Disciple-Making (Pt.1)

1 Thessalonians  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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What does it take to speak the Gospel? Boldness in God, Accountability to God, Compassion for Mankind

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1 Thessalonians 2:1–8 NASB95
For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.
INTRO: Have you ever had one of those conversations where you aren’t confident that the other person is really listening or grasping what you are saying? If you have kids, I’m sure you’ve had at least a few of these kind of conversations. You probably find yourself asking, “Why do I even try?”
While we do often make vain attempts in communicating, there is great satisfaction in knowing that what you say or do is serving a purpose… that you are not wasting your time/ energy.
When Paul and his companions went to preach the Gospel in Thessalonica, they had the joy of seeing that their message made an impact on their listeners. We have seen this in our study over the past couple weeks as we’ve looked at “The Healthy Church [Member], and The Missional Church [Member].
But, Paul states explicitly this fact in Chapter 2:1, that they did not come in vain. Their mission was no failure or waste of time, but rather, as we saw last week in 1:9, they turned FROM IDOLS to serve a LIVING GOD!
Paul shares with the Thessalonians (and with us) his joy over their response to the Gospel.
And I just want to pause here and say this: God is so good! For a number of you that are here today, I have seen the Gospel take root in your lives. I see the hunger you have for the Word of God. I see the passion you have to serve in the church and in the community. I see the growth and celebrate what God is doing in you and I give the glory to God! In fact, James, can we just take a minute here and give thanks to God in song?
Now, as we look into God’s Word today, we can see how Paul approached his mission and why, according to Paul, it was a successful witness. What I hope you and I glean from this text is how we might replicate Paul’s mission of speaking the Gospel.
Before we dive in, we all need to come to terms with something:
We are all missionaries. (Do you remember that from last week?)
Our mission as a church is to make disciples of all nations and we can only do that if we all are involved.
As missionaries, we must speak and model the gospel, i.e. MAKE DISCIPLES / APPRENTICES
So the question we want to answer this morning is “What does it take to convey the Gospel?” or “What does it take for me to be a disciple-maker?”
We are going to look at Paul’s recipe for Disciple-Making this morning. My prayer is that we will begin to embrace the role of disciple/ disciple-maker and live out the Gospel as Jesus has commanded.
So, if you picked up a bulletin, open it up to the sermon guide, and let us learn together. 3 Necessities for Making Disciples.
The first Necessity is:

Disciple-Makers Have Boldness in God (2-3)

In vv.2-3, Paul writes that even after suffering in Philippi, they came to Thessalonica and spoke the truth of the Gospel amid even more persecution.
Now, I just want to point out something here: If we do not speak the Gospel when there is no persecution, we certainly will not when persecution comes… and it is coming, church.
We should note that in Jesus’ teaching, He said that we are to take up our cross- this is to say that we must be ready to die if necessary for the sake of the Gospel.
But HOW were they able to speak the gospel with people jeering at them, harassing them, being physically violent toward them?
They had Boldness in Yahweh!!
Notice that it wasn’t that they had self-confidence, no they had God-confidence!
Perhaps you’ve heard a man by the name of David Ring. David is an evangelist who has cerebral palsy. He speaks at churches and events 200 times a year. He famously asks, “I have cerebral palsy, what’s your problem?” It’s not that he has a ton of self-confidence, but he has a whole lot of God-confidence!
Paul and his companions knew the risks; the opposition, the challenges, and the possible consequences. Yet, they were confident in the God of the Bible. They had boldness in God and he expresses that in 3 areas in v. 3.
Paul declares that their message did not come from
Error. Paul says that we didn’t hear it wrong and we didn’t convey it wrong. He is saying that the message of the Gospel as he preached it was just as it was delivered to him.
We can have boldness in God too knowing that we have God’s Word and His Spirit.
Too many people in too many churches have tried to undermine the Gospel. In the name of progress, they deem themselves to have a higher authority. I’ve heard of churches who say stuff like, we use the bible, but we don’t believe it’s actually God’s word. Well, that’s not me. If it isn’t God’s Holy, infallible Word, then there is no point!
It didn’t come from impurity - That is, it is pure. It does not contain things that do not belong. Paul didn’t add things to the message like some have the habit of doing.
Just like Paul, we must convey the pure message of the Gospel. Don’t start putting the cart before the horse here. I’ve heard a lot of Christians trying to witness and they’re so focused on the person fixing their sins that they do not share that there is freedom and forgiveness of ALL their sins! Jesus said that he came to save sinners, and when we start adding stuff to the Gospel, we become a stumbling block. If you want to boldly speak the gospel, speak it purely.
It did not come by way of deceit- Paul was not a swindler nor had he been swindled. He himself had an encounter with the risen Christ! He had received the Gospel first-hand, and thus he was BOLD in God.
This is not a scheme to get rich by, not a hoax in order to get you to give money to the church. This is not some sort of prosperity gospel or pyramid scheme- Friends boldness in God is boldness in the simple truth of King Jesus who died for our sins and rose again on the 3rd day.
If you are going to be an effective disciple-maker, you too must have boldness in God. You must be “All in!”
Discuss: How bold are you in speaking the gospel? What can you learn from Paul here?
But next, we see that speaking the Gospel means

Disciple-Makers Are Accountable to God (4-6)

Now, you might be thinking, “Isn’t everyone accountable to God?” Yes, but not everyone acknowledges this.
If we look at v. 4, we see that it is because we have been approved by God (we saw this a couple weeks ago in that we are chosen by Him) and entrusted by God with His Gospel (not by man or man’s gospel) we are thus speaking, acting, ‘missioning’ in such a way that we will please God.
Too often, Christians think that our first responsibility is to please others… sometimes the ‘others’ are people in the church and sometimes it’s the people who you are witnessing to. The context here helps us see what Paul is getting at. A clue is found at the end of v.4- “But God who examines our hearts.” tells us that the motivation for sharing was just as important as the content. This spills over a bit into our last point, so hang on to this truth.
Now, looking down to v. 5-6, we see that it explains v. 4 by giving 3 more negative examples of what they are NOT doing.
Paul was not preaching a “you” gospel - He says “We never came with flattering speech”
Paul wasn’t trying to “woo” them- he didn’t talk them up or make them believe that the gospel was all about them. He didn’t encourage them to continue in their idolatry nor did he attempt to manipulate them.
Paul wasn’t simply trying to get good numbers for his missions report.
Paul did not preach a “greedy gospel” - “…with a pretext of greed”
Paul was not trying to get their tithe money. He was making promises to them about their money, nor was his motivation in preaching simply to earn a paycheck.
Can I just say something here? The minute I or any pastor or missionary begins to look at their role in preaching the Gospel as simply a means of income, then that is when he/ she needs to take a step back and re-evaluate things. God sees our hearts.
Paul isn’t just fulfilling an obligation
Paul did not preach a “Me” gospel. “didn’t seek glory from men”
Paul was not looking to be the next celebrity preacher. He was not simply preaching so he could be the next big thing or so that he might have some place in history.
No, friends, if we want to speak the gospel, we must understand that we speak it as ambassadors for God. It is HIS Gospel! He knows our words and our motives. We won’t stand before men to give an account of our lives, we will stand before God. Jesus reminded His disciples of this as recorded in Matthew.
Matthew 10:28 NASB95
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Paul understood this, and you and I need to as well.
In order for us to be effective disciple-makers, we must have BOLDNESS IN GOD, and be ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD. Finally, as we look at v. 7-9, we can see:
Discuss: How does sharing the gospel look for you? How can you speak in order to please God above man?

Disciple-Makers Have Compassion for People (7-9)

Here, Paul gives a picture of their conduct with the Thessalonians… (READ v.7)
This is intended to be a vivid picture of compassion and devotion.
I want to talk to moms for a second- how many of you moms nursed your children? WHY?
Were you doing it because it was fun? Because it was fulfilling some sort of personal desire in you?
Likely it was because you cared for you child.
Paul states that they were nurturing these new believers out of love, not mere obligation.
These people were not seen by Paul as “projects” or a number in a stats book. They did not go to Thessalonica so that they could walk away claiming 1000 baptisms. These were people- made in the image of God who stood guilty and dead in their trespasses. Paul was motivated by compassion to share the gospel and (look at v.8)
to share their very lives with them. Let’s read v. 8 again.
Paul says they were “well-pleased” to impart the gospel and their lives to them.
Let me say it another way, They were delighted in giving of themselves to the Thessalonians. This is how it should be.
I want to explain it by giving you a hypothetical scenario. This year is mine and Samantha’s 20th year of marriage. Now, suppose I come home on that day with 20 roses. And, in an unusual manner, suppose I rang the doorbell and hid the flowers behind my back. And when Samantha opens the door, I surprise her with flowers and perhaps another gift. Now suppose she, with a big smile on her face, says “Marc you didn’t have to do all this, why did you spend all that money on these gifts.
Now let’s suppose I say, “Well, I’m your husband, and I kinda have to.”
Right… But let’s suppose I’m not that stupid and I say, “Honey, I just wanted to see that smile that I love so much. It is a delight to spend money on you because I love you so much!” I want to give myself to you
This is how it should be- God has compassion on us - delights in our salvation that cost Him the highest price!
And if we are going to speak the gospel effectively, if we are going to make disciples, we have compassion for God’s image-bearers.
Church, we are called to speak the Gospel- both now and when persecution comes. We are called to make disciples- to impart our very lives to others so that we may see them grow in Christ.
Let us do so with Boldness in God, with accountability to God, and with compassion for people.
Discuss: What would it look like for you to share the Gospel with compassion for people as Paul did?
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