Day 450: Do's and don'ts - 1 Thessalonians 5 vs 12 -28
12-13 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who labour among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
14-15 And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
16-22 Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.
23-24 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. 25-28 Brothers and sisters, pray for us also. Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Christian Standard Bible
As the apostle Paul finishes this letter to those who’d become Christians in Thessalonica he gives them a number of 'do's and don'ts' which all form part of how the gospel message should change our lives. What is the 'do' in vs 12-13 and why is it important?
Christians are called to love those who God raises up to lead His flock, even if those leaders have to challenge wrong things in our life. The result of this is that the Church experiences peace rather than quarrels. This isn’t a blind obedience to Popes and Bishops, but a love of leaders in local congregations who preach and teach God's word faithfully and truthfully with a holy humility.
What are the do's and don'ts of vs 14-15?
Christians are not to be lazy spongers, and not to be a people looking for revenge on others. Instead, they are called to look out for the needs of one another and seek to be of help wherever they can. This doesn't mean we are to be interfering busy-bodies, but just that we are not to be so self focused that we don't see the difficulties others may be going through.
What about vs 16-22?
These touch on the 'spiritual' activities of the Church. We're called to joyfully keep what God has done for us in Christ in mind, and to not neglect prayer and thanking Him daily for His grace. Christians must be careful of tossing out what could be a work of God's Spirit, but also be careful to not believe and follow everything they see and hear. The fact that Paul adds 'stay away from evil' suggests that some people who claim to have spiritual gifts may in fact be leading people into evil. We see a lot of that in our generation.
Verses 23-24 are a prayer that Paul offers for these people but, before focusing on it, what are the last do's he gives to them in vs 25-28?
He humbly asks them to pray for him and the other workers. He didn't think of himself so highly that he didn't need their prayers. And he urges them to show a holy love to one another and to read the letter he had written. In the same way, Christians today should make the Bible central in their gatherings.
The prayer in vs 23-24 is one that we should pray for ourselves too, as well as for other Christians. We need God's grace to bring us to holy living so that we are ready and waiting for Christ's return. The One who called us to follow Jesus is faithful and He will give us the strength to do it.