2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 - In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They
are not busy; they are busybodies. Such
people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the
food they eat. And as for you, brothers
and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.
Last week when we were discussing
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, I mentioned that Paul addresses those
who were not working. Whether it was
because they expected Jesus to return any moment or for some other reason, the
problem didn’t get better. Here Paul
comes at the problem from a different angle.
Instead of addressing the inactive directly, he instructs the community
itself that it’s time they deal the problem themselves. The idle can ignore Paul hundreds of miles
away, but they cannot ignore the people who are feeding them while they do nothing.
This is an important teaching on
life in community. A community must be
willing to hold its members accountable for their contribution to their life
together. It’s one thing when someone is
helpless and unable to contribute; Jesus’s instruction is to take care of those
precious people. But the ability to do
just that is eroded by people who can contribute and don’t. They hamstring the mission. They diminish the
capacity of the whole. And Paul says
that is unacceptable.
We’ve lost that level of
accountability in the church of today.
Paul’s instruction to Thessalonica is important for the 21st
Century church to hear. We are entering
a time in the history of the church when able-bodied and resourced but passive
members of a church will be more and more a hindrance to the ability of a
community to carry out its mission. Not
since Paul’s time has is been more important for a community to expect their
community members to do all they are able to do to keep the mission going. Resources and unpaid servants are becoming
scarce. We need everyone to do what they
can.
So I humbly ask you these
questions:
Questions: In
whatever community you count yourself a member, are you contributing all the
resources that you can? Are you helping
the mission activities of your community as you are able? Are you actively praying for your community
leaders daily? Are you giving witness to
others about the good things God is doing through your community?
Prayer: God, give us
sober awareness of ourselves. Help us to
become clear about what you would ask of us and what our community needs from
us to thrive and be about your mission.
Give us the joy of knowing that we are part of something so much bigger
and more important than ourselves. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for people who are struggling with a sense of debilitating loneliness.
Song: Are Ye Able - BuPyeong Methodist Church (The 74th
Anniversary Service
Immanuel Symphony Orchestra United Choir)
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