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1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called “Lessons from a Growing Church,” and we are working our way through a number of lessons we can learn as a church from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. Today’s lesson has to do with our public witness as a church. How can we as a church present a positive, public testimony for Christ in the community? We find some practical answers to that question in our text today. (Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 and pray.)

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How can the church present a positive, public testimony for Christ in the community? How should the church and those believers within the church present themselves to those outside the church? Should the church even care about its reputation in the community? Some churches would say no. They would say, “Who cares what the world thinks? The world is going to hate us anyways. Didn’t Jesus say to expect persecution?” And so, they cut themselves off from the community around them.

Yes, Jesus did say to expect persecution, but sometimes the church experiences unnecessary persecution. Some churches seem to wear contempt for their community as a badge of honor. It’s almost as though they feel they are not being good Christians unless the community is against them. However, there is nothing particularly noble or godly about having a bad reputation in the community. It is one thing to suffer for the gospel or God’s word. It is another to suffer because we have failed to present a positive, public testimony for Christ in the community.

We should care about our church’s reputation in the community because God cares about our church’s reputation in the community. We live in the world, not of the world, but we do live in the world. Why does God care so much about our reputation in the community? Because our public testimony for Christ depends on our reputation. And our public testimony for Christ will either help or hinder the spread of the gospel in the community.

So, as we study this passage, I would like us to think about the following questions. How do people in the community view our church? How do people in the community view the members of our church? How do people in the community view you? Do you present a positive, public witness for Christ in your own life? These are important questions to consider.

They were important for the Thessalonians also. And so, Paul writes to them about their public testimony. And he tells them that their public testimony, their reputation in the community, basically depends on two things: 1) how they relate to each other, and 2) how they relate to those outside the faith.

How do you present a positive, public testimony for Christ in the community? Basically, Paul says you must do two things. 1) Love each other in the family of God. 2) Work to earn the respect of those outside the family of God.

I. Love each other in the family of God (9-10)

First, you must love each other in the family of God. Look at verses 9-10 with me:

Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10)

   A. Love each other within the local church (9)

Paul begins by addressing relationships within the church. We should love each other within the local church. If you want to have a positive, public testimony outside the church, you must first love each other within the local church.

      1) Love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ

Within the local church God tells us to love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. The word translated “brotherly love” in verse 9 is the Greek word, “philadelphia.” The Quakers named the modern-day city of Philadelphia after this word. In effect they called it: “the city of brotherly love.” (There was also another city named Philadelphia in New Testament times – see Revelation 3:7ff).

Outside the New Testament this word “philadelphia” was used almost exclusively for the love between actual brothers and sisters. This was the love of family, of blood-relations. However, in the New Testament it is used almost exclusively for the love between believers in the church. When you come to Christ, you become a part of the family of God. And as such you gain a whole new love for other Christians. We are not just fellow-church members. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. As John Stott writes: “It is natural that those who know God as their Father should love one another as sisters and brothers in his family.”

Now the Thessalonians were doing quite well in this area. In fact, they were doing so well that Paul told them, “We don’t really need to write to you about this.” Paul says literally, “Thessalonians, you have no need for us to write you in this area.” The Thessalonians had no need, they had no lack or gap in this area. Apparently, they did have a need for Paul to write to them about other things – such as holiness, hard work, the resurrection, the timing of Christ’s return, etc., but in this whole area of brotherly love, they were doing just fine.

      2) Allow God to teach you by the Holy Spirit

And you can do fine in this area too if you allow God to teach you by the Holy Spirit. That’s what Paul writes in verse 9: “About brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.” (1 Thessalonians 4:9) In effect, Paul says, “I don’t need to teach you any more about this, because God has already taught you.” This phrase “taught by God” is a single word in the Greek, “God-taught.” It is the first time this word is found in any literature and many scholars believe that Paul coined the phrase himself.

So, what does it mean to be “God-taught” to love each other?” The word points not so much to the content of God’s teaching in his word as to what God has taught us in our lives and experience. It points to our relationship with God as our daily teacher.

And how does God teach us to love each other? Through the Holy Spirit as he lives and dwells in our hearts. If you look back at the end of verse 8, Paul has just described God as “God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” Paul looks and marvels at the love that the Thessalonians have for each other. He knows this is not a natural love. We do not naturally love non-family members the same as brothers and sisters. Paul sees the supernatural hand of God at work. The Thessalonians are God-taught. They have been taught by the Holy Spirit to love each other.

The same is true for us today. If you want to learn true love for your brothers and sisters in Christ, you must learn it from the Holy Spirit, the Counselor whom Jesus left with us to teach us and guide us into all truth. Paul’s phrase is actually in the present tense. It’s not, “you have been taught by God,” but rather, “you are taught by God.” In other words, God is continually teaching us in this area. As believers we are all still in school with the Holy Spirit every day. You can keep learning, or you can drop-out, but you don’t graduate from this particular school until you reach heaven.

   B. Love those outside your church as well (10)

So, God tells us to love each other within the local church. And then he tells us to love those outside your church as well.

      1) Love those in other churches

We should particularly love those in other churches. Look at verse 10 where Paul writes: “And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia.” (1 Thessalonians 4:10) Remember the Thessalonians had become active in evangelism throughout their province of Macedonia. This province included the churches at Philippi and Berea and perhaps other churches that had sprung up due to their efforts at spreading the gospel. The Thessalonians not only loved each other within their own church. They loved all their brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the area.

This is a powerful lesson for the church today. There should not be a spirit of competition between local churches, but rather a spirit of brotherly love. If a church is a true church, faithful to the gospel and to God’s word, then we are all brothers and sisters together in the family of God.

      2) Always keep growing in your love for others
         – John 10:10, 13:35

And then you should always keep growing in your love for others. Some churches can become ingrown and forget to practice love outside of their fellowship. They may be a friendly church – but only to each other! I thank God that we have a reputation as a friendly church, but sometimes we miss people. Sometimes we fail to make that extra effort to welcome a newcomer. There’s always room for improvement. The goal is always “more love.”

We see that in Paul’s next phrase: “Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:10) This is the third time in this letter that Paul has used this phrase “more and more.” He used it in 3:12: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow.” He used it in 4:1: “We instructed you how to live in order to please God…. Now we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” Now he uses it again here in verse 10.

This verse especially reflects the phrasing of 4:1. Remember 4:1 was a general instruction to please God in all areas of our life, and to do this more and more. Verse 10 now gives us a specific example of where to do that. The fact that Paul uses this phrase three times in such a short space shows that Paul considered this an important aspect of the Christian life: always growing, always increasing, abounding, overflowing.

The Christian life is not just about growth but abundance. We are to be overflowing in the Christian virtues. Jesus spoke about the abundant life. He said in John 10:10: “I have come that you may have life, and may have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) In Psalm 23 the psalmist expresses the same thing when he says: “My cup runneth over!” (Psalm 23:5) This is what the Christian life is all about – overflowing, abundant life; spiritual growth which pleases God, blesses the believer and ministers to others.

The Thessalonians were not the only believers who practiced brotherly love. In fact, the early church was known for their love. The pagans despised Christian belief, but they could not deny Christian love. “See how they love each other,” was the testimony of the pagans concerning the early church. (Tertullian’s Apology, Ch 39). When we practice God’s commandments to love, when we go to school with the Holy Spirit on this matter, when we allow ourselves to be taught by God himself to love, then these words will ring from the world once again – “See how these Christians love each other!”

This is an essential part of our public testimony before a watching world. If we don’t love each other, we will have a hard time convincing others about the truth of the gospel. Jesus himself said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

How do you present a positive, public testimony for Christ as a church? First of all, you must love each other in the family of God.

II. Work to earn the respect of those outside the family of God (11-12)

And then, secondly, you must work to earn the respect of those outside the family of God. Look at verses 11-12 now where Paul shifts his focus from our relationships within the body of Christ to our relationships with those outside the body of Christ.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your 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. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

   A. Three commands (11)

In verse 11 God gives us three commands concerning our relationships with those outside the body of Christ: 1) make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, 2) mind your own business, and 3) work with your own hands. Let’s look at all three together.

      1) Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life
         – Psalm 46:10

First, make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. This phrase “make it your ambition” comes from a word meaning “to love or seek after honor, to labor or strive towards an end, to make something your goal or aim.” The word translated “to lead a quiet life” means “to be quiet, to be silent, or to rest.”

This verse is a call to live a simple life. As Christians we should not be running around crazy here and there, but our lives should be quiet, focused, purposeful. Psalm 46:10 says: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Here in 1 Thessalonians Paul applies that verse to our daily lifestyle. Paul says that your Christian life in the community should reflect that sense of quiet peace and rest in the Lord.

This also means that as Christians we should avoid needless public controversy. The only offense we should ever present to others is the offense of the gospel. We must be bold in proclaiming the gospel, but we should do our best not to be viewed as troublemakers in the community – whether in our schools, town meetings, condo associations, etc. Some people seem to live for controversy. They love to stir up the pot. But as Christians we shouldn’t do that. The gospel must be our first priority, and we must not allow anything to jeopardize our witness.

When Paul says, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,” he is being intentionally ironic. We usually think of ambition, labor and striving as involving strenuous activity. Paul turns it all around when he basically says, “Strive to be still.” It’s an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. J.B. Phillips tries to capture the irony with his translation: “Make it your ambition . . . to have no ambition!” God calls us not to be restless but to be restful – restful in him. Live simply; live quietly. Do few things but do them well. That’s the first command: make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.

      2) Mind your own business (M.Y.O.B.)

The second command is one we all need to hear: mind your own business! We had a phrase at our house when the kids were growing up and they would start meddling with someone else’s concerns. We would say: “MYOB! Mind your own business!” Well, guess what? We didn’t make that up. It’s Scriptural. It comes right out of the Bible. The phrase here in 1 Thessalonians literally means “to take care of your own, to manage what pertains to you, to tend to your own affairs.” MYOB! Mind your own business. Take care of your own concerns, and let others take care of theirs.

These first two commands go together. Restless and purposeless activity often leads to meddling in other people’s concerns. And apparently some of the Thessalonians were restless. Instead of attending to their own lives, they were poking their noses into other people’s business. God says to live quietly, restfully. Stay out of other people’s business. Focus on managing your own life well instead.

      3) Work with your own hands

And then God adds a third command: work with your own hands. God tells us to be responsible workers in society. The word here can mean either manual labor or simply to carry on any business or trade. Greek society looked down at manual labor as something shameful or disdainful. But God looks at work quite differently. The Bible honors and commends hard physical work. Jesus was a carpenter! Paul was a tentmaker! We are to do all things to the glory of God, and that includes our work – whether blue collar or white collar, manual labor or a desk job. It is all work, and it should all be done to God’s glory.

The emphasis here is on working hard rather than being restless or idle. Some people work to make a living. Others work hard at managing the home and kids. Younger people work hard at school. Some older people are retired and no longer work to produce an income, but they are still active in other things. Whatever your situation, God calls you to work hard and to be productive with your life. It is a matter of stewardship and testimony.

Like it or not, the majority of our waking hours each day are given to work. That is the lot which God has assigned to us. So, if you’re tired at the end of a long day’s work, that’s good! It means you are doing what God has called you to do. Hard work is part and parcel of the human experience. It is an essential part of living obediently to God and pleasing God in all areas of your life.

   B. God’s purpose for these commands (12)

So, God gives us these three commands in verse 11: 1) live quietly, 2) mind your own business, and 3) work with your own hands. Next in verse 12 he gives us the purpose for these commands: “… so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (1 Thessalonians 4:12) Here God gives us two reasons for these commands, and they both have to do with your public testimony in the community.

      1) So that your daily life will win the respect of outsiders

The first reason is this: “so that your daily life will win the respect of outsiders.” This implies that there are certain expectations in a community, certain cultural norms or standards. Last week, when we talked about sexual immorality, we talked about being cross-cultural, about swimming against the stream of what is accepted by the culture at large. We talked about the fact that God does not accommodate his commands to culture.

However, that does not mean that as Christians we should never accommodate ourselves to culture. We must refuse to compromise when it comes to the gospel or God’s commands, but there are many areas where we can and should adapt to the culture in order to win the respect of others that we may also win a hearing for the gospel.

Some Christians do not understand this. They make a point of being countercultural in every single aspect of their lives. They feel that if they join the mainstream in any way, they will compromise their Christianity. All they succeed in doing is alienating others and separating themselves from those with whom they need to share the gospel. Culture is not the dividing line between Christian and non-Christian behavior. Sin is the dividing line, not culture. As Christians we must participate in community and culture. We must work to earn the respect of those outside the body of Christ.

      2) So that you will not be dependent on anybody

And then the second reason is this: “so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” God wants you to work with your own hands so that you will have no need for others to support you.

Once again – a life full of restless activity, meddling or interfering in other peoples’ business, idleness leading to dependency – these things will not win the respect of anybody. Such a person or church presents a poor testimony for Christ. Instead, God calls us to be quiet, non-interfering, hard working, responsible, productive, contributing, respected members of society. This will present a positive, public testimony for Christ, which in turn will assist the spread of the gospel.

CONCLUSION: Our message today is called, “Love and Respect.” When it comes to relationships within the body of Christ, the key word is “love,” specifically brotherly love. We must love each other as brothers and sisters in the family of God. When it comes to relationships outside the body of Christ, the key word is “respect.” We must live in such a way so as to earn the respect of non-believers.

The goal of both is the same. Love and respect come together to present a positive, public testimony for Christ which opens doors for the gospel in the community. Basically, God calls you to love each other in the church, and to be a respected citizen in your community. Both are part of your testimony. And both are essential for effective witness for Christ through the gospel.

© Ray Fowler

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