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1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 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. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 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. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 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. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. (1 Thessalonians2:1-8 NIV Bible)
A gracious and blessed Tuesday be your, dear Reader. I was blessed that on Sunday Nellie and I were able to visit Cami Chapa in her room in the ICU of Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen, She is in and out of consciousness, but awoke when I called her by her given name and smiled when she saw me. I asked if she remembered me and she nodded yes. I asked if she remembered Nellie and again, yes. She was not able to speak but she did nod when asked questions, especially when I asked if I could pray for her. Please continue to pray for her and her full recovery. Our brother, Rick Gonzalez is doing well and we continue to pray that God work through his treatments to make him better. We ended our rounds of visitation with a home visit with Nellie's brother, Hector Rosales, who is lively and alert, yet needing to regain use of his fingers and regain mobility. Hector is a talented artist and I told him of a conversation I had with one of our nephews who wants a painted bull head and said he regrets that he did not act fast enough to have his Uncle Hector paint a head he found on a ranch and said that Hector's daughter, Rose, is just as talented as her dad and she could probably do it. Hector quickly said, "I'll do it!" And may it be so! Let us pray for peace in Israel and Gaza; may God bless decision-makers to make decisions of peace and life. Pray for one another, pray for the needs of the world and for those needs you have.
This is the last week of Pastor Appreciation Month and this text is very appropriate to the work our brothers and sister carry on for our good. The Apostle Paul could have written a timeless book of the do's and don'ts of work among believers. Paul experienced it all. He shares a hint of the suffering and outrageous treatment he received in Philippi; yet always under the care of God, he pressed on with the message of the Gospel even in spite of opposition. Paul stresses their motive was not from error or impure thoughts, nor were they trying to trick them. His appeal and authority, he says, springs from their having been approved by God to preach the gospel. This reminded me of another great revelation in a seminary class, and that was my preaching class. I had self-identified preaching as my major weakness that I wanted to address in my internship year. And this class was meant to help me prepare to be a better preacher. The question was by whose authority do we dare step foot into a pulpit to preach? This was another silence-maker among us students. The professor, Dr. Grady Hardin, said, "By their being in church they are granting you permission to share what God has laid on your heart. And that made sense. Our being in seminary was to confirm the earlier authority-granting that God had shared with us in our call into ministry. We should always remember that we step into the pulpit to please God, as Paul wrote, and not the people who gather on Sunday to hear us preach. "God tests our hearts," Paul says, "So we never use flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed - God is our witness. We preach not to gather praises from people, but like young children, we work among the people, with awe and wonder. Our desire is to care for the people as a nursing mother cares for her children, and because of our love for God and for these people, we strive to share not only the gospel but our lives as well.
Here's what we can take with us after spending time with this passage: All ministers should perform ministry with integrity. All of us should serve with integrity whether in our professional, personal, or spiritual endeavors. We should strive to be honest, sincere, and trustworthy in our words and actions. God-centered service; we can only please God and not worry about pleasing people; if we get, or don't get, human recognition or applause that's okay because we seek only to serve and please God.
A pastor and all believers should provide gentle and caring leadership. Paul's example of a nursing mother shows the tenderness and care that leaders and fellow believers should share with all people. Our call to lead should come with compassion and support for others. Our goal should be to share not only the Gospel, but our lives as well. One televangelist was notorious in his living in San Diego, California, while serving a church in Dallas. He would fly in his persona jet, preach, if I can use that word, leave out the back door, board his jet and repeat each Sunday. During the week, his staff cared for the needs of the congregation. Where, dare I ask, was his authentic, supportive and caring relationship with his fellow believers?
A pastor should use the power of encouragement to help bring the Gospel to life. We labor among those who learn from us by our example, especially if we care and love others. The gospel impact on lives depends on our being able to relate to others; we must show how the gospel changed us from where we used to be, to where we are, and to where we believe we are going. And Paul stresses the importance of mentorship and discipleship. We should seek those who can mentor us, or we should offer ourselves as mentors to those who need us as such; through this we can pass on the faith and help nurture spiritual growth.
PRAYER: Loving Father, help us be those who genuinely love You and love Your people in ways that bless Your Kingdom. Help us seek to serve and to seek Your favor as we labor for the good of the Gospel. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen,.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Become a God-pleaser!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
