Load Bearing

Right after Paul urged the Thessalonian Christians to "esteem highly" those who labored among them (1 Thess 5:12-13), he wrote this. "We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone" (1 Thess 5:14). Now, that's a packed sentence. He "urged" them, it says. That's not a command but neither is it a suggestion. The word used, in fact, is parakaleō, signifying coming alongside. "I'm begging you to do this and I'm right here with you." So, what did Paul want them to do?

There are three types of people in view here: 1) the "unruly," 2) the "fainthearted," and the "weak." Well, that's clear ... right? The "unruly" may refer to the undisciplined, the insubordinate, the "disarranged" (the literal translation of the word). So some translate it the "idle." In a very real sense these are people in the church who are getting out of hand. What are we to do with these people? Paul said to "admonish" them. It is to caution them, to warn them, to reprove them. Now, I know, we're not in favor of this kind of thing in our churches. "Just let them be; maybe they'll go away. Correct them? Oh, no, not us." But that's what he says. "So," someone might think, "what kind of mayhem do you want us to wreak on the fainthearted?" The "fainthearted" refers literally to the "small in spirit." The King James goes with "feebleminded," but that doesn't really seem right. These are people in the church who have seen loss, who have taken a beating, who are down and almost out. We don't "admonish" these; we "encourage" them. We comfort them. We relate to them and console them. Not the same thing as "admonish," is it? And how about the "weak"? The word refers to those without strength. They neither need admonishment nor consolation. They need ... help. In fact, the word translated "help" here means literally to "hold fast" to them. Hold them, support them, bear them up.

There is no "one size fits all" in our relationships with fellow believers. There is room for admonishment to those who are out of hand, for comfort for those who are fainting, for support for those who lack strength. So it's very interesting how Paul sums it up. "Be patient with everyone." The word, patient, refers literally to "a long burn." The image is to stand with them in the fire, remaining with them, bearing their burdens. If you look back, then, this is the idea in every case. To bear the burdens of the unruly, you need to correct them. To bear the burdens of the fainthearted, you need to encourage them. To bear the burdens of the weak, you need to help them. Patient with everyone. It appears, then, that we need to know what types of people we're dealing with and then deal with them with patience. Or, to put it another way, as Jesus said, "Love one another, even as I have loved you" (John 13:34).