5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 2:5–6 (ESV)
The Fox News Channel recently reported one of the wealthiest religious broadcasters in the world is looking to offload his luxury condo in Florida. The report stated “the beachfront residence of Brazilian billionaire televangelist Edir Macedo in the ultra-exclusive Porsche Design Tower Miami is now listed for just under $14.6 million after a price cut, according to public real estate records.”
The article continued to say “Macedo, founder and bishop of the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God), is no stranger to lavish living or controversy. His net worth is estimated at $1.8 billion, ranking him 1,901st on Forbes’ real-time billionaire index. By comparison, Kim Kardashian’s net worth is $1.7 billion.”
The report stated “the Trinity Foundation, a nonprofit that investigates religious fraud, has long tracked Macedo’s financial activities. Macedo’s empire includes media companies, banking interests, and international real estate, the group noted, citing his control of Brazil’s Record TV network and Banco Renner. The Universal Church isn’t just active in Brazil. It operates worldwide, including in Portugal, Mexico and the United States. The church even built a modern version of Solomon’s Temple in São Paulo, Brazil.”
Finally, the article said, “Despite its clear wealth and power, the church’s “Contact Us” page on its U.S. website claims “the Universal Church does not provide financial aid programs. Their 24/7 livestream available on the Universal Church’s website currently offers ‘Blessed Water’ for sale, which purports to heal everything from depression to cancer. According to the Trinity Foundation, the organization also owns four private jets and a helicopter, assets rarely seen in the nonprofit religious world.”
“People love to be told what they want to hear. Who among us has not turned an ear to those who reinforce our high estimation of ourselves, while ignoring those who are critical? We tend to look for confirmation of what we want to be true about ourselves, not for our flaws to be revealed to us,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“This desire has characterized men and women alike for millennia, and flatterers have taken advantage of this longing to enrich themselves in many different ways. Ancient writers recognized this, with even the great philosopher Aristotle authoring works that give signs for how to recognize disingenuous words. Then, as now, purveyors of false religion frequently used flattery to gain a hearing so that they could then convince audiences to give them money.”
Apparently, there were individuals who accused the Apostle Paul of greed and avarice. They slandered the apostle before the Thessalonian believers. In writing to them, Paul wanted the church to know that he, Silas and Timothy were pure in their motives in ministry; by their speech, sincerity and in not seeking glory.
First, regarding their preaching Paul wrote, “For we never came with words of flattery, as you know.” The phrase words of flattery (λόγῳ κολακείας; logo kolakeias) means having a message appealing to an individual’s vanity. The word “blarney” refers to skillful flattery. Paul would have nothing to do with this type of speech. He never preached what people wanted to hear but rather what they needed to hear (2 Tim. 4:1-5).
Second, Paul also stated, “…nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.” Pretext (προφάσει; prophasei) means to pretend or to have a pretense. This means Paul, Silas and Timothy were not con artists, hoaxers, grifters or deceivers pursuing greed (πλεονεξίας; pleonexias) referring to covetousness and exploitation. They did not desire to acquire more and more material possessions irrespective of need. Their hearts were not trained in greed (2 Peter 2:12-16; vs. 14). In invoking the phrase “God is witness,” Paul was affirming God Himself would testify to their sincerity of heart.
Third, Paul wrote, “Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.” They did not presently, actively and collectively seek (ζητοῦντες; zetountes) or demand glory (δόξαν; doxan) or praise and honor from the Thessalonians. This was in spite of their status as apostles and missionaries of God.
John Calvin comments, “All that would be . . . true pastors must exercise this disposition of Paul—to have more regard to the welfare of the Church than to their own life, and not be impelled to duty by a regard to their own advantage, but by a sincere love to those to whom they know that they are conjoined, and laid under obligation.”
“Not any impure but the purest possible motive had been the subjective source of the entreaty. To prove this, Paul permits the facts to speak for themselves,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.
“By saying, “as you (well) know,” he appeals to the readers’ memory of these facts. Had the motive been impure and selfish (see verse 3), the missionaries would have copied the charlatans who roamed the country. Like these quacks they too would have made use of flattery. And their message would have amounted to nothing more than a pretext to cover up their greed.”
“But with an appeal to God the writer of this epistle solemnly affirms that they have never made use of either flattery or disguise. Their aim, moreover, had never been to seek human fame (see John 5:41), whether from the Thessalonians or from anybody else; and this in spite of the fact that they were in a position to make weighty claims with respect to themselves, being Christ’s apostles (used in the broader sense) commissioned to represent him, and therefore invested with authority over life and doctrine,” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.
From Scripture, let us evaluate who is a true servant of the Lord: Edir Macedo or the Apostle Paul, Silas, Timothy. As we serve the Lord, may we be like that latter three. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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