I Thessalonians 2:2 – 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 much conflict.
Our study of chapter two focuses on the ‘defense’ of Paul. In other words, Paul and his companions have been unjustly accused and attacked for spreading the gospel. In verse one, we found that the unbelieving Jews had accused them of being imposters or false teachers.
After refuting those claims with facts, Paul now goes on to say that he and his team were bold enough to share the true gospel, despite the way they were treated at Philippi. 
If you are unfamiliar with that narrative, you can read the full account in Acts chapter 16, but here are the basics:
Holy Spirit led Paul, Silas and Timothy to the city of Philippi, where they joined a prayer group that met outside the city, because there was no synagogue in that place.
At some point as Paul was going to that place for prayer meeting, a slave girl came across his path. She was possessed by a demonic spirit, and her owners grew rich by using her as a fortune teller. Apparently this girl constantly followed Paul around the city, crying out that Paul and his companions were ‘servants of God who proclaimed the way to salvation’.
Eventually, after a few days of that, Paul became annoyed and he cast the demon out of the girl. When that happened, she lost the ability to tell the future, so she could no longer make money for her masters. Enraged, the owners grabbed Paul and Silas and brought them to the police/magistrates.
They basically accused Paul and Silas of disturbing the peace and urging people to adopt ‘unlawful customs’. The charges were flimsy at best, but Paul and Silas were stripped, severely beaten/whipped (which was unlawful to do to Roman citizens), cast into the innermost cell of the prison and bound with stocks. All this was done without a trial.
As you may recall, Paul and Silas spent the night singing praises to God and around midnight there was an earthquake which shook the prison and set them free. That night, the jailer and his family came to Christ. He took Paul and Silas home with him, treated their wounds and fed them.
In the morning, the city officials sent word that Paul and Silas were free to go, but Paul was not going to accept a quiet, behind-the-scenes release. Since they were Roman citizens, publicly reviled, whipped and treated as criminals, Paul insisted that they received a public apology and a personal escort out of the city.
Acts 16:37 – But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.”
So, it was no secret that Paul and his companions were shamefully and unfairly treated by the officials at Philippi. They suffered physical and mental abuse as well as having their reputations publicly smeared. The good news is that through their ministry, a Christian church was established in that city (probably in the house of Lydia).
This, however, was one more proof that they were genuine servants of God. If they were false teachers who were looking for recognition or dishonest gain, they would have given up or gone to a city far away from Macedonia.
After all, there was no guarantee that Paul and his team would be treated any better at Thessalonica than they were at Philippi, but they still went anyway, and proclaimed the gospel message with boldness.
Notice that in this verse Paul refers to the word as the Gospel of God. He does this in order to differentiate salvation in Christ from the works of the law and from all religions invented by man (the message of false teachers).
The true gospel came from the wisdom and grace of God, was made possible by the sacrifice of his Son, and was proclaimed by the power of his Spirit. It was a complete gospel which included election, redemption, justification, pardon, adoption, regeneration, glorification and eternal life. 
It was a divine message delivered straight from God to the people of Thessalonica. Because God was its author and because the message was of vital importance, Paul and his companions were willing to risk further harm and injury in order to proclaim it. Only a true messenger of God would do such a thing.
In fact, as the team ministered in Thessalonica, they probably still bore traces of the wounds they suffered from the Philippians.
And, as the scripture shows, their preaching did indeed result in further conflict, contention, litigation, anger and debate in the city of Thessalonica (Acts 17:5-9).
I Thessalonians 2:3 – For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
In their boldness, Paul, Silas and Timothy must have powerfully exhorted/encouraged the citizens of Thessalonica to embrace the life-giving gospel.
Paul provides three reasons why the Thessalonians can continue to have the utmost faith in the gospel they received:
One: It did not come to them in error. In other words, there was no false doctrine or doctrines of man mixed in with the gospel message. The Thessalonians had received the pure, undiluted, uncompromised new covenant of grace through Jesus Christ. They were never tricked into believing a lie.
Two: The gospel did not come to them with unclean or impure motives. Paul and his companions had no earthly motivation to give them the gospel. They were not going to receive any awards from mankind, they were not going to make any money and they were not going to earn any favors from those in places of authority (the opposite was probably true – they were hated by those in civil authority because their message often produced an uproar).
Paul and his companions were not trying to gain a following and run for political office. They were not going to become famous and write best-selling books. They had no worldly reason or motive to spread the gospel.
In fact, as we just noted, by spreading the gospel, they were putting themselves at further risk of beating or imprisonment.
Three: The gospel was not given to the Thessalonians in an attempt to deceive them. There was nothing fraudulent or malicious in the gospel they presented. They had been presented with a firm, unshakable foundation for their faith.
I Corinthians 3:11 – For no other foundation can a man lay than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
While Paul made strong arguments that he and his companions were true messengers of God, the Christians of Thessalonica did not have to rely on his word alone. The final and ultimate proof/confirmation came from God himself.
Romans 8:16 – The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
Despite the smooth lies of the unrepentant Jews, the Thessalonians knew in their heart of hearts that they had received salvation, as confirmed by Holy Spirit.
I Thessalonians 2:4 - …but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
As if the changes in the lives of the Thessalonian believers were not enough, Paul goes one step further in the defense of himself and his companions – he appeals to God himself as the author of his apostleship.
God, who knows the hearts of all people, trusted Paul enough to put him in the office of an apostle. From eternity past, God had chosen/appointed Paul, Silas and Timothy to this work. He equipped them with the gifts they would need, and at his divinely appointed time he opened the door for their ministry.
Acts 9:15 – But the Lord said to him [Ananias], “Go, for he [Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”
God also confirmed their message with signs and wonders.
Paul is in awe of the way God was using him. He obviously recognized that the gospel was a rich treasure of immeasurable worth; to be trusted with the spread of the gospel was the highest honor God could have awarded him. With this in mind, he was always faithful to the commission God had given him.
In light of what God had called him to do, Paul was NEVER going to deliver anything but the pure gospel message. He added nothing and took nothing away; he never softened or altered the message to make it more agreeable to sinners. Paul had no desire to gain the favor or honor of men, to escape persecution (if needed) or to obtain a worldly reward by preaching a tainted gospel that would appeal to the masses. 
Paul answered to one voice alone – that of God, who appointed him to his office and who ‘tests the hearts’ of every man.
Paul, like all true ministers of the gospel, knew that he answered to God alone. Our omniscient (all knowing) God has the ability to look into the heart of every person and discern their true intensions and motivations. Nothing can be hidden from him – he can search the deepest most secret places of our hearts and minds. He sees through any wall or façade that we present to the world.
So again we see that Paul defends himself and the gospel by pointing out that they have a divine ‘seal of approval’.
I Thessalonians 2:5 – For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is witness.
Flattery is one of the principle tools of false teachers. Even in today’s society we find false teachers/ministers who care nothing for the souls of people. They are charlatans who make empty promises and teach false doctrines in order to become rich. This is sometimes known as ‘fleecing the flock’.
(God had a lot to say about this type of behavior in the book of Zechariah. In case you haven’t yet read our study of that book, let me just say that God not only condemned their behavior, he has vowed to bring judgment upon these deceitful wolves.)
Because Paul is addressing the issue of false gain in his letter, we can assume that the unbelieving Jews have falsely accused him of preaching lies in order to line his own pockets.
However, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he never gained an audience with them by flattery or praise for their accomplishments (beauty, wealth, talent, etc). He never used false pretenses in order to trick them in some manner or gain something from them.
In fact, he did the opposite. As we will see later in this chapter, Paul and his companions worked secular jobs in order to meet their own needs/pay their own way. They did not ask the Thessalonian church for money or earthly support of any kind.
Furthermore, Paul did not hesitate to declare the truth of the gospel which was sometimes painful and difficult to accept. He gave them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, which was proof of his integrity. As God was witness, Paul had been honest and faithful to the Thessalonians in every way, warning them of the eternal danger they were in, and offering them new life in Christ.
I Thessalonians 2:6-7 – Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
To ‘seek glory’ means to be haughty and presumptuous; to seek a position of leadership or authority over people based on fame or vain glory/pomp. In our day, it would be similar to an actor or actress using their fame to get preferential treatment.
As a chosen apostle of God, Paul actually had the right to a higher degree of respect, dignity, leadership and authority than ordinary people, but he never demanded it. instead, he presented himself ‘gently’ among the Thessalonian church.
The root word for ‘gently’ (your translation may say ‘we might have been burdensome’) means anything that is weighty, burdensome or oppressive. This statement has a dual meaning.
First, it refers to material support. Since Paul was a minister sent directly from God for their salvation, it would have been appropriate for the Thessalonians to take up offerings to pay for their expenses. However, Paul and his team did not demand this benefit. Instead, they worked manual labor jobs and supported themselves.
Second, it refers to a level of authority which demands complete obedience. Paul and his team were ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as such they were in a position to command respect, reverence and a degree of authority. From this position of power, they could have made rigorous demands of the church. But again, Paul did not do that. 
He presented them with the gospel, he encouraged them, strengthened them, and corrected them in love. He watched over them tenderly like a nursing mother watches over her child. In other words, Paul and his team ministered to the Thessalonians in a modest and unassuming manner. Their ultimate goal was clearly the spiritual good of the believers; they put their own needs on the back burner in order to do the most good for the church.
This analogy makes sense, because Paul and his team were spiritual parents to these people:
- They travailed with the Thessalonians until they were born into the kingdom of heaven.
- They fed them with the milk of the word until they grew and matured in the faith.
- They did everything in their power build them up and give them every advantage in the spiritual realm.
- If necessary, Paul and his companions were ready to die for their spiritual sake, just as a mother would sacrifice herself for her child.
Clearly, this was not the conduct of false teachers or men who were looking for personal gain and fame.
I Thessalonians 2:8 – So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
The term ‘affectionately desirous’ goes back to the analogy of a mother – just as a mother yearns for her children when they are separated from her, so Paul yearned for the Thessalonian believers.
As discussed above, God’s ministers took the utmost delight in working among the church; they freely and fully labored for the spiritual good of them, without every taking an advantage for themselves.
In fact, as a loving parent, they were ready to ‘share’ their own selves or in other words, they were willing to suffer and even die so that the gospel might come to full fruition in the lives of the Thessalonians. There is no higher expression of love than to lay down one’s own life for someone else.
John 15:13 – Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Of course, Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of this principle!
John 10:17-18 – Therefore does my [Jesus] Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again. This command I received of my Father.
Let me offer you some encouragement:
Today’s post mentions the boldness of Paul and his companions in the preaching of the word, in spite of the very real possibility of physical, mental and social persecution. Their boldness was not just foolish daring; it was a spiritual boldness that came from Holy Spirit.
Christians in the early church prayed for boldness to declare the gospel:
Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness they may speak your word,
With that in mind, how can we pray for anything less? When was the last time you prayed for the kind of boldness that disregards pain, suffering and humiliation?
Let me offer you some relief and strength:
In the book of John, Jesus tells us that no man has greater love than to lay down his life for others.
Back in the early days of the church, this was often literal – the apostles and others were beaten, banished and martyred for spreading the gospel.
While that is still true in many parts of the world today, in the United States the odds of being martyred for the sake of the gospel are very low.
Yet, we can still ‘lay down’ our lives for others. Think of it this way – each of us has a finite amount of time on earth. Once you ‘spend’ you time, you never get it back.
Therefore, when we choose to spend time on our knees interceding for another, in a manner of speaking we are laying down our lives for them.
We can also lay down our lives by putting their spiritual welfare over our own desires.
For instance, you may choose to spend your free Saturday evenings hosting a bible study, or preaching on a street corner, or serving meals to the poor instead of going to the movies or reading a book. Or, you may decide to spend a day in fasting and prayer for revival.
Have you made any personal sacrifices this week? How are you laying down your lives for others and/or for the spread of the gospel?