1 Thessalonians 2:1-7: Why Should I Believe You?

We are a suspicious people. To test the message, we scourge the messenger and see if he or she bleeds conflict of interest. Skepticism has become the public religion of choice, where the world is an advertisement and enlightenment is seeing through the pretense. "Life is pain, highness." says the movie The Princess Bride, "Anyone who says differently is selling something." So we resign ourselves to a wry grin of gentle cynicism--doubting and still wondering, "Is that all there is?" We hope not.

Paul notes that, when he arrived in Thessalonica, that his good news came "not only with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction." But that was not enough. They heard the truth, they had an intense encounter with God and they were profoundly challenged to reconsider the direction of their lives. Then, the next morning they work up, and they still thought it was good idea to plunge into this Jesus-life after Paul and Silas.

Why? Love. They had seen authentic love first hand.

You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 

They knew what happened. They knew how Paul and Silas acted. Paul does not appeal to an abstract idea of love, he points to love in action and asks them to judge for themselves: was it real?

What was the first clue that Paul and Silas really cared about them? Trouble followed Paul and Silas but that didn't stop them. It would have been easy for them to simply stay silent and go on their way. But their love compelled them to speak because the message was so important.

So, cynic, what else would it take to convince you? Paul continues:

For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.

Here we find another clue about the nature of authentic love: it has no hidden agenda. Everything that Paul wanted to tell them about Jesus' life, sacrifice on their behalf, return to life, and about the new kingdom life, it was all on the table. The people could clearly see that Paul and Silas weren't following Jesus in order to get a free pass to an easy life. There was no money or prestige involved in giving the gospel.

There is another, related clue about authentic love here also: Paul notes that "nor are we trying to trick you" and "we never used flattery." There was no manipulation. Yes, they spoke about the about Jesus with passion, but they didn't try to arm-twist people into the kingdom of God.

Finally, there is one more clue:

We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you.

Now the cynic in us would say that Paul and Silas didn't really care about the people of Thessalonica, they only wanted people to say how smart or spiritual they were. Or maybe that, by converting the people there, they were just adding another notch in their gospel gun. Or maybe they were looking to expand their influence in the area.

Instead Paul uses another family image: that of children. Up to this point, he has characterized their relationship as "brothers and sisters". Later, he will use the image of "father" and "mother". But here, he talked about children. In this context, he contrasts what they could have done ("asserted our authority") with what they did ("were like young children among you"). Authentic love is not pushy. Instead, they were humble (see also, v. 17 where they are "orphans").

There is no substitute for authenticity. We can try to manufacture it, but live in a society will strip away any veneer and turn away in disappointment. Do you love the people you live among? Or, are they useful? "They will know we are Christians by our _______." Distance? Hypocrisy? Pushiness? Or by the same authentic love that Jesus shows for us.