Real Ministry

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 – Real Ministry
                            
Another reason that Paul’s ministry was so successful: while the false teachers came in and took advantage of the people, looking for selfish gain while not caring about anyone else, Paul came in as a nursing mother that cares for her own children. This is the first of several touching analogies Paul uses to demonstrate his love for the people who are his spiritual children.

My youngest daughter, Ashley, is nursing my youngest granddaughter, Lucy. When Ashley gets ready to nurse her precious baby, there is love in her eyes, and Lucy gets so excited that she is almost uncontrollable. Why? Because she knows that Mommy is going to take care of her needs. At the end of the process (most of the time), there is contentment on the faces of both mother and daughter. That’s what real ministry does – it provides contentment for both the giver and the recipient of ministry.

Paul’s analogy demonstrates to us what a true ministry relationship is all about – a mother gently taking care of her child’s needs because she loves. In v. 8, Paul talks about that. “So affectionately longing for you….” Every minister should have such a desire to be a part of his people’s lives, to teach them what it means to be a Christian, modeling ministry, and giving them an opportunity to be a minister to others. That’s what Paul did by imparting his life to the people.

Spoiler alert! For my church family, you may not want to read what comes next. In the thirty-six years that I have been preaching, I’ve been at the point that most ministers get to eventually – looking for greener pastures. And that has been on more than one occasion. But wait! I know that church members do it, too. Looking for a new, exciting church that will meet my needs. Not Paul. He invested his life completely for the time God placed him in Thessalonica, and God blessed his work. Only when he was forced to leave did he grudgingly do so. So here’s the message to both ministers and members: don’t look to leave unless God says that it is time. Look to stay and see what God will do!