SHOWERS

I Thessalonians 4:9 – Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another,

Paul is giving some practical advice to the Christians of Thessalonica under the umbrella of sanctification and personal holiness.  In our prior post, he touched on sexual immorality, lust of the flesh and transgression/wrong doing towards others.

He now goes on to discuss another aspect of sanctification - brotherly love, or love among Christians.  This type of love is distinct from both our love for God (though it springs from it) and our love for mankind in general. 

In a normal physical family, there is a sincere affection and heartfelt love between siblings who are being raised in the same household, with the same parents, living in the midst of the same difficulties and celebrations.  These shared experiences make the bonds between them even stronger.

Likewise, there should be a natural affection and heartfelt love between Christians, because we are all children of the same Father which makes us members of the same family.   Scripture refers to the church as the ‘household of faith’ (Galatians 6:10).  We share the same grace and have the same promises of eternal life.  We walk through similar trials and celebrate victories with each other, which creates strong bonds of love between us.    

In this case, Paul concedes that no further instructions are needed on this topic, because the Thessalonians had already been ‘taught by God’ to love each other.  In other words, Holy Spirit had already written the law of love upon their hearts.  That inward change was giving the Thessalonian believers an intense, godly affection for one another which was clearly manifesting itself among the members of the church.   

I Thessalonians 4:10 - …for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia.  But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,

The Thessalonian church had obviously achieved a level of brotherly love amongst themselves and with other Christians in the region of Macedonia.

How interesting!  Many churches today have a strong sense of brotherly love within their own body, but what about affection towards other churches?  Too often we judge other churches or denominations for the way they worship or the way they dress or how they interact with Holy Spirit.  This promotes disdain among the worldwide body of Christ. 

Instead, why don’t we commit to following the example of the Thessalonians – let’s extend the hand of Christian fellowship to churches throughout our regions.  Let’s work together!  If we could overlook our minor differences and join together to promote the gospel, what could God accomplish through us?  

Now, stop and ask yourself this question:  How did Paul know that the Christians of that city were practicing brotherly love?  Was it simply an internal feeling or were there outward signs which confirmed its existence?

In truth, it was probably both.  Because the love of God lives in the heart of every Christian through the power of Holy Spirit, we all have internal feelings of love and compassion for our fellow believers. But expressing those feelings with mere words is simply not enough.  The love and compassion we feel for our spiritual siblings must be shown in practical ways.

For example:

• We can share in their grief and/or joy. 
• We can offer wise counsel and advice. 
• We can forgive and overlook faults. 
• We can stir them up to do good works. 
• We can encourage and build them up in the faith. 
• We can pray for them and with them. 
• We can minister to them financially. 
• We can visit them when they are sick or send them a meal. 
• We can help bear their burdens by sitting with an elderly parent or giving them a ride to the doctor. 

The opportunities to express brotherly love are almost infinite.  You will recognize your opportunity when you see it!

Even though the believers in Thessalonica had achieved some level of brotherly love, Paul encourages them to ‘abound more and more’.  It is uncertain whether he meant that their brotherly love should be extended further than the borders of Macedonia, or whether he was referring to the degree of love they expressed to others.  However, in either case, Paul was telling them that they had not yet arrived at perfection.  No matter how much brotherly love they had, there was still room for more.

I Thessalonians 4:11 - …and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

In this verse, Paul is clearly giving instructions to correct a problem that existed in the Thessalonian church.  Although the issue is never clearly stated, we can make some accurate assumptions about it.  Here’s what we know:

The Thessalonian converts were mostly working-class people.  They were not rich; they needed to work in order to live.  The problem is that they believed the return of Christ was imminent; it could happen any day.  Some of the believers got so excited, they acted rashly.  They began to neglect their daily work and/or quit their jobs. 

But when Christ did not return as soon as they expected, they had a problem on their hands – they had no way to support themselves.  They began to depend on ‘hand outs’ from others in order to survive.  They no doubt figured this would be a temporary situation, but as we know, it was not – Christ did not return in their lifetime.  

Furthermore, the actions of the adult members of the church had a ‘trickle down’ effect upon the younger people – if the adults weren’t working, why should they?  While some of the able-bodied young men may also have been looking for the return of Christ, there were others who were simply lazy and refused to work. 

These people lived off the charity of others.  The donations of the richer members of the church were being abused – they were misappropriated to those who could and should be earning their own living.  These people became a burden on the church and on society.

But that wasn’t all.  Their idleness had another unexpected consequence - it led them into sin:

II Thessalonians 3:11 – For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.    

Those who were not working had too much time on their hands and they spent it engaging in frivolous activities, gossiping, starting/spreading rumors, causing divisions among families, stirring up trouble, sowing seeds of discontent, fear, etc.  Overall, they were causing ‘drama’ among the family of God.

Left unchecked, these actions would (sooner rather than later) have caused divisions among the church.  As you well know, it is imperative that the church be united in Christ; otherwise, she will not be able to stand against the enemy when he attacks:

Mark 3:25 – And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Furthermore, actions that cause disunity in the church spread to other areas of life.  For example, Christians are not only members of the church, they are also citizens in their respective neighborhoods.  The kind of tranquil, industrious living that Paul speaks of promotes trust and peace within neighborhoods, which in turn leads to peaceful communities, towns and cities.

In short, God knew what he was doing when he created people to work.

Genesis 2:15 – The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

In order to live our best lives, all of us need to be actively engaged in meaningful labor of some kind.  For example, students should be about the business of actively studying and learning.  Those who manage the home should do so with diligence, while those who work outside the home should be focused on their job performance. 

Presumably, as people take care of their own responsibilities in life, they will not have large chunks of idle time in which to cause trouble by sticking their nose into everyone else’s business. 

This is why Paul commands everyone in the church to be involved in some kind of useful labor.  Paul himself gave Christians an example to follow when he supported himself by working as a tent maker while preaching the gospel.

Now obviously, everyone needs time for rest and relaxation.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying hobbies, social events or other activities.  But if you have so much free time that you can cause strife or contention among the people of the church, you have a problem.  In fact, you ARE a problem!  

One further point needs to be made here:  Those who do not work for a living (retired, disabled, etc) are still required to ‘work’ for the kingdom of heaven.  God has given each one of us talents which we are to steward for his kingdom.  Keep in mind that he will eventually require an accounting from us of the ways in which we used our time, talents and resources (Matthew 25:19, 30). 

I Thessalonians 4:12 - …so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

When Christians are walking in brotherly love and living in such a way that promotes peace among the church, they are a strong, unified force that presents a testimony of Christ to the community. 

In this verse Paul gives us two important reasons why Christians should work/support themselves and live quiet exemplary lives. 

The first reason is so that we can ‘walk properly’ (your translation may say ‘walk honestly’) before outsiders – unbelievers/those who are outside the church.

In this case, ‘properly’ or ‘honestly’ does not simply refer to the transaction of business.  It includes the practice of our own personal holiness (see our two prior posts for details) and it encompasses the whole of our treatment to those who are unbelievers.  Paul constantly reminds Christians to be very cognizant of how we treat sinners:

Romans 13:13 – Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

Colossians 4:5 – Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best us of the time.

For example, Christians should be faithful to their word.  If you promise to do something, do it.  If you enter into a contract, keep your side of the bargain. 

Christians should be kind and courteous in our interactions, giving respect where it is due.  When you are working, show up on time.  Be positive.  Be prepared.  Shower encouragement on your coworkers, clients and vendors.  This includes casual encounters like interacting with the folks at the grocery store or the hardware store. 

It is important that we are honest and upright in all our actions, because we reflect Christ to the world.  

The second reason we should work/support ourselves and live quite lives is so that we lack nothing; by being diligent in our work we can support ourselves.  

Again, there will always be Christians who are unable to work for a variety of legitimate reasons (health issues, age, etc).  However, Christians who expect others to take care of them because of their own bad habits, extravagance or laziness are a poor reflection on Christ.  Those who can work should do so, so that they can bless and assist those who are in genuine need.  Christians are to be a blessing to the world, not a burden to it.

Acts 20:35 – In all things I have showed you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than receive.’

The overall meaning of this passage is that by minding our own business and concentrating on our own affairs, we will attain a high degree of competency in our chosen fields.  We can then be assured of receiving all that God has seen fit to give us –besides our income, we will experience satisfaction and fulfillment, while being a blessing to the world around us and providing an excellent witness for those who do not know Christ.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

In today’s post, we noted that Christians should be honest and upright in all our actions, because we reflect Christ to the world.  Let’s take a few minutes to consider that. 

What kind of a reflection are we?

My guess is that all of us have areas in which we are excellent examples, as well as areas where we need to improve.  I encourage you to pick an area (or two) and try to be a better reflection of our loving, gracious Lord.  Who knows?  Your improvement may open a door to share the gospel with someone!

Let me offer you some relief and some strength:

Brotherly love is one of the most incredible gifts our Father has given to the church. 

At one time or another, all of us will experience a loss, a heartache, a disappointment, a disaster, or an attack of the enemy.  During these times, Christ ministers to us in practical ways through our spiritual brothers and sisters.  

I can testify from personal experience that when you face these times in your life, it is the love, support and prayers of the saints that get you through!  

This week, consider some of the ways in which your brothers and sisters have ministered to you, or ways in which you were able to minister to others.  Be comforted, knowing that you are part of a family who loves you and who is there for you. 

And don’t forget to give thanks to the Lord for your spiritual family!