Love Matters

Most likely you have had the unfortunate experience of saying something that you regretted. I can vividly recall one experience where I wish I had kept my words to myself. One evening while attending college, a few friends and I had a little too much time on our hands. While out looking for something fun to do, we noticed that a business down the street had just installed a beautiful engraved wooden sign in its front yard. Upon closer inspection, it just so happened that one of our friends had a last name that was identical to the name of the business. Without even thinking, we took the sign and excitingly presented this gift to our friend. Our reasoning was that it would look better on his wall than it did in front of the business.

A few weeks later I received a call from my head football coach informing me that two detectives from the local police department had visited him that afternoon. They had a warrant for our arrest. As it "just so happened" that we saw the sign in the lawn that night, it also "just so happened" that a campus security guard saw that sign hanging on my friend's wall. Being a true friend, when confronted by the security guard He turned us in! Our coach told us that he convinced the detectives to 91give us a chance to return the sign and to ask the owner of the business to drop all charges.

Without delay, and fearing the worst, we went to meet the owner. To say that this person was unhappy would be an understatement. Nevertheless, we sat at her desk and pleaded our case while praying silently for our acquittal. The owner looked us squarely in the eyes and asked, "Why should I let you guys off the hook?" Without thinking I replied, "Because we are Christians." Wrong answer. She looked at me and said sternly, "Well, if you guys were really Christians you would not have stolen my sign in the first place." Ouch! Fortunately for us, and despite my stupidity, she dropped the charges. I guess she thought that the look of embarrassment on my face was punishment enough. What a lesson learned in so many ways.

It's one thing to say that you are a Christian; it's another thing to prove you are a Christian by the way you live. As Paul penned the final two chapters of his epistle, he directed his instruction toward the behavior of the Thessalonians. He aimed at their behavior not so that they would be good but so that they would be godly. His will for believers is nothing less than their complete sanctification (4:3). In fact, God takes the matter of your holiness so seriously that He leaves no room for you to misunderstand His expectations: "You are to be holy to Me because I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be Mine" (Lev 20:26).

Because God is committed to our holiness, He will chip away at any imperfection and remove every impediment that keeps us from looking like Him. God is like the stone sculptor who, when asked how he could create such a beautiful masterpiece from an ugly piece of granite, replied, "I simply begin with an image in mind and chip away at everything that does not look like that image until the masterpiece remains." That vividly describes the process of sanctification. God's ultimate goal for believers is that they will reflect the image and likeness of God. Thus, as Millard Erickson writes, through the process of sanctification,

one's moral condition is brought into conformity with one's legal status before God. It is a continuation of what was begun in regeneration, when a newness of life was conferred upon and instilled within the believer. (Erickson, Christian Theology, 980)

92Erickson is saying that what God did internally at salvation, He continues to do externally through sanctification. Through the ongoing work of sanctification, God's glory is reflected in the life of a believer. Thus the only reliable physical evidence of a redeemed heart is a transformed life. Paul illustrated this vividly when he wrote,

Through a series of succinct exhortations, Paul sets his sights on the ongoing process of sanctification in the Thessalonian Christians. After tackling the issue of sexual purity (4:1-8), he now turns his attention to the matter of love. Covering the space of only four verses, his discussion is direct and to the point. Yet each verse carries with it significant implications for Christian living. Paul sees the matter of love as so basic to being a Christian that he states, "About brotherly love: You don't need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another" (4:9).

You Love Each Other Genuinely

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

How you respond to God's Word will directly influence how you love other people. Paul therefore reminds the Thessalonians that they are "taught by God" to love one another (4:9). Grasping this truth will affect how we relate to all people, including those who seem unlovable. Sadly, however, Christians often spend more time quarreling than they do loving one another. The world often displays a more profound love for its own than God's people do for their own. Church fights and church splits have become all too commonplace in the modern culture. The song "They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love" could very well be renamed "They Will Know We are Christians by Our Fights." Although the Thessalonian church did not have internal conflict, Paul nonetheless challenges them to love one another "even more" (4:10). When God's people have a genuine love for one another it will be reflected in three ways: it will be obvious, it will know no limits, and it will continue to grow.

Your Love Shows (1 Thess 4:9)

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Let's focus on the phrase, "You yourselves are taught by God to love one another" (4:9; emphasis added). This unusual expression is used only here in the New Testament and conveys the idea of an innate knowledge made available by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit as their teacher, Paul saw no urgent need to give them any further instruction. As Marshall explains,

Exhortation is not needed because the readers have experienced an inward, divine compulsion to love one another. In other words, Paul ascribes their growth in love (1:3) to the sanctifying power of the Spirit (cf. 4:8). (Marshall, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 115)

In reality, God is the only One fully qualified to teach on the subject of love, because love would not exist without Him. He is its author. He is its commentator, because you would not know how to love without His instruction. So then, God not only teaches you about love, but He also teaches you how to love. Therefore, to begin any discussion on the subject of love, the logical starting point must be with God Himself. Just as we lack the ability to "abstain" from sexual sin without the Spirit's empowerment, we also lack the ability to love others without God's help. Without God's "divine power" we would never have the capacity to share in God's "divine nature" (2 Pet 1:3-4).

How then does this work in a Christian's life? When the new birth occurs, you receive God's Spirit. At that moment an exchange takes place: "old things" are replaced with "new things" (2 Cor 5:17). One of the new things that you receive is God's love. Paul tells us in Romans 5:5 that "God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Our capacity to love others does not come by trying harder; it comes by yielding to God's Spirit. When you yield to the Holy Spirit, He gives you the capacity to love others. Consider, for example, Paul's instruction to the Ephesian church concerning healthy relationships between a husband and wife, child and parent, and slave and master. It is no coincidence that he prefaces the entire discussion by emphasizing the importance of being "filled by the Spirit" (Eph 5:18-6:9). When we struggle with the ability to love others, the real question we should ask is, Does God's Spirit dwell in us? John writes,

Paul challenged the Corinthians, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith" (2 Cor 13:5). Our capacity to love others will reveal much about our hearts since genuine love is a reflection of God's presence in us.

Let's consider for a moment how the presence or absence of love impacts our churches. When we think of the ingredients of healthy churches, we often identify such things as biblical preaching, evangelistic zeal, doctrinal fidelity, and dynamic worship. Yet many of us have doubtless had the experience of visiting a church where the preaching was solid, the music was uplifting, and the doctrine was sound, but we still left with a feeling that something was missing. Perhaps we were sensing a lack of genuine love? When love is absent from the church, something is seriously wrong. Sometimes we can observe this by how late people arrive and how quickly they exit when the service has ended. Or we might sense a feeling of aloofness or superficiality among the people. Whatever the case, we just know when love is absent.

By contrast, where there is a genuine "brotherly love" in a church, our experience is altogether different. Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Paul prayed for the Philippians' love to "keep on growing" (Phil 1:9), and he thanked God that the Colossians' hearts were "joined together in love" (Col 2:2). When love is present in a church, the people are real with one another, the singing is joyful and the fellowship is sweet (Eph 5:19-20; Col 3:16-17). Love is not something that can be faked. Words can't make up for it, knowledge can't do it, and even genuine acts of kindness fall short where love is absent (1 Cor 13:1-3). Genuine love flows directly from a genuine relationship with God. A church might have all the necessary ingredients to do church, but if it lacks love, it is not being the church. We cannot expect the people on the outside to come in if the people on the inside do not love each other in such a way that their faith shines out.

95The Thessalonians' love for one another was deeply rooted in their relationship with God. Because God had given them His Holy Spirit, they now had the capacity to love like they never had before. Their love for one another was a reflection of their new nature. Warren Wiersbe's insight about the "new nature" of a Christian is good:

Fish do not attend classes to learn how to swim.... And birds by nature put out their wings and flap them in order to fly. It is nature that determines action ... because a Christian has God's nature (2 Peter 1:4), he loves, because "God is love" (1 John 4:8). (Weirsbe, Be Ready, 177)

Your Love Goes (1 Thess 4:10a)

The Thessalonians' love went beyond their city; it extended "toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia" (4:10). What a marvelous statement! Their love for the other churches literally went the distance. We have already observed this in chapter 1 where Paul commends them for their "labor of love." Such a passionate commitment to love others was paying off because it moved outside of the walls of their fellowship and into Macedonia and the regions beyond (1:3, 8). The newly established churches in Philippi (Acts 16:12-40) and Berea (Acts 17:10-14) were reaping the benefits of the Thessalonians' love.

What a powerful truth to grasp! Our love for our church is not enough; we must love God's church. This distinction is important. Today, many churches are fighting for their very survival. Declining memberships, internal conflicts, and a transitioning world outside their doors have led many churches to circle the wagons. Struggling to sustain their own existence, the last thing in importance for many of these churches is what is happening in God's extended kingdom. But God is at work in the world.

The local church was never intended by God to be an island in its community or the "Lone Ranger" in God's work. God has called believers to do His work together. We are not in competition. One of the true tests of our love for others is our ability to rejoice when God chooses to bless others more than He blesses us. For example, can we rejoice when the church down the street is experiencing revival and our church is not? Do we thank God for the people who are coming to Christ in another church even though a group of people left our church to start it? How about when social media is abuzz with testimonies of God's 96power at work in others—are we jealous that He's not doing the same in us?

God's love in us enables us to love others the way that God loves us—unconditionally. When we willfully withhold our love from others, especially those who belong to God's church, we rob others of the love they deserve, and we rob ourselves of the joy that comes from loving others. Since Jesus is building His church, we can be sure that He is at work in many churches, including those in other countries. While we may never get to go to these countries or attend these churches, God has given us the privilege of showing our love by praying, encouraging, and giving. Perhaps the greatest thing you can do in your church is to ask God continually how you can extend your love outside the walls of your church.

This truth hit home a few months ago when I received an envelope in the mail containing dozens of handwritten notes from members of another local church. The cover letter attached to these notes informed me that the membership of this small, aging congregation wanted to make a difference in God's kingdom. Because most of the members were advanced in years, they believed that their biggest impact could come by praying for and writing notes to local pastors. As I read the notes, not only was my heart encouraged, but I was also reminded that we are all in this journey together. Instead of circling its wagons and fighting for survival, this church decided to extend its love beyond its walls.

Your Love Grows (1 Thess 4:10b)

What further encouragement can be given to a church that was already excelling in its love for one another? Paul continues, "we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more" (4:10b). We might recall that he also gave them a similar command in 4:1 where he challenged them to grow "even more" in their relationship with God. In both cases his challenge is the same: "You are pursuing God, but you should pursue Him even more." And, "You are loving one another; now love one another even more."

Loving others is not an item to be checked off of our daily "to do" list. It's not like you say, "Okay, I loved my spouse today. Now I can move on." Or, "I just finished showing love to my friend today. I'll be back to do it again tomorrow." Loving others is an ongoing activity—it is a pursuit. Because we are progressing continuously in our personal sanctification, our love will always be growing. Paul uses the present tense of the 97verb love to express the idea of continual action. Thus loving others is not a task we complete—it is an ongoing activity and a lifelong pursuit. The Message paraphrase of 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 captures this idea well:

Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You're already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it. (Emphasis in original)

Paul commended them for the breadth of their love (toward all the brothers) and challenged them to increase the depth of their love (do so even more).

Jesus provided a poignant example of selfless love on the night He gathered His disciples in the upper room. In a selfless act of service and humility He methodically washed their feet, including those of Judas. His display of love was a living illustration of the selfless love He expected His followers to show one another (John 13:1-17). However, we will never entirely grasp the full force of His lesson until we first understand His motivation. What prompted this display of love by Jesus? John says that Jesus loved His disciples "to the end" (John 13:1). His love for them knew no limits. It had no boundaries. His love for them was both deep and wide.

The same motivation is necessary for us to love others in the way that God commands. Our love must also have no limits or boundaries. It may be easy to love the "Macedonians" when we think they deserve it, but what about when they do something that offends us? Sure, it's easy to love people in your church when they agree with your ideas and go along with your plans, but what happens when they question your ideas and resist your plans? We can never take a break from loving others, even when we think they don't deserve it. We cannot obey God's command to love one another "even more" if we selectively choose whom we will and will not love.

You Do Your Work Diligently

1 Thessalonians 4:11

Many Christians compartmentalize their faith. With their Christianity neatly tucked away in their back pocket, backpack, or purse, they head off to work, school, or their daily activities. While they may see their 98Christianity as a part of their lives, they fail to acknowledge it as the heart of their lives. Unfortunately, many Christians never see the direct link between their faith and their daily activities. Their thinking may go something like this: employment is for working, school is for learning, leisure is for playing, and church is for Sunday. By viewing life in this way they miss the whole point of their faith. As Paul put it, Jesus is not a part of your life; Jesus is your life (Col 3:4). By acknowledging this truth, you will no longer see Jesus as a part of your workday—you will see Him as the One who sets the agenda for how you work. You will no longer see Him as a part of your school day—you will see Him as the One who sets the agenda for how you study. You will no longer see Him as a part of your daily schedule—you will see Him as the One who sets the agenda for how you schedule your days.

The Thessalonians loved those inside the church, but they also needed to love those outside the church. One of the simplest ways in which they could demonstrate their love and respect for others was by working diligently at their jobs. We would do well to remember that how we work at our jobs says much about how we view our faith (Col 3:23-24). That Paul saw the need to address the irresponsible behavior of some of the Thessalonians clearly indicates that their poor testimony was adversely affecting the ministry of the church and the integrity of the gospel (4:11-12). Bruce makes this point well:

Non-Christians must be given no pretext for thinking that Christians were unprofitable members of society. The church could not discharge its ministry of witness and reconciliation in the world unless its members adorned the gospel with their lives as well as their lips. (Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 93)

To understand what prompted Paul to address this situation, we need to understand some important background information. During his initial visit to Thessalonica, Paul gave the people specific details about the Lord's return (5:2; 2 Thess 2:5). In light of his instruction, the church was eagerly anticipating the day when Jesus would return for His church (1:10). Convinced that Christ's return was imminent, some in the fellowship had apparently decided to quit their jobs. For them, working was pointless since any material possessions or wealth would be left behind. Their idleness was creating tension within the church and reflecting a poor testimony outside the church (2 Thess 3:6-13). With too much time on their hands, these misguided and irresponsible 99busybodies were intruding into everyone's affairs. Further, because they no longer had any income, they were forced to sponge off of others to meet their basic necessities (2 Thess 3:10-11). We can see very clearly how these lazy, inconsiderate believers would be a drain on their friends, former employers, and fellow church members.

Paul most likely had these irresponsible believers in mind when he wrote this portion of the letter. If so, he was sternly reminding the church that how they live and work reflects on the faith they profess. The promise of the Lord's return should have motivated the Thessalonians to work faithfully. Instead, many of these misguided believers were viewing their jobs apathetically. Knowing that when Jesus comes we will give an account for how we lived should provide sufficient incentive for us to pursue any task with passion and excellence (2 Cor 5:10).

You Lead a Quiet Life (1 Thess 4:11a)

Commentators are divided in how they interpret Paul's admonition to "seek to lead a quiet life" (4:11a). Some see this as a direct injunction against the irresponsible Thessalonians who were unnecessarily burdening others. Others believe Paul is encouraging the whole community of believers to live restful, quiet lives free from anger, conflict, or hostility. While either view would fit the context well, Paul appears to be addressing the entire fellowship. The Greek word translated "seek to lead" means to "strive after" or "be zealous for" and conveys the idea of ambition. The word translated "quiet" refers more to a state of being than to an absence of words. It appears likely that in light of their expectation of Christ's return, Paul exhorts them to strive to live faithfully, quietly, and restfully.

In this generation, ambition is rarely directed at restfulness. Most often it is directed toward the relentless pursuit of some goal, achievement, or status. Yet God's view of ambition is so different. Christians must make it their ambition to live in such a way that they project a "quiet" confidence in the God they serve. Christians live such a drastically different life from that of the rest of the world. Paul reminds his readers of this as he brings Christianity down to workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods. Just as God wills for us to be sexually pure (4:3), He also desires for us to live for Christ in such a way that our love for Him and our quiet confidence in Him will be a witness to the world around us (4:12).

While Paul's admonition may have been clear, some of the Thessalonians had clearly not taken it to heart. Quitting jobs and taking 100advantage of others was not how God expected them to live. An eager anticipation for the return of Christ was admirable, but failing to live faithfully until He returned was not. Such a lifestyle did not take seriously their calling to "walk properly in the presence of outsiders" (4:12). The Thessalonians needed a firm reminder that the gospel is only as believable as the changed lives of those who proclaim it. Paul was attempting to bring their Christianity back to earth where it belonged.

When this powerful truth comes to bear on our lives, it has serious implications. Instead of taking advantage of others, we will choose to trust God to supply our needs. Instead of cutting corners at work, we will do our work diligently as unto the Lord. Instead of fretting about every little thing, we will choose to present our requests to God. If Christianity means something in your church, then it will also mean something in your world. We therefore make it our ambition to do our work quietly and faithfully. Little things will not bother us because we understand the big picture (Matt 6:31-33). We show love to a watching world by displaying a quiet confidence in God. We don't quit our jobs and withdraw from the world. We don't take advantage of others. Instead, we confidently take our faith on vacation, to work, and to school. We aspire to "lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Tim 2:2).

You Mind Your Own Business (1 Thess 4:11b)

The natural result of leading a quiet life is "to mind your own business" (4:11b). A person who minds his own business has little time to meddle in the affairs of others (2 Thess 3:11-12). Paul clearly has in mind those who had quit their jobs in anticipation of Christ's return. With too much time on their hands they were needlessly interjecting themselves into the business of others. Nothing is more disruptive to the unity of a church than a nosy individual who desires to know every detail of another person's life, and few things present a more distorted view of the Christian faith than a group of Christians who make it their business to get in everyone else's business.

Unfortunately, this is the picture that many people have of the "typical" church. They see it as a group of self-righteous, nosy people who have nothing better to do than to sit around and talk about what everyone else is doing. Of course, this is not what the church is or what the church does. Paul illustrates how you should conduct yourself with one simple statement: Mind your own business! We are not like the world. The sordid details of other people's lives and the latest tidbits of gossip 101do not concern us. Our life is a stewardship entrusted to us by God. One day we will be required to give an account of how well we managed it. The promise of Christ's return does not give us a reason to be lazy; it gives us a reason to get busy. Jesus had strong words for the "lazy" servant who did not faithfully invest the talents that his master gave him (Matt 25:14-30). The dividends that you get from your investments are God's business—but how you invest your life is your business. For this reason, Christians should be the hardest working and most conscientious people in their schools, on their athletic fields, in their workplaces, and in their neighborhoods (1 Cor 10:31; Eph 5:15-16; 6:6-8; Col 3:23-24; Titus 2:7-8).

You Work with Your Hands (1 Thess 4:11c)

Work enables us to live with dignity and purpose (Gen 1:28; 2:15; 3:23; Ps 8:4-8). Paul's challenge to "work with your own hands" (4:11c) is a powerful reminder that the Christian faith is a practical faith. It goes far beyond what happens in a church building at 11 a.m. on Sunday; it affects your life from 9 to 5 on Monday through Friday. Our faith goes to work with us.

Paul's reference to working with your hands may be an indication that many of the new Thessalonian believers had working class jobs, which required manual labor. Also, quite possibly many of them were subjected to slave labor. Perhaps these Christian slaves now thought that they were freed from the tyranny of their work. Greek culture frowned upon any type of manual labor. Only slaves were fit to perform certain jobs. Hard work, toil, and sweat were viewed as demeaning and undignified. In his book Every Good Endeavor, Timothy Keller offers some insight on the Greek view of work:

Work was a barrier to the highest kind of life. Work made it impossible to rise above the earthbound humdrum of life into the realm of philosophy, the domain of the gods. The Greeks understood that life in the world required work, but they believed that not all work was created equal. Work that used the mind rather than the body was nobler, less beastly. The highest form of work was the most cognitive and the least manual. (Keller, Every Good Endeavor, 71)

God's view of work is very different. Far from shirking our responsibility to work, we honor Him by working diligently with your "own hands" 102(4:11c). Hard work is not a demeaning exercise; it is a means by which God sustains our lives (2 Thess 3:10).

God raises the bar when it comes to how we live and work. Nothing about our lives is insignificant. Everything we do sends a message to the world about what we believe about God (4:3, 12). From our words to our work, we are accountable to God for how we live. If our faith is real on Sunday at church, then it will be just as real on Monday in the office. The most tangible way that we can express love to others is passionately to live out our faith in the world. We do this by not being a nuisance to those within the church; and by being serious about how faithfully we live our lives outside of the church.

You Live Your Life Purposefully

1 Thessalonians 4:12

Paul sums up this entire passage by stating why his instruction is so important. Whatever you do, he admonished, be careful to "walk properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone" (4:12). In this verse Paul makes two significant statements: God never intended for the church to be isolated from its world, and God never intended for His church to be dependent on the world.

You Make a Difference in Your World (1 Thess 4:12a)

God established His church to be more than buildings dotting the landscapes of towns, cities, and countrysides. In fact, God never intended for His church to be a building at all. To be sure, church buildings are important and necessary, but Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could build buildings. He died on the cross to redeem a people. Peter describes the purpose of His redeemed people:

He has called out a people to make a difference in His world by proclaiming His praises. While no Christian would disagree with that statement, not every believer understands how this is supposed to happen.

The Bible gives us two specific ways that we do this. First, we preach the gospel. God has chosen to use "the foolishness of the message preached" to make known His amazing redemptive provision of the 103cross (1 Cor 1:21). So central is preaching to God's redemptive plan that Paul rhetorically asks the Romans, "and how can they hear without a preacher?" (Rom 10:14). The implication is obvious: it is impossible to hear the gospel unless someone preaches it. A few verses later he makes that point clear by saying, "Faith comes from what is heard" (Rom 10:17). For the church to impact its world, the gospel must be heard; for the gospel to be heard, preaching must be central (Matt 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 1:8; 8:4; Eph 3:7-9). Even a cursory reading of the book of Acts reveals that this was a priority for the early church. Preaching was not simply one means by which God established His church; preaching was the primary means by which God established His church. His plan has not changed today.

However, while the preaching of the gospel is primary, it is not the only means by which the church witnesses to the world. The changed lives of those within the church also paint a picture of the gospel. Peter made this clear when he wrote,

To be clear, Peter is not saying that a silent witness is a substitute for preaching, but he is saying that the world judges the validity of your words by the conduct of your life. Paul is making this point to the Thessalonians: the message that we preach and the life that we live are inseparable.

You Don't Take Advantage of Others (1 Thess 4:12b)

Paul's concluding instruction, to "not be dependent on anyone" (4:12), fittingly sums up this section. A church that is a drain on its city is not going to make a positive impact in its city. As Marshall puts it, Christians should

avoid bringing themselves into disrepute by failing to live up to the accepted standards of the society in which they live.... Christians must aim not to be dependent on anybody, especially those outside the church who will take a poor view of them if their religion makes them a public nuisance and burden. (Marshall, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 117)

104Lazy, non-working, unproductive, and inconsiderate Christians who depend on others to meet their needs will be doing little to meet the needs of others. Paul's corrective to this kind of lifestyle is straightforward: love each other genuinely, do your work diligently, and live your life purposefully.

Conclusion

Ron Hutchcraft tells the story of meeting a woman from his church. Upon greeting her, he asked, "What do you do for a living?" With a huge grin she replied, "Pastor, I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ—cleverly disguised as a machine operator!" That woman clearly understood that her faith meant something. She got it. Paul did not want the Thessalonians to forget that their faith really mattered. He taught them that their Christianity should show up in the most basic aspects of their lives—including their relationships and their jobs. The profound truth of salvation was imminently practical. Heaven could veritably touch earth through their faith. God did not save them to sit around and wait for heaven. Yes, heaven was their home, but their city was their mission field.

The same is true for us. If we are looking for a practical way that we can take the gospel to our "unreached people group" at work, school, or in our neighborhood, the place to begin is with Paul's practical teaching. We have to live out externally what Jesus has done for us internally. In other words, we've got to live out our faith. Here is how we can do this.

Love others genuinely (4:9-10). God is so passionate that you and I love one another that He not only commands us to do it, but He also empowers us to do it. We will never love others the way we should until we first love God for who He is. Concentrate then on the depth of your walk with Him, and watch how He increases the breadth of your love for others. Yield your will to the Spirit's will. Your heart is His home. Be filled with His Spirit by filling your life with His truth (Col 3:1-2). Don't allow sinful habits to "stifle" His sanctifying work in you (1 Thess 5:19; Eph 4:30). That would only serve to inhibit your ability to love others. Since your heart belongs to Him, allow Him to rearrange things the way He sees fit. Perhaps there will even be a thing or two that He will discard. When He does this, you might discover that the big things that really bother you about other people really aren't that big at all. The envy that keeps you from loving your coworker or the bitterness that prevents 105you from forgiving your spouse will be replaced by a love you never thought possible. It's not because you are trying harder; it's because you are yielding to God's Spirit.

Do your work diligently (4:11). Let us do our work for the approval of God and we will be freed from the tyranny of seeking the approval of others. Remember that how you work matters to God. Trust Him to meet your needs, but work diligently. Wisely invest the talents that He has given you. Do your job with a quiet and restful spirit. Use your hands to reflect a deeper motivation for your work than that of merely earning a paycheck. Don't spend your time worrying about what everyone else is doing. Focus instead on pleasing the Father in the exact place where He has placed you (2 Cor 10:13-15). Don't give a half-hearted effort or cut corners. Give God your all by giving your all to your job. When He is ready to move you, let Him open the doors, but until that day be diligent in how you work.

Live your life purposefully (4:12). We should ask God to make us sensitive to how we live "in the presence of outsiders." Your life is a platform from which you share the gospel. The foundation of that platform is your credibility as a Christian. A genuine love coupled with a diligent work ethic will create open doors for you to share with others what Christ has done for you. Paul demonstrated how your life and lips intersect when you share the gospel. Listen again to his words: "We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives" (1 Thess 2:8; emphasis added). Living out your faith involves more than just loving others or working hard; it means giving your life to love and serve others for the purpose of proclaiming His glorious gospel.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What is the value of teachers and preachers giving Christians practical ways they can show love to one another? Why is such teaching often not successful?
2. How does the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit enable you to love others?
3. Given Paul's commendation of the Thessalonians' love for one another, why does he tell them to love one another even more? What are some ways in which you can practice this?
4. How can you tell if the members of a church genuinely love one another? What happens when love is absent?
5. 106Based on this passage, give some examples of how Paul connects the faith of the Christian with the life of the Christian?
6. What does leading a "quiet life" mean? How does this apply to your life and work?
7. Why did some of the Thessalonian believers quit their jobs? What effect did this have on their church and their witness?
8. What does Paul mean by "mind your own business"?
9. Give some specific examples of how Christians can work with their hands in such a way that their work points to Christ.
10. What are some practical ways that you can apply Paul's instruction in this passage to your work, school, or leisure activities?