“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13a.
This and the following exhortations (a word which means encouragements), are too easy to rush through without looking at them; so we will slow down here to get a better understanding of what follows.
When Paul urges the brethren, Christians, at Thessalonica to recognize those who labor among them and are over them, in the Lord, it indicates that either he or Timothy had appointed elders to pastor the church.
These men had to have met certain qualifications to be picked for leadership, such as: he must be blameless, have one wife, temperate (with the thought of being discreet), sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to alcohol, not violent, or greedy for money, gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who rules his own house well, not a novice, and one who is respected by those outside the church, as outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
The book of Titus also gives these qualifications for eldership with the added proviso.
“…holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.” Titus 1:9.
The phrase, “as he has been taught” means that he is to adhere to the doctrine that he has been taught; this means that he cannot introduce some cockamamie doctrine that he has read about or has decided that Scripture really means.
One pastor came back from a conference, and announced to his flock that there was not going to be a rapture. You can imagine what such an announcement would do to people who had looked forward to being removed before the wrath to come upon the whole world.
With very few exceptions, the rapture is a doctrine accepted in all conservative denominations.
This is an example of a man who did not hold fast “…the faithful word, as he has been taught.” It is also an example of how error has crept into the mainstream church over the last hundred or so years.
Paul also stated that these elders were over them “…in the Lord”, by this he meant that he was not referring to a boss/employee, master/slave, or some other relationship of this sort. He meant very clearly that these men were appointed over them in the church, pertaining to church matters, and had the authority of Christ behind them.
It says of these leaders, that you are, “…to recognize those who labor among you”. This means to appreciate their labors.
Labor, in this case, has the meaning of hard labor, with diligence, even to weariness. The calling of a true pastor is from God, not from man, or by the whim of a child’s parents for him to become a pastor.
The true pastor is not only called by God, but he is equipped by God for the ministry. Men like these work long hours caring for the individuals in their flock, more hours studying Scripture and putting together the sermons they preach, add to these church business meetings and other functions, and you have a busy man. Recognize this; it is not to be taken for granted.
If you are considering becoming a pastor; you need to understand that it is not all about being the star and heading up a huge church. It is a matter of hard work without the expectation of any reward here on earth.
Often there will be no recognition from those who have been placed under your care by God. I wish more men would realize that before taking a job they were not called for, and cannot do well, or at all.
So then, we are to recognize the labor of those God has placed over us in the church; honoring their authority in Christ. And to heed them when they admonish (instruct or warn) the flock from the pulpit.
Or through counseling in person and in private, one on one, concerning some area in which a person is in error, or in need of advice. For this we are to esteem them very highly, and have love for them for their labors among us.
“Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-14.
The sentence, “Be at peace among yourselves.” seems to be a bit of an orphan; it does not appear to fit with the rest of verse 13, nor does it seem to complement verse 14.
However, it could be the beginning of a new paragraph, which is why I put it with verse 14 quoted above. In fact the J.B. Phillips version of the New Testament phrases this verse in this manner.
“Live together in peace, and our instruction to this end is to reprimand the unruly, encourage the timid, help the weak and be very patient with all men.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14.
The reasoning is this; first the apostle tells the Thessalonians to, “Be at peace among yourselves.” he then tells them, and us, how to do this in the next four phrases in verse 14. This should be interesting.
…we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly”, the marginal note in my Bible gives the alternate words for unruly as, insubordinate, or idle; but I like the way the American Standard Version phrases it, “…admonish the disorderly”.
I know of an individual like this, he talks during the worship service, and holds distracting conversations (sometimes laughing) with one or more friends during the sermon.
While the matter has been dealt with in this particular church, this man has a reputation for his insubordination and disorderly conduct.
Folks like this are not to be tolerated because they rob others who have come to church to worship or to learn; and in the end they are robbing Christ of the respect He deserves.
“…comfort the faint hearted”, again, the Phillips Version above renders this, “encourage the timid”; these are folks who are burdened with the loss of loved ones, crushed under the weight of adversity from the world through reproaches and persecutions, or who are even discouraged by the sin that so besets them.
People like this are not to be held in derision by the strong, rather they are to be comforted and encouraged.
“…uphold the weak” we are told the following in Romans 15.
“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples [weaknesses] of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification [building up].” Romans 15:1-2.
In this quote attributed to Martin Luther, he had this to say about the weak.
“The weak in faith also belong to the kingdom of Christ. Otherwise the Lord would not have said to Peter, ‘Strengthen thy brethren’ (Luke 22), and Romans 14:1 ‘Receive the weak in faith;’ also 1 Thessalonians 5:14 ‘Comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak.’ If the weak in faith did not belong to Christ, where then would the disciples have been, whom the Lord oftentimes, as after the resurrection (Mark 16), reproved because of their unbelief?”
The weak in the Thessalonian passage, are the spiritually weak; those who are weak in faith and knowledge. The stronger Christian should always be ready to come alongside to answer questions, teach or clarify Scripture, or encourage the faith of folks like this.
Nearly everyone starts out weak; if other brothers or sisters make an effort to help them grow in Christ, soon they will become stronger.
Left alone, they are more likely to languish and perhaps the fire will die down to an ember which barely glows.
“…be patient with all”, some interpret this as meaning be patient with all three of these groups, and that is certainly so, but we are to be patient with all men.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up [arrogant]; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.
The passage we have been examining here, 1 Thessalonians 5:14 is all one sentence. Be aware of that when you read it.
“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14.
This is the formula for keeping peace within the church body, which is the body of Christ on earth. It is Christ’s intention for the church to be a unified body, even though it is made up of many members.
“…till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” Ephesians 4:13.
Due to slackness, selfishness, and vainglory the church has consistently missed the mark on this goal.
“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15.
The word “pursue” means an earnest, single minded pursuit. So one is to pursue earnestly the things that are good; notice that it is good for yourself and for all; you can benefit from the good you seek diligently.
“Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14.
“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” Romans 14:19.
“Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…” Hebrews 12:14.
“He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:10-12.
Pursue Peace, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 9-25-13, updated on 1-21-21.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.