Instructions for Practical Christian Living.
Introduction
Living a Life Pleasing to God
Instructions for Practical Christian Living.
A Life Pleasing to God
Practical Christian Living
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 NLT
9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. 10 Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.
11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 12 Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.
Examine the Scriptures:
A Life Pleasing to God
Instructions for Practical Christian Living.
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 NLT
9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.
Some instructions for Christian living come through God’s Word (reading God’s Word or being taught by people like Paul who are teaching God’s Word).
Other lessons are taught by God Himself to his children directly.
This verse tells us that the ability for loving others comes directly from God’s (the Holy Spirit’s) work in the believer’s heart.
Christian love is not merely a human effort but a divine enablement.
- God himself had taught the Thessalonians to love one another.
Reflect on the following passages of scripture:
Jeremiah 31:33-34 NLT
33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
Isaiah 54:13 NLT
13 I will teach all your children,
and they will enjoy great peace.
John 6:45 NLT
45 As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.
1 Corinthians 2:13 NLT
13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
Romans 1:19-20 NLT
19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
God has made Himself known to all people, so humanity is without excuse for ignoring or rejecting Him.
- Paul teaches that God has made certain truths about Himself plainly evident to all humanity.
Review:
The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.
The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Romans 13:8-10 NLT
Love Fulfills God’s Requirements
8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
John 13: 35 NLT
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT
5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Galatians 5:22 NLT
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Romans 5:5 NLT
5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
1 John 4:7, 8, 12 NLT
Loving One Another
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
- Love is a work of the Spirit.
- Christian love is not merely commanded—it is God-produced in those who walk with Him.
10 Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia.
- The Thessalonians already showed their love for all the believers throughout Macedonia.
Their love wasn’t confined to their local church; they extended it “toward all the brothers in all Macedonia,” demonstrating a vibrant and expansive Christian network.
We read about that in:
1 Thessalonians 1:7-8
7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.
8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it,
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 NLT
8:1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
Paul is talking about the Macedonian believers— specifically, the believers in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. These believers were poor, persecuted Christians whose joyful generosity became a model of Christlike giving for the Corinthian church.
Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.
The Thessalonians already showed their love for all the believers throughout Macedonia, but Paul urged them to love them even more.
There was still room for improvement.
Even in something they do well, Paul encourages continuous growth and greater application.
Christian maturity is an ongoing process.
- Even though the Thessalonians loved well, Paul encourages them to love even more.
In the Christian life, love is never a completed task.
11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life,
- Make it your goal to live a quiet life.
1 Timothy 2:2 NLT
2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
1 Peter 3:4 NLT
4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
Live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
Clothe yourself with a gentle and quiet spirit.
Live peacefully with others instead of interfering in others affairs.
Be a person who strives to be at peace with himself and God.
Proverbs 25:17 NLT
17 Don’t visit your neighbors too often,
or you will wear out your welcome.
minding your own business
- Mind your own business.
Don’t be a busybody.
Apparently some Thessalonians, probably because of their idleness, were taking undo interest in other people’s affairs.
This directly addresses the busybodies—those who were meddling in others’ lives because of their idleness. Christian love does not involve intrusive gossip or unsolicited interference.
and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.
- Earn your own living.
Work itself is a blessing, and working with one’s hands should never be despised by Christians.
Don’t look to be supported by others.
It appears that some Thessalonians were neglecting work and were relying on others to support them.
Some members, perhaps fueled by the expectation of Christ’s imminent return (the next chapter addresses this), may have become idle, neglecting work, and interfering in others’ business.
Diligent, honest labor is presented as a spiritual discipline and a necessary component of a godly, quiet life. This corrects any notion that intense focus on the Second Coming excuses laziness or dependence on others.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 NLT
10 Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”
11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. 12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.
A self-supporting person is not a burden to others.
Paul’s own example:
2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 NLT
7 For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. 8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.
- Love is shown through responsible living, hard work, and not burdening others.
12 Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live,
NIV so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
ESV so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
Putting verses 11-12 into practice wins the respect of non-Christians.
Walk properly before outsiders.
Earn the respect of the unbelievers.
The Christian community’s conduct directly impacts its witness to the non-believing world.
1 Peter 2:12 NLT
12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
Matthew 5:16 NLT
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Titus 2:7-8
7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. 8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.
This kind of behavior also wins the respect of believers.
- Christians should display integrity, industry, and decency so that outsiders see the gospel lived out.
and you will not need to depend on others.
Paul is not saying every Christian must be completely self-sufficient.
Paul is advocating personal responsibility.
Working prevents the believer from becoming a financial burden on the church or the community, maintaining their dignity and independence.
The combination of love, quietness, and work ensures the church functions with internal harmony and external respectability.
