Thursday, August 25, 2011
1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
CALLED TO ... SELF-REGULATE
I've got to say that as a pastor it's hard to be the go-to guy. Sometimes I get tagged with little bits of gossip that I'm supposed to follow up on and either verify or dispel. "Pastor, did you know that so-and-so is doing this?" It's offered behind a thin veneer of concern, and maybe that concern is really there, but the impression it gives is this: "You're the guy who does the correcting around here, pastor. So, now that I've told you what's up, get to it."
Paul has some different directions for the Christians in Thessalonica. He urges THEM to warn those in the congregation who are "idle and disruptive." He's urging THEM to step up to the plate and be a force of change and correction in the lives of other Christians, not just a behind-the-scenes talker or a pastor-tagger.
Now it isn't just tough correction conversations that Paul urges his fellow Christians to engage in, but it's also getting a shoulder behind the Christian whose tank is running on empty. It's also being the accountability partner of the Christian brother or sister who is weak to one temptation or another.
Paul's last little line reminds us how long we're going to need to keep warning, encouraging and helping. He says don't worry, we'll only have to warn a person once, and they'll change their ways for good. We'll encourage the low Christian once, and she'll stay cheery from that point on. We'll help the stumbling sinner to repentance and forgiveness a single time, and then we can get on with whatever hobbies and recreation we have planned for our lives. ... Well, not exactly. God's word says we're going to need patience, and we'll need it for a reason: " ... let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds ... encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25).
