 |
Home | Mission Statement | Video Gallery | Audio Gallery | Photo Gallery | Daily Manna | Testimonies | | Links | Contact us |
 |
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things Phil 4:8 |
 |
| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Trying to Please Others BibleVerse:1 Thessalonians 2:5-9 "You know that we did not flatter anyone, and as God is our witness, we certainly were not motivated by greed. Nor were we seeking glory, from you or anyone else. We were commissioned by God Himself to act as His apostles, but did we strut around full of our own importance? You remember how we acted: as innocent as children, and as full of warmth and comfort as a mother towards her own family, because our affection for you was genuine. And you remember how we labored night and day, disregarding hardship, so that we wouldn’t be a burden to anyone. We gladly gave you not only God’s holy Word, but our own bodies and souls." Message:
Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he and his companions did not flatter anyone, and this brief remark speaks volumes about church life. It implies a message as vital today as it was then.
purity|St. Philomena
One overall sense we get from this section of Thessalonians is the importance Paul places on being true to God, not only in his general life, but particularly when he preaches the gospel and tries to win others over to Christ. This implies hortatory (that is, speech that tries to persuade someone to do something); he wants the Thessalonians to imitate him in this. He does not want them trying to win converts by any means except total honesty, or with any ulterior motive. The only permissible motive is love: love of God and love for the person being saved.
The social and economic aspects of Paul’s proselytizing are not readily apparent in the epistle. If you are trying to create a new organization, then as now, it is a big help to be popular, and especially with rich and influential people. The best way to grow membership is to tailor one’s message not to offend people and particularly not to offend the rich and powerful.
Any person who has a leadership role in any Christian organization will testify about the pressure to change, or at least soften, the message of the Bible so that the listeners are not offended. Consider how many churches today bow to pressure and avoid or misrepresent issues clearly stated in the Bible, because they are unpopular or conflict with peoples’ secular values. The variety of causes offended by the Bible spans a wide range: feminists, racists, free-love advocates, bankers, gay-rights folk, slaveholders, lawyers, and many many others. It was no different 2000 years ago; Paul faced the same pressures we face today.
Yet Paul later admitted to trying to please others. “I try to please people everyone in every way . . . so that they may be saved.” (1 Cor. 10:33) To Paul, however, “pleasing others” meant submitting ones’ person in a service to them, motivated by love. “We gladly gave you not only God’s holy Word, but our own bodies and souls.” It did not mean misstating God’s Word, because that would not be an act of love; it would lead the listener away from God which, in Paul’s mind, would be perhaps the most hateful thing one person could do to another.
And then flattery. Flattery is by definition dishonest. It is exactly the kind of ulterior motive he rails against in verses 3 and 4, a poison to evangelism, no matter how effectively it might increase the size and prestige of the Thessalonian church in the short run.
In summary, Paul exhorts the Thessalonians (by implication) to give of themselves to please others, as he had done, that they might be helped to find Christ. But he makes two exceptions: God’s word cannot be misstated to please the listener, and one cannot use dishonest means, such as flattery.
Meditation : “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Prayer : May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us, wherever He may send us. May He guide us through the wilderness, protect us through the storm. May He bring us home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown us. May He bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors. Amen. |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
