Demonstrating Brotherly Love

I Thessalonians 4:9-12

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)

I once heard a pastor say he had no use for “lovey-dovey” Christianity. In the world, sex, or romance are often passed off as love, with the result that real love is frequently ignored. Similar attitudes are often passed off as Christian love. As a result, many are confused about what Christian love involves. Jesus said our love would be the main indicator of our Christianity. I John 4:8 warns “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

The church at Thessalonica had allowed God to produce love in their lives, and not just to their own people. There is , however, always room for improvement, and Paul exhorts them to continue to increase in their demonstration of love.

“But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; 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.” (I Thessalonians 4:9-12)

The reality of our Christian love can be called into question by our actions and attitudes. Taking advantage of others goodness is one way of destroying our testimony. As a result Paul instructs the Thessalonians to study to be quiet, literally, to hold their peace, to not meddle in other’s affairs. They are to take care of their own business, even to the point of allowing themselves to be taken advantage of by fellow Christians according to I Corinthians 6:1-10. Verse 7 sums it up thus, “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?”

A part of that taking care of your own business is supporting one’s self. God has ordained that those who work in the ministry should be supported. It is to be based on actual work however. There should never be a taking advantage of the people, so that we can maintain a legitimate testimony before the world, and so that our needs can be met. II Thessalonians 3:10-12 clarifies this. “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.”

We are not to enable people to avoid responsibility. Those who refuse to try to change their state are not to be supported. They must expend effort on what they can do. I Timothy 5:11-13 describes helping a young widow. “But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.”

Brotherly love requires that we maintain a good testimony ourselves, and that we help others to develop a good testimony themselves. While it is necessary to help others, our help must never be allowed to destroy their testimony by encouraging them to sin. Maintaining a proper balance is sometimes difficult, but, but failing to do so is destructive, and sinful.

A pastor I knew kept a pile of firewood at the church. Those who requested help were offered the opportunity to split and stack the wood in exchange for very good wages. While the idea is unpopular, it is one way of dealing with the situation in a scriptural manner. Interestingly, most would not take the job, implying that they were not interested in having a good testimony. To give them money would have been sinful.