Withdraw Yourselves from Every Brother that Walketh Disorderly

II Thessalonians 3:6, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”

I know this post has a long title, but I believe that it is a truth that must be applied in the lives of Christians. We all have people that we know that do not live the same way that we live.. We all have people that we get along with and enjoy being around even though they don’t have the same standards as we do. This is where we can get into a lot of trouble. The Bible says that we ought to withdraw ourselves from brothers in Christ that walk disorderly.

This is especially true for young people around the high school graduation age. We grow up with people and become very close to them, but when our friends have the opportunity to make their own choices, they walk away from the Lord. It’s when they make these choices that we must choose to not spend time with them. If we continue to spend our time with them, they will influence in the wrong way. A worldly friend is not worth giving up your future in God’s will. Do we ignore them? No, not necessarily. Are we rude to them? Of course not. It is our job to continue to pray for them and love them. I believe that if we continue to read the chapter, it really clears things up. II Thessalonians 3:14-15 says, “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” We aren’t to treat these people as enemies, but we are to admonish them as brethren. To admonish means to instruct.

If we truly care for them, I believe it is our duty to try and help them follow God’s will. I am not for bailing them out when their choices turn for the worst. If they continue to get bailed out, they will never change. The prodigal son’s dad didn’t bail his son out when he wasted all he had. The prodigal had to come to himself and make the choice to go back home. So the challenge today has multiple angles. Maybe you are the one that is thinking of walking away from the Lord. Trust me, it is NOT worth it. You can choose your sin, but you can’t choose your consequences. Maybe you are spending your time with ungodly people or Christians that have changed in how they live. Keeping ungodly friends is not worth risking your future. Maybe you’re like me and you’ve had friends that have gone astray. Let us never stop praying for them.