CHRISTIAN CONDUCT - PART 2 - CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)
INTRODUCTION:
Last week we began the final section of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians and in this final section we find a series of exhortations that Paul gives concerning how we are to conduct ourselves in the community of the church and the relationships that exist in that community. Last week we looked at the relationship between the shepherd and the flock under his care, how the shepherd was to relate to the congregation and the responsibilities that he had to fulfill, and how the sheep were to relate to the shepherd and the responsibilities they had in regard to their relationship with their shepherd.
This morning we will be looking at two more verses that relate to the relationship that exists between the members of the church, and how we are to relate to the other sheep in our community and how we are to deal with sheep who are struggling within the flock. Let’s pray and then read our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to 1st Thessalonians 5:14-15 and if you are able, please stand, in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
1st Thessalonians 5:14-15,
“We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14–15, NASB95)[1]
ADMONISH THE UNRULY (1st Thessalonians 4:14a)
Paul’s kicks off this set of exhortations with a plea that the believers in Thessalonica carry out what he has to say so that they can truly be the church Christ intended them to be. Paul writes, “We urge you, brethren…” (1 Thessalonians 5:14a)[2] The word translated “urge” is a Greek word that means “to come alongside” with the idea of providing help or counsel to someone. Paul’s appeal is to the “brethren” to those who had put their faith in the Lord Jesus, Paul’s plea to them is to get them involved in helping some of the believers that were struggling in the church. Paul understood that the shepherds that he had appointed had some responsibility for troublesome sheep within the church, but they could not do all the work alone and like our passage last week he directs his appeal to the brethren, which included the shepherds along with the rest of the flock, whether a leader or a member of the church each had a responsibility to help care for one another.
The first struggling sheep that Paul identifies is the unruly sheep. This word “unruly” outside of the Bible most often occurred in a military context where it would refer to a soldier who was out of line and who behaved in a disorderly, insubordinate manner. The word eventually came to refer to anyone who did not carry out his duty or follow through on his responsibilities. It is a term that can refer to those who were lazy or apathetic or passive and shirked their duties, but it is a term that can also refer to someone who is actively rebellious.
The unruly were not in line with the rest of the church and the direction it was going. They attended church but they were there for what the church could do for them. They do not serve the church with their spiritual gifts; they are mostly like non-generous givers, and they are often the ones who are loudest in their criticism of church leadership. If left unchecked they become bitter, they will be the most critical about everything the church does and will eventually rebel by undermining the church leadership to justify their unruliness. This will cause division in the church.
Paul recognized that these unruly sheep had to be helped and his methodology for helping them was for another believer to come alongside them and admonish them. This word translated “admonish” does not mean that we are to come alongside in a judgmental or critical attitude in a superior manner. It is more of a coming alongside to give a caring kind of warning against danger and the consequences of continuing on in the same unruly manner. Paul warned the Ephesian elders in this caring way and reminded them of his manner when he said in Act 20:31, “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” (Acts 20:31, NASB95)[3] This is how Paul wanted the Thessalonians to admonish the unruly, in a caring and sympathetic way.
ENCOURAGE THE FAINTHEARTED (1st Thessalonians 5:14b)
Paul’s second group of spiritually needy sheep are the fainthearted. The word translated fainthearted literally means the “small souled.” These are almost the exact opposite of the unruly who are always pushing the boundaries of acceptable Christian behavior, the fainthearted are those sheep huddled in the middle not wanting to go anywhere near the boundaries. There are those in the church who are bold and courageous, they seem unafraid of persecution or difficulties, they are willing to put their lives on the line to do what is right and to be a witness to their world. The fainthearted lack this boldness, they fear change, they fear the unknown, they want a risk-free ministry that is tried and true, that is safe and absolutely secure.
Some were faint-hearted because they did not deal well with persecution, they did not want to do anything that might lead to suffering. Paul’s remedy for those who are fainthearted, for those who worry is again for a confident sheep to come alongside and speak words of comfort and consolation, to encourage them. Those who are confident need to become the instructors, the cheerleaders, and the examples to the worried. They need to be teaching them that God does answer prayers, that their salvation is secure, that they will be included in the Rapture or the resurrection when Christ returns for the church and that His love for them is everlasting and that He will fulfill His will for their lives, and they can trust in His sovereignty. When joyful, confident believers remind the joyless, timid, worried one of these truths they will be cheered up and encouraged to show some confidence in the Lord.
HELP THE WEAK (1st Thessalonians 5:14c)
The next spiritual needy sheep that Paul identifies is the weak sheep. The weak are those who are fragile in the faith, they may have doubts. There faith may not be strong enough to enjoy the freedom that they have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because they are weak in the faith, they are more susceptible to temptation, to error and to sin than a stronger believer would be. Paul in 1 Corinthians 8:7 speaks of someone weak in the faith having such a sensitive conscience over their past sins that they may think something is sin that is not a sin at all.
This term “weak” is in reference to susceptibility to sin and refers to believers who struggle with abandoning sin and obeying God’s Word. Paul urged the stronger Thessalonians to help the weak. Paul had exhorted the Galatians in this as well when he wrote in Galatians 6:1-2, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1–2, NASB95)[4] The word translated “help” is a word in Greek that means “to hold firmly,” “to cling to,” “to support,” or “to hold up.” In helping those weak in the faith, the stronger believers are to come alongside them and support them, to hold them up, to hold them accountable and as you develop a relationship with them you instruct them and help them to grow in their faith, and you be an example to them of resisting temptation and encourage them toward righteousness and away from temptation and sin.
BE PATIENT WITH EVERYONE (1st Thessalonians 5:14d)
It is easy for healthy, growing, mature believers to become frustrated, discouraged, irritated with the spiritually needy sheep. Especially, when you have been trying to be an example to them and you have tried to encourage them in the faith, and they show little commitment to Christ and if they are growing spiritually at all it is hard to perceive it. Some of the Thessalonian believers had heard the truth taught by Paul, Silas, and Timothy and they had been taught by the spiritual leaders Paul had appointed when he left, so they had ample opportunity to apply what they had been taught, but again the spiritual growth could not be measured because there was none. Because of this, Paul exhorts the Thessalonians believers to be patient with everyone.
The Greek word translated “patient” is a word that means to be longsuffering or to forebear. Vine’s expository dictionary says this concerning the word translated “patient,” “Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God…Patience is the quality that does not surrender to circumstance or succumb under trial; it is the opposite of despondency and is associated with hope…”[5] This is what Paul was asking of those in the church in Thessalonica, that they be forbearing with those in the church who were struggling. By saying be patient with everyone Paul meant all those people with whom strong Christians might easily have become impatient. This could refer to those who become easily distracted, those who were undisciplined in the walk of faith, these can try the patience of the most patient person. Paul called upon those who were strong in the faith to show boundless patience with the wearisome sheep, just as God had shown great patience with all His people. Paul described God’s patience in his own life in 1 Timothy 1:16 when he wrote, “Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16, NASB95)[6] Paul exhorted the Ephesians to show this same patience with the goal of preserving the unity of the Spirit. He wrote in Ephesians 4:1-3, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–3, NASB95)[7] As God has shown His patience to us, so we are to show it towards those who are struggling someway in their walk with Christ. Afterall, patience is in the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 so we should be producing it in our lives.
We have an example in the Gospels that summarizes for us the extent to which Christians ought to extend forgiving patience to others. The example is seen in a conversation between Peter and Jesus in Matthew 18:21-22 where we read, “Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’ ” (Matthew 18:21–22, NASB95)[8] The Lord Jesus was teaching Peter and us that there should be no set limit, no matter how generous that seemed, on the number of times one forgives another. Believers should be willing to extend patience and forgiveness unendingly to their brothers and sisters in Christ.
DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO DO EVIL (1st Thessalonians 5:15)
As believers we expect to be disappointed by how the world reacts to us or how they treat us, but the greater disappointment comes when those within the church hurt us by doing evil toward us. Sheep are definitely capable of harming other sheep, sinning against them in a number of ways, it can come through hurtful words, gossip, or slander. It can come from excluding them from ministry and fellowship opportunities or harming them more openly by influencing someone toward sinful behavior. This type of evil within the church is very discouraging.
Paul exhorted the Thessalonian believers on how they were to respond to such evil from others in the church, Paul wrote, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil…” (1 Thessalonians 5:15a, NASB95)[9] Paul’s exhortation to those wronged was that no one should repay with evil. There is no place in the church among Christians for retaliation or revenge. Paul later wrote in Romans 12:19, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19, NASB95)[10] Paul is telling us in this verse that the only one who has a right to retaliate is the Lord Himself.
Paul goes on to give the proper way in which we respond to those who sin against us. Paul continues in 1st Thessalonians 5:15 and writes, “…but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15b, NASB95)[11] In other words, instead of repaying with evil, repay with goodness, zealously and eagerly seeking that which is good for one another. Paul put it this way in Romans 12:20-21, “’But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:20–21, NASB95)[12] The phrase “heap burning coals on his head” comes from an ancient Egyptian custom. When a person wanted to demonstrate public shame for something they had done to wrong or hurt others, this person would carry on his head a pan of burning coals to represent the burning pain of his shame and guilt. In other words, Paul is pointing out that if we love our enemies, or those who harm us, by genuinely seeking to meet his or her needs, we shame them for the evil they did to us. Paul goes on in these two verses to warn us not to be overcome by evil and this can mean two different things and be applied two ways. First, when we suffer evil from other people, we must not allow that evil to overcome and overwhelm us. Second, and more importantly, we must not allow ourselves to be overcome by our own evil responses. Our evil is much more harmful to us than is the evil done to us by others. In each case, it is the evil itself that must be overcome, and that can be accomplished only with good.
Paul wanted the Thessalonians to respond to evil with genuine acts of love. The wellbeing of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, even those who seriously offended them, was to be the Thessalonians’ main objective. Paul extends this objective beyond the walls of the church to include all people. Our response to evil done to us inside and outside the church is to be responded to with goodness and kindness.
CONCLUSION:
A healthy church, a healthy flock is characterized by growth in faith, love, and purity. It is seen in a steady progression toward the likeness of Christ. But spiritually needy and problem sheep within the flock can and do impede the church’s growth and its progress to Christ’s likeness. This means that the healthy sheep must lovingly, patiently, but truthfully deal with the difficult sheep to get the church back on track in growing in faith and becoming more Christ-like. Paul clearly taught in this passage that the key to doing this is not finding some clever strategy to bypass the troubles, but addressing the issues directly, as shepherds and sheep alike admonish the unruly, encouraging the fainthearted, upholding and supporting the weak, patiently bearing with the wearisome, and doing good to those who do evil toward us. Paul’s strategy is simple, but if we want a healthy flock then we must work together to carry out his exhortations.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]Vine, W. E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. McLean, VA : MacDonald Publishing Company
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.