2 Thessalonians 3:6-8

“Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us.” vs. 6

Way back at the beginning of our faith community’s life together, in the face of relentless persecution, most believers eagerly anticipated the return of the Lord. They could not imagine that it would be delayed much longer. Some of them even stopped working! When the problem of idleness became widespread, leaders like Paul addressed the issue forcefully. Believers who were slackards were to be shunned! Stories like this from our history remind us that direct communication is necessary in our congregations. Sometimes behaviors get out of line and corrective measures need to be taken, even to the point of causing divisions. That’s hard for some to hear…they’ve experienced the pain of separation. But the alternative is to say that anything goes…and that doesn’t work very well either. There are times when lines need to be drawn and parameters for behavior and belief established. When the basic unity of a congregation is threatened by false teachings and improper actions, strong leaders will speak a corrective word to those they love so much. These are hard times for a community…and we pray that the occasions for such tough talk would be rare!