Week of May 24

John of the Cross said, “Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent.” The Thessalonians had endured some stiff suffering because of their commitment to Christ, so Paul writes to strengthen and encourage them. They were “pressed out like grapes,” but they did not whine (see 1Thessalonians 1:6)! It may surprise you to hear where their affliction came from, but it should be no surprise as to how they handled it. Paul stands in their behalf and expresses some powerful words of hope and help that will also help us when we must endure trouble in the Christian life.

Catherine Booth, co-founder of the Salvation Army, remarked, “The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under, but over,” and I sense something of the same in Paul’s encouragement, found in verses 1-5. Let’s link the letter together well. He has just responded to their concern over false and troubling “end-times” teaching (2:1-17). He now uses this place in the letter to address several ethical concerns and begins with the call to spread the Gospel despite evil, faithless people who opposed Paul and his associates.

Fortifying the fellowship against evil

Build upon our fellowship in Christ. The union with Christ provides us with a unifying foundation. How do we overcome evil when faced with specific challenges, like the one presented in chapter 2, or the more general ones we currently face in the Christian life? The answer? Our fellowship in Christ! Paul reminds them of their common Lord (v. 1), their common experience in suffering (vv. 2-3), their common fellowship in prayer for one another (v. 1), and their common effort to spread the message of hope. The word Paul uses for effort indicates a runner who strives to do well in some endeavor. We would say, support one another and “carry on!”

Practice Christian virtues. Paul turns his focus to those who were living idle lifestyles (ongoing, not temporary) and apparently disrupting the life of the church. The exact nature of their behavior is unclear, but it had become a serious hindrance to the health of the church. A debate is ongoing about what motivated the people’s actions; nevertheless, the passage begins and ends with, and focuses on, exhortations to those within the church who were living properly (vv. 6, 13-15). 

Live consistent Christian lifestyles. Paul mainly focuses on giving instructions about how to handle church discipline, but there is a kernel of application we also may take away for our devotional benefit. Our lifestyles matter to the health of the whole community of believers. Some folks in that church were living contrary to apostolic teaching (vv. 6, 10) and the example of working hard (vv. 7-9). They also were busybodies—perhaps end-timers who believed falsely that the day of the Lord had already arrived (v. 12; cf. 2:2). Like the old saying states, “They were so heavenly minded that they became no earthly good.” Regardless, we need to bring forward the emphasis on brotherly and sisterly “commonality” I wrote about above, and see the focus on a recognized “Christian lifestyle.” This was evidence of “the tie that binds,” as we used to sing.

Seek God’s blessing on all. Paul inserts a prayer for peace, though scholars are divided as to what it refers. Does it apply to the preceding section on church discipline, or does it stand as a broad benediction to the entire letter? Well, I say: Yes! I do not see a need to parse the benediction. After all, it is a prayer of blessing, and always fitting in a church that holds all things in common. 

Now, I am going to throw open the door a bit wider and insert a pastoral word here. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the body of Christ were to pray for a benediction of shalom to fall upon the lives of all believers rather than call down fire from heaven upon them (akin to Luke 9:54)? We have ample evidence in our nation of the difficulty in containing wildfires once they begin. This is why I’m not in favor of a mere Christian “détente” or easing of hostilities. Instead I am calling for believers to “cease and desist,” by putting an end to strife between one another. This takes place when the true church, who calls upon Christ as Lord (v. 1), invokes His blessings of grace and peace (v. 16; “Lord of peace”). What follows is a way to challenge the evil around us.

Michelangelo wrote, “True painting is only the image of the perfection of God, a shadow of the pencil with which he paints, a melody, a striving after harmony.” These words invite us to ponder a serious call to strive for harmony amid our troubles outside and inside the church. Paul takes each of us by the arm and positions our separate brushes so that they paint again as one. He calls us all not to look upon the strokes that others are putting upon the canvas, but to gaze upon the Master Artist and to strive to paint as He paints.

1. Imagine your Christian life as a paint brush you are using to glorify the Lord each time it touches the canvas of church community. What will you “paint” for His glory today?

2. Pray that God will use you to encourage others in your church community to become “as one” in faith and fellowship (2:15, 3:15). 

3. For Families: This is another remarkable lesson from Paul about Christian unity, and a call to be “one in the Spirit.” Have your kids ever heard the song that became popular during the Jesus Movement years of the late 1960s and early 1970s? “We Are One in the Spirit” was sung in coffee-houses, after-glows at camp, crusades, and in smaller student meetings all across America and the UK.

Your children may enjoy learning a new version of this song and singing it wherever they go. Ask them to learn the line dance that goes along with the song in the video and teach it to their friends. It has lots of lock-step and copy-cat movements to represent our being one as a community of Christ-followers. Maybe your whole family can learn it too, including Mom and Dad and Grandparents! You could take a video and send it out to share this unity challenge.
Click here to hear, sing, and dance along: We Are One

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock