SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/6/2014
11:07 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Disfellowship
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Thessalonians 3:6
Message of the
verses: “6 Now we command you,
brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every
brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you
received from us.”
I wish to begin by writing a bit about church discipline,
because that is what this verse is talking about, for Paul is giving a command
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in this verse, and that command is not a
suggestion, but a literal command to those who were capable to work, but did
not work and were actually living off of the church. In Matthew chapter 18 we see what our Lord
Jesus had to say about church discipline and what we see in this verse is
actually the third stage of church discipline.
First a believer confronts a sinning brother, who continues to repeat a
sinful action and talks to him about it.
Next, if the brother does not repent there is brought two more people to
confront him, and then if he still does not repent it is to be told to the
church and then the church has to stay away or shun this person until he
repents. Now understand, and this is
important, that this is all to be done in love in order to motivate the sinful
brother to repent and come back to the church in order to again have
fellowship. Paul is telling other
believers to stay away from these people who refuse to work.
MacArthur writes “Those who refused to work were placed
in the category of those guilty of leading an unruly life. In a military sense, ataktos *unruly) refers to ‘being out of rank’ ‘out of line’ or ‘out
of order.’ It was also used in
extrabiblical Greek writings to refer to apprentices being truant from
work. Paul described the unruly in verse
11 (the only other time the word appears in the New Testament) as ‘doing no
work at all, but acting like busybodies.’”
When Paul came to them when the church began he taught
them about this fact that believers are to work if they are able. Next he wrote to them in the first letter
about this “11 and to make it your
ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with
your hands, just as we commanded you, 12
so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need
(1 Thess. 4:11-12).” “14 We urge you,
brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be
patient with everyone (5:14).” Now he
writes to them again because after the visit of Timothy Paul knew that this was
still a problem.
We have mentioned before why these people were not
working, or at least gave some explanations as to why commentators believe they
were not working. It could have been
that they were converted Greeks who though that physical work was something
that they did not have to do, and then it could have been that since the false
teachers were telling them that they were already in the tribulation period
that since Jesus would be coming soon there was no need to work. Both excuses are wrong and so Paul tells them
if they did not work they should not eat.
John MacArthur ends his commentary with the following
paragraph: “That the indolent believers
faced church discipline shows the seriousness with which God views failing to
work. Since true believers cherish the
fellowship of other believers, being cut off from it should be painful enough
to effect a change in their behavior.
The drastic step of church discipline was also necessary to protect the
church’s reputation with outsiders. The
world must also know that God does not tolerate indolence and laziness.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I have to look at
what the Bible says about church discipline as being something how a parent
handles the problems of his children, and this is to be done with an attitude
of love, and sometimes tough love. There
has to be a balance in love. Love never
wants to get even, and love is never so soft that we just allow people to live
like they want to live in a sinful manner.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to learn and grow from the things
that I study from the Word of God.
Continue to meditate on verses that I am putting to memory.
Memory verses for the
week: 2 Peter 1:1-3.
1 Simon Peter, a
bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of
the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of or God and Savior, Jesus
Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied
to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine
power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the
true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Abner” (2 Samuel 2:8).
Today’s Bible
question: “Which kingdom, Northern or
Southern, lasted the longest?”
Answer in our next SD.
12/6/2014 12:12 PM
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