1 Thessalonians 5:12–15 “One Virtue That Builds the Community”

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Build Your Kingdom Here – Rend Collective
• By Our Love – for King & Country
• Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) – Hillsong UNITED

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• The Body of Christ | God made us all special – Lesson for Kids
• Love One Another (Yancy/Body Worship) – Kidspring Worship – Song for Kids
• Love the Lord | Kids Worship Motions with Lyrics | CJ and Friends – Song for Kids
• I Might Be Small | Preschool Worship Song | Sing-along #preschool action song 🎵 #kidsworship #kidmin – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

The apostle then makes several requests for the sake of the community of faith. First, he urges them to “acknowledge” those who serve the community’s needs (v. 12). The Greek word oida, translated as “acknowledge,” means “to recognize” or “to appreciate the true worth of” someone. Regarding the leaders, the apostle uses three expressions: “those who work hard among you,” “those who care for you in the Lord,” and “those who admonish you.” This includes those who open their homes so the church can gather, those who labor to meet the needs of fellow believers, and those who lead worship and teach the Word. He exhorts them not only to recognize their labor but also to “hold them in the highest regard” (v. 13).

Furthermore, they are to strive to “live in peace with each other,” because in the church there may be “those who are idle and disruptive,” “the disheartened,” and “the weak” (v. 14). The phrase “idle and disruptive” (translated as “idle” in some versions) comes from the Greek ataktos, meaning someone who engages in antisocial behavior—speaking and acting according to their own will in ways that cause trouble in the community. “The disheartened” seems to refer to those weak in faith, while “the weak” can refer to those who are economically disadvantaged. Those who act disruptively need “admonition,” while the weak and vulnerable need “encouragement” and “help.” The community of faith is made up of diverse people, and for the sake of the common good, they must watch over one another and meet each other’s needs.

For such a community to exist, everyone needs the virtue of “patience” toward “all.” Only then can they avoid “repaying evil for evil” and instead “always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else” (v. 15). Believers are those who train themselves in love within the community and practice that same love in the wider society.

Meditation:

For a person of faith, belonging to a community of faith is not optional. When we are restored as God’s children through Jesus Christ, we discover brothers and sisters in faith, and together in each local area, we unite as one body. The head of that body is Jesus Christ, and believers are its members. Through the churches established in each place, the Lord continues His incarnational ministry. After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus has been working through His church. Therefore, we must unite with other members to form the body of Christ.

A local church is made up of many kinds of people. Some have reached a noble character through deep faith. Some have significantly changed but have not fully put off their old ways. Some, because of innate temperament or wounds from the past, are slow to change. Some are just beginning their faith journey. Sadly, there are even those who commit harmful acts against fellow believers, and some may even enter the church with such intentions. As a result, things we might expect to see only in the outside world can sometimes happen within the church.

Building up the church, therefore, is an “extreme mission” that involves embracing such a wide range of people and leading both personal transformation and corporate maturity. Those who commit themselves to loving and serving the church must first be prepared to get hurt. This is why the apostle urges, “Be patient with everyone” (v. 14). Only when we endure and wait in the faith that the Holy Spirit will bring transformation can we see the church grow in maturity and its members experience change.

The apostle, who understood better than anyone how difficult this is, urges believers to acknowledge those who labor for the church and to regard them with the highest respect. He also calls the church to share the load of encouraging, admonishing, and helping one another. A church cannot be built on the sacrifices of just a few—it requires the whole community.

Prayer:

Thank You for making us, who are like the morning dew—here for a moment and then gone—a part of Your body. Thank You also for giving us brothers and sisters in faith so that we may unite together to form Your body. Grant us the strength to be patient with everyone for the sake of Your church. Make us like a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, so that it may bear fruit for Your church. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: The church is like one body with many different parts, and Jesus is the head. God brings all kinds of people together in the church, and He calls us to be patient with one another, help each other grow, and serve together so the whole body can be healthy and strong.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • What does it mean that the church is like a body and Jesus is the head?
  • How can you show patience to someone who might be different from you at church?
  • What is one way you can help make your church a happy and loving place?
• Youth
  • Why do you think God puts so many different kinds of people together in one church?
  • What does it look like to “be patient with everyone” when someone at church hurts your feelings or is hard to get along with?
  • How can you personally help your church grow in maturity and unity?