all of them to deal with the “difficult people” together; it is not just the responsibility of the leaders.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

The Scary

They all are to “admonish the idle.”  Other translations include the ideas of being undisciplined in living, being disorderly or unruly, even just plain lazy.  Such people can be scary to be around because of how they live, and what challenging things they might say, especially in the church.  Our tendency is to stay away from scary people so we don’t get hurt or get in trouble with them, hoping someone in the church with more courage will confront them.

The Draining

They all are to “encourage the fainthearted.”  A number of people are given to discouragement and depression.  These are people who often are given to worrying and giving up.  Sometimes faintheartedness is limited to a particularly challenging time in one’s life.  Such people can be draining to be around because our energy gets sapped, and their pessimism rains on our happiness.  Our tendency is to look past draining people, hoping someone in the church with more insight and stamina will counsel them.

The Needy

They all are to “help the weak.”  This category of people could be quite broad, including those of lower social status, or those who yield to persecutions or temptations, or those who are weak in faith in general.  Such people often have a lot of needs that make us uncomfortable and make it hard for us to embrace them.  Our tendency is to inform others about their neediness, hoping someone in the church with more resources will help them.

The Meaning of Patience

The final urging upon everyone is to “be patient” with these three types of people, and certainly all other difficult types they will encounter.  Being patient means not being irritated or annoyed with them as difficult people.  And it means being patient with them in their typically slow progress.  It is very important that they make progress of course, but be prepared that it likely will be very slow.

Our world is impatient with one another and doesn’t care well for those who are different.  So here is an opportunity for each and every Christian community to exhibit the values of the Gospel of the Kingdom.  Churches that admonish, encourage and help difficult people move forward in Christian discipleship and for betterment in life will be blessed and overflow with blessing far beyond just a few difficult people.

Help Your Leaders

Church leaders cannot carry the load by themselves in dealing with all the difficult people.  Often the church leaders have just as hard a time as everyone else does with the scary, the draining, the needy, and all the others.  Don’t let your leaders get worn down and worn out by having to deal with the difficult people all by themselves.  

The Thessalonian letter ends with the encouragement to “greet all the brothers” whenever we gather together.  We are to greet the difficult people, as well, not leaving anyone out, avoiding them or handing them off.  We need to push ourselves past our discomfort.  We each have a responsibility and a role to play in one another’s lives.  

All churches have difficult people needing counsel tailored specifically to them.  And each congregation itself is equipped for this task in its membership, as the Apostle wrote the churches in Rome, “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14)  

Will you help?

Smear Campaigns Gone Spiritual

Smear campaigns happen in churches quite often today.  If you have been on the receiving end in a church, whether a leader or not, you know the frustration, heartbreak, and weariness in dealing with the instigators, their lies and your dear friends under their influence.

This wickedness works so well and so often to discourage and destroy churches, to bring disunity and establish distrust, and to turn people from the vision of enjoyable worship and engagement in mission.  

Have you ever been a witness to such a work of the devil and people’s fleshliness in a church?  What can you do?

Little Lies Work Best

Classic accusations against leaders and teachers are that they are out for the money, power, fame, and sex.  They are accused of being deceitful, using flattery, teaching heresy and abusing resources.  Such severe accusations don’t often work well in a more refined society, however, especially when such unproven accusations can invite legal action.  

So, enter the intangible, subtle and potentially even more damaging accusations.  People have developed more sophisticated and spiritually sounding allegations; and have discovered that elusive grievances work even better than the classic approach of big lies.  Little lies work best.

A sampling:  This is not a loving church.  People are unfriendly.  The pastor isn’t really a good shepherd.  They do not understand other perspectives.  I am not being fed.  I was not touched in worship.  They do not lead biblically.  The leaders do not spend wisely.  Ministries are not meeting the most important needs.

Six People Easily Used

Who listens to this stuff?!  Sadly, a lot of people.  And if caught up in it, they will join in the smear campaign.  Here are some types of people to watch out for in a church as easily used by the evil one in his sinister plans against all of Christ’s churches.

• Beware of those who complain, and after being heard are rarely able to come to a peaceful resolution.
• Beware of those who talk a lot about ministries and take positions, but are largely uninvolved.
• Beware of those who discuss other people’s motives thoughtlessly and carelessly, even openly.
• Beware of those who purposefully avoid developing close relationships with others in the church.
• Beware of those who aren’t learning, and yet present themselves as knowledgeable and spiritual, and ever-ready to teach.
• Beware of those who are spiritually discontent and generally unhappy in God.

Answer Directly and with Our Lives

Speak directly to those promoting a smear campaign.  Speak with truth, love, and in the power of Holy Spirit.  Be ready to suffer for glory of God, and yet maintain hope that He will grant them repentance and true faith.

Speak directly to those being affected by it.  Encourage people not to listen to unsubstantiated negative comments, but rather to re-listen and re-observe the lives of the rest of the congregation, especially those of their leaders and teachers, in order to find out the truth.  

The power of God is stronger in the end, and on the whole.  One significant way in which He manifests this power is in the character and behavior of His faithful servants.  Point this out:  counter with genuine Gospel living as the apologetic!

The Apostle Paul used this strategy in dealing with the smear campaign in Thessalonica against himself and his mission team.  So he wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:3-12.

“For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.  

For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.  

For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

This remains the most effective response to smear campaigns gone “spiritual.”  Let us keep ourselves open to review before people, and even appeal to our merciful God.  And by God’s grace we can turn people around and get the church back on track with the vision of glorious worship and Gospel mission!

Pray Your Way To Evangelism

Keeping an Evangelistic Prayer List is a great way to keep yourself praying and keep yourself evangelizing.  Simply put together a list of the top ten individuals you strongly desire to see come to Christ and pray for each of them a few times each week.

Keep It A Dynamic List

These should be individuals with whom you have regular contact and can easily engage in conversation.  Usually, these should be people you truly care about; but sometimes God may give you an unusual burden for some particular individual.  

As you learn about their lives and get into spiritual conversations with them, you want to be praying for these people with intentionality.  Jot down a few notes, keep the list handy on your phone or in your Bible, and pray away!

Your EPL should be a dynamic list where people move up and down the list, even on and off the list, as you observe the work of God upon their lives and in their minds and hearts.  Are they asking more or fewer questions?  Do they seem softer or harder toward the Gospel?  Are they thinking deeply or have they pushed the message aside?  How are their relationships going?  How is their life going?  Review the list weekly and keep it accurate in reflecting your top ten.  

Keep It A Hot List

We all have those relatives and close friends whom we love dearly and want to see come to faith in Christ, and so we pray for them and their salvation often.  But, don’t put them on your EPL, unless you observe strong and serious movement toward true faith in Christ.  

Maybe it would be best to keep all relatives on a separate list, otherwise this list will be filled up quickly with people who are not interested in Christ at the moment.  And this list needs to be a hot list, something kept current and a list that is exciting to pray through.

And just because you will be moving people up and down and on and off the list doesn’t mean you will be friending and un-friending people constantly.  It simply keeps you focused where God is clearly working and praying and talking with these people more clearly about the Gospel.

Watch God Make His Moves

What you will find is that God is mightily at work in people all around you.  By praying you will see this.  You will become more sensitive to the Spirit’s working in their lives.  You will see God answer your prayers and change people.

You will even see people become hostile because they know you are praying for them, and they are encountering God because of this.  They are wrestling with the claims of Christ, and are scared.  And many other amazing things!

You will naturally speak into their lives the truth and love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In other words, you will find yourself becoming a natural evangelist when you thought you could never do it!  And quite likely, God will start bringing people into His Kingdom through you, His “faithful coworker in the Gospel of Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 3:2)