“…as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children…”
every one of you,
The team “charged” each believer personally. They challenged them to move beyond the status quo. Although there were many believers in Thessalonica (Acts 17:4), they played no favorites. The team dealt with them one-on-one.
as a father does his own children
If we are in the business of discipling someone, we are in the business of fathering. As a mother nourishes, a father instructs and disciplines his children.
Principle:
Good ministry conveys a range of fundamentals that build believers in the faith.
Application:
Faithful leaders exhort, comfort, and charge their followers. Leaders must lead both like a mother and a father. They must be both gentle and firm. Like good parents who cover the entire range of parenting issues, good leaders cover the entire range of discipleship issues.
A good father explains to his son what people are like. “People are not always what they appear. They try to get your attention by criticism or doing something outlandish. They may be jealous of you.” Children need perspective on people. They need to understand why some people are self-righteous. They need to understand the operating biblical principles to deal with these things.
“I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you” (1 Corinthians 4: 14).
