Over one hundred years ago, G.K. Chesterton asked: “Can anyone tell me two things more vital to the race than these; what man shall marry what woman, and what shall be the first things taught to their first child?” Chesterton goes on to comment that: “the daily operations surrounded her with very young children, who needed to be taught not so much anything but everything. Babies need not to be taught a trade, but to be introduced to a world. To put the matter shortly, a woman is generally shut up in a house with a human being at the time when he asks all the questions that there are, and some that there aren’t…Our race has thought it worth while to cast this burden on women in order to keep common-sense in the world….But when people begin to talk about this domestic duty as not merely difficult but trivial and dreary, I simply give up the question. For I cannot with the utmost energy of imagination conceive what they mean….If drudgery only means dreadfully hard work, I admit the woman drudges in the home, as a man might drudge (at his work)….But if it means that the hard work is more heavy because it is trifling, colorless, and of small import to the soul, then I say give it up….” https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/m/mother.htm

Sunday night, I preached on the following text:

[1Th 2:7 KJV] But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: [1Th 2:8 KJV] So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. [1Th 2:9 KJV] For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

My simple outline was:

v7 We were gentle
v8 We were willing
v9 We would not be chargeable.

I stole my title from JV McGee which is “The Mother-side of Paul’s ministry.” I theme Ch 2 of 1 Thessalonians to be, The Fruit of Paul’s Ministry in the Light of Christ’s Soon Coming.

I believe that Paul, in explaining and defending his ministry among the Thessalonians was taking time to explain the gentler or motherly side of ministering to people. He speaks of his cherishing them like a nursing mother does her child. He magnifies that he was “affectionately desirous” to help them. Paul makes the claim that he not only gave them the Gospel, but even a part of his own soul. He concludes in v9 with his work ethic so that he would be free (not chargeable) to work as he pleased. Paul went to great lengths to do whatever he could to foster the growth of the Thessalonians, sort of like a mother.

One question arose as I was meditating upon these things: Would we Independent Baptist Preachers avert SOME problems if we handled them in a motherly way?

Now I realize that there are two outstanding problems with our acting like mothers.

1. We are men.
2. We are Independent Baptists.

(Can I add a third?)

3. We ignore the scriptures.

Me describing motherhood is sort of like me describing fixing a car. It is an activity that I watch from a distance, really not understanding what is going on.

The greatest mother I have ever known is my wife. I used to think it was my own mother, but then my wife came along and took first prize. The reason for this is that first of all, she automatically became my second mother when we were married. The second reason I think she is the best is that in the process of our union, I gave her 8 little clones (at least partially) of myself. I, alone, am enough to drive any sane woman to begin taking strong barbiturates or to commit Hubbycide. But she got a bunch of kids that were just like me. Somehow, she has remained strong, taken care of all 9 of us and still kept her sanity.

One thing is certain, she handles things differently than I do. She does not blow her stack. She has seemingly endless gobbs of patience. She works and works and works and works and I’m tired just thinking about it. Like most moms, she is the child’s protection and the one who gathers them under her wings. I am continually in awe and bamboozled as to how she does it. She mothers all of us and many times we don’t even recognize it. I am sure there are other ladies who do the same.

Every pastor, who is not a shyster, works. V9 is relatively normal for us as we work all the time and are on call 24/7/365. For those who are Full Time, we set our own schedules, which is nice, but still there is a large amount of labor that goes into it. For Bi-vocational Pastors, it is a different ball game. Not only do you have your work at home and church, but also your secular job. Sometimes we think that as long as we are working, we are doing the will of God in the ministry. Every preacher, and, for that matter, church member works at something. Work in and of itself is not righteous. You are no better for working more than those who work normally.

Example: I still cannot get over these men and women who work all week, then do a bus route all day Saturday, then do the bus route and church all day on Sunday. When do they have time for their families? I know that this does not mean their families are shipwrecked. Several men who have operated in this fashion have had “good” families and their children have gone on to serve God. But, what if a bus ministry is not right for a certain church? What if the preacher has his people and himself take Saturday off? A lack of work or an overabundance of work does not equal fame in God’s eyes. Everyone in the ministry works!

Everyone, who is truly in the ministry because of the call of God, also is willing to serve. Our hearts were moved and that is why we chose the ministry. It is not the most lucrative. It certainly has its dangers of offending people, with no malice aforethought. There is no guarantee of retirement. In the end, we may FEEL we have run in vain. What should never be questioned tho is willingness to be in this position.
What I think is lacking in some ministries is two-fold. One is gentleness. That is the mother-side of the ministry. As we know from our mothers, they can uphold the truth and still be gentle. They can have a backbone and yet still move the child in a way that is not in any fashion brusque. I wonder if we were more gentle, more ready to encourage, more inclined to deal with things discreetly if things would be better? I don’t need to remind anyone that gentleness is an ingredient of Christ and of the Christian life.

[2Co 10:1 KJV] Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence [am] base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:
[Gal 5:22 KJV] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
[2Ti 2:24 KJV] And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient,
[Jas 3:17 KJV] But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Would your and my ministry be better if we were more gentle?

The second thing I think is lacking is the matter of imparting the soul. Impart means to “give a part” to someone. Paul, did not just preach the Gospel. He was no “blow in, blow up, and blow out” Evangelist. He gave them a part of his soul. It was not about spiritual nursing and cherishing. It was about giving a part of his own soul to these people. That’s hard because we do not like to open ourselves up, it makes us feel uncomfortable (YES, the us is me; I feel uncomfortable). We are making ourselves vulnerable. But also, people can be mean or ornery and even uncaring themselves. That being said, is it in the job description of a minister to avoid being hurt at all costs? I can and I know others can testify that whenever you minister, you open yourself up to being hurt. We are called to be under-shepherds of sheep. We are called to train those under our care so that they “be no more children” which requires both father and mother traits. We are called to give our lives for those under our charge and in order to reach them, we must impart to them a bit of our own souls. No mother is a good mother who is distant or uncaring.

I return to the question, Would we Independent Baptist Preachers avert SOME problems if we handled them in a motherly way?

The answer is yes.

Let’s keep running with the footmen,

JPA
2 Cor 4:5-7