We wrote on Saturday about the remarkable results from Paul’s preaching the gospel to the Thessalonians. Today let’s see one of the reasons for those results: the quality of the messenger. In chapter 1, Paul says:

…You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (1 Thessalonians 1.5, ESV)

What kind of men were Paul and his team?

Chapter 2 describes them in detail:

• Boldness even after persecution and conflict
• No attempt to deceive
• Not men-pleasers or glory seekers (pastors and others of us who are public speakers could learn a lesson here)
• Gentle
• Self-sacrificing
• Holy, righteous, blameless
• The goal was people walking with God in a godly way

The messenger counts! A messenger whose goal is clear:

For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 3.8, ESV)

Paul wasn’t a hit-and-run evangelist. Once I was in a relatively small meeting of men, and the guest speaker invited men who wanted to begin to follow Jesus to “just make eye contact with me.” Later, this speaker reported in a ministry newsletter that “Eight men committed their lives to Christ” in that meeting. Really? I was there, and neither I (one of the leaders) nor this speaker even knew who these men were. He didn’t invite them to come up and talk with us. Nothing. Paul put no stock into “raised hands” or “eye contact” but into changed lives.

This Advent season we celebrate the coming of One who also cared about changed lives. Who made no attempt to deceive. Who was gentle, self-sacrificing, holy, righteous, and blameless.

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. (Luke 1.35, ESV)

“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey…’ ” (Matthew 21.5, NIV)