Leadership Lessons from Paul, Part 2 - 1&2 Thessalonians

Leadership Relevancy

Well, it occurs to me that I should say something about ‘pastoral leadership.’ You may think this is not relevant to you, or me. But I would challenge you on that: are we not called to disciple others? The Great Commission is in each of the four gospels and says to make disciples, not converts. Disciples spend time with others and learn from each other, as Paul did in his ‘co-mission’ with Christ. Any group that we belong to is an opportunity to be a model of Christ for others to see, to share our lives and be accountable, to train others up in faith and love. Let’s not stutter about and say that we are not leaders or not worthy of such things. If you are a mom or dad, if you are a grandparent, spouse or teacher, this is what you do daily. Don’t discount what you are doing for your family. If you are not any of those, you may be a boss or co-worker and the people that you see at work are still looking around and may notice if you are Christian or not. You stop to have coffee with them and they notice that you don’t swear or have binge drinking fests every night. Yep, it happens even when folks are out of university. (Yes, I have worked with teachers who came in at lunch hour complaining that they were still hungover from the night before. No judgement, just a complete lack of understanding on how that would be desirable for anyone, let alone someone who had a class full of second graders.) These are opportunities to show who we are and eventually open about why we are. If you are a supervisor, you have daily opportunities to choose pastoral leadership rather than managerial supervision. Why not try something of Paul’s lessons this week? That is a bit longer than I anticipated, but I hope it is clear that no matter what role or roles we have, we are always in a position to carry out the lessons that Paul shares in his letters to the Thessalonians.

So, the lessons that I want to highlight today from these books are that he is thankful for others, aims to please God and not man, he is concerned that he labors in vain and not in Christ, and he shares the gospel.

Leadership: Thankful for others

Many of us are thankful for our situations and the good things that happen. It is hard when the people that surround us are a patootie and a half. But Paul repeatedly gives thanks for the Thessalonians. In all likelihood there were several that got his last nerve. Considering that he also wrote to set several of them straight, they were likely the troublemakers that he had already dealt with in person. Even one can make life difficult. I worked with one guy who always let any little thing throw him off his game and complained the rest of the day. I have hung out with people who were constant critiques of everything around them from the buildings and furniture to the clothes and makeup others wore. It was draining and I had to constantly bolster myself and sometimes all I could repeat in my head was ‘Come Lord Jesus, give me patience,’ over and over. But I knew that I needed to be thankful for these people too, not just the ones who make my life easier. I learned not to take for granted the people that were working around me, and even listed out uplifting responses to things in an effort to change the traditional direction of conversations. It is easier when I interact with ‘difficult’ Christians, as I know that they are tuned in to him and will speak his truth…however occasional that may be. I thank him for the work he is doing in each person and the example they may give us in how He works. However, I think more than anything the reward of obedience in thanking Him for all things, all people, all circumstances is worth any of the discomfort in the meantime. Paul thanked God for the people and encourages us to thank God always. (1 Thess 1:2, 3:9, 5:18; 2 Thess 1:3; 2:13)

Leadership: Aiming to please God, not man

In all our work, we know that we do not have to please others, but we often seek to anyway. We start by pleasing parents and continue by pleasing teachers and professors, then bosses and spouses. However, that is not actually Biblical. Of course, we should seek to get along with everyone, but the expectations that we should seek to fulfill are those of God, and others do not have the same perspective we do on that. Paul outlines the difficulties of pleasing God and not man in 1 Thessalonians 2:2-7. He was opposed in his work but chose not to use trickery or put on masks in dealing with others. He did not go with the flow and he did not leave when others did not like him. He dug in and set about doing God’s work and sought to please only Him.

Paul was also very concerned with making sure he was doing God’s work, pleasing Him. I guess more than anything, this reminds me, as my inbox is bombarded with 2020 calendars and organizer advertisements, that we should consider if and how we are fulfilling God’s will in our lives and work. Are we doing what God wants for us, or is that we were doing that and now that has changed? We all have phases and times in our lives and maybe this is a time of change for you. It has been for me this year, moving countries, setting blogging goals, do I look for a job or not? But there have been times when things just keep on keeping on, and even then, we need to seek God and his will for us. Paul was strong and doesn’t seem like the kind of person who was a people-pleaser; but some of us are. I think we can take strength in Paul if that is the case. Paul moved with God and we do too, so we are never alone in our going against the grain.

Leadership: Labor in the Lord, not in vain

Similarly, Paul is concerned that he labors in vain and not in Christ. He does take stock of his completed work and decide that it is well. He takes it a step farther though; he seeks to know that it continues on to fruit. To labor in vain is an expression for ‘failure.’ I’m not sure that I really understood the strength of the expression, I rather thought it was a softening of the word and not such a stark truth. Afterall, we either fail or not, there is no partial failure. I was just involved in a discussion about someone doing their ‘part’ of a job and passing it on to the next person. Sounds fine, but the second person to take it up in the process may have to come back to the first for alterations and corrections. The first person should be sure not to labor in vain, that there are no errors or incomplete actions to be re-viewed before passing on. Maybe this is something related to taking pride in our work, and knowing that it is the best possible, and done with Christ. Our work is rarely done in a vacuum, someone else generally takes up the next portion or implements our plans or carries on where we left off. Have we labored in vain and others must undo and redo what was already done? Paul expresses concern that he would have to start over, or someone would need to, in 1 Thessalonians 3:5. He took responsibility for the effectiveness of his work and the response and development that others made based on his work. He sent Timothy to check on his work because he wanted to be sure of the success of the gospel.

Leadership: Preach the gospel

Paul was a church-planter; he evangelized and discipled people. So, he naturally shared the gospel. For many years I never really wanted to do that. I don’t think I am an evangelist. But I am a discipler, a disciple-maker, as we discussed in part 1 of Paul’s pastoral lessons. That means that we all have to speak truth, speak Biblically. In those coffee conversations with colleagues and the decisions the family makes, we are called to share the gospel. I don’t pretend to say it is always easy. Sometimes it is. Sometimes we know what the Bible says because just yesterday we read that in our morning devotional, or we got an email that said just that a few minutes ago. More we immerse ourselves in His word, more often we will have the response because we know what God would say. We may have few chances to lead someone to Christ, but we have many to share the faith, hope, and love of Christ with others. I believe that is why Paul stayed with the Thessalonians. It takes a moment to share the gospel or preach and have ‘converts’, but it takes time to share the love, faith, and hope of Christ.

Paul’s lessons on Biblical leadership are not easy to embrace, but I find it affirming to see another Christian who seeks to be so Christ-like, that just maybe I can too - without laboring in vain.