In a book entitled The Frog in the Kettle, published by Barna Research, whose research is solely focused on spiritual and church trends, noted in a chapter named Religious Beliefs and Involvement, “Although Americans generally possess orthodox beliefs about God, Christ and Satan, the momentum is against integrating spiritual belief with daily behavior. There is an interesting contradiction between what most of us say we believe and what we do or don't do in response to those beliefs. The vast majority of Americans have orthodox Christian beliefs. They acknowledge the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the power of prayer, the reality of miracles by God, the importance of the church, the reality of Satan and hell and the life of the Holy Spirit in the believer. More than nine out of ten adults own a Bible and a majority of them even believe it is God's written Word, totally accurate in its teaching. About three out of five claim they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. But the research data says our actions indicate that our beliefs are not held to be significant. Less than half of all adults attend church. Loyalty to the church is dropping. Attendance in Sunday school is diminishing. Membership in churches is waning. And willingness to assume a leadership role is declining… If we can help the world to recognize that our faith is not a one-dimensional experience but it is a multi-faceted way of life which permeates every thought, action and experience, then Christianity would not only assume greater importance in the minds of people but would challenge non-believers to explore this faith in a new way. This means we will have to demonstrate the relevance of Christianity in every dimension of our lives. More and more emphasis must be placed on how we live those beliefs. Christians must communicate the importance of the faith by exhibiting a lifestyle based upon a Christian philosophy of life.”
Regarding the Christian faith, John MacArthur would say, “Christianity is a shoe-leather faith - a living, practical faith that hits the streets in normal, everyday life, affecting everything from believers' simplest attitudes and most mundane actions to their profoundest thoughts and noblest deeds.”
What MacArthur is simply trying to say is that our faith isn't one that is to be kept in the closet or worn only on special occasions, rather it is a faith that is to be worn every day before the world and publicly displayed. That is, it affects our daily life. It's a walking faith. It's a working faith. It's a living faith.
While it is true that any system of belief should affect a change in the way one lives their life, it is also true that mere religion cannot transform a person, no matter how high its ethical standards might be simply because they cannot really be attained. Only as Christians do we have access to the power of God to transform the believer’s life so that what we believe can literally become the way we live. We have a shoe-leather faith. What we believe touches the earth. It is hence that Matthew 5: 13 - 14 reminds us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Now, we may fail to realize it, but the world around us is watching our lives. They have heard many who profess Christ, only to see their actions betray their words. The world is looking for those who are real. As such, we have the privilege and obligation to present our faith to the world.
Now, even though we live in a high-tech world, the needs of the heart have not changed. 1 Thessalonians 4: 9 - 12 teaches us how to love others and how to live intentionally so our lives win the respect of the world outside, while also continuing to glorify our Triune God. We need this message because the church today has lost its witness to the world. And this portion reminds us as to how to simply live and be the witness.
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, 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, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. - 1 Thessalonians 4: 9 - 12 ESV
Thessalonica was a Roman colony and very important in the life of the Roman Empire. It was located 100 miles west of Philippi and about 200 miles north of Athens. It was the chief city of Macedonia. In 316 B.C. Cassander (who succeeded Alexander the Great) named it in memory of his wife, Thessalonike. Thessalonica is still in existence, and the present-day name is Salonika. The church in Thessalonica was a model church. Paul cited it to the Corinthians as an example (see 1 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
Further, we need to know that this was the earliest epistle written by Paul. It was written from Athens or, more likely, Corinth on his second missionary journey. Paul had to leave Thessalonica due to the great opposition to the gospel. The enemy pursued him to Berea, and again Paul was forced to leave. He left Silas and Timothy at Berea and went on to Athens. It was evidently there that Timothy brought him word from the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:6), together with some questions that they had raised. Paul wrote his first epistle in response to their overture.
Our passage today contains two exhortations we need to take seriously. We see the first one in verses 9-10 and the second in verse 11. Each one describes what the church owes the world as a witness and how we can fulfill it.
Verses 9 - 10
Paul begins with a simple reminder: The word for “brotherly love” here is philadelphia. It refers to the love of family members for one another. It comes from two Greek words that have been joined together:
philos, which means “tender affection, fondness, devotion,” is a word that implies an obligation to love.
adelphos, which means “brother,” literally means “one born of the same womb.”
So, the word philadelphia literally means “tender affection owed to those born from the same womb.” It’s easy to understand why Paul chose this word to describe brotherly love. All Christians have been “born of the same womb” through the new birth. Everyone who is saved is saved the same way. Jesus simply said, “You must be born again” - John 3:3. To be born again means to receive new life through personal faith in Jesus Christ. It means to be born from God’s womb.
Further, where verse 9 is speaking of being “taught by God,” it speaks not of a lesson learned in a classroom but of truth learned through relationship. The same is true regarding love. We learn to love by associating with loving people. Love isn’t taught; it’s caught. Because we come from the womb of God, we share his basic nature, which is love. Therefore, love ought to be the most natural thing for the believer to express.
If we are a Christian, we are “from the womb of God.” We love because God is love. It’s a family trait. That’s why Paul doesn’t have to teach it. To be a Christian is to enter a fellowship of brotherly love.
Paul recognizes this to be the case with the Thessalonians. It is therefore in vs. 10a he commends them on the same, ”for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia.” Note the phrase - “all the brothers.” That’s not easy to do. Most of us love some of the people, maybe even most of the people. But all of them? That’s a tough assignment.
Yet, let us be clear about this. We are to love all true believers everywhere all the time. That’s hard because most of us have some inner reservations. We don’t like this group or that denomination. We may distrust those who have a different worship style.
But we need to remember that there will always be points of difference among God’s people. Redemption in Christ does not homogenize the church. Believers have disagreed on important issues for the last 2000 years. I don’t believe we must abandon our doctrinal or cultural distinctives. But if we take Paul seriously, then we must seek to love other Christians who may see the world quite differently than we do.
Why? Because the love of God is not limited - not by nation or ocean or tribe or tongue or custom or clothing or race or politics or caste or any other human condition. When the love of God captures us, our hearts will be as big as his - reaching to the ends of the earth.
And it is therefore that Paul encourages the Thessalonian church to to do this more and more in vs. 10b. What does it mean that our love should increase? It means that we should increase in our Sympathy for those in need, Patience for those who are struggling, and Tolerance toward those with whom we disagree.
C.S. Lewis pointed out that “we may talk so much about loving people in general that we love no one in particular.”
How does God help us grow in this area of loving all believers? By putting us in situations that force us to practice Christian love. Over the years I have observed God do this again and again. He allows two people to have difficulties with each other, sometimes to the point of anger and bitterness. He does it because the only way we learn to love is by dealing with unlovable people. I have seen it happen between husbands and wives, parents and children, between co-workers, neighbors, fellow students, and relatives. People who start out disliking each other sometimes end up as dearest friends.
Now, I acknowledge that some people are so miserably unlovable. That odorous person with the nasty cough who sat next to you coughing into your face. Those crude louts in the neighborhood with the barking dog. That smooth liar who lied to your face. By what magic are you supposed to feel toward these people anything but revulsion, distrust and resentment, and a justified desire to have nothing to do with them?
The most powerful recommendation for any church is that the members love one another! The world pines for this and flocks where it is found. When the unchurched are asked what they want in a church, the answer is always the same: They are looking for a caring church. Not just a friendly church or a relevant church or a church with plenty of programs for the kids. And not just a church where the Bible is clearly taught. As good as those things are, they don’t touch the heart cry of this generation for a place where they can be deeply loved. When the people of the world find such a place, they will stand in line to get in.
On the flip side, if we cannot learn to love, we will only continue to have people such as Gandhi come up and say, “I like you Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
In many cases, we will simply have to agree to disagree. In some cases, we’ll find it easier to love each other from a distance, at least for a while. We can’t love everyone the same way or to the same degree. But if we are Christians at all, we must find a way to love even when loving is hard to do. Also, we must remember that it is not magic but rather the power of the Holy Spirit who causes us to love the unlovable. The church is to be a community of love. We owe it to the Lord, to each other, and to the watching world. We owe the world that kind of example.
Now coming to the second exhortation Paul gives us in these verses, we see verse 11.
Verse 11
To understand verse 11, we need to know that in Thessalonica there had been a great excitement about the Lord’s return. When he was with them, Paul had taught them about the imminent return of Christ. It means that Jesus could return today or tomorrow or next week or next year. Problem is whenever people get excited about the Lord’s return, there are always those who take it to extremes.
You may remember the worldwide commotion when a man named Harold Camping predicted the second coming on May 21, 2011. In answer to that kind of extremism, Paul issues a strong call for balanced living. He gives three commands, each of which answers a common problem.
Live Quietly: This is the answer to the problem of restlessness. The word “quiet” comes from a Greek word meaning “Sabbath rest.” It speaks of the cessation of work, of the end of conflict, of peace after warfare. Be ambitious, Paul says, to live quietly! We need this admonition because our ambition tends to be noisy, to stand out, to make a splash, to make a name for ourselves, to get ahead, to rise above the crowd.
Eugene Peterson translates this phrase with two words: “Stay calm.” It means to be less frantic and more settled in your life. With regards to the same, I came across the following quote: “You will never be happy until you learn to enjoy what you already have.” Those are good words for us to hear. We spend a lot of time, money and effort seeking happiness when the answer is learning to simply enjoy what God has already given us.
Further “Stay calm” is sound advice fit for our workaholic age. We live in hurried times, with little sense of stillness and rest. We work harder to achieve less. We are almost like a generation of hyperactive, overgrown kids who stay perpetually hyped up on caffeine, sugar, TV, social media and raucous music.
Let us instead pray as Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate in the years just after World War II prayed on May 8, 1947: “Help us to do our very best this day and be content with today’s troubles, so that we shall not borrow the troubles of tomorrow. Save us from the sin of worrying, lest stomach ulcers be the badge of our lack of faith.”
Mind Your Own Affairs: This is the answer to the problem of meddlesomeness. We all know people like this. They are busybodies who feel called to mind their own business - and yours too. They believe they have a right to invade your privacy. This is a perverted view of brotherly love. One writer speaks of “the busybody’s compulsive itch to set other people right.”
Years ago a ministry leader told me that he often reminded his staff to “feel free to have no opinion about that.” We need to remember that we don’t need to have an opinion about everything. Rather, if we take proper care of our own affairs, we won’t have the time or energy to worry too much about what others do or say.
Work with your own hands: This is the answer to the problem of idleness. Paul isn’t being metaphorical. He literally worked with his hands as a tentmaker so he could support himself while he preached the gospel. Even though he was highly educated, he didn’t mind hard work, and he didn’t find manual labor embarrassing.
The upper classes of Greece on the other hand despised manual labor. That’s why they owned so many slaves. But Christianity brought in a new ethic based on personal responsibility and hard work. Remember, Jesus was a Carpenter too!
With these directives being kept in mind, we also need to remind ourselves that those who get up in the morning with nothing to do but be religious are generally a great nuisance.
Who makes a real impact for Christ in the world? The person who gets up in the morning, goes to his / her job whether in an office or at home and works all day, to pursue their daily tasks with cheerfulness and as an act of worship to God.
How we work is as crucial as how we pray. There is no greater testimony than the Christian scientist at his research, the Christian mechanic at his bench, the Christian teacher in the classroom, the Christian secretary at the desk, the Christian nurse at the hospital, or the Christian accountant keeping the books.
This is true Christianity. Going to church means little if we are going to be a lazy goldbrick on the job. Most of us don’t see our daily work as a way to worship God. But it is. What we do between Monday through Friday is just as sacred in the eyes of the Lord as what we do in church on Sunday.
And it is only when we live as Paul teaches us in these verses that we see the difference we will make in verse 12 - namely, we will walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. Why? Because we might be the only Bible someone will ever read. We might be the only Christian someone will ever meet. What do people read, hear, and see when they look at our lives?
If we want to make an impact on the world, these verses are where we need to begin.
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