Our Exhorting Hope (Part 2) - 1 Thessalonians 5:14

The final chapter of the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica closes with a spotlight on two priorities of the church. The priorities of fellowship (5:11-15) and worship (5:16-22). Fellowship is firstly with God, then with one another i n the family of God. Fellowship are expressions of genuine Christianity that are freely shared among members of God’s family. Verse 14 highlights four people and four actions. These are the kinds of people in the church and how we ought to relate to one another. We are commanded to warn the unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, and be patient with all. The weak person refers to a person who is sick. When one is physically weak, help and assistance are needed. The word uphold is a practical word of active burden bearing. The final command of fellowship is a call to be patient with everyone. Patience does include waiting and extends beyond waiting. Patience is long-suffering. A perfection of God is His long-suffering love. This is a love that is slow to anger, compassionate, kind, and forgiving. This character trait of God is manifested to us. And now, God commands us to manifest long-suffering love to each other. When these four actions are practiced toward these four kinds of people present in the church, our fellowship will be dear and sweet.