4. Tuesdays with Thomas 11.11.25

Work with Your Own hands – 1st Thessalonians 4:11

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Thessalonians Paul’s first recorded writing

After being on a refreshing one-year sabbatical with our Lord Jesus and His Word, starting the process of sharing what I have learned is a little harder than I expected. It started with questions: Lord why are we on the earth, and what is your purpose for our lives today in 2025?

Even though the information I have is MASSIVE, I have simply started with 1st Thessalonians highlighting Chapter 4 verse 11 & 12. In time, if you stay with me, we will master 1&2 Thessalonians together.

¹¹ that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹² that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

Let us continue with the practical things in 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Last week we talked about the general idea of minding your own business and not being a busybody or meddler. Even though we are using 1 Thessalonians 4:11 Paul comes back to this same idea in his second letter:

some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12

Part two of this verse is your financial business and the integrity of honest work. Why would Paul give such great emphasis to honest work? Let me help you to renew your mind in this area.

Most of you reading this have been highly influenced by the darkness of religion, in that we were trained to separate our daily lives in the marketplace and our religious lives in a church building. Paul was laying a major foundational truth of NOT SEPERATING but organically mingling them together.

Nowhere in scripture is it even hinted to compartmentalize our spiritual life away from our everyday life.

In the darkness of todays religious system if a minister works outside the “church” to “make a living” they are JUDGED as not having enough faith in God to pay their bills. They are even questioned if they are called by Jesus at all to oversee their ministry.

In all actuality Paul set the bar pretty high, after he was released from the Sanhedrin.

Sanhedrin – the supreme Jewish council in Jerusalem, a religious and judicial body composed of 70 members including chief priests, scribes, and elders plus the high priest.

In these letters to the Thessalonians, we don’t see Saul now named Paul as one the 70 elite members of religion anymore, rather he is working side by side with those he is ministering to.

For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. 1 Thessalonians 2:9

 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, ⁹ not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹ For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. ¹² Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12

I cannot emphasize this enough; I am convinced that true organic pure move of God that Jesus called Paul to champion started House to House as stated in Acts 20:20 and in this last hour of the true organic pure move of God will come full circle and finish House to House. This group in Thessalonica is THE STANDARD.

…you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. …not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place.

1 Thessalonians 1:7-8

To renew our minds from religion to freedom we all need to step back and ask a lot of questions.

What does the true church look like?

How should ministers conduct themselves?

What is my role, how does Jesus want to use me?

Again, these Jesus followers in Thessalonica BECAME EXAMPLES TO THE WHOL WORLD!

This may be a new concept to some so I will try to be soft as I unfold this great freedom. Let me assure you, this is not new to me or my family.

If you like you can see my entire bio here to see my personal transition from religion to freedom.  Click the pic

I started discovering this freedom almost 40 years ago and have been 100% practicing this freedom since 1993 but I just want to introduce our strategy since God relocated us from the State of Washington to Kansas six years ago.

This is also where I suffered major fallout in relationships that just could not understand why I stayed somewhat in the workplace or marketplace instead of renting a building, putting up a neon sign and starting a full-time traditional building ministry. NO WAY! My wife and I have been preparing for this since we were married.

It is true, I like business. Everything from providing a useful product or creating a product, to marketing it, selling it and enjoying the blessed fruit of my labor as the needs of my family are met and not being a burden to anyone.

But the amazing blessing is ministry! Touching people on their level, talking about real life that they are experiencing and being an example of a happy businessman that gives all the credit to our Lord Jesus. Not religiously but joyfully. This is organic, I am touchable, my hands get dirty, I go to the dentist just like everyone else. I am not dressed in a costume standing on a high platform giving some performance that people so quickly forget that they must come to another performance next week to get their fix.

If you were to ask most people that I have encountered in our town they would say,

• he is the guy that restored that broken down drug house on the North end of town, and he and his wife life there.
• Some might say he is the guy that makes and sells birdhouses and garden benches on Facebook.
• Or those on our block might say Tom and Sandy were the first to turn on their porch light every night in our neighborhood.

Remember our verse?

¹¹ that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹² that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. 1 Thessalonians 4:11

1. and that you may walk properly toward those who are outside
2. and that you may lack nothing.

Can you see a picture developing, I will share more next Tuesday!

Let this be a template to lay across our lives and see if any adjustments need to be made.

Here is a short bonus clip that I thought you may enjoy!

Father God we are asking for discernment as we war against deception. Amen.