Are you ready to be inspired by the relentless faith and selfless ministry of Paul? Brace yourself for a deep dive into the heart of the gospel as we journey through First Thessalonians Chapter Two on our podcast, the Two Fish Community. We'll unpack the profound lessons in Paul's bold preaching, his nurturing role reminiscent of a nursing mother, and the audacious resilience that enabled him to spread the gospel despite severe persecution.
Get ready to be stirred as we explore Paul's inspiring journey, not for the faint-hearted but for those who dare to please God over men. Our conversation takes us through Paul's nurturing ministry, his heart intentions, and ultimately his call to the Thessalonians to walk in a manner worthy of God. As we wade through the depths of these teachings, we challenge you to reflect on your path and draw courage from Paul's unwavering faith, reminding us that a life in Christ may invite persecution, but it also promises eternal reward. So tune in, take a moment, and let's explore how we can live a Christ-like life in our modern world.
Are you ready to be inspired by the relentless faith and selfless ministry of Paul? Brace yourself for a deep dive into the heart of the gospel as we journey through First Thessalonians Chapter Two on our podcast, the Two Fish Community. We'll unpack the profound lessons in Paul's bold preaching, his nurturing role reminiscent of a nursing mother, and the audacious resilience that enabled him to spread the gospel despite severe persecution.
Get ready to be stirred as we explore Paul's inspiring journey, not for the faint-hearted but for those who dare to please God over men. Our conversation takes us through Paul's nurturing ministry, his heart intentions, and ultimately his call to the Thessalonians to walk in a manner worthy of God. As we wade through the depths of these teachings, we challenge you to reflect on your path and draw courage from Paul's unwavering faith, reminding us that a life in Christ may invite persecution, but it also promises eternal reward. So tune in, take a moment, and let's explore how we can live a Christ-like life in our modern world.
Welcome back to the two fish podcast. My name is Nick, I'm Aaron and this week we go back to first Thessalonians, chapter two, where Paul remembers his first trip.
Speaker 2:That's right, two fish community. We are staying in the book of first Thessalonians. Last week we did chapter one, which was Paul's encouragement to them of how good they're doing and how God has chosen them and the numerous things that they are doing that are good. And this week Paul's going to remind them of some things from his first visit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely a weak sauce in it intro there, but he's remembering and recounting his first time and the good things that happened from the story.
Speaker 2:Do we want to redo it?
Speaker 1:No, it's fine, it's fine, it's the third time's a charm, you know. So let's get right into it. First, thessalonians, chapter two. For you yourselves know, brothers that are 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 this 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 men, but to please God, who tests our hearts.
Speaker 2:I'm just offended. You called my intro weak sauce.
Speaker 1:No, my intro.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's rude.
Speaker 1:No, not you. Are you serious? No, my intro. So, right there, what he's kind of doing is he's throwing it back. You know, hey, first chapter, you guys were faithful. You've been an example. I want to encourage you. Why is that? Let's look back at our my first visit, and I don't think he's doing this to say, well, when I was there, the reason you guys are so good and so faithful is because when I was there, I did so good and we're going to see here that's not the case. That's not what he's saying, but I think he's pointing to the reason why, hey, you guys are doing so well from the foundation when we walked in. This is why you guys are doing so well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he actually points to the fact he probably came in there a little beat up, a little discouraged from the way he was treated in Philippi. And then he points to yet our God gave us the courage to declare his good news to you boldly. Paul knows he came into their territory beat up and discouraged from where he was, and the only way he was able to deliver that message was with God's grace and God's help?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think of. I mean just anytime you do something or you say something or you speak from a ton of people and you don't get a good response or you get backlash for what you've said or what you've done. It's discouraging then to turn around and do it again and so, like you said, this had to been God or the fact that, how dedicated I mean maybe this is a point of reflection how dedicated Paul is to God that he's willing to say and we all aren't always able to do this. In Paul's case, he probably got beaten, thrown in jail. Paul's thrown in jail all the time. I'm still going to do it All right, kick the shirt, kick the dirt off my shoes. Moving on the next city, we're going to start all over and do it all over again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the second half of that verse there is, even though we were surrounded by many who opposed us, right. And then verse three. So you can see that we were not preaching with any deceit or impure purposes or trickery. Like Paul walked in there, he was already beat up and he's already surrounded by a bunch of people that don't believe in what he's doing and he's still standing before them preaching boldly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the good news and I think something about that you just said there, I think points to the validation of the gospel that he's preaching. Most people, when they're doing something, let's say you're lying, you're only going to take that lie so far, and then at some point, when Paul's getting beaten, he's going to say all right, fine, I was joking. Enough of this, enough of this, I was lying, I was just playing, I don't actually believe this. I'm moving on and getting out of there just to save himself. Last week we talked about suffering a little bit. I think you said it. I don't remember how exactly you said it, but sometimes the thought of the suffering is worse than the suffering itself, something like that. But Paul goes in, accepts the suffering and then continues to preach about it because it's true and he believes it, and I think that's where you get the. We're not preaching with impurity or any attempt to deceive. This is true, yeah.
Speaker 1:We're willing to take a beating for this.
Speaker 2:I think the other thing, like if it was a lie, like people would have been able to quickly discredit them.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I just didn't.
Speaker 1:I hasn't Proven to be true in history, yet which again thinking about being beat up for preaching the gospel. He's willing to do this because he's not doing it for man. He's not doing it to please man, says in verse four. There we speak not to please men, but to please God, who tests our hearts. They're doing this because God's asked them to do this and they're being obedient to it. They're not doing it and we can. I mean, this could be a rabbit hole we could get down if we want to how many people on Facebook or Instagram or Tik Tok or Churches, pastors from pulpits that are not necessarily doing it for God? They're doing it as a show and they're worried about what people think, and they're willing to sometimes skip over scripture Because it doesn't sound good or it goes against the current culture and they don't want to ruffle feathers. Well, they're not doing it, then, for God. They're doing it for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean Verse four definitely speaks directly to that is mine reads, because I'm in the ni? Nlt version this week. For we speak as messengers who have been approved by God to be entrusted with the good news. Paul's that's a bold statement in itself. Like I'm a messenger, I've been approved by God and I am sharing his good news. Like I'm not sharing my own good news. Like there's been some great things that happen in Paul's life and I think he spends very little time on that. When you look at the accumulation of his letters you do not necessarily learn a lot about what Directly happened to Paul and all the good things he saw. Like this letter he's writing back to the Thessalonians and and encouraged them to look at their own walk. He's not saying, look at my walk and look what God's done through my life, look what he's did in your community. Yeah, like I think we we see in Paul's letter there's not a lot of Selfish.
Speaker 1:Endowment. Well, I think, the times that he does say, hey, this happened to us here, he says been trained, flee, shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know. But then he flips it and he says we have boldness to declare God's gospel, which then I think that points to you what you said to it's not his story, it's not Paul's story, it's God's gospel, not Paul's gospel. It's God's gospel that he's praying. But yes, he always, when he does say, hey, this has happened to me, he flips it and says but God did this through that. And he always continues to point it to God. And I think that's again where he's not. He's not necessarily worrying about what people think. He's not doing it as a show. He's not doing it to gain clout or to look at me.
Speaker 2:He's doing it because he's been called by God to do it Right, which leads perfectly into verse 5 without without even reading it right. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you know very well and God is our witness that we are not just pretending to be your friends so you would give us money. As for praise, we have never asked for it from you or anyone else. As Apostles of Christ, we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but we were as gentle among you as a mother Feeding and caring for her own children. We loved you so much that we gave you not only God's good news but our own lives too.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right there he's saying, he's laying it down for them, like I'm laying down Not only the good news, but I'm willing to lay down my life for you and I think probably culturally.
Speaker 1:Again, we talked in first-estilings. This was a Community that worshiped idols. There were probably a lot of people Maybe I don't know what would the right word be but monks or whatever from those gods who came into these communities and communities and say, hey, I'm from God, x, y and Z, you need to show me respect, I want your gold. Or I want and take advantage of people. And Paul's here saying, hey, remember, we came in and didn't ask for anything. We could have Were apostles of Christ, we could have made demands. That's not why we're here. That would have pointed towards us and that's not what we're doing here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's just reminds me. I recently went to a service just to go to something different and Right before tithing, like you were, you were told if you gave a hundred dollars you would receive some gifts and then if you gave a thousand dollars, you basically got a trophy. Like so when you read something like this and Paul's like I'm not doing this for my personal gain, like I don't want your money, I don't want your anything, I want you to receive salvation from Jesus Christ. But I reflect on that when I go to. When I went to that, I'm like, really, that's how we're gonna open up tithing. Like, if I give you a hard bucks, I get a book and a calendar. Yeah, I give a thousand, I get a trophy and the books in the calendar. Like sign me up, right, but yeah, what the way we present the good news matters, are we, are we doing it for own personal gain? Are we doing it to gain To further the kingdom of God? Yeah, are we kingdom building or are we Aaron building?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I that example you give of that church, which is a pretty large church. Maybe people know that church. But the fact that they're bringing you into tithes and offerings, which is a Giving back, it's a giving back. Whether it's tithes or offerings, you're giving back to God. I think let's back up here to verse 4. Again he's saying we came approved by God and trusted with the gospel. So we speak not to please man but to please God, who tests our hearts. And I think that's one of those places where hey, paul saying, hey, we went through trials at Philippi, we were probably beaten, we were thrown in prison. There was, it was a mess. We did it for God, because we know that going through those things Tests our hearts and it's gonna pull out. It's kind of like Taking a precious metal and melting it down and the impurities come out and then can scrape them off. And it's more God's test allowing us to go through trials to test Our hearts. And so when you say that, it's like, what is the heart of that?
Speaker 1:Yeah am I giving? Yeah, I'm giving an offering today because I just want to give, or I feel called to give, or I Feel I need, I want to bless, I want to whatever the heart thing is, or is it? Oh sweet, I just give 200 more dollars than I normally would. I could get that trophy. The heart of that is so wrong.
Speaker 2:You know, maybe there was some other purpose behind that. That cuz I don't regularly attend that church, but like sitting there as a guest I'm like huh. Like we're tight, we're tying gifts into tithing. Yeah, like if I tie that I get a gift.
Speaker 1:It's not really the point of the giving right and that I'm.
Speaker 2:So that was just something that, as I've read this earlier, like that came to mind for me is man? What was the intent behind doing that? What is the heart? Check? Yeah to that. Are they? Are they guarding their hearts, like the bible, time over time, tells us to guard our hearts and our hearts desires can lead us Really astray.
Speaker 1:Unl. He says we could have made demands as apostles of Christ verse 7, but we were. We came gentle among you, like nursing mothers Taking care of her own children. They came in and and again. Maybe this is why paul talked about last week. He doesn't open this with open this weather letter with I'm a possible of god. I got authority here. He's very much with his community seems to be going. I mean, I, you're my own children. Yeah, like I want to nurture you into this faith. I want to. I want to love you and take care of you in this and watch over you. It's not about me as a mother, it's about my children.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I want to. I want to love you like Jesus loved me, and that that's what he's trying to simplify, right, like Jesus didn't demand anything out of anybody he could have, he had all the power in the world and and paul, I'm quite possibly similar he's walking into the believers with status. I'm paul, I'm on a parcel.
Speaker 1:Give me a hundred bucks, yeah, and.
Speaker 2:I mean, he was a roman authority too, right I?
Speaker 1:don't point out.
Speaker 2:He's a Pharisee, so, like he's got some clout behind him, he probably could walk into the, into some of these communities and Put his foot down and say this is who I am, this is what I need, this is what I want. But he's doing quite the opposite of probably what he used to do and he's walking into these communities very humble and saying what do you need? And he might not have a room to stay in, he might not have his next meal lined up.
Speaker 2:He's showing up and saying nick, what can I do for you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want to.
Speaker 2:I want to love on you like christ loved on me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're at the end of verse eight. Not only would he come with the gospel, god, but we also came with our own selves, because he had become very dear to us. And I think that immediately rolls into verse nine. For you remember, brothers are labor and they're not only serving to God, but they're walking in these communities, like you just said, and saying what can I do for you, how can I love you?
Speaker 1:and then maybe that's- where that Love God and love your neighbor comes in. Oh yeah, that's another example. Hey, I'm coming here, I'm preaching this, but I also want to walk beside you. How can I love? I'm giving myself Immediately rolls into verse nine for you. Remember, brothers are labor and toil. We worked night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you while proclaiming to you the gospel of God. Again, they're not coming in saying, hey, look at who we are Provided for us and we'll show you the gospel. They're saying we're gonna show you the gospel and we're gonna go. I think paul was a temp maker. We're gonna go make tents on the side. You guys can buy them if you want, or whatever we're doing, but we're gonna work to feed ourselves, house ourselves while we're here, so that we're not a burden to you guys.
Speaker 2:I think at this point we're verse nine here and you could make the strong assumption that obviously there's a group of people out there trying to discredit Paul, like he's coming into your community for personal gain. It has nothing to do with God and Paul's second chapter of the letter, this continual letter, likely right, but the second chapter he's like. No, that's not why I came. You saw me doing the labor to earn my own wage.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I was sharing the good news. I did not come in as a burden on your back, did not come in and say I need 10%, of your 10% so that I can do my ministry. I came in and I worked for what I needed, while sharing the good news with you. And clearly there's somebody out there saying that's not why he's here. He's here to sell us 10.
Speaker 1:Yeah, verse 10, you were witnesses and God also how holy and righteous and blameless our conduct was towards 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 man or worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom. That first part there, your witnesses of how holy and righteous and blameless we were when we came in here. Like there's people saying we weren't. There's people saying we're taking advantage. Yeah, but you remember how we came in. It was not about us. We were not burdens we did not take from you guys. All we wanted to do was give in the gospel and in your community.
Speaker 1:And I like how he says that there, like fathers with his children, we exhorted each one of you and had encouraged and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a man or worthy of God. Like before he says I'm hate, I'm like your mother and I'm nurturing and I'm taking care of, and here he's saying, hey, more like a father figure, I exhort you, but I also want to encourage you and charge you to walk the correct way. There's probably some discipline and some hey, we need to look at what you're doing here and we need to change this. So he's he's very much saying, hey, we came in to do both the mother and nurture and the father to we're going to. It's like you don't raise children to be children, you raise children to be adults, and so while we nurture, we all we also want to point you in the right direction.
Speaker 2:Now, like if you look at children, like they're born. Our preacher just preached on this. Like you're born corrupt Like a kid, is selfish by by design Like you're. I don't want to say you're evil, but like we're born with original sin.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and and Paul's saying we got to correct that. Maybe you guys didn't see it, but I'm showing it to you. And that is what a father does Mother nurtures, and a father gives some corrections, some weapons. And then verse 13, and we will never stop thanking God that when we preached his message to you, you didn't think of the words we spoke as being just our own. You accepted what we said as the very word of God, which of course it was, and this word continues to work in you who believe. And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen and this way, in this way, you imitated the believers and God's churches and Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people the Jews?
Speaker 1:Yeah, these Cesslonians are mostly Gentiles. They're not Jewish people. I'm sure there are Jews within the community, but yeah the majority of Paul's ministry was to the Gentiles right. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Paul went to the Gentiles and Peter went to the Jews.
Speaker 1:But the Jews didn't believe that Jesus was a Messiah. Some of them still don't believe Jesus was a Messiah to this day. And so, as Paul and Silas and and even Peter over in Jerusalem are preaching the gospel, these Jews are saying no, no, no, this isn't right. And look what they did to Jesus when he came himself doing this stuff. They punched him, they flogged him, they beat him.
Speaker 1:And Peter saying hey, I remember the way we came and you turned and I've seen your persecution and you've imitated Mine, says, imitated me, in that you've Accepted those own things. He says not only have you by, we've seen you partake in the gospel and you've accepted that, but you've also accepted, like you said, become imitators and you've accepted the punishment and the and the persecution that comes along with it. See, what I like is, every time Jesus go, or Paul goes to one of these communities, or Peter goes to these communities and People accept Christ, they start being persecuted, whether it's by the Romans or there's by the Jews, no matter what it is. That's kind of comes along with the territory. Jesus says you're gonna suffer like I've suffered, some to the extreme. Peter, paul, you guys are gonna be murdered For faith in me, just as I was, and that makes me always think about nowadays, life is so much different, but in the same way it's kind of the same and it makes me wonder.
Speaker 1:As Westerners, as Christians, we have these, we have we go to church on Sunday morning for hour and a half or whatever it is. It's a nice, easy pews and we go home and we don't suffer at all for Jesus. I think as far as the podcast goes. One time we put up Facebook a Post who is Jesus? Because we were getting ready to do that episode and we got responses like he's a liar, he's fake, what? And I remember being like, oh my gosh, yeah, what did I do to you? And then I thought, well, you know, that probably comes with the territory. And then I laughed at myself, thinking you think this is persecution or something.
Speaker 1:People are mocking me on Facebook. Who cares? These guys are actually being persecuted for that. And he's saying you're becoming imitators. And again he's praising them. This is what it's supposed to look like.
Speaker 2:Francis Chan, I believe, did a lot of ministry over in China and he said you know they hold Secret church because if they get caught they're likely their family and them are gonna be persecuted. He said and and like you're saying here, we have the freedoms to do it.
Speaker 1:We might get like verbal attacks, but it's not actual Persecution the end of 14 there says for you suffered the same things for your own countrymen as they did from the Jews first 15 who killed that, both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out and displeased God and opposed all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved, so, as always, to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last. I think we kind of got ahead of ourselves there. You're gonna go through the same things. Look at Jesus and the prophets. We were driven out, we were persecuted. Jesus paid the ultimate price and gave his life, also that we wouldn't preach this gospel. And then he gives a warning. So and he kind of gives a warning there at the end then. But Wrath has come upon them at last, like they're gonna get what they deserve for persecuting Christian.
Speaker 2:To me, someone of the funny thing in this last part of that section is Paul. Paul's preaching to the Gentiles so they might be saved, and that's what they're trying to stop them from. Right, like they don't want these other people, like there's not room for For everybody up in heaven, right, they don't want them to receive God's word, basically. And then Paul's like by doing this they just continue to pile up their sins.
Speaker 2:Yeah like they're continuing to live in a way that is not godly and they don't see it, and they're gonna continue to do that and they're gonna continue to persecute us and I don't remember the number of Disciples, but the majority of them were were persecuted and I think most of them died for their faith, became martyrs.
Speaker 2:Which isn't going back to your earlier point, is another testament to Like. It wasn't just Paul that lived this out to the death. It was the majority of them stood behind what they saw Jesus did and who Jesus was and the good news that he shared. It wasn't just one guy like living a lie, there was 12 of them. 12 of them that that stood up for it and Could testify to it. And you look at Luke. Luke went and Investigated a lot of it right and it and it all matched up you don't.
Speaker 1:you don't die for a lie, you don't die for something you don't believe, and I think that's the testament of there's so many Accounts, even outside of the Bible, that point towards the Bible verse 17 here, dear brothers and sisters, after we separated from you for a little while, though, our hearts never left you.
Speaker 2:We tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again. We wanted very much to come, and I, paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us. After all, what gives us hope and joy and what is our proud reward and crown, it is you. Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before our Lord Jesus when he comes back again for you are pride and joy.
Speaker 1:I think what he's saying is this is why we do it. They got called away. He's tried and tried, can't get there. Satan's doing something that's preventing him to be there. Obviously, we know he's going to be thrown in prison over and over again. He's going to be beaten over and over again. What he's looking forward to most is seeing them there, and then he even narrows it down and in the last days, when Jesus finally comes back, we're going to be so proud, we're going to be so overjoyed that we're going to all be there together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it really points to one thing. I read this was one of Paul's earlier letters and so he was early in his ministry, right, and he's writing back to them, encouraging not only them, but we can see that Paul is very encouraged by what he saw, the transformation Like. He's encouraged by that he saw. He walked into the city, he shared boldly. He wasn't a burden on them, but I think we can see that Paul is very encouraged by what he has seen. It's a blessing to him and he sees some fruits of his labor, which gives him the strength to go to the next prison.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's worth it, it's worth it, Like sometimes when I don't know if you ever get the chance to lead somebody to Christ, like it's very encouraging or be a part of something where you see that transformation in somebody is encouraging. It pushes you to do a little bit more.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Not only in the beginning, paul pointed to the fact that, hey, god showed up for me, because I got beaten and bruised and battered and whatever in Philippi, and God showed up and lifted me up and encouraged me. But when I reflect in my moments of weakness, I reflect on you guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like I reflect on what I saw happen with you guys, and you're a part of that, and we're going to get the stand before Jesus together.
Speaker 1:Yeah and say well done, I love it.
Speaker 2:So that's our hope to fish community that we all get to stand with Jesus, with you, and then you're going to look at us and you're going to say well done to fish community.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You took the gospel to the world. Well done.
Speaker 1:I love it. I can't say any better. Thank you for being a part of this community and join us next week here. Back on the two fish podcast.