Paul's Exhortations to the Thessalonian Church Volume 24

Paul Urges them to Lead a Life Void of Offense & Walk Honestly

1Thessalonians 4:11-12 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. KJV

Having shown delicate praise to these relatively new believers in our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ for their sincerely felt and expressed love for one another, the Apostle now turns his focus (for them) on those who are not their brothers and sisters 'in Christ' and upon how they should live in this world (no longer belonging to the world) (John 15:19). Paul's desire for them is to live a life (along side those outside of Christ) that is absent of offending them by first saying, "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;" (1 Thessalonians 4:11) (KJV). The little English phrase that begins this verse 'that ye study' is translated by one Greek word philotimeomai which means to be eager or earnest to do somethng; to strive or exert much effort or energy in doing something. The little English phrase 'to be quiet' is translated by one Greek word hesuchazo which means to keep still, that is, refrain from meddlesomeness or being a busybody or nosy person intruding/interfering into other peoples affairs or business uninvited. In other words, the Apostle Paul did not want to see them waisting their time and energy meddling in other people's personal lives which would label them to those outside of Christ Jesus our Lord as insensitive, intrusive, and interferers rather than people that 'lived peaceably with all men' (Romans 12:18) and in so doing turn those outside of the Church off to their faith in Christ.

Paul goes on to instruct them and us today to be diligent in our own business/work showing ourselves as proper, purposeful, prominent members of society by our hard work in our own affairs as he declares with the use of the English phrase 'to do your own business' which is translated by one Greek word prasso which is a primary verb; to “practice”, that is, perform repeatedly or habitually by implication to execute, accomplish, etc. In other words, the Apostle Paul is calling for these Thessalonian believers and we believers today and of every era and generation to mind our own business, that is, to be quietly and steadily continuing our own business despite any difficulties and in turn, refraining ourselves from meddling in the business or affairs of others. Note: "It is the desire of the devil to meddle in the affairs of others as we are told in Scripture that he is the 'accuser of the brethren' as the Apostle John writes concerning him in the Book of Revelation with these words, 'Then I heard a strong (loud) voice in heaven, saying, Now it has come--the salvation and the power and the kingdom (the dominion, the reign) of our God, and the power (the sovereignty, the authority) of His Christ (the Messiah); for the accuser of our brethren (the devil), he who keeps bringing before our God charges against them day and night, has been cast out!' (Revelation 12:10) (Amplified Bible)."

In order to represent themselves well to the unbelievers, Paul saw and recognized their being hardworking and not lazy and slothful (Proverbs 12:24) as another proof to the unbelievers that this faith 'in Christ' was not something that brought a man downward, but the opposite, faith in Christ inspires, invigorates, and increases the man's desires to work hard as if he is working for Jesus Christ just as Paul wrote to the Colossian believers with these words urging them on, "Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23) (Amplified Bible). To be diligent in one's business acclaims the Apostle was to be one who walked wisely and not foolishly as Paul declares with these words now to the Thessalonian believers, "That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." (1 Thessalonians 4:12) (KJV). Note: "Decently - That they may have no pretence to say, (but they will say it still,) 'This religion makes men idle, and brings them to beggary.'" (John Wesley)

In other words, in this verse Paul is saying to them and to us today that one of the best ways to live in a noble manner with those outside of relationship with our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ is to work hard in whatever your business might be and in so doing you will demonstrate that faith in Jesus Christ does not make one so Heavenly minded that he or she becomes of no earthly good, but just the opposite, for it is the desire kindled within to want to provide for your family and even to give to those whom our Lord Jesus places on your heart who need earthly help (many in war torn parts of Africa dominated by devil motivated thugs like Boko Haram today would be so thankful for one room that many of us have in our homes of many rooms) (Ephesians 4:28). Note: "So far from needing to beg from others, we ought to work and get the means of supplying the need of others. Freedom from pecuniary (relating to or involving money) embarrassment is to be desired by the Christian on account of the liberty which it bestows." (JFB Commentary)

"Their expectation of the immediate coming of Christ led some enthusiasts among them to neglect their daily work and be dependent on the bounty of others. The expectation was right in so far as that the Church should be always looking for Him; but they were wrong in making it a ground for neglecting their daily work." JFB Commentary

"Salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord does not exclude us from being diligent in taking care to our temporal needs down here on the earth, such as food, shelter, and clothing, doing this does not make us less spiritual or faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ, but neglecting to be persevering in these things will cause us to resort to doing things that will make us unfaithful to Christ Jesus our Lord such as stealing or cheating others in order to have these temporal needs met, let us pray daily for the Wisdom of Agur as he declared to the Lord God two things he wanted from Him, 'Two things have I asked of You [O Lord]; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, Lest I be full and deny You and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal, and so profane the name of my God.' (Proverbs 30:7-9) (Amplified Bible)." Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

"It is the most desirable thing to have a calm and quiet temper, and to be of a peaceable and quiet behaviour. This tends much to our own and others' happiness; and Christians should study how to be quiet. We should be ambitious and industrious how to be calm and quiet in our minds, in patience to possess our own souls, and to be quiet towards others; or of a meek and mild, a gentle and peaceable disposition, not given to strife, contention, or division. Satan is very busy to disquiet us; and we have that in our own hearts that disposes us to be disquiet; therefore let us study to be quiet. It follows, Do your own business. When we go beyond this, we expose ourselves to a great deal of inquietude. Those who are busy-bodies, meddling in other men's matters, generally have but little quiet in their own minds and cause great disturbances among their neighbours; at least they seldom mind the other exhortation, to be diligent in their own calling, to work with their own hands; and yet this was what the Apostle commanded them, and what is required of us also. Christianity does not discharge us from the work and duty of our particular callings, but teaches us to be diligent therein." Matthew Henry

"That ye may be able to get your bread by honest labor, which God will ever bless; and be chargeable to no man. He that is dependent on another is necessarily in bondage; and he who is able to get his own bread by the sweat of his brow, should not be under obligation even to a king. I do not recollect whether, in any other part of this work, I have given the following story from the Hatem Tai Nameh. Hatem Tai was an Arabian nobleman, who flourished some time before the Mahommedan era; he was reputed the most generous and liberal man in all the east. One day he slew one hundred camels, and made a feast, to which all the Arabian lords and all the peasantry in the district were invited. About the time of the feast he took a walk towards a neighboring wood, to see if he could find any person whom he might invite to partake of the entertainment which he had then provided. Walking along the skirt of the wood, he espied an old man coming out of it, laden with a burden of faggots (a bundle of sticks and branches bound together); he accosted him and asked if he had not heard of the entertainment made that day by Hatem Tai. The old man answered in the affirmative. He asked him why he did not attend and partake with the rest. The old man answered: 'He that is able to gain his bread even by collecting faggots in the wood, should not be beholden even to Hatem Tai.' This is a noble saying, and has long been a rule of conduct to the writer of this note. Adam Clarke

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…