Final challenges for the church looking for His return

I Thessalonians 5:12-28


January 9, 2000

Introduction: I read this week a brief biography of a harpist by the name of Turlough O’Carolan. He was born in Ireland in 1670, and he is known as the master of the Irish harp. During his lifetime he composed some 220 songs called jigs and planxties, and his songs are the only songs of his time to survive to our day. Interestingly, he was blinded by smallpox as a 17 year old teenager, but that didn’t keep him from becoming the best. He supported himself by composing music and playing for fans and supporters. He did this for 50 years.
Amadeo Peter Giannini dropped out of school at the age of 14, having lost his father at the age of 7.. He bought the Bank of America in 1928, and when he retired in 1945, his bank was the largest in America. As a one-time laborer, he had a dream for a bank that would market its services to ordinary people who were struggling to make something of their lives and who needed a helping hand to do it. He would be quoted as saying, “It’s no use to decide what’s going to happen unless you have the courage of your convictions. Many a brilliant ideas has been lost because the man who dreamed it lacked the spunk or the spine to put it across. It doesn’t matter if you don’t always hit the exact bulls-eye,” he said, “the other rings in the targets score points, too.”
Both O’Carolan and Giannini started out in life with huge challenges on their plates. They saw the challenges as obstacles to be overcome so they might make a mark in their world.
When Paul comes to the end of his first letter to these Thessalonians, he concludes with a number of challenges. He lays these challenges before his friends as a way for them to mark their world for the Lord Jesus and His Gospel. In light of all his emphasis in this letter upon the return of the Lord Jesus, it is obvious that Paul has certain expectations of this particular group of believers. These Thessalonians are a good church; they are an assembly with many strengths and many good qualities; there is the certain expectation that the Lord Jesus may return very soon. In that light, Paul seeks to encourage them on in their faith with some attention to a number of particular issues.
These issues can be grouped into three categories that will help us get a handle on Paul’s final instructions.
He first speaks to all those in the church who would be leaders and followers. All the church would be included in one of these two categories.
He then speaks to the church regarding some with particular needs, needs that are evident, needs that can be helped within the church body.
Then thirdly, he returns to general instructions for everyone—leaders, followers, needy, everyone who makes up this fellowship.
If those of us in this church will give heed to these commands, the church will continue to mature; it will continue to know the presence of God in its experience; it will continue to be a bright light to its community and its world; and perhaps most of all, it will be prepared for the return of the Lord Jesus.
What was good counsel for this first century church is good counsel for us! This is a great church; it has many strengths and many accomplishments. But it, we, can excel even more. And we can be better prepared for the Lord’s return. If the Lord Jesus was given the signal this afternoon to return, we’d want to be found doing these things. And if we have a week or a month yet to wait, there’s still time to be improving in these areas. How we live here is important, for one day our future involvement in God’s kingdom will be dependent upon how we have lived here. So let’s consider Paul’s final instructions and learn some practical lessons to take home with us.
Our text is the last half of the 5th chapter of I Thessalonians. It reads like this, beginning in verse 12: “But we request of you, brethren that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.
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.
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
Paul’s first exhortations are to the church leaders and to those they lead. These are kindly requests. In verses 12 and 13, we see at least two characteristics of church leaders. (1) Those who lead are known for their labor on behalf of the church. Their work, verse 13, is done with diligence, vs. 12. Diligent work is indeed labor. (2) They have authority from the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus. The text of verse 12 says these leaders have charge over you in the Lord. Leaders have the responsibility from the Lord Jesus to urge their followers in the church along to obedience and maturity. Leaders have the important obligation to guide church members into truth and commitment. The instruction they give is valuable, it is profitable, it is life-giving and life-saving.
Further, in these two verses, we see two requirements for everyone else in the church. (1) Followers are to appreciate those who lead them, and (2) they are to honor them. The expression ‘appreciate’ comes from a little word that means ‘to know’. Paul is saying that appreciation comes from knowing fully the value and worth of leaders who are working hard to lead the church in the paths of Jesus. We recognize it is hard to appreciate someone or something we don’t know very well. Paul’s request to the Thessalonians is that they acknowledge more clearly the role of leaders as valuable elements in the life of the assembly. That acknowledgement is a definition of appreciation.
Knowing leaders in this way leads to Paul’s second request: Honor them, esteem them very highly. Honor has always meant to express to someone how much he means to you. Honor takes a thousand forms, from the briefest note to the most expensive of gifts.
I had this kind of experience this week when Steve and Ron and I left Upland at 4 am Wednesday to pray and anoint Herb Frye with oil at the IU Med Center in Indy. During that time with Herb and Kathy, Herb motioned for me to lean close, he shared some thoughts with me, then he kissed me on the cheek, thanking me for being his pastor. That was an expression of honor.
Paul requests of these believers that they salute the high calling of their leaders, that they praise them for their hard work, and that they let their leaders know how valuable they are to them.
Notice, both appreciation and honor are to flow out of love.
And, leaders and followers are to live in peace with one another.
So, how do we at the UCC measure up? For those of us who are leaders, we want to evaluate how hard we are working on behalf of the local church. ‘Diligent labor’ and ‘work’ are the foundation in this text for the rewards of honor and esteem. It may be hard for the church family to appreciate us as leaders if the extent of our ‘work’ is a couple of hours a month attending a board meeting.
I would love to have all of us, at the beginning of this new year, take a few moments with our spouses or close friends and honestly evaluate our lives in relationship to the church. Some of us leaders are stretched way too thin because we are serving in too many ministries. Others of us are doing the bare minimum for conscience’s sake, or for a line on a resume, or whatever.
I would love to see all our church leaders spending 2 ½ hours a week in church work—elders making calls and visits and praying, trustees stopping by the church to walk around with eyes wide open, stewardship board members dreaming and brainstorming about inspiring stewardship among us, missions board members calling us to greater vision of a lost world, ed. min. folks visiting Sunday School classes and nurseries on Sunday mornings with an eye to evaluation and improvement. 2 ½ hours a week, out of 168, would be a step toward balance, wouldn’t it?
For those of us who are followers, how are we doing with our following? We do a great job in October honoring and esteeming our pastors, a great job! But how are we doing week-to-week, for example, in taking our Sunday instruction seriously? In our Sunday school hour and in our worship hour, we leaders are seeking to give guidance from the word of God that will be beneficial for the coming week. Is our first response to question, challenge, or criticize?
How are we doing with our attitudes of submission and respect? The writer of Hebrews (13:17) would say, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy, not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
I know in these days of independence and prosperity it is sometimes hard to think about authority and submission. But there is great advantage is developing these traits in this day, for our future in the kingdom will be far more profitable for it!
Peace will reign in the church when leaders work hard and when followers follow with respect and appreciation.
Paul’s second set of challenges are directed to groups within the church who have particular needs. While the first challenges were kindly requests, these are urgent summons. According to verse 14, the first are the Unruly: they need warning. The second are the Fainthearted: they need comfort. The third are the Weak: they need support. And the fourth group is Everyone else: all need patience.
I like how Peterson, in The Message ties these together: “Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet…”
When Paul uses the terms ‘admonish’ and ‘unruly’, he is drawing upon strong and unusual terms. ‘Admonish’ means to confront and call to account, even when it may be difficult for a leader to do and a follower to receive. ‘Unruly’ is a picture word of a soldier out of step or out of rank. It is also used of an army moving in disarray. I was once lined up in a parade formation in boot camp, and I was too far forward in this long line of Marines. The drill instructor walked down the line and punched me in the stomach. I stepped back a tad! That was a painful experience of being admonished as unruly!
For the Thessalonians, some had stepped out of line, some had left their duties, some were neglecting their responsibilities. Paul instructed the church leaders to warn these to return to a more disciplined approach to life and ministry.
Yes, there are those in the church who are undisciplined, idle, neglecting their duties, not keeping their word, out of line. It does no one any good to overlook this kind of behavior. It does the church’s testimony no good for leaders to wink at these kinds of actions.
On the other hand, there are those who need not admonishing, they need encouraging. The fainthearted need gentle touches, encouraging words, a smile, a shoulder to lean on. These are those who have suffered, who have been pressed down, who are discouraged, who feel temporarily overwhelmed by the stresses and pressures of life. They need tender understanding and reassurances.
The weak need support. They are exhausted and drained, perhaps burned-out. They need to know that others are strong, and these who are strong will not leave them, will not forsake them. It’s OK for us to be weak in the church; we need not fear being left behind. We need not fear being abandoned. The strong will be available to be clung to for support, for refreshment, for healing.
Finally, everyone needs patience. Patience means ‘long-tempered’. It means a long fuse, slow irritability, everyone giving everyone else a chance to grow up, space to mature. Patience means calmness when others are too slow to see their need to change, or having seen it, too slow to take action in the right direction.
So, how are we doing here at the UCC? Do the unruly get admonished? Do the fainthearted find comfort? Do the weak get supported? Are we patient with one another?
In the last segment of the chapter, Paul offers challenges to all the church, verse 15 to the end of the chapter. The first segment of challenges were kindly requested, the second set of summons were urgently needed, these final charges are always appropriate.
All need to pursue good and avoid evil, especially the evil of revenge. Pursue the good of the one you can’t stand. Look for ways to do good to the one who regularly offends you. Help your co-worker to succeed. Take down fences in the neighborhood. Seek after that which is good for one another
All need to rejoice always in all things. God is bigger than all our circumstances, and He is faithfully at work in all things to bring us to glory. I read in Psalm 37 this week the encouragement to “feed on His faithfulness”. When we see ourselves figuratively munching of fond memories of God’s help in times past, we have just cause for rejoicing. We can have a sense of humor, we can face the day with optimism. Our God is up to great things.
All need to pray at all times. This phrase means to be in such a relationship with God that you are conversing with Him throughout the day in praise and in petitions.
All need to give thanks continually. To learn to give thanks IN every situation develops a grateful heart. If God is at work shaping us into the image of His Son, then we can give thanks in everything. IN marks a crucial difference from FOR. We may not be thankful for a storm, but we can be, and God expects us to be, grateful IN the storm. There are great purposes at work that God wants us to thank Him for.
All need to never quench the Spirit. This admonition means to not put out the fire of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit flames up in our hearts, when He nudges us in a direction we need to go, it is wise for us to obey. When He gives us a burden for someone, we need to follow through. When He won’t let us sleep about a dream or vision from God, we need to pay attention and be responsive. When He makes a verse leap off the page of the Scripture, we do well to pay attention. When we don’t… we have turned in the direction of disobedience.
All need to never despise prophecies. For these first century believers, this was an admonition to pay attention to prophecies. Perhaps because of the false prophets spreading tales of the Lord’s having already returned, the Thessalonians were skeptical of all prophecies. Paul wanted them to listen to real prophets who spoke the truth of God’s word. For us in this day, with a completed Word of God, this injunction would refer to those who speak the Word to us, to those that God uses to speak to us. One commentator suggests we need to listen to wise exhortations from people who challenge us to live according to the Word.
All need to test everything. In a nutshell, we need to be discerning. We need to ask certain kinds of questions: Is this instruction something I can verify from the Word? Does this teaching lead to the glorifying of the Lord Jesus? How does this strike my spirit, the place where the Holy Spirit gives me confidence?
All need to abstain from every form of evil. If an issue passes the test, hold on to it. If it doesn’t, avoid it decisively. Make no compromises. Don’t toy with it. Be separated from it completely.
That makes quite a list of challenges, don’t you think?
Finally, Paul’s Benediction follows in verses 23-28. God can be trusted to keep us; it is His work to preserve us; He is the faithful one. Greet one another with a holy kiss. Read this letter to everyone.

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