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brotherly care in one direction

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 (JDV)

1 Thessalonians 4:9 About brotherly caring: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to care about one another.
1 Thessalonians 4:10 In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers and sisters in the entire region of Macedonia. But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more,
1 Thessalonians 4:11 to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,
1 Thessalonians 4:12 so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.

brotherly care in one direction

Paul encouraged the Thessalonian Christians to keep on caring for one another, and keep finding ways to express their love, because that mutual love among the congregations would draw others to Christ.

But Paul warned against the temptation to take advantage of other peoples care — their desire to help and be generous. Instead, he told the Thessalonians to seek to live independent of other people’s charity. Depending on the financial help of others would make the outsiders (non-Christians) assume that people were joining churches just to receive support. So, it would act against the cause of Christ and the mission of the congregation.

Lord, give us the generosity to care for one another, and the independence to do so without bringing shame on the congregation, and turning people away from the gospel.