1 Thessalonians 2:1 "You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure"

The whole chapter is so enlightening, especially for those who have a zeal and passion to share the gospel. It sheds light on how Paul brought the gospel to the Thessalonians. As expected, Paul surely worked a lot on what he was going to preach (the content), but then, here in this scripture portion, he suddenly speaks about several more aspects that I now realize as things that actually would have made him say with a lot of surety and conviction– “it was not a failure”.

The gospel sharing, for Paul, was more than just a message or a sermon. There were pre-requisites. There were attachments. There were sequels. It was more of a package than just an item. It outlived the thirty minutes or the hour that the message that brought the gospel would have lasted. It involved his very life! I work very dedicatedly on my sermons and messages. I work hard on the content and garnish it so as to make it pleasing and acceptable especially for those who might be hearing such a message for the first time! But in the light of this portion there are some crucial questions that I now regularly ask myself! Do I really think beyond the message? Is the gospel that is entrusted to me only to be limited to words? Do just my words enter the lives of my audience or do I too bother to ‘at least’ peep in too!

Do words alone bring about the greatest miracle – ‘the transformation of the human heart’? Maybe yes! But then it seems more so a consequence of God’s grace. I believe that the words do bring about the conception of faith, but the transformation of the heart and eventually the lives, perhaps needed many more ingredients! A review of the Lord’s own example convicts me on that front. What he spoke was important for sure but what he did and how he lived was equally, if not more, important! He reached out to the people and like his true disciple Paul did later on, and for that matter every other apostle, Jesus poured Himself out like a drink offering! What about me? Have I too joined the band wagon of motivational speakers, albeit at a very small level!
What were the other ingredients mentioned in this portion? There are several. I shall deal with two of these. Paul says that they never came to the Thessalonians with flattering speech or even a pretext of greed. Now anyone will agree that the motive behind the usage of flattering speech is also greed. It’s only that the flatterers are the obviously greedy and perhaps not as dangerous as the other kind – those that have hidden greed! I think the more important clarification required here is - is greed only related to money? If I expect anything or even a favor in recompense for my act(s) or deed(s), will it not also be a kind of greed? I know we call it expectation, but if we dig deeper into the roots, does it not look more and more like greed? If there is something we expect out of it for ourselves, it is obviously not a selfless act. I realize that I have so many times done things only because they have done it for me earlier or because I anticipate them to do it for me in the future! If I am looking at a success of the Thessalonian kind, I need to shed greed in all its hues and saturation.

Paul also says they never sought the glory of men! I am sure most of us want a clean chit on this one! But again I think we are mistaken. We commonly make the mistake of assuming that heavy terms like “glory” are attached only with the highest positions of whatever we are a part of! I mean, its glory only if we fight for the top honors! What about the recognitions we seek for the small things we do? Does it hurt us if it continues to remain unnoticed? Do we feel we are doing a thankless job and continue on it with a grudge? Does it hurt us even more if someone else, whose efforts are much less receives greater accolades and attention despite our faithfulness since time immemorial! So we do seek the glory of men! Paul was an apostle and because of his authority, perhaps he could demand it, but he didn’t! What about us? Will we not fight for acknowledgments and credits that are rightfully ours? Of course (unlike the apostle Paul)! And then we pray loud, “All glory belongs to You God Almighty”! I don’t know about you, but I have made this mistake.

I want a success of the Thessalonian kind and I am convinced it comes only if there is a Pauline kind of care about even the smallest of things that define our attitude and behavior. I am reminded of a principle I heard long back. Our thoughts define our beliefs, which in turn define our expectations, and that our attitude, and attitude fashions our behavior and behavior our life! I would add - our success cannot outclass our life!