“So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives.” (1 Thess. 2:8, NKJV)
My wife and I were seated in front of a door-to-door salesman. He was giving his spiel. It was early on in our marriage and there were no children demanding our attention. So the floor was all his. I don’t remember what he was selling but I do remember his approach, which was a full-court press.
He would ask us personal questions, such as where we were from or what our interests were, with an eye to identifying with us to create some sort of personal bond to exploit. At one point, he found out we were Christians. Later, when we showed resistance to his pitch, he explained that he, too, was a Christian and that saying prayers or whatever was very important to him.
The apostle Paul demonstrated a quite different approach with the Thessalonians. He did not feign interest in the people, nor did he try to badger them into the kingdom. His motive was not monetary gain or personal glory.
Paul presents his approach, beginning with what he did not do. “For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ” (1 Thess. 2:5–6).
He begins with “for” as a connection to what he has just said about being entrusted with the gospel. His call was from God and his goal was to please God. In the exercise of that call he was reliant on God in every way.
Paul did not manipulate his audience with the sales tactic of flattery. There was nothing pretentious about him by which he would try to soften people up. He did not abuse his power or position, although he could have made demands as an apostle.
But conversion to Christ does not work that way. We cannot twist someone’s arm to make them submit. Coercion cannot generate repentance, nor does it reach to the heart. Only the Spirit of God convicts of sin, convinces of the Savior, and converts into the kingdom of God. Only Jesus subdues us to himself and that with the sword of the Spirit not a sword of steel.
After making it clear what he did not do, the apostle describes the approach he did take. “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing 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 dear to us” (1 Thess. 2:7–8).
Paul describes himself as being gentle. We understand what he means by gentleness from the illustration he gives—as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. It’s not just a matter of not running roughshod over the Thessalonians or not being harsh or forceful. Rather, Paul speaks of the gentleness of a mother holding her baby in her arms. It communicates relationship, with its warmth, care, and tenderness.
Paul amplifies his point when he speaks of being affectionately longing for them, and ready to share not merely some product but his very self. He describes the Thessalonians as being dear to him. They were beloved to him and his co-laborers.
The apostle was driven not only by love for God but also by love for those loved by God. His motivation was not to line his own pockets or to lift his own name. He longed for spiritual life and health for the Thessalonians, and he knew the Spirit’s conduit to that.
How would longing for the welfare of others give you boldness in sharing the gospel of life?
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
