1 Thessalonians 5:19-24 - “A God centered church pleases God by not quenching the Holy Spirit and by holding on to His Word”

What do we mean by  being God- centered? What is a God centered church? This question has been occupying our minds as we have been working our way through  Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians.  Being God –centered means  to  have  the Word of God  shape  our  way of  thinking and living as opposed  to  living  and thinking in a man centered  or in a natural or fleshly  way[1].  Being God centered means to  engage in   sanctified living- a life that pleases God.  Sanctification is a progressive  process  whereby the Holy Spirit continuously   and  progressively applies His Word to our heads and our hearts,  causing us  to act more like Jesus.   The subject  of  sanctification is extremely  important – for  it must  follow our justification. They belong together like  the protons  and neutrons that compose an atom. We all know that  splitting atoms  has  disastrous consequences!

I simply point out that  if you have believed in Christ  and if you have been justified by grace through  faith, then  it must also follow that  you  should  obey your Lord, “working out  your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you…” (Phil 2:12,13).

The Christian  race is not finished simply because we have started. Neither is the race  a concluded matter  because we have started well.  You know the famous story of the race between  the rabbit and the tortoise – and you know who won!  The tortoise,  slow starter that she was,  won  because she persevered.   The rabbit  started with an impressive sprint but fell down exhausted before the finish line.  Starting well is  great – but it is not what matters. Finishing well is what counts. So your justification  must be followed by  sanctification. You must  persevere to the end. 

Now, the  Thessalonians were commended by Paul  because he knew  that they had started well.“ The gospel had come to you  not only in Word , but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”   BUT how did they continue?   See 1:6-10!  The Thessalonians gave rich evidence of a sanctified lifestyle. But we also  saw that Paul exhorted them not to sit on their laurels and he exhorts them, “For this is the will of God – your sanctification …” (4:3). He says to them, “do so more and more !”(4:1,10)

Now there are many aspects to that process of  sanctification – that process  of growing to be more Christ like  and less worldly.   Paul addressed a  number of them   such as  the sanctification of  our sexuality  purity ( 4:3-8)  and  the sanctification of our  brotherly love  (4:9-12),   the sanctified relationship with  the elders of the church  (5:12-13),  our relationship   with those that struggle in the church  (5:14&15) ,  along with  real displays of  joy, prayer  and thanksgiving. (5:16-18) etc.  You will find that  Paul  is a very practical theologian. He never thinks in terms of doctrine  as  the Greek philosophers did. They loved philosophy  because it stimulated their brains and because i  sharpened their logical  thinking skills  – but it did  very little else . Above all,  it often lacked practicality.

Paul  wants the truth  to  works itself out in practice , and  he isn’t finished yet. And now he addresses …

5:19- 22:  “ A life pleasing to God through  a sanctified obedience to  the  Holy Spirit and to  the Revelation of the Word of God.” 

Our  obedience  and submission to the Holy Spirit’s  work in us and  to His  revealed Word (prophecy)   is  crucial to  our sanctification!  In this regard Paul reminds us: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies…” 

In this regard there are  two errors  which are often committed in  the churches. On the one hand there are  those quench the  Holy Spirit  by  claiming  to speak  prophecies and revelations that are not from Him, and then  there are those who make altogether too  little of Him, even despising His person and His  work. 

Now what does  this mean - “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies…”  ?

a. Do not quench the Spirit (v. 19)  

To  ‘quench’ in its other occurrences in the New Testament is used  with reference  to  putting out a fire [2]. This term is  used here  metaphorically  to warn  us not to quench  - not to  put out the Spirit’s fire . Simply stated  this means that we must not  hinder or oppose  the person and  the work   of the Spirit. Paul writes this in  the  present tense  and in the imperative mood i.e. “don’t go on  quenching the   Person and the work of the Holy Spirit.”    This is what Jesus said that   the Pharisees always did (Matt  12:22-32) . In fact they  attributed the work of the Spirit to  Satan! Jesus tells them that this  sort of persistent   blasphemy  ( for they kept on saying this)  was  tantamount to committing   the unforgivable sin-the sin against the Holy Spirit. In view of this and  what we read in v.20 about prophecies  we may come to the conclusion that  some in the church may have been resisting the gift of prophecy. This was certainly the case in  Corinth. There the gift of prophecy was being ignored because of an overzealous emphasis on the showy gifts like speaking in tongues (see 1 Cor. 12-14).

b. Do not  despise prophecies (v. 20)

The gift of prophecy  is  the ability to receive and communicate direct revelations from God. Now here is an important aspect to consider. Before  the NT was completed (1 Cor. 13:8) this was   an important  part of the church’s ministry. It still is an important part of the church’s ministry, but  the prophetic element today  has  become  subject  to  the  written Word,  since in Christ the revelation from God, given to the apostles,  is now complete à Hebrews 1:1-3. 

How  then do we understand  prophecy?  The Puritan pastor  William Perkins  (1558-1602)  wrote a treatise entitled  “The art of prophesying”.  William Perkins wrote this book for fellow preachers because he was concerned  that the  “main business was to preach Christ , and to reach the heart.”  Perkins said   that preaching should  “rip up the hearts of those that heard it, and  by the same token  he saw the preacher as a spiritual  doctor  whose knowledge of the biblical remedies enabled him to  bathe the wounds and heal the spiritual  sicknesses of God’s people with the grace of Christ .” [3] 

Now when I read this, I think immediately of the OT prophets. Their prophecies under the hand of God  were spiritually  very challenging and  exposing. They ripped open their hearers hearts. But their prophesying was  not heartless. Yes,  it was severe, but  it was not heartless. It was  intended to bring healing to those who would  hear and obey!  For those who  had the grace to see the truth of these words , these words  became life giving in their effect.

But there is also an opposite  effect to  such prophesying. Many whose hearts were ripped hated the prophets on this account  and that is why many of them were eventually killed. Jesus words in this regard are very telling: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.” (Matt. 23:37) Remember that the  greatest of prophets was Jesus  and for this reason He was killed by  those who hated His prophetic words, because they perceived that He spoke against them!  

Perhaps you will now understand that   your preacher  is a prophet in that sense, when he  opens the Word to you, and when  he proclaims it forcefully  and filled with  heavenly conviction  and  with contemporary application - “thus says the Lord…! ”

Now for argument’ s sake let us consider how God  may  be using this series of sermons to speak prophetically into the life of this church: 

1.      We  begin by reading the Word of   God.  

2.      The pastor –teacher  who has a biblical office and mandate  from God to inform God’s sheep of  His will,  having  spent  hours this week  seeking to  understand this Word, letting  it first speak to his  own sinful heart,  praying into his own situation,  now relaying this Word  of God to  his congregation,   releases it  as  it were into the  hearts of His hearers , at which time the Holy Spirit will do  His  ploughing work  within  each  heart.

3.      So, what has God   spoken to us about? Many things .. just to take it from chapter 4   sexual immorality … the need for brotherly love … concerning the coming of the Lord… relating to church leadership … helping those that are struggling  etc … Do you get the point?

Does this mean that you must  accept everything   thoughtlessly that comes to you from this pulpit? Clearly not !

c. Examine All Things (v. 21a)

Let me begin  with the context . Apparently, however, certain “idle” brothers (v. 14; cf. 4:11, 12) had misused this gift by providing false information  regarding the Lord’s return. This may  have caused the  church at Thessalonica   to despise  prophecy in general. Their tendency now was not to listen to any more prophetic messages.  Paul warns against  such  an overreaction and urges the church to give prophecies their proper place in edifying its members.

This is also important  since  false prophets would arise,  as the Lord Himself warned[4]   us. There must be careful discernment of the message of a prophet. Thus, Paul  ends  with this positive command : “Test [5]  everything“.  Here  is your  warning against gullibility. Here is a call to  biblical discernment.   The  Bereans  (Acts 17:11)  tested  everything Paul  had said  by the standard of Scripture  (the OT)

In 1 Cor. 12:10 and 14:29 discernment is a spiritual gift to be used  in conjunction  with the gift of prophecy. It consists of an ability to discern whether  what  a prophet has said  is  true.

For us  this is a call to examine all preaching and teaching in light of the Scripture. Just because somebody  preaches from  the  Bible it does not mean his  message is truly biblical. There is far too much Scripture twisting and  proof-texting  done in pulpits , and  God’s people  do well  to  know the Word of God  themselves  in order that they may discern  what is  truly the Word of God.  It is difficult to skillfully handle the Word (2 Tim. 2:15).  This is one of the reasons God places a greater responsibility on teachers (Jas. 3:1).

d. Hold fast what Is good (v. 21b)

Obviously  then, once what is heard is discovered to be “the good,” i.e. true and in accordance  with the revelation of God in Christ,  then we must  hold fast to it. 

e. Stay Away From Every Form of Evil (v. 22)

Believers must examine everything carefully and avoid that which does not conform to the truth – stay away from it.  Avoid it. Don’t be taken  captive by it.

This too then is part of our  sanctification, and it forms part of Paul’s  ultimate prayer for the Thessalonians (5:23-24) : “ Now may the God of peace Himself  sanctify you completely , and may your whole spirit  and soul and body  be kept blameless at the coming of  our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful ; He will surely do it “.  Amen !

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[1]  Paul uses the following terms to describe the opposite of the God centered way of thinking and living   i.e.  by  speaking about   “the natural person”  (1 Cor. 2:14) , “the spirit of the world” (1 Cor. 2:14) ,  “ being of the flesh”  (1 Cor. 2:14; 3:1-4 ), “the wisdom of the world”  ( 1  Cor. 1:20; 3:20)

[2] Matt. 12:20; 25:8; Heb. 11:34, or metaphorically, Mark 9:48; Eph. 6:16

[3] William Perkins : The  Art of Prophesying , Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson   p.  x

[4] Matt. 7:15; 24:11, 24; see also 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1

[5] Gr  dokimazo – to  test metals in the fire  , with the view of separating the metal from the dross .

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 : “A God centered Church demonstrates sanctified behaviour “

It has been a while  now since we  have considered  Paul’s first letter to the  Thessalonians.  So allow me to refresh your memories. We have been  considering this  letter  under the  general heading “ Portrait of a God-centered church”.  We are  using this letter as a kind of  mirror  to evaluate ourselves and to see how we are doing  as a church.  Be assured that it matters greatly  to God  how the church  is doing. From the epistles of the  NT  and the seven letters to the   seven congregations  in the book of  the Revelation to John we learn that it matters  greatly to God  how the local church (i.e. the sum total of the members of a local church) is behaving. For some churches the Lord Jesus  has no good words, but for other churches,   like this  church  there is much praise.   We  saw  that this church  manifested  the essential marks  of faith, hope  and love (1: 3), because the gospel had come to them not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1:5). The joy of the Holy Spirit was in the church (1:6) and  this church was  a real testimony to those around  them, as it  became known that they had  turned to God from idols to serve  the Living and True God (1:9). This was truly an obedient church and  the apostle Paul found it  easy to encourage them.

There were however  a few things in which they needed help  and instruction.  This is true  for us too, and for this reason we cherish the Bible which makes us competent and equipped for every good work (2 Tim.3:16) .

As Paul concludes his letter to the Thessalonians,  he  reminds them  concerning their future hope,   such as the resurrection  (4:13-18) and the  day of the Lord  (5:1-11)  and he urges them  to remain fully alert  and prepared for that day . I remind you that  this  day comes to us in two ways : either by the  literal second coming of Christ or by  our death.  The day  on which you die will be the day  in which your soul will be transported back to Him  who has made you (Ecclesiastes 12:7) and so it is important to be prepared for the day of your  death. It is important  to encourage one another (4:18) and to build  one another up  (5:11)  in the light of that day.    

And now in conclusion of his letter Paul  gives  a good number of  important  and practical  instructions which the church   ought to remember  as they  await  the coming of the Lord . All of these  instructions relate  to pleasing the Lord (4:1)  in the context of  a sanctified  life  lived within the church (4:3).   These  issues mentioned here   are of course  selective, but we will receive  these  exhortations  as  the Word of God for ourselves  today, believing that this is what the Holy Spirit wants us to hear and  obey.  In verses  12 – 15 we  find three  issues  addressed :

• The matter of relating to  our elders  (5:12-13a)
• Relating to one another (5:13b)
• Relating  to those that are struggling in various areas   (5:14)
• Keeping evil  under control and promoting good  (5:15)

(next  time  we will consider  vv. 16 -25  under the heading : “Pleasing God through a life of prayer , joy and thanksgiving")

1. Sanctified behaviour through  respecting our leaders  

Vv. 12-13: “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Another   text  in this regard is  Hebrews 13:17 : “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning , for that would be of no advantage to you .”

Let us begin by observing  that the pastoral leadership  (note  the “plural” emphasis on pastoral leadership)  is given to the church by God  as a spiritual gift  (Eph. 4:11). How will  a proper  relationship with  such affect my spiritual development  and sanctification?  What is their role in my life?  And why should I respect them, esteem them  very highly in love, obey them and  submit to them …. ? 

We are of course assuming then that these  pastoral leaders do  their work  with the integrity required by   God and His Word [1] . This does not mean that  members  must submit to their leaders uncritically   if  they discern them to be  in error.  However it does mean that  members must  not do so in an rebellious  or independent spirit, but in love and  being willing  to work towards biblical agreement (Phil 4:2). This being said , here are the reasons  why  we should  esteem  our pastoral  leaders : 

(i)                 Because they labour  (Gr. kopiaō) among you :   The  word means “to work to the point of growing weary “.  The pastoral ministry  can be  tiresome  work, and one of the reasons  we are to respect our leaders  is  because they  often  labour among us to the point of exhaustion.  Going  with God and going against a world that  holds   the hearts and minds of so many people  captive  can be exhausting. The last  50 years have seen unprecedented shifts in religious, moral, social,  ethical and economic  conditions and these have greatly  challenged  the way  traditional pastoral ministry is done. Postmodernism  has brought  about a  dismantling of  biblical and traditional  values  and as  a result of  this  our society has experienced  much brokenness  as people have been tempted to the limit,   as they have experimented with  all sorts of new freedoms. As a result pastoral work has become  labour intensive  as  God’s sheep need much  healing – Pastoral  work is to be  done with  utmost patience  (2 Tim 2:24-26 ; 4:2) . A Shepherd  leader needs to be patient  and not short tempered  and rude. That  continual  self- restraint   can be  hard on the soul of the pastor. It is hard to maintain a balance between toughness and tenderness.  Furthermore,  pastors   who committed to  doing  ministry in a biblical way  must  truly  labour [2] in preaching and teaching  (1 Tim 5:17). Preparing sermons  means  preparing  the heart and mind, for no preacher can truly  preach until he has first preached to himself . That is hard work – subduing one’s own heart is hard work!

(ii)                They  are over  you in the Lord :  (“over” à Gr.proistemi  lit. “ to stand before”  – hence to lead/rule).  Paul reminds  us  that  our shepherd  leaders rule in the congregation by the Lord’s  appointment  and  therefore by His  authority. On this account  they  have  great  levels of responsibility  and therefore  they  shall be judged more strictly by God if  they  fail in their duty.  (1 Peter  5: 1-4; James 3:1)

(iii)             They are  called  by  God to admonish you :  (Gr.  “noutheteo” – lit.  “to put in mind“ -  to instruct  and warn in view of the things that are wrong). Don’t resent them for this  work. They are called  to  do this by  God.  

How should we respond to  our pastoral  leaders or  elders ?  

Paul says  that they should be esteemed highly in love  because of their work . So, we should make a good start  by not making  the job of the pastoral leadership  any more difficult than it already is.  Unfortunately it seems that faithful leaders  are often  badmouthed , maligned and ridiculed[3] . We should really thank God when we do have faithful leaders, and value  them  as such.  So , make it  your duty  to encourage them in their work.  Listen to what they are saying. Follow their leadership  as far as  they are following Christ.

2. Sanctified behaviour by living at peace with one another ( 5:13b)

We  don’t  know  whether this is still part of the previous discussion about pastoral leaders or whether it is a new thought.  If it is still part of the discussion on respecting spiritual leaders, it might indicate that there was a power struggle going on in the church. In this case, Paul was pleading for the people to stop  being contrary  and to  be co-operative  and submissive to their  appointed leadership.

If this is a new section, Paul is giving us a familiar principle: we should be peacemakers rather than troublemakers!

3. Sanctified Behaviour by helping those that are struggling in various areas :

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. “ (1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 ESV)

a.  Admonish (warn)  the idle :  “idle”  is probably better translated  as  “unruly/ disorderly /undisciplined ”^[4].   When we see someone going astray in this way , we have a responsibility to warn that person that they are in danger. (see  James  5:19-20). When we see people who are drifting from the faith,  we need to know that those people are actually drifting into the path of the wrath and judgment of God.   We have the responsibility to warn such  people!  By all means  choose your words carefully and  let them be said in love, but be bold and honest!  Don’t be indifferent . Care enough  to keep each other from danger.

b. Encourage the fainthearted. The word translated  “faintheated”   literally means “ small souled” ^[5].  The idea seems to be that we are to encourage those who want to give up.  Most of us  know such  periods in life when  we want to quit.  We become  timid ;  tired  of living faithfully; worn down by those who resist the truth of the gospel. At  times we feel like we aren’t accomplishing anything.  At these times  we  need  someone to come along to encourage us . 

c. Help  the weak.[6]  Lit. those “without strength”.   A weak person needs support.  The Christian church is not a place where  we reject or belittle the weak. The Christian church  is a place  where  we develop   support systems (not dependency systems , mind you) but  helping  people to be  self-sustaining/  self -supporting   after they  have experienced setbacks  e.g. divorce ; illness;  being advanced in years;  bereaved –   times when people  cannot help themselves  and  don’t know how they will cope.  etc . These are times when people need someone to help them. 

d. Be patient[7] (lit.  long suffering) with them all:    In some respects this may be the most difficult of them all.   We  tend to  be  so impatient with people . You see it all the time with people who are grieving.  They don’t need answers; they need someone to understand that they are hurting.  They have lost someone  and no amount of comforting words  can replace them .  They need time to heal. We all need people in our lives  who will be patient with us and who will  pray for us and with us even when we don’t seem to be making progress; who will endure our “bad days” rather than getting offended and walking away.Patience is the key that unlocks the door to the deepest relationships.  You can’t have any significant relationship unless you are willing to be patient.

e.  See to it that  nobody repays another evil for evil. This was not the way of Jesus.  He  taught us  to love our enemies (Matt  5:38-48) . Paul instructs us to “not avenge ourselves, but to leave it to the wrath of God.” (Rom 12:19).  

Conclusion

Don’t you want to be a part of a church where people value their leaders and care about each other?  Don’t you long for people who will care enough about you-  to turn your from wrong and to encourage you when you are burnt out or stand with you when life knocks the legs out from under you?  

Let’s take this text personally and pray that  the sanctifying grace of God  will  empower us in each of these areas :

1. Give thanks to God for your leaders.   Encourage them.
2.  Be a peacemaker and not a disturber of the peace.
3.  Bring someone  back   who is heading  in the wrong way.
4.  Encourage a  fainthearted person this week.
5.  Help a struggling Christian  this week. 
6.  Determine not to be impatient.  Resist the hostility and aggression  of the world and  practice the patience, the love and the kindness of Jesus. 
7. Take the wind out of your enemy’s sails  by  saying something good to them .

May  the Lord be with us  as  we believe the sanctifying power  of our crucified Lord to be at work within us , and as we do these things   by faith  alone  for the glory of God alone. And may we be enabled to give testimonies in time  as to how the Lord has helped us  as we  have chosen to obey Him . Amen.

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[1] 1 Timothy 3: 1-7 ; Titus  1:7-9

[2] Same word as  in  1 Thess 5:12 - kopiaō

[3] This was Paul’s experience  and it is described in 2 Corinthians

[4] Gr. ataktos  - not keeping order ; a military term, denoting not keeping rank; insubordinate  

[5] Gr  oligopsuchos  lit. “small souled “

[6] Gr. Astheneō lit.” to lack strength “

[7] Gr. Makrothumia : long- suffering

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 : “A God - Centered Church is characterised by sanctified brotherly love”

We have already previously  established the general principle from this text:  Living  to please God!  (4:1)

We noted that the basis for Paul’s appeal is the command of Christ:  He urges them in the Lord Jesus! (4:1) – and again in 4:2 “For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus." And in 4:3:  “This is the will of God , your sanctification , that …”

The goal of this exhortation is our sanctification. Paul says: “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” (4:3) Sanctification    is the process by which the believer is brought to greater spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness in the course of their entire life.  This process begins at conversion.  The old sin habits are increasingly done away with and replaced with new ways by which we please  God, and so it is possible to please God ‘more and more’.  The agent of change, who helps us in this regard is the Holy Spirit (4:8) 

Sanctification is a practical thing.  To remain victorious over sin, we must cooperate with the Spirit in His work of purifying our souls. We must purify ourselves (2 Cor. 7:1). It is   a part of a living response  to our claim that we have believed and trusted in Jesus  Christ . It seems that some  people  just want to hear new truth, and they think that  accumulating knowledge is  equivalent to spiritual  growth . Certainly, God wants us to grow in the knowledge of His Word, but we need  to translate what we believe into practice.  Otherwise we are going to be like those in 2 Tim 3:6, 7 who are “burdened with sins and led away by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at knowledge of the truth.”

Two areas in which we need to grow in order that we may please God more and more:

Although  there are many aspects in which we need to be sanctified, Paul, for reasons unstated in the text, specifically addresses the matters of :

(i)               Sexuality (4:3-8) 

(ii)             brotherly love (4:9-12),   

...as the special  focus and proof   of God’s transforming work in the lives of  the Thessalonian Christians,  and therefore by way of application  also   in our lives. We receive these two exhortations to grow in our sanctification  as God’s specific instruction for us at  this time. These are two areas in which the Christian church should be setting a clear example  for our contemporary society.

We have already considered the matter  of  ‘sanctified sexuality’  last week , and so we are now ready  to consider …

(ii)  Pleasing God through a sanctified brotherly love 

The transition from sexual purity to brotherly love is a natural one.  Sexual sins almost always involve someone else.  Sexual sins   usually involve the exploitation and abuse of another person for selfish reasons.  So then, in this area we are also called to act with brotherly love and purity to one another. 

The word translated here as “brotherly love” is the Greek word ‘philadelphos’ (phileo & adelphos).  This reminds us  that we are united in the household of God (the church) as  brothers and sisters. We are reminded that in this household there ought to be a warmth and concern for each other because of our family relationship in Christ.

We observe that the Thessalonian Christians were excelling in this area. Paul says “…you have no need …, for you have been taught by God to love one another.”  Is Paul saying here that  they  do  not  need further biblical instruction on loving one another? Obviously not, because the NT has so much to say on this subject and the church is often so poor at loving one another.  But, let’s face it – there are Christians and there are churches that possess more grace in this area. The Thessalonians  were displaying one of the most essential badges of Christian discipleship,  Love for the brothers , and the Lord Jesus Himself said  to His disciples,     “by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. (Jn. 13:35)

They had been showing love toward all the brothers , but even such a ‘perfect’ display of love needs continued encouragement to   do still more. And there are many surprising  and unexpected  ways  in which we may yet have to learn  how  to do this!

Consider now how Paul counsels us to consider loving our brothers more in vv.  11 & 12. These verses  are  linked to the preceding section by the conjunction[1] “and”.  So, these two verses are actually an application to what Paul has been saying concerning the need to “do this more and more “.

Three areas in which your love  for  your brothers   and sisters may become more sanctified  in the church: (vv.  11,12)

1. Aspire to live quietly

2. Mind your own affairs

3. Work with your hands.  

Nothing disrupts the peace of a church more than having a bunch of busybodies or members who are unwilling  to be responsible for their own upkeep .  So it is important for us to note that our daily habits of living, and the way we conduct our own business, can manifest a real sense of Christian love. Love touches our lives in many ways which we often fail to recognize.  Undisciplined living on the part of some in the church very often causes pain to others in the church. It disturbs the peace of the body of Christ.  So,  in terms of allowing  the sanctifying power of God to work  in  improving our love life  we are called  to  …

1. Aspire to live quietly:

“ live  quietly”… The word used here ^[2]  refers  to a tranquility arising from within, causing no disturbance to others. [3]  Christians  who claim to be at  peace with God  should not be ‘noisy’ or ‘frantic’ people . There should be a restfulness, a peace, and a serenity that governs the life of a Christian, simply  because Christ is at the center. He is in control of our activity.    Sometimes one  gets quite dizzy when  one sees the restless  speed at which some Christians live. We can get  ourselves   exhausted  by a restless spirit, and others  can exhaust us by their restless spirit . A person who is constantly on the move is not only distracted from his/her  own walk with God, but he/she can be a distraction to his/her  brother/sister. A poised, serene Christian at peace with himself and God is a  source of peace to his brothers and sisters.  Such quietness, according to Paul  constitutes a practical demonstration of love for others. Have you ever thought about that? 

It is highly likely that there were such restless people within the Thessalonian church. The whole matter of the thought of  the  imminent return of Christ for instance (2 Thess. 2:1-3),  appeared  to have introduced  a speculative  and unsettling  element  into the church. People were getting frantic  and restless about the return of Christ, and instead  of simply resting  in Him whether He would return now or in  2000 years, they  allowed this  great fact to  have an adverse effect.   It appears  as if  this  was  causing people to become idle , saying    something like, ”… since Christ might come very soon, what point is there  in  working hard?“   The problem with idleness  is that  it doesn’t make you idle. It makes you  an irritating busybody. See what  Paul writes concerning  those who are idle in the  second letter to the Thessalonians  (2 Thess. 3:6-12- particularly verse 11 ! ). So it is possible  that some of the believers at Thessalonica had evidently stopped working and were instead going about from house to house  being idle busybodies.  One practical way  then to love one another  is  to have a quiet , peaceful  spirit!

2. Mind your own affairs:

One of the solutions for restlessness is to mind your own business, and to start looking critically at yourself. Jesus says, “Stop finding splinters in the eyes of your brothers, when you have planks in your own eyes”.  People that have nothing else to do  than  making it their business to observe the business of others  and constantly  finding fault with them  are  easily  tempted to  become  engaged in  unsanctified behaviour towards their brothers and sisters . So Paul offers excellent advice  here : “mind your own affairs !”   Make it  your  priority to get busy  with  your own life, and when you are busy with that , you will have enough on your own plate  so that you won’t be tempted to  develop  this critical spirit that tests our sanctification .  

There is thus a sense in which our first priority is to take care of our own lives, not in a self-centered way, but in a truly biblical way. We must however balance this with our responsibility to be involved with, and caring for others. Unfortunately our tendency is to easily go from one extreme to another  -  either being too  nosy or to the other extreme— to cut ourselves off and isolate ourselves from others. The point is that we  must learn to  love our brothers by minding our own business , and  to support them with our Christian love wherever it is necessary .   

3. Work with your own hands:

While we all have a responsibility to help those in real need, we also have a responsibility  not to help them  when  they refuse to work or to look for a job. Part of the help that such people need is to  admonish them , and to  counsel them  and help them to find work. They must understand that God wants them to be self-supporting and productive in society rather than dependent on society.

There is a twofold concern expressed in v. 12 in relation to this loving concern for the brothers and sisters .

a. their   testimony to outsiders: The unbelieving world is watching and we should always be concerned  that our lives  do not bring shame upon the Name of Christ.  The world  outside continually criticizes the church  for her “noisy Christians ”  , and  her  “busybodies”  , and  for accommodating those that are lazy  without ever disciplining them .

b. being dependent on no one:   God intends each one to work to meet their own needs and to be a burden to no one. This can be amply illustrated from Scripture. It obviously excludes those who are genuinely unable to work.  We need to see work as a blessing. It must be promoted by the Christian community. Work is not a curse. It is a way to use the gifts and talents God gives us in productive ways. And we as a church  should encourage  one another to be busy with  work.

Also remember  that  as  the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, God is a worker.

CONCLUSION: 

1.     The exhibition of brotherly love is an essential   mark of a biblical church (Jn. 13:35)

2.     We need to  continuously  improve in this area

3.     And especially  we must learn to love  our church  by being  quiet  people  who  are not in the habit of upsetting everyone ; we must avoid being busybodies ; we must  make our own living, and not depend on the church to   continually  help us  when  we  are continuously in and out of jobs ; when we  are unteachable ; when  we  have lavish lifestyles and poor budgeting habits .

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[1]  A conjunction  is  a part of speech that connects words, sentences, phrases, or clauses. 

[2]  Gr. hesuchios

[3] Vine’s Expository Dictionary of  biblical words