“1 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do what we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s endurance.

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly and not according to the tradition received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you must imitate us: We were not irresponsible among you; 8 we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and struggled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us. 10 In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.” 11 For we hear that there are some among you who walk irresponsibly, not working at all, but interfering with the work of others. 12 Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ that quietly working, they may eat their own food. 13 Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

14 And if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take note of that person; don’t associate with him, so that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet don’t treat him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.”

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God has created each and every one of us with purpose and meaning and a set of skills to develop and find pleasure through. In working and serving Him, we glorify Him, and we find meaning in life. Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes that the whole purpose of life is to fear God and obey His commands. We were, and still are, meant to worship Him. Paul was a tent maker by profession, and an evangelist and missionary out of necessity. God had gifted him with the skills to use his hands to do good work, but more importantly, He had given Paul the ability and time to share the Gospel message with thousands and thousands of people in different cities all over Asia Minor and the Mediterranean region.

Paul is encouraging the church in Thessalonica to do good work, to be steadfast in their pursuit and use of these gifts and opportunities that God had provided through these good works and daily use of skills. There were some who had stopped working because ether thought that Jesus was coming back any minute and so they became shiftless and lazy and were a burden on the congregation. As long as each of us has the ability to do anything, we should be doing something. The people who were creating a drag on the congregation were not honoring God. The people in our congregations today who absorb and take week after week, contributing nothing, are doing the same thing. We are all called to be a part of the body of God, active, living and participating. It may not seem PC to call people out for being spiritually lazy, but that is precisely what Paul is doing he. Andy why? To encourage them, in love, to be a part of what is going on, to contribute, to feel purpose, to honor God and give Him the proper worship through the use of those gifts, skills and talents. 

We weren’t called to be spiritual freeloaders or couch surfers. We all should contribute to the work of the church and the expansion of the Kingdom. Not for our own glory, but for the honor and glory of God. If we are giving our whole selves in our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12) then we should all be active, living parts of the church. Not pew-riders but community servers and Kingdom workers. Not busybodies, that’s what Paul is saying in v11, but helping others come to Christ. The people who gripe, complain and do nothing to help change things for the better are spiritually lazy and immature. The people who do nothing, who choose to simply exist within the church, yet do not contribute, are not honoring God or their brothers and sisters through their continued lack of passion and inactivity. 

Instead, each of, daily picking up our cross, carrying it proudly for Christ, should GoLove others, GoServe others and GoTeach others to do precisely what God has been doing in and through us in Christ. Grace should be our motivator, love our language and service our way of life. If we are walking as Jesus walked (1 John 2) then we shouldn’t need to be poked and prodded back into service, love, giving and proper worship over and over again throughout the year. If we care about the Kingdom and honoring God in our bodies, then this should be of highest concern to us. We should have the same urgency as John the Baptist, Peter & Paul. We should desire to see lives changed (including our own) and our communities won for Christ. Inactivity, and a lack of passion, should not be a characteristic that anyone can use to describe the bride of Christ. ‘Shiftless and lazy’ should be the polar opposite of what the world around us should see in us as we live and move among them in the Name of Christ. We should imitate Christ in all things, who didn’t consider Himself above others, but instead laid His life down in love. He is our example, in fact, He is our Master, our Teacher and our Lord, and our lives should be a reflection of His heart, and His love is a love that does.