“The Care of A Nursing Mother and Exhorting Father”
In this message we continue to enter into 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Even reading the section headings of this message is touching and enlightening.
They are:
I. A NORMAL LIFE
II. THE FOSTERING OF A HOLY LIFE FOR THE CHURCH LIFE
III. THE APOSTLES’ ENTRANCE
IV. SPEAKING THE GOSPEL IN MUCH STRUGGLE
V. HONEST AND FAITHFUL
VI. APPROVED BY GOD
VII. NO FLATTERY OR PRETEXT
VIII. NOT SEEKING GLORY FROM MEN
IX. NOT STANDING ON THEIR DIGNITY
X. CHERISHING THE BELIEVERS
XI. IMPARTING THEIR OWN SOULS
XII. THE APOSTLES’ CONDUCT
XIII. A FATHER EXHORTING HIS CHILDREN
XIV. WALKING WORTHILY OF GOD
XV. A GOOD PATTERN
Praise Lord! ~ for allowing me another day, A New Day!!
Today, as I read the related Scripture, 1 Thes. 2:11, “Just as you know how we were to each one of you, as a father to his own children, exhorting you and consoling you and testifying,” I was touched with the verse, and then I’ve got the desire to nourish young believers like a tender mother and exhorting and consoling father!
Reading the outlines from top to the bottom,I came to realize the burden and desire and heart of apostle Paul as well as his labor toward the believers in Thessalonians. In order to serve the saints for their growth in life, first we should know that Christian life is not a miraculous but normal. YES! It’s a Normal life, A Normal church life! Therefore we believers should read the bible day by day including Life-study, chapter by chapter! This will lead us into the holy life for the church life. The apostle Paul entered to foster saints for this Holy life for the Church life. But before he was entrusted with God to preach the Gospel, he passed through the examination, the test from God. He was approved as a honest and faithful slave to please God, not to do men. There were neither flattery nor pretext in him, not to mention the unrelated to seeking glory from men and standing on his dignity.
Rather he cherished the believers like a mother with a tender heart. Even he was willing to impart his own soul for them! Here we can see the good pattern of walking worthy of God, not walking by the flesh in Paul and other apostles. I’ve got a warning not to take a glory from men! If we’d like to take glory from men, we’ll be devoured by the Satan, devil. So in 1 Thes. 2:12 tells us “So that you might walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own Kingdom and glory.” Amen!!
Throughout the centuries the human mind has been interested in things that are fantastic, miraculous, and supernatural. However, miraculous things do not last. But a work that is carried out by a proper living will last.
God’s salvation enables us to live a normal life. We should live a normal life, not a miraculous, supernatural life. A proper life for the church life must be common, regular, and normal. Such a life is characterized by turning to God from idols, serving the living God, and waiting for the coming back of the Lord Jesus. To have this kind of life means that nothing on earth occupies us. We are free from all idols, from all things other than God, and we are occupied by the living God Himself. This living God is testified in our daily life. We have a life which testifies that the God whom we serve is living; our goal, hope, and expectation are not related to things on earth, but are focused on the coming back of our Lord Jesus. A life with these three characteristics is a proper Christian life as a testimony to our God.
Lord cause and constrain all the saints in Your recovery to live such a life for Your testimony. Lord Jesus we Love You.
God knew what kind of person we would be even before we were born, so why does He still test us? He tests us to prove us to ourselves. We do not know ourselves; we may think that we are faithful, trustworthy, honest, but when God tests us, we realize that we are not. After God proves us we shall have approvedness.
“God cannot entrust anything to us until we have the approvedness that comes from His testing. God’s entrusting is based on our approvedness. But we cannot approve ourselves. Only after God has tested us will He grant us approvedness. Then He will entrust something to us and begin to use us.”
I really enjoyed the matter of living a normal life to be a proper pattern.
There are so many things that occupy us. Oh may we daily turn from the idols that distract us from the Lord that we may serve a LIVING God!
The only way to be freed from all the idols is to allow Jesus Christ to live in you. He is the only one that is occupied by God alone. He is also the proper pattern for the new believers. I want to stop trying to DO what the Lord has already DONE.
To walk worthily of God is ACTUALLY to LIVE GOD. Only a life that lives God is worthy of God. When we live God, we walk worthily of Him.
Aren’t you so glad that Christ lives in you?? Hallelujah!
This weekend in the Spanish Speaking Conference in Southern California, I was really impressed with the matter of being a proper person in order to set a pattern for the next generation. The brothers shared the example of Paul in 1 Thessalonians. The brothers shared that what preserved those believers in such an ungodly city was the apostle’s pattern. This word was confirmed to me today by the reading of this message.
“It was not only what the apostles said, but also what they were… They were a pattern of how to believe in the Lord and follow Him. Because many came to believe in the Lord Jesus through the apostles, a church was raised up in less than a month. This happened not mainly as a result of preaching and teaching, but through the kind of entrance the apostles had among the Thessalonians”. (cf. 1 Thess. 1:5; 2:1)
May our children see such kind of cherishing mothers and exhorting fathers who live God, who live in the principle of regeneration, in their mingled spirit, and become such patterns for their children and our younger generation in the church to be preserved from this evil generation.
I enjoyed what was brought out about the third aspect of the Holy life for the church life: Fostering. We can see such a great pattern in Paul as he cares for the believers: I particularly enjoyed that the apostles “imparted their own souls”, they loved the new converts by giving their own souls to them. “The apostles were willing to impart what they were into the believers. This can be compared to a nursing mother giving herself to her child.” ‘Yearning in this way over you, we were well pleased to impart not only the gospel of God but also our own souls because you became beloved to us.’
“…many Christians have no sense of direction. The reason for this lack of direction is that they do not have a proper pattern (105).” Wow!….and, yes, this is so true…there are some saints that when I just spend some time with them I know how to go on 🙂
Amen 🙂
Praise the Lord that we can not only read but also see and fallow patterns among us! May the Lord make us also patterns for others.
I was really touched by, “The seeking of glory for the self always kills one’s usefulness.” “They were not to remind others of the fact that they were apostles of Christ. Instead, they were to keep in mind that they wee brothers serving believers.” This was so sweet. Lord may we all follow such a pattern.
I really enjoyed the section on cherishing the believers. Especially when it followed the section on not standing on their dignity!
If we consider, what kind of dignity does a nursing mother have? If she was a child of a new born, she really is serving her child as a slave. Paul considered himself a nursing mother!
Wow, how we need to take this as our attitude. In fact, take Christ as our person! Take the inward parts of Christ.
It made me realise how short I am. How I need this kind of affection towards the ones I care for.
1 Thes. 2:1-12
Paul likens the apostles both to a nursing mother and to an exhorting father. They cared for the new believers just as parents care for their children, fostering their growth. Nurturing the new believers to live a holy life for the church life. A pattern for us to follow.
“Even though Paul was a brother, he considered himself a nursing mother. Surely, he had no thought of position, dignity, or authority. The thought of being a nursing mother is very different from the thought of dignity or position.”
Wow! What a message! I was impress with the following paragraph:
“How much we shall be used by the Lord and how long our usefulness will last depends on whether we seek glory of men. If we seek glory, our usefulness in the hand of the Lord is finished. The seeking of glory for the self always kills one’s usefulness. Therefore, may we all, especially the young, be warned never to seek glory in the Lord’s work.”
What a sober word for us to hear…Lord keep using us and save us from seeking the glory of men!
Lord Jesus, give us such an entrance among the new believers and fellow saints! Save us from the love and temptation of money and grant us a cherishing and exhorting heart for one another!
I appreciated that the apostle Paul was entrusted with the gospel because of his approval, or testing, by God. We need trials and testing in order to be approved by God. The trials are necessary because we do not know where we are spiritually until we go through the trials.
Only when the matter of money is “under our feet” can we be proper patterns to the young believers.
“God’s testing is not mainly for Himself; it is primarily for us.” The tests in our life and the struggles we go through is not for God to test us. God already knows who we are, He’s known before we were born and even before the world began. These tests and trials are for us. They are to expose us of who we are and reveal to us that we are not adequate and should have no confidence in ourselves. After God’s testing we realize how much we need God and from there we can be useful. The Lord uses these situation for the purpose of entrusting us and being useful to Him. Lord Jesus, give you ever trail, struggle, and test that You would gain us and gain what you’re after through us!
God’s salvation enable us to live a normal life, not miraculous, supernatural life. Such a life is characterized by turning to God from idols, serving the living God, and waiting for the coming back o our Lord Jesus.
Wonderful points in this message,
“God’s salvation enables us to live a normal life…Christians should live a normal life, not a miraculous, supernatural life. Therefore, a proper life for the church life must be common, regular, and normal.”
“To have this kind of life means that nothing on earth occupies us…we are occupied by the living God”! 🙂
A WARNING to all of us; *”To seek glory of men is a real temptation to every Christian worker. Many have been devoured and spoiled in this matter.” (In reference to 1 Thess 2:6 “Nor did we seek glory from men…”)
“How much we shall be used by the Lord and how long our usefulness will last depends on whether we seek glory of men.”
“The seeking of glory for the self always kills one’s usefulness. Therefore, may we all, especially the young, be warned never to seek glory in the Lord’s work.”
I enjoyed that we should not seek glory from man and seek to please man. But we need to please God! We need to be proper patterns to the young believers! First we should not have flattering speech or pretext for covetousness and not seeking glory from man (if we do, our usefulness will be killed). We should be cherishing mothers and exhorting fathers to the new coverts to walk worthily of God. To walk worthily of God is related to enter into the kingdom and glory. 🙂
I was really impressed with the fact that the apostle did not boast in the “works of power” or the miracles they performed while being among the Thessalonians – Paul emphasized his entrance, his way of living. In Paul Christ lived and God was expressed – his living was the gospel! He didn’t seek base gain, he didn’s speak things to deceive others, but rather he was approved by God and not seeking to please man! Wow… What a pattern! It is GOD who proves our heart – and our speaking is based upon His testing, proving, and entrusting.
As such ones, the apostles cared for the new believers to the uttermost – they didn’t just cherish and nourish them but also imparted to them their God-constituted being, their very souls! What a pattern – what a model to follow!
In verse 4 we see that we must be approved and then have something entrusted to us. Then we need to speak as pleasing God, the One who proves us. This indicates that we need to pass through testing, approving, and entrusting. Then we shall have something to preach and teach. Praise the Lord through testing we experience the Triune God!
Oh Lord Jesus, thank you for removing our veils away.
I was impressed with the following:
The apostles were first tested and approved by God and then were entrusted by Him with the gospel.
God’s testing is not mainly for Himself; it is primarily for US.
Oh Lord have mercy on us.
GOD KNOWS US, but WE DO NOT KNOW OURSELVES. Because we do not know ourselves adequately, we may think that we are upright, honest and faithful. However, WHEN WE ARE PUT TO TEST, WE SHALL SEE WHAT WE REALLY ARE and discover that in ourselves WE ARE NOT,honest, faithful or trustworthy. God cannot entrust anything to us until we have the approvedness that comes form His testing.
Lord Jesus, keep speaking to all of us, and remove all the veils away. Make your home in our hearts.
🙂 Amen. We do not really know ourselves, He tests us so that we may see who we are. Praise The Lord, it does not end there. We do not simply get scared by seeing our self but He ushers us INTO Himself once He comes to visit us in our condition.
To have this kind of life means that nothing on earth occupies us. We are free from all idols, from all things other than God, and we are occupied by the living God Himself. Hallelujah!! Furthermore, our goal, hope, and expectation are not related to things on earth, but are focused on the coming back of the Lord Jesus.
What a wonderful living!! To have nothing occupy our being but the Living God and to have all our focus, purpose, and living on Christ’s return! Amen!!
“God’s salvation enables us to live a normal life. This is a strong testimony of the gospel. Christians should live a normal life, not a miraculous, supernatural life. Therefore, a proper life for the church life must be common, regular, and normal. Such a life is characterized by turning to God from idols, serving the living God, and waiting for the coming back of the Lord Jesus. To have this kind of life means that nothing on earth occupies us. We are free from all idols, from all things other than God, and we are occupied by the living God Himself. This living God is testified in our daily life. We have a life which testifies that the God whom we serve is living. Furthermore, our goal, hope, and expectation are not related to things on earth, but are focused on the coming back of the Lord Jesus. A life with these three characteristics is a proper Christian life as a testimony to our God.”
I am an older sister and another sister and I are endeavoring to read together. We both were so convicted with the Lord’s speaking concerning seeking glory from men, and other matters touching who we are and our being. We need the Lord to replace, remodel us into Himself. May the germs be exterminated in us and we become those who are worthy of God by living Him. We were reminded of the song by Watchman Nee… Let me love and not be respected; let me serve and not be rewarded; Let me labor and not be remembered;…
Paul was like a parent caring for his children. He was really a pattern to us in our service in the church. Never assume dignity/position or assert authority if one is appointed position in a service. We serve the church as a slave. Paul regarded himself as a cherishing one, not merely as one who serves. May the Lord continue to replace us with Himself as we go on with our living. Amen!
I think the burden of this message (based on Brother Chris Wilde’s video fellowship) is that the living or person of the apostles is the key to their preaching the gospel and fostering the believers. O Lord, our living! Save us from the peril of emptiness to really experience all these truths in our living!