September 23, 2010
2 Thessalonians 3
Pastor Paul Glenn
Sometimes I think that the Apostle Paul had an amazing way with words. He directly addressed issues, and the modern Church views him with complete respect.
In 2 Thessalonians 3, he addressed idle “busybodies” in the Church. In verse 6, he mentioned that idle Christians were not living according to Christ’s teachings. Later in verses 11 and 14 he wrote, “We hear that some among you are idle...(and) busybodies,” adding thatif they didn’t change, other believers should stop associating with them so that they would feel ashamed. Wow!
This begs a few reflective questions: Are these passages really inspired Scripture or just Paul’s rude comments? If we believe them to be inspired, why don’t we “call” fellow Christians on these matters when we see them? Does fear, peer pressure, uncertainty of how to handle it or “just minding our own business” get in the way?
In Genesis 3:6, we learn that when Eve took the first bite of forbidden fruit, Adam was right there and did nothing to address it. That’s apathy…and it precedes our becoming parties to their sin.
So I have two challenges for each of us:
- If we consider our own actions and recognize idleness or meddling, let’s halt such behavior and even “confess our faults” with a trusted friend.
- If we see other believers engaged in such behavior, courageously take the next step to lovingly “warn them as a brother” (verse 15) and thus protect them from further shame.
Did you know? Pastor Paul, who oversees administrative and business-related functions at Grace Covenant, formerly “mixed sound” in middle school for choral performances and continued mixing for over 20 years.
