And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
The Apostle Paul, in our verse for today, teaches us how we should treat people who have fallen short in some way from the high calling we have in Christ Jesus. What should we do? It depends on what they need.
Some must be warned. Those that are idle and disruptive must be warned. What does it mean to be idle and disruptive? In 2 Thessalonians 3:11 Paul tells us what it means: “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.” Busybodies are those that meddle in the affairs of others, so they must be warned to mind their own business. To be sure, warning them must be done in a humble manner, but it must be done.
Some must be encouraged. Those that are disheartened must be encouraged. What does it mean to be disheartened? It means that someone is depressed, discouraged, or fearful in some way. Due to negative experiences of various kinds, the disheartened fail to follow through on the callings they have in Christ Jesus. With sympathy and understanding, then, they must be encouraged to get back on track. They must be encouraged to let go of what happened in the past and move forward into the future that God has for them.
Some must be helped. The weak must be helped. What does it mean to be weak? The weak are those that are incapable, either temporarily or permanently, of pulling their own weight in the church. Instead of just abandoning the weak and leaving them behind, Paul tells us that we should help them. Maybe they need to be helped physically, or economically, or spiritually. Whatever it is, they need our help, and we should not refrain from giving it.
Paul also recognizes that for the strong and capable in the church, it would be easy to resent these weaker brothers and sisters. So, he exhorts them to be patient with everyone. The strong must be patient with the weak, and the weak must be patient with the strong, just as God is steadfast in His patience with all His children.
