Proclamation:
“In
the name of The Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to
keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live
according to the teaching you received from us.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6 (NIV)
Explanation:
These
words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit
of God, to the believers in the church at Thessalonica. Paul begins this third and final chapter of
this second letter by asking them to pray for him and his fellow laborers. (2
Thessalonians 3:1-2) Then he offers a
brief prayer for them. (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
Afterwards, he told them to keep away from every believers who is
disorderly and who does not live according to the way that they have been
taught. He repeated this later in the
letter and added that they were not to treat the disobedient one as an enemy,
but to make them feel ashamed and to warn them. (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15) He also told them that if an idle brother is
unwilling to work, then he should not be given food to eat. (2 Thessalonians
3:10) He ended the letter with a
benediction. (2 Thessalonians 3:16-18)
Application:
We
should be very careful regarding the company that we keep and the friends that
we associate with. “Birds of a feather
will flock together.” (Author Unknown) “Can
two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3) As believers we are to witness to the lost,
but we are not to fraternize with them on their level. If we cannot pull them up with The Word of
God, then we should not let them pull us down into their sinful behavior. If we cannot help them, it is better for us
to avoid them.
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