Leadership Lessons from Paul, Part 4 - 1&2 Thessalonians

Biblical Leadership

I guess I am amazed at how many important aspects Paul shares about Biblical leadership. I’ve got over 15 just from 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and I am trying to limit these to finishing today. I suppose that some are gifts or natural to some of us and others we have to work on, with those lists being different for each of us. We will have our natural strengths and weaknesses in any role we carry out. I wonder which things Paul had to work on. I hope I remember to ask him one day. Paul is a person who is gentle and not overbearing, he has a strong prayer life, he corrects others, and his walk credits him with respect.

Leadership: Gentleness

Paul is gentle in his interactions with others, even comparing himself to a young child and a nursing mother. Isn’t that quite a picture? A grown man who used to persecute Christians compares himself to a young child or nursing mother! He really must have become a new person when Jesus came into him and the Holy Spirit began to work. But we also know in 1 Thess 4:1, he instructed before and now asks and urges people to do. It is gentle to instruct first, and not presume; then to ask for things to be done and to urge them on. There is no demanding or overbearing attitude in these words. There seems to be a quiet strength in them. In 2 Thess 3:12, he does ‘command’ people, but I must say that in speaking against idleness and busybodies, I myself would have a hard time not letting some exasperation eek out as well. He shows how he cares so much that he is gentle and bringing forth his charges to a right place, to righteousness.

Leadership: Prayerful life

Paul has written some of the famous prayer verses in the Bible. In these letters, he also writes out some prayers, indicating how important prayer is that he not only talks about it, but does pray with and for people. In all but one of the chapters of these letters he mentions praying and/or thanking God, in some it is more than once. Paul even writes out a prayer in 1 Thess 3 so that there is a shared prayer though they are not together at the time. What I found most striking in these letters is that he frequently prays for the people he is writing to or thanks God for them. People were the focus of Paul’s ministry, while Christ was the center of his life.

Leadership: Correcting Others

One of the more challenging things that I noticed about leadership in these epistles was that Paul corrects wrong thinking and wrong actions. I find that there is a prevalent sentiment that ‘that is their problem’ or ‘I don’t want to offend them.’ Yet here we have an example of clarifying expectations and encouraging change. There are two topics in the epistles that we will discuss further next week, but Paul corrects wrong thinking on the timing of the second coming and urges changes in busybodies and idlers. Paul uses his gentle character to also course correct others. When I lived in Italy, there was a young member of the congregation with this very thought: that he needed no longer attend school because Christ was coming back soon, and school would be useless. We all heard about it and talked about it, but I must admit it was not an easy situation to correct. The young man was not easily swayed and ended up out of school for over a year before understanding his mistaken thinking. I wonder how long it was before the Thessalonians straightened up their ways.

Leadership: Walk in such a way as to be respected

Paul was well respected because of his walk in Christ. He was an upright man which then afforded him respect, rather than demanding it. He also did not obtain respect simply because of the position that he had. Paul describes living daily life in such a way as to earn respect by minding our own business and working hard (1 Thess 4:11-12). Funny that I just talked about how he corrected others which is a bit beyond minding his own business – well, maybe not. It was his business because these people were entrusted to him to disciple. Paul managed to live in such a way that he was respected. I think it was a combination of all of the things that we have looked at, and so have left it to the last. He clearly could be proud of his actions and the legacy that he left behind; despite his past he finishes well.

Leadership: Reciprocal relationships

The last bit, and perhaps the most important to consider in Paul’s lessons so far, is that Paul understand his role to be reciprocal. He talks of receiving encouragement from the Thessalonians as well as giving it. He receives from those he shepherds just as he also gives. Perhaps this is a characteristic that becomes a part of all the other things that we have looked at so far. This ties up Paul’s lessons on leadership in the letters to the Thessalonians. See you next week!

PS - Maybe I have found the point Paul had to work on – he did not always have a quiet life! Acts 15 tells us he had to defend himself and his teachings to the assembly in Jerusalem and had a public dispute with Barnabas (since it was recorded for us).