I Thessalonians 2:8-12

8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

We are asking ourselves this question: “What made Paul so effective at Thessalonica?” In three weeks time, many became Christians. How do we know? Chapter 1 gave us the details of what Paul saw in them: Their faith, love and hope. The way they received the message. The fact they didn’t quit when persecuted. All of these convinced Paul that their faith was genuine.

So how did he do it? What was there that made Paul so effective? We have to pause and recognize the fact that the Holy Spirit was the real cause. The Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment. He works within us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure. But we do respond to the Spirit’s prompting. And Paul had a certain dynamic working for him, a certain set of convictions, a certain pattern of life, that the Holy Spirit used to make him more effective. So what can we do to be effective for the Lord?

First, put God first. Anytime there would be tensions between what people wanted and God wanted, God won out. If he had a choice between offending people and offending God, he would chose to offend people. He honored God first.

Second, Chose to be a blessing rather than a burden. He came in a gentle manner, not asking, but giving. This allowed him to be well received by the people in Thessalonica.

Third, and this is for this week, be a person who shares.

The KJV used the word “to have imparted.” The NIV uses the word “to share.” If I impart something to you, I share it. If I give you something, I share it with you.

Sharing is something we learn from our childhood. When we are playing with our brothers and sisters are parents are telling us to share. We may have had to share a bedroom, share a bathroom, share a car, share clothing. Whatever, sharing is a big part of life.

It is not normal for us to share with strangers. We usually share with acquaintances or friends. When we go out for ice cream, we buy for our party, we don’t usually buy for everyone. The only place that kind of sharing takes place is in a bar after someone has had a few too many, or so I am told.

So sharing becomes a mild form of intimacy, of friendship. We don’t usually share with people we don’t like.

Paul came walking into Thessalonica wanting to share, wanting to give.

Why are you here? Are you here to give or to get? If you are here to get, welcome. We want to give. But in order for us to give to those of you who want to get, we need people who are willing to give. Part of the work of the Holy Spirit is to turn getters into givers. The more we become givers in every area of our life, the more effective we will be as a group for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So what did should we give? We find that he lists two things in the text. 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

First, we share the gospel. He gave the good news. The good news is about Jesus. When you share Jesus, you share good news.

What has Jesus done for you? Share it. It’s all good news. He’s answered your prayer, he healed your sickness, he’s reconciled your brother, he’s met you needs. That’s all good news. Share it.

But the gospel is also the good news about eternal life. We can live forever. Jesus died so we could live. We talk about substitutionary atonement. Substitutionary atonement simply means that we have a substitute, Jesus Christ. The wages of sin is death. Jesus died for us. Atonement carries the idea of covering. Your sins are covered by what Jesus did. You can be right with God.

We cannot impact people if we do not share with them on a spiritual level.

Second, we can share our own lives.

What spurred on this message was a comment in the Word Biblical Commentary on this passage.

“They could share the gospel with their coverts without any diminution in their own enjoyment of its benefits, but to share their own lives involved utter self-denial, ‘spending and being spent’ in the interest of others (cf. 2 Cor 12:15).”

We can share the gospel without much personal cost. We can give a tract, put an add in a paper, walk up and down the street and tell strangers about Jesus, and then walk away with no further involvement or commitment.

But Paul went a step further and shared his life as well.

What did this look like?

First, as we noted last week, he did not take any money from them. So can we assume shared expenses? He was staying in someone’s home, sharing on the cost of meals and whatever came up? He had the right to have it given to him, but he refused that right and shared expenses.

Sometimes we need help. But whenever we are willing to share expenses on anything, it sends a positive signal. When children are willing to contribute towards their education or gas money for the car, the parent may refuse, but after they get over their heart attack, they will be pleased. People may truly want to bless you by paying for something for you, but when you at least show a willingness to pay your share, it sets a good tone.

Paul was willing to share expenses.

But he also shared experiences. When we connect with people, we will share experiences. That goes without saying. One danger of a church of this size is that we can go week to week connecting with a small group of people, but never connecting with visitors or people that are not in our circle. It takes a deliberate attempt, and one worth taking, to reach out beyond our circle to welcome those who are not in our circle yet.

One of the experiences he shared with them was suffering. Remember he had just gotten out of jail in Phillipi. He was imprisoned because he preached the gospel. Now he has to leave Thessalonica because they were persecuted for the gospel’s sake. Instead of this shared experience pushing them apart, it brought them closer together. The Thessalonians could say to Paul, “We have some idea of what it was like for you in Phillipi.” Paul could say, “I know what you went through in Thessalonica.” And they would connect over that shared experience.

What is difficult is that people who sit near you have experienced what you have experienced, but you don’t know it yet, because you have not connected with them. They may have lost a child, a parent, a friend. They may have lost a job, a promotion, a marriage. They may have been to where you have been and done what you have done, but you don’t know it because you have not connected on any level that would allow you to know this.

I was at Fair Haven Camps for the men’s retreat and in a brief conversation with a man, found out that he had lived next door to my aunt in Connecticut and helped rake her lawn as a young person. I would visit my aunt about once a year. We connected because we shared a common experience of knowing the same person.

This explains the importance of our suppers, our coffee time between services, of our invitations for people to go on retreats together, our work days, our small groups and Sunday school classes. These proved a background for people to connect and find common experiences from which to encourage one another in the Lord.

It’s no wonder Paul was effective in Thessalonica. He honored God, we know that. He didn’t place a burden on them, but was a blessing. And he shared with them financially, in life experiences, and most importantly, with the gospel.

We are only effective as a church when we are connecting with one another. To come Sunday morning and then slip out the door is not a good long-term policy. God wants us to be committed to him first. And he wants us to connect with one another. Get involved with people. Share what you can. Be open to helping when needs are shared. And you will find that you are blessed when you do.