Approval is something we all seek. Those of you who are parents can probably point to many daily examples of your children seeking approval from you. "Mom, look at how many steps I can jump from! Dad, watch me dive off the diving board! Grampa, watch me make Grandma scream!"
As an adult, I have come to realize that I frequently seek the approval of my wife and my children. I care about the opinions of others, but I care about the opinions of my household more. But even though we all care about the opinions of other people, to one degree or another, it isn't the approval of our contemporaries that we're called to live for. Scripture teaches us that God's approval is what matters most.
When Paul and Silas were preaching in Thessalonica, they dealt with opposition. Their ministry, however, still produced converts, and there were plenty of people in that city who disliked that immensely. In an effort to discredit Paul and Silas, their critics worked diligently to slander them. I'm assuming that they thought they could discredit the message of the gospel if they were able to cast doubt on the messengers of the Lord who came proclaiming it.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Paul addresses some of the accusations that were brought against him and those who were serving alongside him. In doing so, he also gives us a great picture of what it looks like to truly live for God's approval. Based on this text, let me suggest a few questions I think we can ask ourselves to help determine if we are truly seeking the approval of God.
I. How are you measuring what it means to succeed?
“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. ”
I enjoy reading the thoughts of many prolific authors. Many of the books I have read in recent decades have dealt with the subject of leadership. Because I want to be a good leader, I try to fill my head with the wisdom and counsel of people who have demonstrated that they understand the nature of good leadership.
Many leadership authors make heavy use of the word "success." And depending on their worldview, it's clear that they define that word differently. If they embrace an "earthly" worldview, they tend to view success by the metric of worldly achievement that can be quantified in numbers. If they embrace a "biblical" worldview, they tend to view success by the metric of faithfulness to God regardless of the outcome or visible results.
Paul measured success by the metric of faithfulness to God that produced spiritual fruit. Regarding his visit to Thessalonica, some of his critics may have been stating that his visit to that city was useless, but Paul knew otherwise. When he came to the city, there was no church. When he left the city, a young church filled with growing believers had been established. It was clear that the Lord was blessing his efforts.
And keep in mind that Paul's efforts to proclaim the gospel were frequently opposed. He mentions the fact that he and Silas were treated shamefully in Philippi, before they came to Thessalonica. In fact, Acts 16 tells us that the authorities there stripped off their garments, beat them with rods, threw them in prison, and locked their feet in stocks. But even in the midst of that experience, many people in that city, including the jailer, came to faith in Christ. The seed of the gospel was bearing fruit, and Paul was measuring success by his faithfulness to the Lord's calling on his life, not on whether or not the cities he visited threw him a parade or made things easy for him.
II. Have you examined your motives for what you're doing?
“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 man, 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. ”
One of the most common ways people in every era are deceived is through false teachers who are trying to obtain money. In Paul's era, there were people doing that by traveling town-to-town where they would fleece trusting people. In our era, that's still taking place. In fact, it may be taking place even more than it was then since we have so many forms of media that can be exploited by someone looking to obtain dishonest gain.
But Paul's motives weren't tied to dishonesty. Even though the people who were slandering him and Silas were likely trying to portray their motives in a bad light, Paul explained that those accusations failed to understand what motivated his preaching.
Paul stressed that he was not motivated by error, impurity, deception, pleasing man, or greed. These are the types of things that motivate many people, but that wasn't what motivated him. In fact, the scars on his body, his arrest record, and his willingness to fund much of his ministry through his trade of tent-making, all helped testify to the validity of his claim.
People are motivated by all sorts of things. The following ad once appeared in a London newspaper: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful." The ad was signed by Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer. Amazingly, the ad drew thousands of respondents, eager to sacrifice everything for the prospect of meaningful adventure. -Today In The Word, August, 1989, p. 33
As Paul stated in this passage, he knew the Lord tests the motives of our hearts. It was clear that the Lord was pleased to entrust the message of the gospel to Paul, and Paul continued to proclaim it earnestly, without fear of the harm that might come to him at the hands of his detractors.
How often do we examine our motives? Why are we doing what we're doing? Would we be comfortable exposing our hearts openly before the Lord and asking him to test us?
"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24)
III. Are you seeking glory for yourself?
“Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. ”
The Lord has created us to give Him glory. All aspects of our lives should be focused on doing that very thing. In the early church, Paul had been granted authority as an apostle. He had seen the risen Christ and been trained by Him before beginning his church planting ministry (Galatians 1:11-17). But Paul didn't use his authority or title to make demands. He also didn't use his experience with Christ as a means through which he could obtain glory for himself.
Naturally speaking, we are prone to want glory. In fact, isn't that what motivated Satan to rebel against the Lord? Satan coveted God's glory and wanted it for himself, so he rebelled and has been convincing people to give him glory ever since.
The other day, I saw a video of a famous athlete bragging about the fact that he owns cars that cost more than most people's homes. It wasn't a flattering video, in my opinion, but I guess the athlete that posted it didn't feel ashamed. He wanted glory, and if he wasn't getting enough from others, he planned to give himself even more.
One day the great Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo happened to overhear a group of people admiring his Pieta, a statue of Christ on His mother's knees after His death on the cross. One man attributed the work to another sculptor, much to the chagrin of Michelangelo, who took particular pride in the Pieta.
Returning to the sculpture after dark that evening, Michelangelo carved his name on it so that no similar mistake would occur in the future. -Today in the Word August 11, 1992
If we're living for the Lord's approval, we won't attempt to rob Him of His glory by seeking glory for ourselves.
IV. Have you come to serve or be served?
“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.”
One of the most amazing things about Jesus that encourages my heart, is the fact that He was willing to come to this earth and serve people who weren't grateful for Him. He served those who never felt the need to thank Him. He didn't come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
It was clear that Paul had been trained by Christ, because he was ministering in that same spirit. He reminded the Thessalonians that when he was among them, he served them gently like a mother caring for her infants. He not only took time to share the gospel with them, but also his life because they were dear to him.
That's a great reminder to us as we seek to do the Lord's work in our generation. He's not only calling us to share the gospel with others, but to also share our lives. We're called to sacrifice our time for the sake of others as we joyfully serve them and give Christ glory.
Children demand to be served. Mature adults go out of their way to serve others. In fact, one of the most obvious marks of spiritual maturity is a heart of service. This became clear to me when I was a young pastor. In the church I was leading, there was a small group of people who volunteered their time to serve, and they rarely complained. The majority of complaints came from those who thought it was their right to be served, and when they didn't get their way, everyone knew about it.
As men and women who have been transformed by Christ, we're called to live for God's approval. The way we measure success, the motives for what we're doing, the glory we give, and the manner in which we serve, should all reflect the heart of Christ who lives within us.
© John Stange, 2020
