And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
1 Thessalonians 5:14
The responsibility of “shepherd” is not to be taken lightly. Ezekiel 34:4 addresses serving as a “shepherd,” and mirrors 1 Thessalonians 5:14 by warning,*
The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.
Pointing the finger at leadership for not serving well as a shepherd may come easy. Similarly, discerning what the leader “should do” may come with ease, especially when some area of lack is perceived. Serving in the way that Paul describes does not come easily, however.
Paul urges them to admonish the idle. What does he mean by this? Paul’s use of the word idle refers to those who refuse to adhere to his teaching and the biblical norms of the Christian community.* Therefore, the idle person is not harmless, but their actions disrupt and create disorder.* For leaders, a failure to correct could be fatal to the community. Correction equals conflict, and that is not easy.
Paul also urges that the fainthearted find encouragement as a part of the community. Discouragement in the early church in Thessalonica was not rare as persecution on this church was continual.* Discouragement from this special circumstance as well as discouragement from other common life experiences such as the loss of loved ones required a response. Since removal from difficulty is not always possible, encouragement is necessary to help the body of Christ to move forward.*
The need to help the weak is also highlighted. Paul does not provide specifics as to who qualifies as “weak.” In fact, the word he uses here that we translate to “weak” may encompass spiritual, physical, or emotional weakness.* Ignoring the needs of those who find themselves in positions of weakness may result in division.* More than this, however, the church must realize that all members of the community may find themselves in a time or area of weakness. The need for encouragement always exists, and encouragement must extend to all.
Finally, Paul urges patience from leadership. Within the Church in Thessalonica, there was much diversity.* Various social classes such as slaves, former slaves, and freeborn lived in community as a part of the church.* Further diversity was found as the church was a conglomeration of Macedonians, Greeks, Romans, Jews, and others.* Combined with a general needs for patience within the community that stemmed from the nature of humanity to continually fall short, Paul’s urge to patience was not a small one.*
Why do leaders need to admonish, encourage, help, and exercise patience? By default we may answer this question with, “because it’s their job.” But in reality, the leaders of the church must serve in these ways because they are members of the body.
If we look at 1 Thessalonians 5:14, this is in fact not a call to leaders, but to “brothers and sisters.” Paul urges the church to do this for one another.* The responsibility to admonish, encourage, help, and be patient falls on leadership, but only insomuch as leadership is a part of the community.
We must all admonish, encourage, help, and be patient. The needs of our brothers and sisters and our commitment to them necessitates it. It is not a role to be taken lightly.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to admonish someone you love who is harmfully departing from the teachings of Christ. Perhaps today God would have you encourage someone who doesn’t know how they will take another step. Maybe today God wants you to help a friend in an area of their life that could use strength. Perhaps today God wants you to extend patience to yourself and others.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Holmes, M. (1998). 1 and 2 Thessalonians (pp. 179–181). Zondervan Publishing House.
Shogren, G. S. (2012). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (pp. 221–223). Zondervan.
Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 252–254). W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.
Kim, S., & Bruce, F. F. (2023). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (D. B. Capes, Ed.; Second Edition, Vol. 45, pp. 463–467). Zondervan Academic.
Morris, L. (1984). 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 13, pp. 102–103). InterVarsity Press.
Beale, G. K. (2003). 1–2 Thessalonians (pp. 163–166). InterVarsity Press.
Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.; pp. 391–396). Baker Academic.