“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. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” (2 Thessalonians 3:11b-13)
In these closing words of 2 Thessalonians, Paul rebukes idleness. Apparently some of the saints had ceased working because they thought that the Lord’s return was imminent. These idlers had become a nuisance as they drained the resources of the church and had become busybodies and gossips, self-appointed authorities who were more concerned about telling their brethren how to live than with spreading the good news to the lost or even their own spiritual growth. Paul warned the saints to live lives of hard work and righteousness and not to tolerate idlers. Rather, because such busybodies spread lies and gossip and provided a poor witness to the love of Christ, they must be disciplined.
Church discipline should not be applied for trivial offenses or even for onetime events, but for public and persistent disobedience that affects the whole church and its witness. The discipline should be administered with humility and love in order to warn the erring brother. It should not be hostile, cruel or severe for the purpose of the discipline is repentance and restoration not humiliation or revenge. It should never be a cause for any believer or church leader to demonstrate smugness or self-righteousness. The Lord has called us to peace and such peace begins in the family of God.