1 Thess. 2:1-12, The Best Preaching

Paul’s desire is that his ministry not be vain.  Paul wanted the good things God did in his short time with the Thessalonians to continue on into the future.  So what kind of ministry did Paul undertake to bring this about?


When Paul came to them he preached with boldness (v2).  Even though they had been mistreated in Philippi they did not ease up at the next stop.  They had courage.  They were not brash or abrasive.  Rather they spoke with freedom and clarity.  His ministry was also characterized by exhortation or persuasiveness (v3).  They were not deceitful but they did preach with emotion, with a strong appeal.

Another word to describe his ministry is “impart” (v8).  He was sharing the gospel, giving what he had to those who had nothing.  And he “proclaimed”, meaning he preached or announced the gospel.  

As important as it is that we “live” the gospel we see here that the gospel must be spoken.  Thus the best sermons:

·        Are spoken.  The lifestyle of the Christian is the platform for his preaching.

·        Are clearly spoken. 

·        Are courageously spoken.  Courage comes from one significant truth from God when He says, I am with you (Ac. 18:9-11; Mt. 28:19-20).

·        Are persuasively spoken.  A key to this is the use of Scripture in preaching the gospel.  Remember: the gospel itself is God’s power to salvation (Rom. 1:16f).

·        Are sincerely spoken.  This is the “life” issue.

·        Are preached!

A good preaching of the gospel is important.  But notice also the life-context out of which Paul spoke.  He uses three words in v2 to describe this: suffered, spitefully treated and conflict.  Paul fought the good fight (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7) and ran the race with patience (Hb. 12:1).  He had suffered in Philippi and yet continued to preach in the next city, Thessalonica.


We need to understand this, even in the USA where there is little physical abuse.  Still, the gospel carries a much stronger punch when our unsaved friends and relatives see its power in the afflictions of life rather than the successes of life.  Go back and read Acts 16:19-34 to see what Paul experienced at Philippi.  


Revolutionary ideas are often born in the academic environment, but Christianity grows in the fertile soil of the blood of its martyrs.  There is a great illustration of this in the birth of the English reformation in the 16^th century.  There was a group of men in 1521 who gathered at the White Horse Inn at Cambridge University, frequently discussing the reformation and teachings of Luther, Calvin and Zwingli.  What men are we speaking about?  Thomas Bilney, Robert Barnes, Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, William Tyndale, John Rogers, and Nicholas Ridley.


Those who need to know Christ will best hear of Him from His people whose afflictions bear testimony to the great hope we have in Him.