More and More
October 4 | Dave Morton
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1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
In our text today, Paul celebrates how the Thessalonian church is living brotherly love for each other. Then, he challenges them to grow in their practice of this love “more and more,” and offers some practical ways for this love to take shape in everyday life. We begin with an important reminder: that this love didn’t start with them. They were taught by God to love one another.
Love that is God-Taught (v.9)
Paul starts by acknowledging the source of the extraordinary loving community that has formed. This is also a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (54:13), quoted by Jesus in John 6, “All your children shall be taught by the LORD…” That in this new covenant era that would come, God would teach His people. God would write His law, not on tablets of stone like he did for Moses, but on people’s hearts. So Paul may be thinking that this loving community is not just proof of God’s work in them, but also another sign that the promised messianic Kingdom has come in Jesus.
When we come to faith in Jesus, the Spirit of God takes up residence in us. Romans 5:5 says that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.” According to John, this is a sign that this new birth has taken place (1 John 3:14, 16-19). This is not a by-product or side issue. This is the goal of discipleship: to become like Jesus. To become people of love.
Love that Grows (v.10)
Paul encourages them to “do this more and more.” There isn’t a point in our discipleship to Jesus where we have arrived at loving others. While God is the source of Christian love, we have an active part in this ongoing process of sanctification. Like most things in our spiritual journey, it’s not just to try harder.
Love takes action. Love takes practice. It requires us showing up in community. It requires the development of new habits and putting to death old, selfish ones. It requires time, effort, and resources. For love to grow, we have to spend time receiving God’s love, considering God’s love for us, and learning to depend on the Spirit to live unselfishly. Then, putting our feet to the ground and practicing what we’ve learned.
Love that Works (v.11-12)
Live quietly, mind your business, work with your hands. Why? For the sake of our witness to outsiders and out of love for each other. Paul may be addressing a specific situation in Thessalonica, where the church was so generous that some had taken advantage and quit working! (2 Thess 3:6-13) This hurt their witness to outsiders and put a strain on their faith community. Christians should be known as people who show up, work hard, and generously serve others. Our work is an expression of love for one another and a witness to the world.
Where is God already growing His love in you? Where might he be inviting you to grow in love “more and more”? Who is God placing in your life that He may be teaching you to love in a new or deeper way? How might the love God is forming in you take shape in your work, your relationships, your time, and your resources? As you follow Jesus, are you becoming more and more a person marked by His self-giving love?
Let us follow Jesus, allowing His Spirit to form us into people of God-taught, self-giving, brotherly love.
Discussion Questions
Who has helped teach you to love? What did they do?
Paul tells a church that is already doing well, “do this more and more,” and then gets very ordinary: live quietly, mind your own affairs, work faithfully. Where is loving others hardest for you in day-to-day life?
How could we become the kind of church where people are “loved into loving”? Where do you fit into that vision?