Impacting the World

Paris, France is known to many as “The City of Light.” A couple week’s ago, that monicker took on a literal sense as fires burned throughout the city.

France has come to see that its policies are not sustainable. The government invests in many kinds of progressive cause, and it provides many benefits to the people, but all that comes at the expense of the people themselves who pay a very high tax rate. The country has fallen into crippling debt, and the government knows that it either needs to bring in more money, which means raising taxes even higher, or spend less, which means cutting programs.

One proposed solution was to raise the age of retirement, which many opposed. Because of that possibility, the sanitation department of Paris went on strike, meaning the streets were lined with piles of uncollected trash.

With Parliament unable to agree on a way forward, President Macron called for a special Cabinet session. Without Parliament’s approval, he raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.

As a result, thousands of people gathered to protest near the parliament building, and as they dispersed, they began to burn whatever they could, including the uncollected trash. The garbage workers had literally added more fuel to the fire.

Videos have come out of France showing streets blocked as cars and piles of garbage burn. In one night, the city of Paris recorded over 900 fires. One of those fires led to the evacuation of a building which was threatening to ignite. According to the French Interior Ministry, over 1 million people protested across the country.

A more ominous spectacle was a group of protestors chanting this: Louis Seize, Louis Seize, on l'a décapité. Macron, Macron, on peut recommencer. The chant basically translates to: “Louis, Sixteen, we all beheaded him. Macron, Macron, we can do it again.” This is revolution-style language.

What does a scene like say to you about the spirit of France or the priorities of the people? I know that not every citizen is out there starting fires and talking about revolutions, but seeing and hearing these kinds of things causes a reaction.

We start to make judgments about the people involved. The representations we see affect how we view the whole group.

It's the same way with the Christian church. People’s views of God and Jesus Christ are going to be affected by what they see in the media and what they see in our own lives. We may not be able to control the depictions of Christianity coming from Hollywood, but we can control the picture we give them through our own lives.

This is what’s on Paul’s heart as he shares some important instructions with the Thessalonian church. Beginning in chapter 4, Paul’s gives ethical instruction to the church concerning sexual purity, love, and virtue. Why should Christians care about sexual purity and love and virtue? Paul brackets his instruction with two motivations.

Look back with me at 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 1, and we’ll see the first motivation. First Thessalonians 4:1 says—Finally then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

The key phrase there is “please God.” That’s the first motivation Paul gives. Pursuing sexual purity and love pleases God. And as His sons and daughters through Christ, that should be our primary motivation. We want to please God.

The second motivation for our Christian growth is found in verse 12 of chapter 4, which we’ll be looking at today. Jump over to there. In verse 12, Paul says to the Thessalonians: [pursue virtue] so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

The key phrase there is that we would “walk properly before outsiders.” This has to do with upholding the character of God in an unbelieving world. It also has a connection to evangelism.

The two main motivations for pursuing holiness through sexual purity and Christlike love are to please God and to impact the world. God is watching us, and so is the world. There’s a heavenly component, and there’s an earthly component. How you and I live personally, and how we live corporately, conveys a message to the world. Our lives will either promote God’s purposes in the world, or it will not.

I point this out to you so that as we look at our passage today you keep in mind that we are not simply talking about righteous living for the sake of righteous living. Our holiness and our love are part of a bigger picture. We are living for the glory of God and for our effectiveness in His purposes.

To that end, as we look at verses 11 and 12 today, I want to place in your mind two principles for a life that pleases God and impacts the world. The first is the principle of peaceful living. The second is the principle of personal responsibility. Peaceful living and personal responsibility. We’ll talk about them one at a time from the word of God.

The principle of peaceful living starts in verse 11. Look at it with me. Following up on the subject of love, God says through the Apostle Paul that we should aspire to live quietly. Aspire to live quietly. Just like our love impacts the world, so does the way we deal with difficulty.

In the Greek, Paul takes two words that sound like they contradict, and he puts them next to one another. In English class, you might have heard the term “oxymoron,” which is not an insult; it’s when you take two words or ideas that seem to contradict, and you put them together. Some examples would be deafening silence, or an entire half. Others have suggested examples like honest politician or exciting golf match.

The first word Paul uses speaks of ambition, labor, and energy. That’s what it means to aspire. You work hard to get something you value.

The second term, however, has a very different idea. The ESV translates it as “living quietly.” The term speaks not just to a literal volume but to the attitude of the heart. Every parent of a young child knows the relief of a having a whiny or fussy child calm down. They get quiet. The crying or the tantrum stops. There is silence; there is rest; there is peace. And so, it’s like Paul is saying, “Do your best, work hard to relax,” and by “relax” I mean live a peaceful life, a life marked by contentment and humility.

I remember back in 2020 when the protests broke out on account of what happened with George Floyd. My wife’s and my phone rang with the emergency alert at the same time on full volume. Our kids looked at us and asked, “What happened?” I said, that was an alarm saying we shouldn’t leave our house after dark today because of a violent protest in LA County.

One of my kids asked, “What is that?” And I said, “It’s basically a grownup tantrum. People aren’t happy about something, so they are making their displeasure known by destroying property.”

That was the best explanation I could come up with at the moment, and I still stand by it. A violent protest is a grownup version of a tantrum, and there are plenty of other ways adults can throw tantrums.

It’s happening more and more in our country and in many other countries. It’s what happened in France, and on a smaller scale, it’s what happened in Florida a couple week’s ago, when a woman in the McDonald’s drive thru was told the restaurant didn’t carry the item she requested. The woman got mad, and she flashed a handgun with a drum magazine which can hold 50 rounds. All because she wanted her free cookie. She ended up being arrested, and thankfully nobody was hurt.

But we see many examples in our culture of people and groups who shout and yell and fight and destroy property because they believe that’s the best way to get their point across. That does not honor God, and it is not what God calls Christians to do in the world.

When you see these people on the news storming a government building, no matter what their cause is, recognize that the same heart of sin is in all of us. We don’t like it when things don’t go our way. And our tendency is either to respond with self-pity, panic, or anger. All of those are the opposite of peace and tranquility, which comes from recognizing that God is in charge, and we are in submission to Him. This is what Christ modeled for us.

A peaceful life is one that recognizes that God is sovereign even over the difficulties and injustices of life, whether that be at home or at work or in the community. There may be some productive ways to effect change in our society for good, but you need to recognize that that societal or cultural change is not our goal as Christians. That needs to be clear. The Christian goal is not to change the culture. We are not here to change society, although that’s what the media would like many to think.

The mission of Christ and His followers is to seek and to save the lost. We proclaim the message of Christ in the hopes that God will graciously call people to Himself. At times, like with The Great Awakening of the 1700s, God may graciously produce a change in the culture, and we can pray for that. But again, that’s not our goal.

This is an important principle to remember, especially with where we are right now culturally. Christian schools are attacked. Immorality is championed. Our objective as the church of Jesus Christ is not to change the laws so that they better reflect Scripture, or so that we are guaranteed our religious liberties. Our objective is to see people come to Jesus Christ. God will take care of the rest, either in His plan for this world, or when Christ comes.

In John 18, Jesus says to Pontius Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting... But my kingdom is not from the world.”

We are not Old Testament Israel called to take over this land and destroy our enemies. We are ambassadors to a dying world.

Listen to what Paul said to Timothy as a leader in the church at Ephesus. First Timothy 2—First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We pray for our leaders. We want to see them come to salvation. We live in peace. We don’t start revolutions against them, and we don’t fall into despair or panic when the evils of this world appear to be dominating.

You see the same message in the letter from Peter. He says, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” Then he says: submit to your rulers, be willing to suffer, and speak with gentleness and respect. Remember, these things were written when evil men like Caligula and Nero and Vespasian were Emperors.

There will come times when, in obedience to God and for the sake of His calling on our lives, we will disobey the authorities over us. The Apostles had to do that when they were commanded not to preach. Martin Luther had to do that when he protested against the Roman Catholic Church. But even in those times—when civil disobedience is appropriate because rulers have stepped beyond their ordained authority—it is to be done with respect and humility.

So, you need to live out a peaceful, tranquil life at home, at work, in your own community, and in society at large. Don’t be belligerent, screaming and fighting to get your way or to get true justice for yourself. And don’t be in a panic. God is in charge. Our fight is not against this culture and it’s not against the evil people of this world. Our fight is against our own sin and against the lies this world perpetuates.

When Jesus and Stephen were being put unjustly put to death, they didn’t cry out for justice in that moment. They cried out for mercy on the sinners who deserved God’s wrath. That’s the heart we are called to imitate. Speaking of Jesus, First Peter 2:23 says, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Jesus trusted in God’s plan and God’s timing. That’s the peace and the hope that impacts the world faithfully. Some will be enraged even more; others will come to know Christ.

What do you think it does when your neighbors hear you screaming at one another, and then they see you leave on Sunday mornings to go to church? This world is watching us. We don’t need to pretend like we have it all together, but we do need to walk trusting in the sovereignty of God and in the love of Jesus Christ. That’s the principle of peaceful living.

The second principle is the principle of personal responsibility. And this comes in the final two phrase of verse 11. Here’s what Paul wants from the church. He says, “You need to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.” Again, this is the principle of personal responsibility.

Just like our love impacts the world, so does the way we earn a living. When Paul says “mind your own affairs,” the focus there is taking care of your own business. Be responsible for what you’re responsible to do.

It doesn’t mean we aren’t invested in other people’s lives. If a brother comes to me asking about my family, I don’t say, “mind your own affairs!” That’s not the intent here. Scripture has many stories of Christians lovingly and graciously serving and providing for others.

The intent of this passage, however, is to keep people from abusing the love of the church and failing to take care of their own responsibilities. If you get hurt, and you need help mowing your lawn or paying your bills, tell someone about it. I’m confident we will meet that need. But once you’re healed, you can’t just keep asking people to do your work for you so you can watch movies all day, right? You need to fulfill your personal responsibilities.

For the Thessalonian church, there may have been two factors that worked against them in this regard.

First, there was the cultural factor. Greek culture looked down on manual labor, blue collar work. But God says it’s honorable. Adam was placed in the garden to work. Jesus learned to work as a builder. Paul made tents to provide for himself and not burden the churches. Working with your hands is a blessing of God.

A second factor working against the principle of personal responsibility was the spiritual factor. Some people in Thessalonica had such a warped or exaggerated view of the end times that they thought it justified them doing no more work. “Jesus is coming soon. This is all gonna burn. So, I’ll just go from house to house saying my goodbyes and getting free food. No need to worry about my business anymore.”

Apparently, this was an issue in Thessalonica because Paul confronts it directly later in the letter, and in his second letter.

Jump over to chapter 5 for a moment so you can see it. Chapter 5, verse 14. It says—And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle. That refers to lazy people and to undisciplined people. They’re busy, but they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing. They need to be admonished, corrected.

Now jump over to 2 Thessalonians, the very next book in your Bible. Look at 2 Thessalonians, chapter 3, verse 6. Second Thessalonians 3:6, and I’m going to read all the way to verse 15 so you can see the whole message.

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.

It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

This was such an important principle that Paul even advocated practicing church discipline on a person who is unwilling to work. He’s not in trouble because he can’t find work or is unable to work. That’s a different situation. This man is a disgrace to the name of Christ because He is unwilling to work. He is unwilling to fulfill his personal responsibility.

Today, we still have cultural and spiritual factors that keep people from work. There’s a cultural push denigrating the honor of work, and there are the spiritual or “Christianized” reasons we might give for not working. Be careful with that.

Young men, you especially, need to take this to heart. God has given you a body and a mind so that you can work and provide, not just for yourself, but for a family as well one day. That’s His design even when we see an increasing aversion to hard work in our culture.

You can’t just sit around waiting for a perfect job to fall into your lap. You need to do something. Go to school, or get an apprenticeship, or get a job. Do something. I realize it doesn’t help when our government incentivizes not working, but this is God’s design, and it’s respectable and honorable.

I was in a restaurant several months ago, and the first room was closed to the public. And I asked an employee, “Why is that room closed? What are you using it for?” And she said, “We don’t have enough employees. Nobody wants to work. They make more money staying home.”

I went into another restaurant a month ago, and the sign on the door said “Wanted: Cooks, Dishwashers, and Cashiers.” This place was in need of workers. Why are they looking for workers? Because people don’t want to work. That is disgraceful for a society, and it’s even worse when it happens with the people of God. God will bless those who work and contribute.

Genesis 14 tells us about a time when Abram went with his men to rescue his nephew Lot. This was before his name had changed to Abraham. A bunch of people and animals had been stolen, and Abram freed the prisoners and restored all the possessions. So, the king of Sodom said to him, “You can take the goods for yourself.” And Abram said to him, “My God is Yahweh, the Most High, who owns heaven and earth. I will not take a thread or a sandal strap, or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’”

He trusted in God to take care of him as he followed the plan God had laid out. He cared more about fulfilling God’s design that about making money.

If you skip over to the end of verse 12, you see the result of this kind of life. You walk properly before outsiders and you are dependent on no one. You are dependent on no one.

Nobody like to be unnecessarily picking up someone else’s slack, right? Laziness makes for a horrible reputation. Proverbs 10 says a lazy man is like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in your eyes. It’s painful. It’s annoying.

Whether you are working outside the home or inside your home, God’s design is that you take care of what you need to take care of. One of the words we use for people who don’t know how to be responsible is “children.” Children come into the world needing to be taken care of. It’s not their fault, but it is our job to raise them to be able to care for themselves and care for others.

And that was especially important in Bible times because when you got to an age when you could no longer take care of yourself, your kids did it. They honored their parents by working for them in their old age.

So, this principle of personal responsibility, as best we can, should be applied individually. And where that’s not possible, it should be applied within a household. And when that’s not possible, then it gets applied within the church.

This is what happened in the first century. When the widows don’t have enough, First Timothy 5 says their family should take care of it. When that wasn’t possible, then the church stepped in like in Acts 6. When the church in Jerusalem had a famine, the other churches gave to help. As best they could, they provided for themselves, for their families, and for their brothers and sisters in the Lord.

So, please don’t misunderstand this principle. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help others in love and mercy. What it means is that you personally are not to abuse the love of the church in order to escape your own responsibility. To the degree possible, work so that you can take care of yourself and help take care of others.

If you need help, ask; tell someone what’s going on. Over and over, I have seen our church step up to meet people’s needs. You don’t need to panic. You don’t need to despair. You don’t need to lash out in anger. You need to be faithful to what God has called you to do and humble enough to ask for help which will come. Pursue a peaceful, tranquil life, and seek to take care of your own needs and the needs of others. This pleases God, and it showcases to the world the love of the family of Jesus Christ.