WEDNESDAY
As we continue to look at the Apostles’ expressions of love for the believers, we come now to 1 Thessalonians.
Here in chapter 2, Paul is recounting his previous trip to Thessalonica and his integrity they saw on display while he stayed there.
1 Thessalonians 2:7b–8 7 Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
The plural we is in reference to Paul, Silas and Timothy. He likens their care for the believers to a nursing mother caring for her children. As we saw yesterday, this image is one of deep love and affection. It’s hard to imagine a more loving relationship.
Then he expresses their deep love for the believers and what this love led them to do. Here we see some of the actions our love for one another should lead us to. Because they loved them so much they shared the gospel with them. Sharing the good news of Jesus with those who don’t yet believe and teaching the believers the glories of the gospel rank at the top of loving acts. Our love for others should lead us to share the story of new life available in the gospel and encourage others to walk in this fullness of life.
Paul, Silas and Timothy didn’t stop there, however. They also shared their very lives with them. This leads us to our “Christianese If You Please” for this week:
Doing life together.
I don’t know where this phrase comes from. Perhaps it is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic book on Christian community Life Together. Regardless, I don’t think I’ve heard it used in any other context than Christian community, so I think it’s safe to make it Christianese even if it is more recent. When you meet together for small group you’re doing life together. When you meet up at church you’re doing life together. When you get coffee with a believer you’re doing life together. When you get together for dinner you’re doing life together. When your kids play on the same sports teams you’re doing life together. The applications of this phrase are endless. Unfortunately, those numerous applications don’t reduce the cheese factor intrinsic in this phrase. This one isn’t so bad, but it’s a bit of a pet-peeve Christianese phrase for me, personally. I guess it’s not as bad as the phrase “loving on others” which is my second Christianese for the week. This one we say when we are serving someone or just there to listen or help when needed. If you like these, don’t let me ruin them for you. But please, next time we meet over coffee, please don’t tell me that we are doing life together. And please don’t tell me you’re loving on me..it’s awkward. 🙄
Despite the cheesy-ness of the doing life together phrase, there is real merit to it as expressed in Paul’s words, here. We are to share our lives with one another. The word translated life is the Greek word for soul psuchē. This word can refer to our entire life, both the inner life and outer life, spiritual, psychological and physical. I think this means a couple of things:
- They hid nothing from them
- They gave everything to them
They had no hidden motives, no secret agenda, no long game they were working to con the church. They were genuine and full of integrity. This reveals a deep trust for one another. It’s a sad state when believers, those who are to be brothers and sisters, one in Christ, are hiding selfish, evil motives that drive their engagement with the church. This can lead them to be reserved, closed off and isolated for fear that their true motives will be found out.* Some participate in church because they like the spotlight, either as a preacher, worship leader, group leader, etc. Some participate in church to drum up more business for themselves. Some participate in church to solely satisfy their own need of community and acceptance. If these are your motives, you will never share your soul with others because you will be constantly afraid of being found out.
In sharing their souls with the believers they were willing to give everything to them. If they had a financial need that they could meet they would gladly give it. If they had a need of service or labor, they would gladly give of their time and energy to meet it. If they had a need of education in the gospel they would share it. They likely shared their personal stories of coming to faith in Jesus with them. That can be a vulnerable thing to do.
In the next few verses, Paul goes on to share how they shared their lives with them.
1 Thessalonians 2:9–12 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
The theme of familial love is present in this whole section. First, he likens his love for them to a mother and child (v. 7). Then he likens his actions towards them to a father and a child (v. 11). Again, we see this familial love is to be the basis of our relationships with one another in the church.
*Of course, evil motives are not the only thing that can lead someone to be reserved or isolated in the church. This can be the result of church hurt or other bad experiences that have left an individual hesitant to trust. This is a different scenario that I am not speaking to here.
Reflection
Can you honestly say that you are sharing your life with one another in the church? Are you completely open with others about your sin, your past life, your struggles, your joys and successes?
Are you willing to give everything for one another in the church—your time, talent and treasure? Are you eager to speak the truths of the gospel to one another, to encourage and strengthen one another in the faith?