CWA Epiphany 6 Supplemental - Epistle Lesson(Partial)
K B Kuschel
I Thessalonians 4: 11-12
11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
How do I win respect from other people? Win a Super bowl. Be a Super Bowl MVP. Today
St Paul reminds us that there are other ways to win respect.
IA1 The Thessalonian Christians seemingly had a fixation about Jesus’ second coming. That’s all they thought about. That’s all they talked about. When other people saw them coming, they said, “Here come those fanatics. Let’s try to avoid them.”
2 Paul’s advice is: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.”{11} Literally the words say, “Get all excited about being quiet.” In other words, “Stop being fanatics. Don’t become obnoxious to others when speaking about what you believe.”
3 Paul’s advice is “Win respect by leading a quiet life. Live your life, acknowledging that Jesus could return today. If others ask you about Jesus’ return, tell them He could come today. Tell them that the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ assumes a second coming of Jesus to judge the world. But don’t be a fanatic or obnoxious about it.”
B1 Why is that good advice for us Christians today? Well, how do people react to somebody whom they consider to be a fanatic or obnoxious about an issue? They avoid us. If they can’t physically avoid us, they tune us out as soon as we start talking. Why is that bad? Because our purpose in the world is to share words about Jesus with others. If they tune us out, we can’t do what we are supposed to be doing.
2 “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” Quietly live a godly life on a daily basis. If somebody asks you about eternity, tell them that yours is secure because of Jesus. If somebody asks you about Jesus, tell them He lived and died and rose so all of us can have forgiveness, holiness, and eternal life. Quietly be active in your congregation as it shares Jesus with others. Quietly give 10% of your income to preach the Gospel in this community and throughout the world. But don’t get the reputation of being a fanatic, or someone who is obnoxious about pushing what you believe on others.
3 This verse reminds me of an ad on TV many years ago. When EF Hutton, the quiet company talks, everybody listens. Be a quiet person. Don’t be a motor mouth. Don’t have hoof-in mouth. Only speak when you have something meaningful to say. Don’t get fanatic about every little thing that comes along. Then people will listen to you. When we speak the gospel, we need listeners. Don’t turn listeners away by being a fanatic or obnoxious. Win their respect by leading a quiet life.
IA1 How would the Thessalonian Christians respond when others didn’t share their fanaticism? They would probe and push and prod. Paul’s advice is: “Mind your own business.” {11}
2 Why that advice? What do people do with others who don’t mind their own business? They get very defensive. They build walls around themselves so that the people who aren’t minding their own business can’t get in.
B1 Mind your own business. What is our business? Jesus told us. “Continue in my word," He said.
{John 8:31} Our business is to know the Word of God. Use it in worship, in Bible class, in Sunday School, in & for Catechism class, and in your family unit. Read it. Then we are minding our business.
2 What is our business? Jesus told us. “Love your neighbor,”(Matt 22:39) He said. We safeguard our neighbor’s reputation, his financial well-being, his sexual purity, and his physical well-being. We support him financially, physically, and emotionally. That’s minding our business.
3 What is our business? Jesus told us. “Give thanks in all circumstances.”(1 Thess 5:18) To the LORD for all He has done for us. By attempting to follow His will. To people who have benefited us. By doing good to them. That is minding our business.
4 What is our business? Jesus told us. “Be my witnesses.”(Acts :8) Tell people Jesus is God and Man in One person. Tell people that Jesus died to wash away their sins. Tell them that Jesus lived a holy life so He could cover them with His holiness. Tell them that Jesus rose from the dead so that they might live forever. That is minding our business.
C1 When we don’t probe and prod and push, people might feel comfortable around us. When people have not built a defensive wall around themselves against us, they might take us into their confidence in time of need or seek our advice in a time of uncertainty.
2 When people are led by their daily contacts with us to realize that we know the Bible, that we attempt to be helpful to people, that we are filled with thankfulness to our LORD, and that we have a relationship with Jesus, even if they don’t agree with what we believe, they will respect us. In other words, we will have won their respect by minding our own business.
IIIA1 The Thessalonian Christians had such a fixation about Jesus’ second coming, that some of them quit their jobs to wait for Jesus. As the days passed, they became dependent on the support of other Christians for food, clothing, shelter and other needs. Soon they expected the less fanatic Christians, who were still working, to take care of all their physical needs.
2 Paul’s advice is: “Work with your hands, so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” Working with one’s hands to provide for oneself is one of the God approved ways to attain the necessities of life. Choosing to be dependent on others risks the resentment of others. Choosing to be dependent on others tells outsiders that Christians consider themselves to be special and deserving of special treatment by ordinary people. That condescension from Christians is a hindrance to the acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by outsiders.
B1 “Work with your hands, so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” God has given us jobs by which we can earn money to provide for ourselves and our dependents the necessities of life. When we work hard at those jobs and are thus able to provide for ourselves, we are doing something that pleases God.
2 “Work with your hands, so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” When we do that, we will avoid the resentment of people who would be forced to take care of people who should be taking care of ourselves. When we do that, we are not going to be viewed as religious parasites. Christians ought to be viewed as people who have something to give to the world, the message of Jesus Christ, rather than people we are always looking for handouts from the world.
3 What kind of reputation does we have in our community? Are we viewed as people with our hands out always trying to give somebody something? Or are we looked at as people with our hands out always asking the community to give to us? “Work with your hands, so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” When we work hard at our jobs, and give 10% of our income to the LORD, then we don’t have to have our hands out and be dependent on others to shoulder the financial aspect of preaching the Gospel. That will win the respect of outsiders.
Conc. You don’t have to be famous to win respect of people who don’t know you. Just quietly and independently go about minding your own business.