In this enlightening episode, we delve into 1 Thessalonians 2, guided by guest reader Dr. Donald Sweeting, who brings to life the powerful message of this Pauline letter. Host Alan J. Huth shares personal reflections from his decades-long journey through the Bible, exploring themes of integrity, faithfulness, and the importance of boldly sharing the gospel. As we journey through Paul’s message to the Thessalonians, we are encouraged to evaluate our own lives and consider how we, too, can walk in a manner worthy of God’s calling.
00:00:08 Introduction to Add Bible and Speaker Introduction
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 02 :
Today we are in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. We’ll listen to our guest reader, Dr. Donald Sweeting, president of Colorado Christian University, read the 19 verses of 1 Thessalonians chapter 2.
SPEAKER 03 :
The first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. Chapter 2. For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 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. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God, who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed. God is witness. 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. 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.” For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you while we proclaim to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each of you, and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out and displeased God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved.” so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God’s wrath has come upon them at last. But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person, not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, again and again. But Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.
SPEAKER 02 :
In 1992, I read 1 Thessalonians chapters 1 and 2 on the same day. Concerning chapter 2, I wrote, How to act devoutly, uprightly, and blamelessly. And I was referring to verse 10. Referring to verse 12, I wrote, Walk in a manner worthy of God. And related to verse 13, I wrote, Word of God, not word of men. And looking in my journal in 1993, I have a confession to make. I noticed that I read 1 Thessalonians 1 on a Friday, and I read 1 Thessalonians 2 on a Monday. So did I really skip two days of daily Bible reading? Yes, friends, I do confess that I do miss days once in a while over four decades of Bible reading. These journals reveal this to me. On Saturday mornings, I often go to a Gideon prayer breakfast where we read a portion of scripture every day. So I do get my daily Bible reading in when I go to a Gideon prayer breakfast. And I indicated on this Saturday that I did that. So I did enjoy a portion of God’s word that day. On Sunday, I actually gave a message in a church. I spoke in two services that Sunday morning. So I was in the Word in that way, but it doesn’t appear that I had a daily quiet time on that Sunday morning. I confess these things to you just so you can see that I too miss a day or two once in a while. I hope that doesn’t become an excuse for you, though. I had a good friend of mine once tell me, if you miss reading the scriptures on weekends, you miss a hundred days a year. So, I encourage you not to take the weekends off. I don’t do it anymore. I haven’t done it in decades. So back to 1 Thessalonians 2 in 1993. I wrote, “…just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak.” And I was referring to verse 4. “…thank you, Lord, for entrusting me to speak. Help me never take it for granted or misuse the privilege.” And then I referred to verse 7, gentle among you, exhort, encourage, implore. And that was verse 11. And then verse 13, God’s message. You accepted it not as words of men, but for what it really is, the word of God. On to 1994. When I read this chapter, I wrote, need to speak gospel amid opposition and with boldness, not as men pleasers, but as God pleasers. Then I refer to verse 13, a good verse to use in Scripture distribution. In chapter 2, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they, these apostles, were empowered by God to share what they shared when they were there. Let’s look at verse 4. “…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.” That verse is very important to me. I have the chance to stand in pulpits all over the world on behalf of the Gideons International and on behalf of the Ezra Project and share with people. I have been given the privilege to be entrusted with the gospel. So I speak. What a privilege. What an honor. Even in these recordings to speak to you. Been entrusted with the word of God and I take it very seriously. As Paul, Silas, and Timothy shared the gospel, they didn’t seek glory from people. They were gentle among them, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. They were ready to share not only the gospel, but their own selves. Through this chapter, we can see that Paul, Silas, and Timothy poured themselves out to the people of Thessalonica. Verse 10 says, “…how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.” Verse 12 says, We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God. And the people of Thessalonica received that message. Look at verse 13. When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but as for what it really is, the word of God. Folks, that’s a powerful statement about what the Bible is. It’s not the words of men, it is the word of God. And Paul closes the chapter by reminding them that they were torn away from those in Thessalonica. They had to flee. In the introduction of this book, We were reminded that where Paul stayed in the house of Jason, his house was ransacked and these guys were basically run out of town. In verse 17, he says, but since we were torn away from you. So he reminds him of that circumstance and he tells them they long to come back. But for whatever reason, Satan has hindered him from doing so. Remember in our book introduction, we said generally the church of Thessalonica was doing fine, but they were concerned about the persecution that was still going on there, and they were disappointed that Paul himself had not returned to Thessalonica. So Paul is giving them the reasons why. As we close out chapter 2, let’s think about a couple of things. You have been entrusted with the gospel. Oh, you may not preach in churches, you may not speak like I do, but all of us who are Christians have been entrusted with the gospel. And so we get opportunity to speak, not to please men, but to please God. I don’t know what your family’s like. I don’t know what your workplace is like. I don’t know if you feel pressure if you were to try to share the gospel with somebody. I don’t know any of those things, but I know that you are entrusted with the gospel. And God tests our hearts. Are we willing to stand up for the Lord? If so, we do it as we’ve learned in this chapter. Holy, righteous, and blameless should our conduct be. Sharing our faith does not have to be argumentative. We are to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. So in a minute, we’re going to pray for boldness for all of us who have been entrusted with the gospel to share it if God asks us to with those around us. How did the church at Thessalonica grow? People shared their faith with others. Is your church growing? Are people in your church sharing their faith with others? Do you see people come to Christ? Do you see new people visiting your church? Paul, Silas, and Timothy shared the gospel. That’s why we’re reading 1 Thessalonians today. Let’s pray. Lord, we see in these first couple of chapters of 1 Thessalonians that Paul, Silas, and Timothy shared the gospel and they were run out of town for doing so. But that didn’t hinder them from sharing the gospel in the next town and the next town and going back to some of the very places they were run out of and sharing the gospel again and again. Lord, many of us have become complacent. Some of us have never shared the gospel with someone else. So we pray for holy boldness, Lord. As we have been entrusted with your gospel, so we speak. Holy Spirit, open doors around us so we can share what you have given to us. Most of us care deeply about lost souls around us. Give us boldness to share our faith with someone else today. And Lord, as we do, remind us to be holy, righteous, and blameless before you and before those we share with. Make sure we are walking in a manner worthy of the gospel we are proclaiming. Work through us, Lord. We don’t want any glory. We want to turn the glory to you. And we’ll know that happens if you allow us to share the gospel with someone else. To God be the glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. We started on radio on October 1st, 2024. I hope you noticed some differences in AdBible from other programs. For example, we are fully committed to the Word of God. That’s why we play full chapters on the air, not sound bites. It takes a lot of our program time, but it’s my belief it’s more important for you to hear the Word of God than me. You may also have figured out by now I’m not a pastor, just a layman like most of you. So these recordings are not based on sermons. They’re based on my personal walk through the Bible over several decades of my life. Therefore, AdBible is a unique perspective of how the Bible impacts life, not a teaching series you get at your church. I share personal Bible reading journal entries from my life, from my journals, I’ve never thought would ever be shared with anybody. What I share are raw, authentic notes from Bible intersections of my own life. My life is no different from yours, so I hope the stories and applications I share are relevant to your life as well. I hope you are enjoying this unique radio program and therefore will help us stay on the air. We have so much more to share. Visit EzraProject.net and donate today. Or send a check to the Ezra Project 1399 South Havana Street, Suite 201E, Aurora, Colorado, 80012. That’s Ezra Project 1399 South Havana Street, Suite 201E, Aurora, Colorado, 80012. When you do, I will send you your first copy of A Day by Day Through the Bible book. There are 11 books in the series, so I will surprise you with one of my choosing. Or, after you donate at EzraProject.net, look at our resource page, pick a book you want, and let me know your choice at the contact section on our website. We are happy to send you the book of your choice. I know you’re going to enjoy it. And want to share it with others.
