"Our labour and toil..."
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:9
IT TAKES HARD WORK
For any ministry to succeed and bear fruit, we need to depend upon the Spirit of God. However, it is also important to note that it takes hard work to be put in on the part of those who labour in the ministry.
“For you remember, brethren, our labour and toil;
for labouring night and day, that we might not
be a burden to any of you, we preached to you
the gospel of God.”
1 Thessalonians 2:9
1. “For you remember, brethren”
a) Ministry is always challenging.
b) The hard work put in by Paul and his team was unforgettable.
c) It was obvious to all that hard work was put in.
2. “Our labour and toil”
a) The words “labour and toil” are actually synonyms.
b) Both words have similar connotations.
i) Hardship
ii) Strenuous work
iii) Difficulty
3. “For labouring night and day”
a) Paul and his team worked energetically.
b) It was literally night and day kind of work.
4. “That we might not be a burden to any of you”
a) Paul and his team must have worked with their hands.
b) Paul had another skill that he had learned; he was a tanner.
c) Silas and Timothy may have helped him as he worked as a tanner.
d) Paul did not want to burden the Thessalonians with monetary support.
5. “We preached to you the gospel of God”
a) This approach is sometimes called “a tent-making ministry”.
b) The servant of God has to do a part-time job to support himself as he preaches the gospel.
c) Paul and his team did whatever needed to be done for the sake of the ministry of the gospel.