Thursday 23rd October
Read 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13
“We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.” (NIVUK)
How much authority resides in the church?
In the Western church, with influence from the world encouraging us to claim our own identity and live our truest self, the very idea that those in the church could command us to change our behaviour is laughable. Even those in our own families rarely have that authority. Procedures for discipline likely sit in the constitutions of most churches, but only in those most associated with cults, or cult-like demands, are they routinely enforced.
Many of Paul’s letters contain instructions concerning matters of discipline. Some are more juridical than others (cf 1 Corinthians 5). Perhaps we have these instructions in letters because they were the prompt for writing – so these things are rarer in real life. Or perhaps they arise because people are people and all are a work in progress. As we will read however, the motivation behind the discipline Paul demands and urges, is for the good of the one straying.
Perhaps we need to reconsider our understanding of what love looks like in practice? Love is not tolerance and a blind eye. The choice not to confront those who are idle and disruptive could be considered unloving.
How much authority resides in the church and what are the consequences for ignoring it?
