Building a Better Me – Responsibility (Part IV)

Sermon Title: Becoming a Better Me – It’s a Difficult Responsibility

Good News Statement: God created us with responsibility

Summary: Three strategies to live spiritually responsible lives.

Preached: Sunday, October 6^th, at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18 Today’s scripture reading comes from Paul’s second letter to the people of Thessalonica. In this particular section, Paul warns the people against idleness and invites us to think responsibly when it comes to becoming better versions of ourselves for God and others. Let’s read from Paul’s epistle: Second Thessalonians, Chapter Three, Verses Six thru Eighteen. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding and meaning to your life.

Warning against Idleness

⁶ Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister living irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they, received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not irresponsible when we were with you, ⁸ and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day so that we might not burden any of you. ⁹ This was not because we do not have that right but in order to give you an example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: anyone unwilling to work should not eat. ¹¹ For we hear that some of you are living irresponsibly, mere busybodies, not doing any work. ¹² Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

¹⁴ Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. ¹⁵ Do not regard them as enemies, but admonish them as brothers and sisters.

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.

¹⁷ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

 

The Word of God, for the People of God; And all God’s People said, “Thanks Be To God.”

 

Introduction:

Before “graduating” from the third grade, my classmates and I were given a book sponsored by several businesses in the area: Central Bank, State Farm Insurance, Vandemore Funeral Home, Village Maytag, Lifetime Eyecare, McClimon Pharmacy, Chicago Street Decorating Center, and Hanford Insurance Agency. The book is titled, Eight Keys to a Better Me: Character Development for Young People, written by William J. Briggs and illustrated by Lynne Marie Davis.

The premise of the book focuses on eight key practices by which could help mold us and shape us into better versions of ourselves. These keys are honesty, respect, patriotism, kindness, courage, responsibility, feelings, and self-worth; and all of these keys were explained by highlighting tasks that students encounter or talk about during the school year and by which they did (or tried to do) on a regular basis whether at school or at home. In a way, the booked summed up what we learned in kindergarten through third grade; but also was a source that was reminding us that we must keep practicing these key traits as we progress through school and life if we want to continually create a better version of ourselves.

Now to be honest, as a soon to be fourth grader, I really had no idea what it meant to become a “better me.” I thought I was a good kid: I rarely got in trouble, I listened to my teachers, did what I was told, and helped out when I could. If I knew getting a book at the end of third grade was our sign of achievement, of success, I would have suggested other reading material that was more interesting. However, over the years this book has remained on my bookshelf: never packed away in box or shoved behind other books. It may have accumulated some dust and been placed under Bibles and renowned works by theologians, but it was still visible. In third grade, this book was just a book; but today, this simple read has a powerful message that I believe we all need to think about. And what we need to think about is “How do I become a ‘better me’?” How do I become a “better me” for me? How do I become a “better me” for those in my life? How do I become a “better me” for Jesus Christ and his church?

Over the next few weeks—now until October 20^th—we are going to explore five of the eight keys that William J. Briggs wrote about. Not only are we going to read about five of those eight keys, but we are going to relate them to scripture and see how a book written for children actually highlights marks of a true disciple in, for, and of Jesus Christ. We are going to talk about honesty, respect, courage, responsibility, and self-worth.

I understand that many of you are probably saying to yourself, “I’m the best version of me I can be.” And to that I say, “I’m proud of you!” However, Jesus didn’t call people to follow him that were the best versions of themselves: he called upon people who knew there was a better version of themselves found in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus knows we have room to improve, to become a better version of ourselves, but do you believe that? Are you willing to pursue whatever is needed to help you say, “I am a better me today than I was yesterday”? Today, we draw ourselves to the warning from Paul to the people of Thessalonica which invokes us to live a responsible life in Christ.

 

Body:

For the past few weeks, I have been asking you “What does it take to become a better you?” We’ve looked at how honesty—being honest with ourselves, with our neighbors, with those in our life, and with God—is a characteristic that can help us become a better version of ourselves. We’ve examined that, while on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns us that we need to practice and live out this idea of respect so that we can be kind to ourselves, our neighbors, those in our life, and kind to God. Last week, we realized that even when we don’t feel courageous or brave because of fear or lack of confidence, we still have courage within us because God is within us; and as long as God is within us, we have the courage to face what is placed before us. If you want to become a better you, then begin being honest, show respect, and let God help you be courageous. Now, we look at this idea of responsibility.

“The First Toymakers to the King” is a song featured in the 1970 (Rankin/Bass) Christmas special Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. It is sung by Tanta Kringle as she tells Kris that the Kringles were renowned toymakers to royalty until, for some reason, they weren’t anymore. I know it’s not Christmas—I mean, we just started the season of Fall—but this rather famous Christmas song deals with what we are talking about today. Listen to these words from Tanta Kringle as she opens her giant red book and shares about the first toymakers to the King:

 “It’s a difficult responsibility, When you accept an appointment from His Majesty. You must strive for just the perfect quality, When you’re the first toymaker to the king! All the soldiers must stand erect, For the kingdom they protect. The balls must bounce much higher, If they’re to please his royal sire. The ballerinas must pirouette Upon their musical toes. And the clowns must make a king forget, All his kingly woes! All the sailboats must never sink, And the dollies always wink. The teddy bears be furry, If they’re to gain his royal curry. The jack-in-boxes must always pop, At every regal command. And the kangaroos must learn to hop Into the prince’s hand! It’s a difficult responsibility, When you accept an appointment from His Majesty. You must strive for just the perfect quality, When you’re the first toymaker to the king!”

What does it mean to be responsible? How does God need us to be responsible for what He has given us in our life? And what happens if we choose not to be responsible? What happens if we continually tell ourselves that “It’s a difficult responsibility when we accept an appointment from His Majesty”? If you want to become a better you, then begin thinking about how Jesus’ responsibility for you helps you show responsibility for yourself, to others, and to God.

 

Movement One: Managing Relationships (2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15)…Fellowship

The first guiding principle of showing responsibility for yourself is figuring out how to manage your relationships. But before we get to that, let me offer you some context to what Paul is dealing with as he writes to the people of Thessalonica.

The Thessalonian Christians were followers of Jesus Christ, but some of them were acting spiritually irresponsible. Some were speculating about Jesus Christ’s second coming and the rapture of the church. Despite Jesus’ clear teaching that it’s not for us to know the date or time of his coming—because not even the angles know–and despite the Apostle Paul’s clear teaching not to speculate, that didn’t stop some of the Thessalonian Christians. And it hasn’t stopped people today from making predictions about when Jesus will return. As a matter of fact, these are the kind of persons modern Christian publishing companies would go nuts over, because they’d quit their jobs, stopped taking care of their daily responsibilities, as they plotted charts and came up with end time scenarios., when they really have no idea when the end is to arrive.

On the other hand, other members of the Thessalonian church had quit their jobs and they were just loafing around. They were sponging off the other members of the congregation in the name of Christian love, spending their days meddling in other people’s affairs and spending their energy on fruitless activities. (Sadly, there are people like that today: people who want others to do everything for them without feeling the urge to repay the favor or even pay it forward.)

Simply put, there was a responsibility problem in the Thessalonian church, and when Paul wrote his first letter to them he told the church to warn these people: “And we urge, 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” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Paul was writing, as he is writing to us today, to a group of people who found it difficult to be responsible to their Majesty, to God, so they chose to walk away from Him. That’s the opposite of what Paul is seeking to do for the church: he doesn’t want people to walk away or take a break from a church that has welcomed them and treated them like family because they don’t want to be responsible; no, Paul wants people to walk toward the church because they feel this willingness and witness to be responsible for doing the work of Christ amongst others who are willing to do the same. Paul wants all of us to be responsible, but how?

It begins with managing our relationships. Paul starts by addressing the entire church about how to treat the irresponsible people among them in verse six and then in verses fourteen and fifteen. Paul wrote, “Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister living irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they received from us (the disciples and followers of Christ)…Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard them as enemies, but admonish—warn—them as brothers and sisters.”[1]

Paul begins his appeal by making it abundantly clear that he’s speaking in his official capacity as a representative of Jesus. He’s not just sharing his opinion, but what he’s speaking of he’s doing so as an apostle of Jesus, with the authority conferred by Jesus.[2] Now it’s important that we understand exactly what Paul’s commanding the church to do here. He’s not telling the Thessalonians to have nothing to do with the idlers—“don’t regard them as enemies.” Remember, he wants the Thessalonians to view the idlers as Christians, still members of the congregation, not as enemies or as backsliders. But he does tell the Thessalonian Christians to distance themselves from the idlers, to put some space between themselves and the people taking advantage of the church. Now remember the idlers were relying on the financial support of the other church members, that’s how they were supporting their irresponsible lifestyle. Paul is telling the Thessalonians to stop supporting the idlers, to put what we today call “boundaries” between themselves and these people who were choosing an irresponsible path.

Also, remember, at this point in Paul’s ministry, he’s already admonished these people in his first letter about their lifestyle. He sent his co-worker Timothy to encourage them to shape up, but they’ve persisted in their irresponsible choices. So after all these warnings, the next step is some tough love, some boundaries, to distance themselves from those who were being irresponsible. Paul’s prayer is that these boundaries will help these irresponsible Christians come to their senses and start to live responsible lives. Paul’s not trying to punish them, but rather he’s seeking to bring about repentance.

Being the president of the Crawford County Ministerial Alliance, I get phone calls from people seeking food assistance, a place to stay for the night, financial help with their utilities bills, and sometimes requests to transport people to different places. Some of these people only call once, but there are some who continually call—using a different phone number and story—for assistance. Those people have been flagged for taking advantage of the system. Paul would call them idlers: people wanting aid from others without doing any work. When these people continually call asking for aid, I don’t hang up the phone—I don’t ignore them or their story—but I do try to direct them to another resource. We are called to help the irresponsible—the idlers—in our life, but at the same time we need to do so in way that demonstrates our responsibility to Christ. We have to manage our relationships. We have to establish boundaries.

You see, personal relationships in the Christian community are characterized by something called “fellowship.” Although we don’t use that word “fellowship” much these days, it’s a word that pictures a mutual relationship of both give and take. But what happens when we have that kind of mutual relationship of give and take, but one person’s only taking? Can we truly call those kinds of relationship biblical fellowship? If a person who claims the name of Jesus as their Lord and Master chooses to live an irresponsible life that disregards the teachings of Jesus, we’re faced with a dilemma. We can no longer call that relationship true, biblical fellowship, so we need to redefine the relationship. Now that doesn’t mean avoiding being around the person, screening our calls, and shunning the person. It means that we establish some boundaries, that we put our love to the test by refusing to endorse or enable self-destructive behavior. We still love the person, we still care, and we still try to respond to them as best as we can, but we establish boundaries.[3]

The whole point of this—referencing Paul’s call to action to not ignore those who are irresponsible and to understand that as followers of Christ we are called to form bonds of fellowship—is to manage our relationships with people wisely, because other people’s irresponsibility can become our own if we don’t have scriptural boundaries. If you want to become a better version of yourself, then the relationships you establish need to be set with boundaries that represent your responsibility and dedication to your faith and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

 

Movement Two: Modeling Generous Diligence (2 Thessalonians 3:7-10)…

Next, Paul tells us that being responsible means modeling generous diligence. Paul notes, “For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not irresponsible when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: anyone unwilling to work should not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:7-10).

Here we learn a bit about Paul’s stay in Thessalonica: though he could’ve received a salary from the church because of his ministry, he chose to get an outside job instead. We know from the rest of the New Testament that Paul was a leather worker, and that he often worked as a leather worker to support his ministry. Not only did this avoid being an unnecessary burden on the people he was trying to reach for Christ, but it was also a built in ministry opportunity because the workshop was a prime place to talk about issues of faith. At times Paul accepted financial support from the churches he started, while at other times he refused it. Here’s one of the instances where he refused it.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:9 he’d already written, “Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.” Perhaps Paul knew there was a tendency in Thessalonian culture to become idlers, and he knew the Thessalonian church all too well to know that they’d support people who pretended to be in need. So here we learn that Paul was strategic in his decision to work, that he wanted to leave the Thessalonians an example of how to live the Christian life. In fact, the word for “follow” in verse nine is the Greek word mimeomai, which is where we get our English word mimic from. Many Bible teachers believe that this word mimeomai is Paul’s equivalent to the word “disciple” that Jesus used so often but Paul never uses. So Paul was strategically providing a discipleship model for the Thessalonian Christians, a living, breathing example they could look at to see how a devoted follower of Jesus lived. A devoted follower of Jesus lived by being responsible for the work of the church, being willing to make sacrifices to and for the church to keep it alive.[4] We make sacrifices through our generosity and diligence.

On the one hand we’re to model generosity. Paul’s willingness to forgo his rights as an apostle—even his right to financial support—is an example of generosity. Paul had a generous heart, and even though he was never a wealthy person, he wanted to give to those who were around him. In 1 Thessalonians 2:8 Paul wrote, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” Where are you modeling generosity to those around you? How is your generosity—time, financial giving, acts of service, and volunteerism—demonstrating your responsibility to the church and to the teachings of Jesus Christ? What does it mean to be a responsible giver to the church and of Jesus Christ? How are you modeling generosity?

On the other hand is modeling diligence. Paul wasn’t afraid of hard work, even if it meant getting dirty and developing calluses on his hands. When Paul was fully financially supported and didn’t have to work as a leather worker, he worked as an apostle just as hard. The so called “Protestant work ethic” is rooted in passages like these in the Bible that claim that the way we labor is part of our spiritual life as followers of Jesus. Can people see your example of generous diligence? Can people see your responsibility to Christ and the church through what you do during your daily life? People will know we are Christians by our love, but they will also know we are Christians by our works.

If you want to become a better version of yourself, then be responsible to the church through your diligence and generosity because it’s what you do and what you say that can help others realize what it means to live a responsible life in Christ. If you are responsible to the church, then the church will be responsible for you.

 

Movement Three: Focusing our Efforts (2 Thessalonians 3:11-13)…

Finally we see Paul directly address the idlers who were living irresponsibly in verses eleven through thirteen. Paul tells them, “For we hear that some of you are living irresponsibly, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right [or good]” (2 Thessalonians 3:11-13).[5]

We have a responsibility to do what is right. We have a responsibility to work with those who choose to live irresponsibly by not doing the work of Jesus Christ. But please keep in mind, it’s risky business. It’s difficult work doing the work of the Jesus Christ. However, if we remain responsible to his works then God will remain responsible for the works that He is doing within our own lives. That’s what Paul is telling us.

But how do we remain responsible so that God continues to work in our lives? Well… Luke tells us, we are to be responsible for the way we act toward others (Luke 10:30-37). Matthew echoes this sentiment in his own Gospel when he quotes Jesus, “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you” (7:12). Luke also quotes Isaiah by saying that we are responsible for bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming release to the captives, recovering the sight of the blind, setting free those who are oppressed…and seeking out and saving the lost (Luke 4:18; 19:10). Timothy, the aid to Paul, reminds us that we have a responsibility for the way we treat our families (1 Timothy 5:8). Paul tells us that we have the responsibility to “rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17) and make praying without ceasing one of our main responsibilities (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). Hebrews 13:5 asserts that we have the responsibility to respectfully handle our money. In the fourth chapter of Philippians, we have the responsibility to take everything to the Lord in prayer and to not worry about tomorrow. Exodus informs us that we have the responsibility to continue to build the tabernacle of God (Exodus 25-40).  Returning to Timothy, we are told that we have the responsibility to study God’s word (2 Timothy 2:15). As a matter of fact, according to the 2009 study published by Center for Bible Engagement, the more time you spend reading the Bible the more likely you are to share your faith with others, memorize scripture, and disciple others toward Christ.

And let’s not forget that we have the responsibility to “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19-20) as we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, body, and strength and love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). The Bible, again and again with over 3,000 references between the Old and New Testaments, gives us thousands of responsibilities that help us remain responsible to God and the salvation of Jesus Christ. We can’t be idlers, seeking others to do the work for us, if we want to live responsible and good lives.

As we become more responsible—focusing our attention on doing good—we will fulfill what Tanta Kringle shared about: we will make sure the soldiers stand erect—we will support people seeking to become disciples and we will fight for Christ, the sailboats will never sink—we will remind people that Jesus is in their boat, the dollies will always wink—unity and equality will be observed, the jack-in-boxes will always pop—we will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and the kangaroos will learn to hop—we will “go and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” We are responsible for keeping the word of God and mission of Jesus Christ alive as a disciple and as a church.

However, in order to make all this happen—to be the church we need to be and the disciple Jesus wants us to be—we must remember that “it’s a difficult responsibility when we accept an appointment from His Majesty.” Being responsible is not always easy: it is challenging, it is fearful, it is daunting, it is eye-opening, and it is sometimes frustrating. But we must remember that we are the way-makers for the King. We have a responsibility to do good and to be there for all those who God has placed in our life. We have a responsibility to this church.

It’s difficult to be responsible, but if you want to be a better version of you, then being responsible for what Christ is calling you to do is what must be done.

If you we are telling yourself, “I don’t know what Christ is calling me to do?”, then I encourage you to think about two things: 1) the words of the Apostle Paul to the people of Ephesus, “He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…” (Ephesians 4:11-13)—God has a plan for each of you to work within His creation in some way for the sake of quipping others and for building up the body of Christ. You have been given a specific job based upon the gifts and talents that God has given you and it’s your responsibility to use your gifts and talents for the work of ministry. God has given you something unique, don’t be afraid to use what He has given you.

Second, if you don’t know what Christ is calling you to do, I invite you to pray. Matthew quotes Jesus when recording the Sermon on the Mount, “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). It is our responsibility to ask for guidance, search for ways God can use us, and knock on the door when we need help. When you pray, allow God to guide you towards ways of being more responsible for the faith that He has given you through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Being responsible means not only doing what is right but realizing how God is using you in this life.

 

Conclusion:

Unfortunately there will always be irresponsible Christians. In fact, sometimes all of us act irresponsibly at times—building gold calves, worshipping what is not true, judging others, saying “no” to God. God challenges us to grow into responsible followers of Jesus—or as Paul would say, “mature disciples”—by managing our relationships wisely, by modeling generous diligence, and by focusing our efforts in a positive direction. This will help us grow into a responsible congregation.

The book that I was given in third grade describes responsibility this way: “Responsibility is doing what I know is right.” Church, it’s difficult being responsible all the time, it’s difficult discerning what God needs us to do, it’s difficult accepting an appointment given to us by Jesus Christ that we know nothing about, but what is not difficult is taking time to do what is right and what is needed to be the church we ought to be. We have faced struggles and challenges and we will face more, but we have overcome those moments because God has been responsible for us—because He sees something within us that others need to witness. Church it’s time to be responsible for what God is laying upon us. What is that exactly? I don’t know, but I have a feeling you know. What is God telling us to do as a church to show our responsibility to Him, to Jesus’ teachings, and to everyone who worships with us?

If you want to become a better version of yourself, then begin being responsible not just for those in your life, yourself, and for others, but begin being responsible for what God is laying on your heart as a follower and as a church. What is God need you to be responsible for today? It may be difficult being responsible for the appointment that God has given you, but let me tell you it is certainly rewarding!

Let it be so…

 

Communion Transition…

Closing Prayer:

Dear God, help us to be responsible. Help us to be responsible to you, to those in our life, and to ourselves. Guide us to find ways to be responsible for our church: doing what we can to be here tomorrow. In your mighty name we pray, Amen.

Benediction:

This week, I challenge you to be a little bit more responsible for you, for others in your life, and for your faith. Let God guide you toward helping you become a better version of yourself through the responsibility that you practice.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go forth finding ways to become a “better you.” And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] Now the irresponsible people are identified in v. 6 as “every brother who is idle.” The way this reads in the Greek text is a person chooses a lifestyle of idleness. He’s not talking about someone who’s been laid off or hits hard times, but someone who willfully chooses a lifestyle of irresponsibility. That’s why I think the best English synonym for “idle” is slacker.

[2] In fact the word “command” here is a military term for giving soldiers their orders. Paul couldn’t have appealed to any higher authority for what he’s about to say than he does here (Wanamaker 281).

[3] Now in some extreme cases when a person’s part of a local church and they persist in an irresponsible lifestyle that disregards the teachings of Jesus it becomes necessary to exclude that person from church membership. This is when the person chooses to live as a non-Christian, even though they still claim to follow Jesus. This is the person who persists in a lifestyle of willful, unrepentant sin, whether it’s sexual promiscuity, cheating, false teaching, or whatever. There’s a whole process to go through with that kind of person–a process that usually lasts several months–but if in the end the person still doesn’t respond, that person is removed from church membership. We’ve had to do this a few times in the past, and I’m sure we’ll have to do it in the future.

[4] In fact, Paul had even laid down a rule: If a person refuses to work they shouldn’t be financially supported by the church. Now this rule doesn’t say, “If someone can’t work” or “if someone can’t find a job,” or “if someone’s going through a tough time financially.” The emphasis is on that word “will,” that they are willful in their refusal to work for their own sustenance. Paul’s giving the Thessalonian Christians permission to cut off the idlers from financial support, to set tough love boundaries…. When people are being irresponsible our temptation is to chide them with our words. There’s certainly a place for our words; that’s what Paul meant when he said to, “Warn the idle” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). But few things speak more powerfully and persuasively than a positive example. Our modeling is far more influential than we realize, and usually far more influential than our words are.

[5] It’s amazing how much energy a person who’s willfully irresponsible has to use to fuel their irresponsibility.^[5] People who choose an irresponsible path end up working much harder than those who choose the responsible path. But it’s also amazing how much energy responsible Christians put into not being taken advantage of. Instead of focusing our efforts in the positive direction of caring for needs, of loving the unlovable, of meeting legitimate needs, we often grow cynical. We respond to needs with suspicion, and we close our ears to legitimate appeals for help with the justification that we’ve been used before. Yet the moment we as Christians or we as a church give up trying to do what’s right, at that moment we ought to put a closed sign outside. Yes…we’ll be taken advantage of at times, and yes we should be wise in how we help people, but the bottom line is that we’re here to do the works of Jesus.

Here we find that the idlers weren’t just sitting in front of the TV wasting away, but that they were busily involved in other people’s lives. They’d become meddlers in other people’s affairs. All the efforts and energy the rest of the congregation was putting into their spiritual life with Jesus and their labor on the job, these persons were focusing on gossiping, manipulating, and snooping. So their problem wasn’t a lack of energy but it was energy focused in the wrong direction. So to the idlers Paul says to focus their energy on settling down and getting a job, and to the rest of the church, Paul says to focus their energy on doing good.