Work quietly and earn a living.

For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12

Paul addressed an unusual problem that had crept into the Thessalonian church. Because false teachers had introduced a destructive heresy saying Jesus has already returned (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3), there were people in the congregation who were led astray by this false doctrine, consumed with either worry or laziness. These people had stopped working for a living and were instead living off others. This eschatological inequity split the church into two categories; 1) Those who kept working and providing for their families, dismissing the outrageous heresy. 2) those overcome by bad theology, obsessed with it, who quit their careers, waited for it all to end, and begged their way into being a burden to the rest of the church. It is this group of prophecy buff freeloaders that Paul reprimanded seriously!

And in that reprimand we see a principle and a reminder for how all Christians live as they wait for Christ’s return. It is very simple: Don’t change a thing. Stay at following Jesus and proclaiming the gospel. Wake up every morning, go to work, do your job, make a living, provide for your family, trust God in your calling to provide for your needs. Christians obey Christ and wait for His return by simply going on with life and concentrating on the Great Commission.

Alarmist eschatology always wants to circumvent this. It is unbiblical. It is sinful. It is heresy to neglect preaching the gospel and replacing it with alarmist end times speculation. I am disheartened every time I see Christians participate in headline hermeneutics. We serve Jesus best in bringing Him into our day to day activity. Bring Jesus to the factory and work hard! Bring Jesus to the job site and build well! Bring Jesus onto the sales force and help people! Bring Jesus to the classroom and teach! Bring Jesus to the clinic and heal! Bring Jesus to the office and lead, organize, and conduct business benefitting the King of Kings! Work quietly. Earn a living. Follow Jesus. Wake up tomorrow and do it again. Don’t give up.