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1 Thessalonians 5:15
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“Make sure that nobody
pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other
and to everyone else.”
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There are three things that we can take
from this as first glance:
1. don’t retaliate
2. try with all that is in
you to be kind to other believers
3. also be kind to
non-believers (“everyone else”)
Let’s look at the context. Read
5:12-15.
1. Verse 12 has three points
to consider and these tie into our one another.
a. “respect
those who work hard among you.” There are many in the church who
work hard for the Lord (pastors, teachers, nursery workers,
trustees, cleaners, kitchen helpers, etc.) Be thankful for what
they do for the Lord and for you.
b. “who are over
you in the Lord” Some people by nature have difficulty with
submission, but that should not be the case among God’s people.
Leaders of the church are over the congregation “in the Lord.” The
leaders are responsible to God for how they lead, and the
congregation is answerable to the Lord for how they follow. This
doesn’t mean someone can’t ask the leader why we are going in a
particular direction, but once it is clear that the direction is
from the Lord, all should follow as following the Lord. The overall
purpose is to glorify Christ, the leader is merely a servant of
Christ as is the follower, just with a different role in the church.
c. “who admonish
you” sometimes Christians must be admonished which means to
“reprove mildly, but seriously.” We all have times when we need
guided back on the path, even the leaders must be held accountable.
This is an area where misunderstanding can occur and someone could
perceive that they were wronged when they were merely being
admonished, and human nature could fall into desiring to pay back
wrong for wrong contrary to verse 15.
2. Verse 13 has two pieces
of information for us.
a. “Hold them in
highest regard in love because of their work.” Certainly all God’s
people are on an equal plain in God’s grace, but He does desire that
we show proper respect for those who are working for Him on our
behalf. (This even applies to the pastor as he sits in on a Sunday
School class, as the teacher is working for God on behalf of all the
students, including the pastor.)
b. “Live in
peace with each other.” This ties in with what we are studying
Sunday mornings in 1 Corinthians. God is not pleased with divisions
in HIS Church. We are to work through our disagreements,
remembering that God’s way is the way for His church, not my way or
your way. We are brothers and sisters. God does not want His
children bickering and feuding. Discuss how this verse ties in with
our “one another” passage.
3. Verse 14 gives us some
practical tips on how to maintain peace in the church and prevent
people from being wronged.
a. “warn
those who are idle.” The quote, “idleness is the devil’s workshop”
may not be in the Bible, but idleness is certainly a seed bed for
dissension. People giving their all to the work are less likely to
complain about the work that is being done. Besides the idle person
brings no good to the work of Christ or to the encouragement of the
church.
b. “encourage
the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone”
Discuss how these can help the church, and think of practical
examples of how to put these in practice.
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