Keeping Relational Harmony in the Church
2 Thessalonians was written to help Christians facing persecution and uncertainty to stand firm in their faith. When facing this kind of trouble and pressure, relationships can get tense—even to the point of conflict. People sometimes think of relational conflict as something relatively minor, but the Bible teaches us this is not something to ignore. A church cannot stand strong for Christ if the relationships within the church are in disorder.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18, Paul gives a strongly worded command—in fact the most strongly worded command in the entire book. He tells us to keep away from those who are unruly. Unruly means disorderly, disruptive, or insubordinate. Paul doesn’t explain fully what was happening in Thessalonica but it is clear that some were disregarding the Apostles’ teaching and causing problems in the church. The Bible teaches us that disruptive people in the church are not to be ignored but confronted. We must do so with brotherly love and a view toward restoration (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15).
Second, we must stay busy. One of the reasons people end up being disruptive in their relationships and within the church is that they aren’t busy for the Lord. Paul reminded the Thessalonians that when he came to preach the Gospel to them he worked hard to set an example for them. This passage articulates a high view of work. Work is a means whereby we glorify God, express the values and order of His kingdom in this world, and provide the means to meet the needs of our family as well as be generous toward others. By staying busy in our vocation and in the church we will not have the time or opportunity to act like a busybody: “For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” (2 Thessalonians 3:11). A busy body is a meddler. Because they do not have their own business to take care of, they try to tell others what to do and how to do it. To combat this, the Bible tells believers “to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread” (2 Thess. 3:12). In other words, relational harmony will be built in the church when we busy ourselves instead of being a busybody.
My wife has an almost superhuman ability to detect when our children are not behaving. Typically they will be playing outside and she will pause mid-sentence and say, “The kids are fighting.” I will say, “How can you tell?" Like clockwork, one of our children will burst in the door upset and telling us their side of the story. We don’t have a litany of rules in our home but one thing we do not allow is endless bickering between siblings. We make them reconcile and deal with their differences. The challenge of living harmoniously in a church is just as challenging as living harmoniously as a family. The process is very similar. We can’t ignore the unruly. We must admonish each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. This isn’t an impossible task because “the Lord of peace Himself [will] continually grant you peace in every circumstance” (2 Thessalonians 3:16). Just as our witness as a family is at stake if strife rules our home, so our witness as the people of God is at stake if we allow the disorderly and busybodies to distract us from the good work God has called us to do.
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