“But as touching brotherly love you need not that I write unto you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 10. And indeed you do it toward all the brothers which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you brothers that you increase more and more. 11. And that you study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you. 12. That you may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that you have lack of nothing.”
Our text reminds us that our lives are witnesses for Christ. I know that we need a verbal witness, but if our lives do not measure up our verbal witness will be muted. Paul was encouraging the Thessalonians to live up to their faith, and to be good witnesses. The things that Paul dealt with in this passage can help us live witnessing lives. In verse 9, Paul encouraged the Thessalonians, and us, to remember that they/we are to love each other, and to love all people. It is interesting that he used the Greek for brotherly love at the first of the verse, but the last word for love is agape (ahgahpay) – God’s kind of love. We are to love as brothers and sisters, but we are also to love as God loves. It is certain that we will not love perfectly as God does, but we are to love people at both levels – brotherly love and God’s kind of love. If we don’t love people we cannot possibly live a witnessing life. Jesus told us that people would know that we are His disciples by the love that we have for each other. (John 13:35). Paul wrote to them that they already loved people, but that they needed to “increase more and more.” We can never love too much. In verse 11, Paul wrote that they should live a “quiet life and mind their own business.” This might seem to work against becoming involved in people’s lives and witnessing to them. He did not mean that they were to become loners, and stay away from people. He was reminding them of the kind of lives they should live if they were going to witness to the world. One problem in most churches is people that we call “busybodies.” These people are not quiet and they certainly do not mind their own business. If we want to live a witnessing life, we need to be careful what we say (“study to be quiet”), and about what we say about people (“mind your own business”). It is one thing to become involved in people’s lives and ministering to them in the name of Jesus, it is quite another thing for us to be nosy and gossip about other people. Evidently, there was a problem with this in Thessalonica, and it must have been hurting the church’s witness. In verses 11b and 12, Paul reminded them that they needed to be industrious in their living (“work with your own hands”). There was a problem in Thessalonica with people who had quit working because they were looking for Jesus to return at any time. Paul reminded them in both letters to Thessalonica that this is not the right way to do it. We are to live productive lives until Jesus comes again. This is part of our witness. Here is how it is translated in the NIV: “…work with your own hands, just as we told you, 12. So that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” The pertinent words for them were: “so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders.” I think that if we want to be good witnesses to the world, we need to be good human beings. Good human beings look out for themselves and for their own families. We should not hesitate to help others, but we should not depend on others to give us the support that we can provide for ourselves. There are exceptions for such things as ill health, but for the most part we need to live good, productive lives in order for us to “win the respect of outsiders.” I think that you will agree that Paul has given good advice about living a witnessing life. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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