1 Thessalonians 5:12-18
But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
This final admonition of the apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonika is instruction on how to take care of one another. The church was under significant scrutiny and in hiding, so taking care of one another, sisters and brothers in Christ, is of the utmost importance. The call of Christ is a precious gift. To affirm another disciple is to recognize Christ within them. In order to work in the same community, each member must learn to trust, encourage and support the other. Certainly, persons of the same church community would see their fellow disciples in their everyday tasks; knowing the complementary ways the disciples work together strengthened the ‘body’ of Christ. You can sense the movement of Paul’s theology here toward his metaphorical discourse on the body of Christ which we now find in Paul’s letters to the Corinthian and Roman churches (found in chapters 12 in each book). Paul knew that staying together would not only mean incredible support but also survival.
So what importance does this have for us today? I cannot imagine going through life without the church. Can you?! There is something about the level of care that is life-giving. It reminds me of the theme song to the television show, “Cheers,” from the 1980s:
“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.”
Okay, I know that Cheers was a bar, but you get my point: to support and care for one another, as if it was our own joys, pains, comforts, or sorrows is the whole point of Paul’s admonition that is still relevant to today’s church. I do wanna be where everybody knows my name!
Dr. Andy Stoker, Senior Minister
