Expectant Believers are the Best Learners, Lovers, and Worshipers.

We long to see people we love. Christians love Jesus Christ because of all He has done for us, and we can't wait to see Him. Our anticipation of Christ motivates us to live in a way that pleases Him.

Faithfulness comes from God. He also gives us a church family to nurture our faithfulness personally. We do so with a loving and kind disposition. We face temptation together and reciprocally help each other to grow spiritually. Our morals become counter-cultural. Only Jesus can fill our lives and make us live counter to the immorality of our culture.

We also nurture our faithfulness in a familial way.

The word "admonish" in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 means face-to-face. The "unruly" means lazy people who quit their jobs and lived on whatever assistance they could find. The Bible teaches that people should work to support themselves (2 Thessalonians 3:10, 1 Timothy 5:8, Genesis 3:17-19, 1 Peter 2:21-24). "Fainthearted" people have a hard time reaching their spiritual goals. These people need empathy and encouragement as they walk together with other believers. "Weak" simply refers to those who struggle physically, often chronically. They need help from their spiritual family to persevere. Lastly, we are to "be patient with everyone."

Saints who minister to each other in this way help bear the load of a pastor that otherwise can get quite heavy! When 20% of the people do 80% of the work, good churches close when faithful people simply get physically and emotionally exhausted. Church families who walk together and help each other in the ways described above are increasingly healthy and growing.

Application Points

• We have 3 layers of help to live counter to the immorality of our culture: help from God, His Word, and His people. Be careful not to neglect any one of them!
• Are you patient with all of your church family? Do you know some who are unruly, fainthearted, or weak? How can you admonish, encourage, and help them according to this text?

Tools for Further Study

Cross References to Explore

• 1 Peter 1:8, John 20:29 – We have not seen Christ, but we love Him.

• 1 John 2:17 – Blessings for doing God's will.