Being a Quiet Witness
If you aspire to be an effective witness for Christ (and you should), then you must aspire to some other things as well. That's what Paul said to the church at Thessalonica (1 Thess. 4:11-12). He told them "to aspire," which means to be ambitious and to earnestly endeavor to reach a certain goal. With this in mind, Paul presented three important goals that you as a believer aspire to achieve.
First, lead a quiet life.
As a believer, you should live in a calm and balanced way, though everything in this frenetic, fast-paced world fights against you. With noise and chaos clamoring all around you, learn to be quiet and calm, well-ordered and steady. Learn to say "no" to a busy, jam-packed schedule and refuse to overcommit, because sometimes less is more. When the world says "do," sometimes the gospel says "done." Also, be on guard against a noisy heart and mind, and avoid joining the turbulent currents of social and political activism. Anxious Christians are a confusing spectacle indeed.
Second, mind your own business.
As a believer, you should give diligent attention to your personal affairs. The opposite of this is meddling in the affairs of others. Refuse to gossip about other people and refrain from slander (2 Thess 3:11; 1 Pet 4:15). In a world that loves to find fault with others and pass the blame along to someone else, a believer should respond to problems differently (Matt 7:1-5). Take personal responsibility for your own failures, be resourceful, and find ways to solve whatever problems you face. You have God as your Father, Christ as your Savior, the Spirit as your Companion, the Scriptures as your guide, and the church as your family. The world does not have any of these things.
Third, work with your own hands.
As a believer, you should intentionally involve yourself in meaningful work. Don't be lazy or run from necessary obligations and routines, chasing elusive dreams and wishful thinking. Instead, use your time, talents and energy to be a hard-working, self-supporting, contributing member of your family, church and community at large (Eccl 9:10; Col 3:23). Free-loading, freestyle Christians who can legitimately work but choose to willfully depend on everyone else to meet their needs instead are a disgrace to the gospel of Christ (1 Tim 5:8).
Be a respectable member of society.
As a believer, living the way that Paul teaches positions you as a respectable member of society. Though the world at large is skeptical of Christ and the gospel by nature, a believer should avoid adding unnecessary reasons for criticism. Those who are outside the faith should be able to criticize a believer and the church for one reason and one reason only - the gospel. But when outsiders encounter believers who are restless, meddlesome and lazy, they turn away from the gospel for unfortunate reasons. Therefore, when a believer gives serious attention to leading a quiet, responsible and hard-working life, he demonstrates the power of a God in whom we can rest and trust in a turbulent and restless world.
Be a contributing member of society.
As a believer, living the way that Paul teaches also positions you as a contributing member of society. Rather than draining or siphoning away resources from others, you become a channel of God's grace through which his resources may flow to others. A resourceful Christian also ensures that God's resources in this world are directed to those who are genuinely in need. When your life is a channel of God's goodness to others in material ways, then this strengthens your testimony as a witness for the gospel.
