Mind Your Own Business

Reading:  1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
    
    Paul writes the Thessalonians about the one thing he doesn’t need to write about.  “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”(1 Thess 4:9-10).  Paul addresses several matters in this letter, but this is one he feels no need to dwell on because they are already doing it!  He wants them to know that this “brotherly love” is not a natural affection they have for each other, but because they “have been taught by God.”  When we earnestly care for people we have no physical connection to, God is behind it.

    Paul encourages them to continue loving and “to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you”(1 Thess 4:11).  There is a problem at Thessalonica:  some of them have stopped working and rely on their Christian brothers to support them financially (see also 2 Thess 3:6-14).  Paul wants them to “live quietly,” refusing to intrude on the lives of others because of their own choice not to work.  Instead, Christians should take care of their own financial business and do their own work to provide for themselves.  This choice has two effects:  it helps us “walk properly before outsiders” who see that our faith promotes hard work and leaves us “dependent on no one”(1 Thess 4:12).  While it is loving to give to others in need, it is not loving to willfully persist in need and force others to give to us.

    The first church in Jerusalem was known for its extreme generosity to those among them in need (see Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-35).  This text speaks to the other extreme:  people abusing generosity because they refuse to work for themselves.  Paul wants us to “mind your own business,” well aware that when I fail to do so, my needs spill over onto others.  I have my own business—financial, family, emotional.  Others can help me, support me, and pray for me, but my business is ultimately my responsibility.

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One Thing to Think About:  How might loving others and minding my own business be connected?

One Thing to Pray For:  Wisdom to “walk properly before outsiders”
 

God’s Will for Your Sex Life

Reading:  1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
    
    Paul transitions here from recounting his history with the Thessalonians to giving them moral instructions.  He wants them to continue “to please God" and to “do so more and more” as they follow the truth he has already taught them (1 Thess 4:1, 2).  He has a specific teaching in mind here:  “For this is the will of God, your sanctification:  that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor”(1 Thess 4:3-4).  God’s will for our sex lives is that we be holy—pure, separate from sin, and devoted to God.  This will involve abstaining from certain things—the kinds of sexual relationships that are off-limits to us—and will demand that we learn to be in control of our bodies and their impulses.  We cannot simply respond to every sexual urge or thought; this is not God’s will.

    We do not live “in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God”(1 Thess 4:5).  Gentiles (people who have no relationship with the true God) allow their lusts to grow without restraint, but those who know God pull back.  There is also a social dimension when we are sexually out of control:  “that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things”(1 Thess 4:6).  When I engage in improper sexual relationships, I hurt others (whether they consent or not).  Paul seems especially to have in mind the damage adultery between brothers and sisters in Christ can do to wounded spouses, the church, Jesus, and even ourselves.  He ominously warns that Jesus will avenge, that this is not our calling (1 Thess 4:7), and that if we ignore this, we are ignoring the gracious God himself (1 Thess 4:8).  

    People sometimes describe Christianity’s sexual rules as repressed and puritanical.  Paul argues that they are really about us being in control of ourselves.  There is strength in knowing that my sexual behavior is honorable, righteous, and loving of others.  I am no longer subject to every passing whim, a slave of my passions.  This is God’s will for me.

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One Thing to Think About:  Why is it so hard to control sexual impulses and behavior?

One Thing to Pray For:  The power and wisdom to control my body in holiness and honor

We Have Been Comforted

Reading:  1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
    
    Paul sent Timothy to discover whether the Thessalonians have remained faithful to Jesus.  “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you—for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith”(1 Thess 3:6-7).  Paul breathes a huge sigh of relief.  Timothy informs him that the Thessalonians are still living as disciples—and in fact greatly miss Paul rather than denouncing him.  The tremendous sense of anxiety he has been wrestling with is eased.

    Paul goes on to reveal just how important these brothers are to him.  “For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord”(1 Thess 3:8).  He does not literally mean that his life depends on them, but is expressing how tremendously their endurance affects him.  He describes the “joy that we feel for your sake before our God” and explains that “we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face”(1 Thess 3:9, 10).  Imagine how encouraging these words would be if you were a member of the Thessalonian church—knowing that simply by continuing to try to follow Jesus, you have had such a positive impact on the apostle.  Having described his prayers, Paul includes a prayer that God give them an opportunity to be reunited with the Thessalonians and strengthen them (1 Thess 3:11-13).

    Paul shows us that the Christian religion comes from the heart.  The hardships and suffering we endure are softened when we feel camaraderie with others who suffer alongside us.  We long to know that, despite miles between us and time spent apart, our brothers are still walking with the Lord.  And when we see their faith going strong through the fires, we can say alongside Paul, “we have been comforted.”

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One Thing to Think About:  Do I feel this way about my brothers?

One Thing to Pray For:  To see my brothers face to face and supply what is lacking in their faith (v. 10)

We Are Destined for This

Reading:  1 Thessalonians 3:1-5
    
    Paul continues telling the Thessalonians about his distress when he was “torn away”(1 Thess 2:17) from them shortly after their conversion and wondered whether they continued to serve Jesus.  “Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith”(1 Thess 3:1-2).  Because Paul was such a lightning rod for persecution, he remained in Athens and sent Timothy back to work with the Thessalonians (Acts 17:13-15).  Paul says he “could bear it no longer,” which adds a distinct emotional flavor to otherwise bland descriptions of travel plans.

    His main concern for them is “that no one be moved by these afflictions.  For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.  For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know”(1 Thess 3:3-4).  Persecution and social ostracism are hard for young faith to endure.  Jesus warns about those who receive the word joyfully but fall in time of tribulation and persecution (Mark 4:17).  Yet Paul insists that affliction does not mean something has gone wrong.  Paul both taught and lived the reality of suffering for following Jesus.  So he sends Timothy “to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain”(1 Thess 3:5).  If this hardship destroys their faith, Paul will be devastated.

    Paul’s words underscore two important ideas.  One is that disciples should expect to suffer.  “We are destined for this.”  Paul shows us that we need to understand this personally and teach new believers to anticipate it from the beginning of their conversion.  The other is that this suffering, when poorly endured, can harm or ruin our faith.  This is the reason for Paul’s intense emotions (“we could bear it no longer” and “for fear”).  Hard times are opportunities to shore up our faith and encourage others to be strong.

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One Thing to Think About:  What kinds of afflictions do I endure for following Jesus?  How do they affect me?

One Thing to Pray For:  A heart to “establish and exhort” others in their faith

Satan Hindered Us

Reading:  1 Thessalonians 2:17-20
    
    Shortly after the conversion of the Gentiles, Paul was forced to leave town.  He describes his mindset:  “But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face”(1 Thess 2:17).  Paul was parted from his brothers “in person not in heart” because he continued to think about them, pray for them, and seek to return to them.  He could write letters and send messengers to them, but some matters (like encouragement) are best done “face to face.”

    So if he was thinking about them so much, why didn’t he return?  “because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us”(1 Thess 2:18).  He does not specify what Satan did to block his return.  Is it the ongoing persecution in Thessalonica?  Is it that plans didn’t work out with logistics, money, or weather?  Is it other responsibilities that overwhelmed Paul?  What we can know is that Paul attributes the delay not to God, but Satan.  Paul insists that this was not his desire:  “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming?  Is it not you?  For you are our glory and joy”(1 Thess 2:19-20).  Time and distance might intervene, but they do not change Paul’s deep love for (and pride in) these new disciples.

    “Satan hindered us” reminds us that Satan is constantly at work inhibiting God’s purposes.  He is behind the persecution of God’s people (Rev 12:10-17).  He is the father of lies (John 8:44).  He has schemes to attack believers in Jesus (Eph 6:11).  Perhaps even unexpected hindrances to our work come from him.  Paul teaches us to acknowledge Satan’s work, but not to let it discourage or overwhelm us.  We serve one stronger than the one who sometimes hinders us.

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One Thing to Think About:  Why is it important to acknowledge that Satan is at work?

One Thing to Pray For:  A deeper connection to my brothers and sisters