We live in a world driven by a consumer mentality. Businesses market and produce based on what drives the customer. Advertising firms are employed to help determine what the consumer wants. When discovered, the energies of the company are directed toward "what the consumer wants." When this happens, nickels and noses become more important than relationships.
I can understand this on the part of the business world, but I don't understand when the church employs this approach. Instead of becoming seekers of those who do not have a relationship with God, we become entrepreneurs who try to attract seekers toward our product: salvation in Christ.
The text we're looking at deals with what it means to be a witness for Jesus Christ. Before we look at 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12, we need to understand the obvious implication throughout these verses. Paul, through his references about relationships, implies that being a Christian is a "relationship rather than an arrangement." It is a matter of consciously choosing to relate to Jesus Christ rather than the mere mental acceptance of a set of propositional truths. Therefore, how we relate to others cannot be separated from the truth of what we are trying to relate to others. This being so, Paul illustrates or characterizes the lifestyle of relationships that leads to being an effective witness for Christ.
We must be consistent in our relationships with the people we witness to! Note the persistency evidenced in verses one and two: "visit," "suffered," "insulted," "dared," "opposition." Paul knew the importance of letting people know he wasn't going to "sock it to them" in the name of the Lord and be on his way. He genuinely cared for them as human beings. He possibly endured "insults from those he witnessed to."
A friend of mine served a small church in East Texas. One of the men in the community was belligerent toward the church and the gospel. George befriended him by having coffee with him on a daily basis. After a few years, the man received Christ. He said, "It was only after I realized that you saw me as friend first and not as a prospect that I began to listen to what you were talking about. Thank you for your consistency."
We must witness with pure motives! In verses three through six, we find Paul combating a problem we still have today: People who use the gospel for their own gain. Leon Morris points out that Paul was combating the charges of error, moral impurity and trickery. He defends this in verse four by pointing out that he and his friends had been approved by God.
In verse five, he addresses three flaws of some witness: flattery, financial gain and praise from men. Paul makes a disclaimer about all three of these charges. The bottom line is no one can be a positive witness for Christ if the person we are relating to picks up on an impure motive on our part.
We never witness to a person because we want something out of it. It is never right to fail to tell the whole truth about Jesus in order to get someone to join our church. We must tell them because we love them and want them to know God loves them.
We must witness with gentleness and simplicity! There is a variant reading on the word "gentle." Some have translated the word "baby or infant." There is not enough clarity to determine which is best. If we translate the word "baby," Paul is speaking about the matter of simplicity in presenting the gospel. If we choose the word "gentle," Paul is speaking about the manner in which we relate to unbelievers.
Either truth is important. A Christian witness ought to be "simple." A person shouldn't walk away wondering what it means to be saved. As well, it ought to be done in a manner consistent with what friendship is all about. There is never an excuse for being rude. So much witnessing today is either too propositional or too cocky, an attitude as a witness that is a disaster in the making.
I heard about a man who witnessed to his neighbor. The neighbor, after hearing the presentation, said, "Well, I'm not sure! I still enjoy doing some things like smoking and drinking." He then asked the man, "Will smoking send you to hell?" "No," said the man, "but it'll make you smell like you've been there." Gentleness, not cuteness, is the example Paul set.
We must witness with integrity! Paul urges every Christian to relate to others as they relate to their own family. Note that he describes the ideal family environment as one where "encouragement, comfort and godliness" permeate the relationships.
Maybe Paul has hit on something relevant to our day: the connection between our family life and witnessing life. Maybe our silence in being a witness is related to our home life. As one man put it, "I cannot speak about Christ in the home because my wife and kids know the truth."
Bible Study: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
CC Image • Steve Snodgrass on Flickr