IN GOOD FAITH
Opening Prayer
As I come to your Word today, Lord God, please accept my thanksgiving, praise, and worship. Speak to my heart; help me to live for you.
Read 1 THESSALONIANS 5:12–28
Final Instructions
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What would a perfect church look like (the family of people, not the building)? What would it do (or not do)? How would the people act?I’m not an expert on first-century letters, but it feels like Paul was running out of time here! His final instructions came tumbling out one after another. Which jumped out at you when you read through them all?
Four times in these verses Paul addressed them as ‘brothers and sisters’ (vv. 12, 14, 25, 27). This was a family of faith, with all the joys and challenges that brought. The church in Thessalonica was certainly not perfect (v. 14), but Paul made harmonious life the responsibility of everyone (not simply the elders).
What do you make of verses 16–18? What does it mean to rejoice, pray, and give thanks—no matter what? When awful things happen, how can we give thanks? When we’re finding it hard to get up in the morning, how can we rejoice?
It helps to recognize how circumstances and our attitude can ‘quench’ the life and gifts of the Spirit (v. 19) as we hold on to evil and let go of good. Hard though it is, sometimes we have to be deliberate about doing the opposite (vv. 21, 22).
Apply
I love Paul’s final prayer (vv. 23, 24). Ultimately all we have, are, and will be rests on God’s faithfulness, not our own. Picture your church family—even those you find difficult. How can you make Paul’s prayer your own?
Closing prayer
As I respond to your Word in prayer, Father, I thank you for the family of believers in my church and for the privilege that is mine to lift them up before you. Help us to love one another and grow together in our walk with you.
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