Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

A daily chat with Pastor Mike and other resources to encourage listeners to connect with the Word of God and grow in their faith.

Pastor Mike Impact Ministries is a religion podcast hosted by Michael L Grooms, with 1,000 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Michael L Grooms hosts Pastor Mike Impact Ministries, a religion show with 1,000 episodes published.

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  Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

  1 Thessalonians 2:5 - "Nothing to Hide"

  Aug 21, 20267 min

  There are two very important statements in this verse. Paulsays, first, “Neither at any time used we flattering words.” And then hesays, “Nor a cloak of covetousness.” Paulis reminding these believers that when he came to Thessalonica, he wasn'ttrying to manipulate them with his words, and he wasn't trying to get somethingfrom them for himself. Let's think first about “flattering words.” Thereis a difference between encouragement and flattery. We should encourage people.We should express appreciation. We should tell people when we are thankful forthem. There is nothing wrong with giving an honest compliment. But flattery isdifferent. Encouragement is given for the benefit of the other person. Flatteryis often given for the benefit of ourselves. Flattery says something nicebecause we want something in return. We may want someone's approval. We maywant their support. We may want them to like us. We may even want to influencethem for our own advantage. Paulsays, “That wasn't how we ministered among you.” He wasn't trying to tellpeople what they wanted to hear. He was telling them what God wanted them tohear. That's an important distinction. Paul would later write in 2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but aftertheir own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” Therewill always be a temptation to change the message so that people will like themessenger. But if God has put us in trust with the gospel, as we saw yesterday,we don't have the right to change the message simply to make it moreacceptable. Sometimes God's Word comforts us. Sometimes God's Word encouragesus. But sometimes God's Word convicts us. Sometimes it tells us something wewould rather not hear. A faithful servant of God doesn't ask, “What will makepeople happy?” He asks, “What has God said?” ThenPaul mentions something else: “Nor a cloak of covetousness.” A cloak issomething that covers something else. Paul is saying, “We didn't use religionas a covering for greed.” He wasn't preaching the gospel because he wanted toget rich. He wasn't serving these people because he wanted their money. Hewasn't using ministry to advance himself. Paul's ministry wasn't about what hecould get from people. It was about what he could give to people. And what didhe want to give them? The gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, through theyears there have always been people who have used religion for personal gain. Butthe problem isn't only money. Covetousness is the desire to have more forourselves. That'swhy Paul's final statement in this verse is so important. He says: “God iswitness.” Earlier in the verse Paul said, “as you know.” TheThessalonians knew how Paul had lived among them. But when Paul talked aboutthe motives of his heart, he said: “God is witness.” People can see ouractions. But only God can completely see our motives. People hear what we say. Godknows why we say it. People see what we do. Godknows why we do it. We might be able to hide our motives from other people, butwe can never hide them from God. Hebrews 4:13 reminds us: “Neither is thereany creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked andopened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Myfriend, there is tremendous freedom when we can live with nothing to hide. Wedon't have to manipulate people. We don't have to flatter people. We don't haveto use people. We simply need to love people, speak the truth, share thegospel, and seek to please God. And at the end of the day, we should desire tobe able to say with Paul: “God is witness.” God knows my heart. Godknows my motives. God knows why I am doing what I am doing. So today, let's askthe Lord to search our hearts and keep our motives pure. Let's speak words thatare true rather than flattering. Let's serve because we want to give ratherthan because we want to get.

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  Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

  1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 - "A Message with Pure Motives"

  Aug 20, 20266 min

  “For our exhortation was not of deceit, norof uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trustwith the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who test ourhearts.” Paul was concerned not only about what he preached, but also whyhe preached it. Inverse 3, Paul tells us three things that were not true about his ministry. First,it was “not of deceit.” Paul wasn't preaching something he knew wasfalse. His message wasn't based upon error. He was convinced that Jesus Christwas the Son of God, that He had died for our sins, that He had risen from thedead, and that salvation was found through faith in Him. Second, Paul says hisministry was not “of uncleanness.” His motives were not impure. Hewasn't using religion as a means of satisfying some selfish or sinful desire.His life and his message were to be pure before God. Third, Paul says it wasnot “in guile.” That means Paul wasn't trying to trick or manipulatepeople. He wasn't using the gospel to take advantage of them. There was nohidden agenda. Andthen Paul tells us why. Verse 4 says: “But as we were allowed of God to beput in trust with the gospel, even so we speak.” I love that expression: “Putin trust with the gospel.” Paul understood that the gospel did not belongto him. God had entrusted it to him. Think about that! The message that JesusChrist came into this world, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, roseagain, and offers eternal life to everyone who will believe—that message hasbeen entrusted to us. What a privilege! And what a responsibility! If someoneentrusted you with something extremely valuable, you would take great care ofit. If someone handed you something precious and said, “I'm trusting you withthis,” you would feel a tremendous responsibility to protect it and faithfullydeliver it. My friend, God has entrusted us with something far more valuablethan silver or gold. He has entrusted us with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paulwrote in 1 Corinthians 4:2: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a manbe found faithful.” A steward doesn't own what has been placed into hishands. He simply has the responsibility to faithfully care for what belongs tosomeone else. That's what we are with the gospel. We didn't invent the message.We don't have the authority to change the message. We don't have the right tomake it more acceptable to the culture around us. Our responsibility is simplyto faithfully proclaim it. But Paul goes even deeper. He says: “Not aspleasing men, but God, who test our hearts.” There is the key to puremotives. Who are we trying to please? Itis very easy to become concerned about what people think about us. We like tobe appreciated. We like to be accepted. We like people to approve of what wesay and what we do. But Paul reminds us that ultimately there is only OnePerson we must please—and that is God. People see what we do. But God sees whywe do it. People hear our words. But God knows our hearts. Paul says that God “testour hearts.” That means He examines and tests our motives. And that shouldcause every one of us to ask ourselves: Why am I doing what I'm doing? Why do Iserve? Why do I give? Why do I witness? Why do I teach? Why do I preach? Is itso that someone will notice me? Is it so that someone will praise me? Or am Idoing it because I genuinely want to please God? That applies not only topastors and missionaries. It applies to every believer. My friend, what a privilege it is thatGod would trust ordinary people like you and me with the greatest message theworld has ever heard! So today, let's ask God to keep our message true, ourlives pure, and our motives right. Let's remember that we are not hereprimarily to please people. We are here to please God. And may we faithfullyshare the precious gospel that He has entrusted to us.

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  Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

  1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 - "Bold in Our God"

  Aug 19, 20267 min

  “For yourselves,brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: But evenafter that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as you know,at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God withmuch contention.” Paulbegins by saying, “For yourselves, brethren, know.” In other words, Paulcould point to their own personal experience. They knew what kind of man he wasbecause they had watched his life. They had seen his character. They had heardhis preaching. They knew that his ministry among them had been genuine. ThenPaul says that his coming to Thessalonica “was not in vain.” That meansit was not empty, useless, or without results. And certainly it wasn't! Achurch had been established. Lives had been transformed. People had turned fromidols to the living God. And now their testimony was spreading throughoutMacedonia and Achaia. Butwhat makes this even more remarkable is what Paul and Silas had experiencedimmediately before coming to Thessalonica. Paul says they had “sufferedbefore, and were shamefully entreated... at Philippi.” Youcan read about that in Acts chapter 16. At Philippi, Paul and Silas had beenfalsely accused. Their clothes were torn from them. They were beaten with rods.They were thrown into prison, and their feet were fastened in the stocks. Yetat midnight, instead of complaining, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praisesunto God. Then God sent an earthquake, the prison doors opened, and eventuallythe Philippian jailer and his family trusted Christ. Butthink about this. After Paul and Silas were released from prison, they didn'tsay, “We've had enough. Maybe we should take a break from preaching.” Theydidn't say, “If this is what happens when you preach the gospel, perhaps weshould find something safer to do.” No! They traveled on to Thessalonica andpreached the gospel again! Paul says: “We were bold in our God to speak untoyou the gospel of God.” I love that phrase: “Bold in our God.” Theircourage did not come from themselves. Paul wasn't saying, “We were naturallybrave men.” He said they were bold in God. There is a tremendous difference. Christianboldness is not arrogance. It isn't being loud, argumentative, or offensive.Biblical boldness is having such confidence in God and His Word that wefaithfully speak the truth even when it might cost us something. Andnotice something else. Their suffering did not silence them. They had beenbeaten for preaching the gospel, but they kept preaching. They had been put inprison for preaching Christ, but they kept preaching Christ. They had beenpublicly humiliated, but they kept telling others about Jesus. Why? Becausethey knew that the gospel was worth suffering for. Paul later wrote in Romans1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power ofGod unto salvation to everyone that believes.” My friend, we live in aworld today where it is becoming increasingly unpopular to stand for biblicaltruth. We may sometimes be tempted to remain silent because we don't want tooffend someone. We don't want to be criticized. We don't want someone tomisunderstand us or reject us. But we need the same prayer today: “Lord, makeus bold in You.” Not bold in our opinions. Not bold sothat we can win an argument. But bold in our God to speak the gospel of God. Andthere is another wonderful encouragement in these verses. Paul says theirentrance into Thessalonica “was not in vain.” Sometimes we may wonderwhether our witness is making any difference. We share Christ with someone, andwe don't immediately see a response. We pray for someone for years, and nothingseems to happen. We teach God's Word, encourage others, give out a gospeltract, invite someone to church, or simply try to live a faithful Christiantestimony. And sometimes we wonder, “Is it really accomplishing anything?” Paulreminds us that when we faithfully serve the Lord, our labor is never wasted.

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  Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

  1 Thessalonians 1:10 - Waiting For His Son From Heaven

  Aug 18, 20266 min

  Paul says they were waiting “forHis Son from heaven.” The word “wait” does not mean that they were sittingaround doing nothing. Biblical waiting is an attitude of expectation. It meansliving every day with the realization that Jesus Christ could return. Remember,these Thessalonian believers were young Christians. Paul had only been withthem for a short time. Yet one of the truths he had already taught them was thereturn of Jesus Christ. That tells us something about how important thisdoctrine is. In fact, the return of Christ is mentioned in every chapter of 1Thessalonians. At the end of chapter 1, we are waiting for His Son from heaven.At the end of chapter 2, Paul speaks of being in the presence of our Lord JesusChrist “at His coming.” At the end of chapter 3, he speaks of “thecoming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” Chapter 4 containsthat wonderful passage where Paul tells us: “For the Lord Himself shalldescend from heaven with a shout…” And in chapter 5, Paul speaks againabout “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So the return of Jesus isnot a minor subject in this letter. It is woven throughout it. But notice Who we are waitingfor. Paul does not say we are waiting primarily for an event. He says we arewaiting for “His Son from heaven.” We are waiting for a Person. We arewaiting for Jesus. The One Who loved us. The One Who died for us. The One Whorose again. The One Who promised, “I will come again.” Paul then remindsus that God “raised Him from the dead.” Our hope in Christ's return isconnected to the resurrection. Jesus is not in a gravesomewhere. He is alive! The same Jesus Who died on the cross and rose from thegrave ascended into heaven, and one day He is coming again. In Acts chapter 1, as thedisciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven, two angels said: “This sameJesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner asye have seen Him go into heaven.” My friend, Jesus is coming again. Wedon't know the day. We don't know the hour. But we know Who is coming, and thatshould affect the way we live today. If we really believe Jesus could return,it should encourage us to live holy lives. It should cause us to forgivequickly. It should motivate us to share the Gospel. It should remind us not tobecome too attached to the things of this world. And it should give us hopewhen life becomes difficult. Then Paul closes the chapterwith these wonderful words: “Even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrathto come.” There is judgment coming upon sin, but for those who have trustedJesus Christ, there is wonderful assurance. Jesus has delivered us. Oursalvation rests not in what we have done for Him, but in what He has done forus. He took our judgment upon Himself on the cross. He paid the price for oursins, and because we have trusted Him, we can face the future not with fear,but with hope. I love how this entire firstchapter fits together. These believers had a work of faith, labor of love, andpatience of hope in verse 3. They received the Word in verse 6. They becameexamples in verse 7. They sounded out the Word in verse 8. They turned to Godfrom idols to serve the living and true God in verse 9. And now, in verse 10,they were waiting for Jesus to return. What a testimony! And what a pattern forus today. Receiving the Word. Living the Word. Sharing the Word. Serving theLord. And waiting for Jesus. My friend, perhaps today would be a good day toask ourselves: Am I living as though Jesus could come today? Because oneday—perhaps sooner than we think—our waiting will be over. Jesus is comingagain!

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  Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

  1 Thessalonians 1:9 - Turning From Idols

  Aug 17, 20267 min

  “For they themselvesshowed of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned toGod from idols to serve the living and true God.” In verse 9, Paul tellsus what people were saying about them. They were talking about the tremendouschange that had taken place in the lives of these Thessalonian believers. Paul describes theirconversion with three simple words: “turned to God.” I think it isimportant to notice the order. Paul does not say they first cleaned up theirlives, got rid of all their idols, and then came to God. He says they “turnedto God from idols.” They turned to God, and when they did, they were ableto turn from their idols. My friend, that is what genuine salvation does. Christianityis not simply trying to make ourselves better. It is not merely giving up a fewbad habits or attempting to live a more moral life. Salvation begins when, byfaith, we turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. When we truly turn to Him, somethingbegins to change within us. Remember that Thessalonica wasa pagan city. Idolatry was everywhere. These people had grown up worshipingfalse gods and participating in pagan religious practices. Their idols were notmerely decorations sitting on a shelf. Idolatry was woven into their culture,their families, their social lives, and even their businesses. So when thesepeople turned to Jesus Christ, it cost them something. They were leaving behinda way of life they had known for years. Yet they discovered something fargreater than the idols they left behind. Paul says they turned “toserve the living and true God.” I love those words: “the living and trueGod.” Their idols were dead. Their idols could not hear them. Their idolscould not answer their prayers. Their idols could not forgive their sins. Theiridols could not give them eternal life. But now the believers atThessalonica had met the living God! And they had discovered the true God. Wemight look at this verse today and say, “Well, I don't have any idols. I don'tbow down before a statue or worship an image.” But an idol can be anything thattakes the place in our lives that belongs to God. An idol can be money. It canbe possessions. It can be pleasure. It can be a career. It can be anotherperson. It can even be our own plans, ambitions, or desires. Anything thatbecomes more important to us than God has the potential to become an idol. Thequestion is not simply, “Do I have a statue that I worship?” The betterquestion might be, “What has first place in my life?” Notice also that theseThessalonians did not simply turn from something; they turned to Someone. Sometimeswe think the Christian life is mostly about what we give up. But Christianityis really about Who we receive. We turn from the emptiness of this world to thefullness of Jesus Christ. We turn from darkness to light. We turn from bondageto freedom. We turn from death to life. And then Paul says that they turned toGod “to serve” Him. Their conversion produced a new purpose for living. Before,they had served their idols. Now they served the living and true God. That word “serve” carries the idea of serving as a bondservant—belongingcompletely to another. That is a beautiful picture of the Christian life. Wehave been saved by grace, and because we belong to Jesus Christ, we now desireto live for Him. We don't serve Him in order to be saved. We serve Him becausewe have been saved. That takes us back to verse 3and their “work of faith, and labor of love.” Their service was evidence thatsomething real had happened in their hearts. And my friend, that should causeeach of us to examine our own lives today. What have we turned from? What havewe turned to? And whom are we serving? The Thessalonians had a testimony thateveryone could see. They had turned to God from idols to serve the living andtrue God. May that be our testimony too.

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