Living In Community Can Be Such a Pain

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 (ESV)
"And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.  See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone."

Why do we gather together as the church of Christ?  Why do we feel the need to sit in a seat and listen to someone give a message on Sunday morning?  Why do we live in community with other believers?  Because inside of us is a desire to live in community: with other people and with God.

I've said on numerous occasions on Sunday morning that we gather together because we know that living the life God desires us to live can be a war and we need comrades at arms who are willing to fight our sinful selves by our side.  Accountability partners is usually the word used to describe these types of relationships.  I'm in one of those groups with two fellow pastors and I can tell you that those two men are willing to fight with me and they proven that as true. 

Paul, Silas, and Timothy are urging the church in Thessalonica to hold each other accountable.  Not an accountability like the Spanish Inquisition, but an accountability of love.  "[A]dmonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all."  And all too often churches are afraid to do admonish, enourage, help, and be patient.  But when a church follows through with these words of Paul, Silas, and Timothy then so much good can happen.  Yes, there will be growing pains.  Yes, people may be offended and turn away from the church or even God.  But we can be confident that when we stand firm to these words that at the end of all things God will be pleased and the church will be blessed.