SELECTIVE FELLOWSHIP

SELECTIVE FELLOWSHIP

II Thess. 3:6  And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness and doesn't follow the traditions of hard work we gave you.  NLT

       Let's face it; there are a lot of spiritually lazy people in the church.  They may be faithful attenders of the church and participate in her activities, but they are shallow in faith and often create problems in the church.  They are content with being who they are and do not do the leg work necessary for spiritual growth.  They are often confused on spiritual matters and may persuade others with their unfounded claims of truth.  While we should not give them the cold shoulder and totally ignore them, we should pay no attention to what they say.  We should ignore what they pass off as truth, knowing that they have not diligently studied the Word to understand the truth.

      Sometimes it is necessary to disassociate ourselves from those who do not strive to help themselves, those who are spongers, expecting others to take care of their needs without any effort on their part.  There are always those who think they have a right to take advantage of the love and generosity of others.  Paul tells us to have nothing to do with such people.  It is good to help those who simply cannot help themselves, but it's not good to help those who can help themselves but refuse to do so.  It does no one any good to be enablers of those who are just plain lazy.  Be leery of those who would lay a guilt trip on you simply because you don't cater to their demands for help. 

      Hard work is good for the soul.  It gives a person a sense of self-worth and accomplishment.  It instills discipline in the soul and gives a person an incentive to keep pressing on.  It helps a person to grow and become a better person than he is.  Hard work ought to characterize the child of God.  No one will ever stay right with God without working hard at it.  The Lord will not do it for us.  When we honor Him by pursuing Him and diligently seeking to grow in Him, He rewards us with greater faith and understanding.  We become confident in Him and are able to stand up in His strength and resist the many temptations to sin we encounter daily in our lives. 

      Selective fellowship is good for the soul when you associate most with those who spur you on to a deeper faith by their godly example of working out their salvation.  It does not mean we ignore those who are idle or lazy, but it does mean we need people in our lives who will help us to get better. 

      Everybody needs love and affirmation, especially those who are idle and lazy.  Be sure to be a good example for them to follow.  Humbly be who God expects you to be and strive to spur them on to a deeper walk with the Lord.