Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Paul, twice identified as the author (1:1; 2:18), visited Thessalonica on his second missionary journey but was forced to flee because of Jewish opposition.

He sent Timothy to work with the largely Gentile church there, and Timothy brought him good news of their faith (3:6).

This is one of Paul’s first letters, probably written about A.D. 50–51.

A Time of Severe Persecution

In Graeco-Roman society, polytheism—the belief in or worship of more than one god—was the norm.

The social, political, and religious life of the Thessalonians was intertwined with idolatrous beliefs and practices.

Idolatry was not just a personal matter; it was a corporate one.

Since Paul and his team were forced to leave earlier than planned and severe persecution existed almost from the beginning, these churches were forced to grow in a crucible of hostility under young leadership.

This probably meant that leaders had to emerge quickly and decisively to give guidance in these difficult times.

He begins not with a command but a request, probably because of his great affection for these people.

The verb for “asking” (erōtaō) is drawn from 4:1 (“we ask you and urge you in the Lord”), and here too the entreaty is combined with urgent exhortation that stresses the importance of the request.

It is essential that the members of the congregations give their leaders the support they need to lead them in these tumultuous times.

It is essential that the members of the congregations give their leaders the support they need to lead them in these tumultuous times.

Paul notes three characteristics of the work of these leaders here:

First, they “work hard among you,” a term he uses often of those in ministry (; ; ; ; ; ) to stress the diligent, hard work on their behalf.

The people can trust them to do what is best and to extend themselves to benefit the church.

They can be counted on to allow nothing that is needed to remain undone.

The second area of their ministry is to “care for you in the Lord”, where the leader in the church both led and helped those who were under their ministry.

The third area is verbal, to “admonish you.”

Noutheteō simply means to “place something in someone’s mind” and so can refer to positive instruction, but usually in the New Testament it has a negative connotation of admonition, and this is indeed its use in 5:14, to “admonish” or “warn” the idlers in Thessalonica.

Why is admonition important?

Admonition is a necessary ingredient for growth, for we must rid ourselves of those factors in our life that hold us back.

This is not a popular idea in our age of positive feedback and political correctness, but it is at the heart of true spiritual growth.

What is servant leadership?

Note that they are not given this esteem and love because their ruling positions demand it but because their own loving care deserves it.

There was no “lording over” allowed in the church, as Jesus himself said ().

The leaders earned that love and respect by their own loving servanthood in exercising their office.

When love dominates, peace and harmony are the natural result.

The saints are called vertically to love for those leaders who are above them and then horizontally to peace with those who are their peers in the church.

They needed a decided unity and harmony to meet these difficulties.

5:12 respect those who labor among you Paul seems to be urging the Thessalonians to respect those who labored and supported the church.

These people likely held positions of leadership within the church (compare ).

admonish The Greek word used here, noutheteō, refers to warning someone about the disastrous consequences of his or her actions.

There are implications for the leaders as well.

They are to work hard.

It is good work, and they are to get their energy from God.

Part of the job description of the church leader is to “stand before” or be over others in the Lord.

This is not a dictatorship, but a way of lovingly and authoritatively teaching the Word of God to the people.

Leaders are also to point out wrongs, sins, and failures in the lives of their people and congregation.

This is not a favorite task, but it is essential to the health of believers and the church.

Ver.

12. Them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord.—“A

clear testimony, from this earliest New Testament writing, to the existence in the Church at the beginning of a ministerial order—a clergy as distinguished from the laity—charged with specific duties and authority.

But there is nothing in grammar nor in the nature of the duties specified which would warrant us in distributing these functions amongst distinct orders of Church office” (Ibid.).

Ver. 13.

And to esteem them very highly in love.—R.V. “exceeding highly”—the same Greek adverb as in 3:10, the strongest intensive possible to the language.

So deep and warm should be the affection uniting pastors and their flocks.

Their appreciation is not to be a cold esteem (Ibid.).

5:13 Live in peace with each other.

Harmony was a common subject of ancient exhortation.

Some Jewish sages highly praised peace.

5:13.

Not only are we to honor our leaders; we are to think of them in a special, affectionate way.

We are to love them.

The basis for this love is their work.

Church leaders are performing a good work for Christ and his people.

This deserves our highest respect and love.

Paul then turned our attention toward the person sitting next to us, or across the aisle, and commanded us to live in peace with each other.

This is a maintenance program for a healthy church: keep the peace.

To live in peace means to go as far as possible to live in harmony with others, or “as far as it depends on you” ().

Move to

Who is Paul saying should be involved in these activities?

He is addressing the congregation as a whole, not just church leadership.

The topic is the need to minister to troubled people with certain disorders in the church.

As in 4:1, “we urge” introduces a new topic as Paul moves from a focus on church leaders to addressing the congregation as a whole.

The topic is the need to minister to troubled people with certain disorders in the church.

These are not three actual groups, though the first may well be a particular group.

Paul is still ruminating on those lacking in their faith from 3:10 and now names three types of people who need particular attention.

By addressing them as “brothers and sisters” once again, he makes this a family matter as God’s people seek to help fellow believers with particular spiritual problems to overcome their difficulties and get right with the Lord.

By addressing them as “brothers and sisters” once again, he makes this a family matter.

The main thing is the exhortation to deep pastoral involvement in the lives of those who are enduring these difficulties.

From this we are all mandated to seek the gift of helps with respect to the needy, whatever the specific problem areas.

How would you define “spiritual admonition”?

, they were “stealing” funds from the church by forcing it to take care of them.

Instead, they should “work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.”

Due to their refusal to work, they had turned themselves into the needy and had become quite disruptive to the normal life of the church.

The niv rightly translates both aspects, “those who are idle and disruptive.”

Correction WITH encouragement

It is possible they were clients of wealthy patrons in the church like Jason (, ) who demanded to be allowed to remain dependent clients and refused to contribute to the needs of the church or even to care for their own needs.

It is also possible that they were eschatological enthusiasts who believed the Lord was going to return imminently and demanded to be allowed to quit their jobs and wait for him to arrive, thereby making the church feed them even as they looked down on them as less spiritual (see ).

We cannot know for certain.

The second command is to “encourage the disheartened.”

The verb means to comfort or console people who are troubled in their hearts.

This rare term (oligopsychous, literally “small soul”) refers to those discouraged and depressed, ready to give up.

In the midst of all the pressures and persecution this church had experienced (see the introductory chapter), this is easy to understand.

Some think it a result of the confusion about the fate of the deceased when Christ returns (4:13–18), and both are valid reasons for discouragement.

These people need to be comforted regarding the final victory of God’s people and encouraged not to lose heart.

The third command is to “help the weak.”

The verb (antechō) means much more than “help” but contains the idea of being “devoted to, attached to,” a thing.

This is not perfunctory help, simply doing our part for the common good, but an obsession for getting involved with “the weak.”

It is difficult to know whether these are the ill, the physically weak; or the poor, the economically weak; or outcasts, the socially weak.

The majority of commentators think of these as the spiritually or morally weak, those who have fallen into sin, perhaps the same as the two groups at Rome, the weak and the strong, fighting over observing the food laws and the holy days ().

Paul seems to be speaking generally, so several of these may well be in mind.

The main thing is the exhortation to deep pastoral involvement in the lives of those who are enduring these difficulties.

From this we are all mandated to seek the gift of helps with respect to the needy, whatever the specific problem areas.

It is one of the fruits of the Spirit () and would transform the church today if people would be empathetic and tolerant of each other.

5:14.

Paul next launched into some short, staccato instructions and commands for Christian living.

He focused on three types of people in the Thessalonian church who presented different concerns for him.

He spoke about the idle, the timid, and the weak.

The idle were to be warned.