Summation

1 Thess. 5:12-24

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Do not quench the Spirit.

Do not despise prophecies,

but test everything; hold fast what is good.

Abstain from every form of evil.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

What a closing is this! It is almost an overview of the Christian's walk. I wonder are any of these more important than the others? As I read the list, my thoughts would immediately jump to Do not quench the Spirit.  Without the Spirit can the others really be a reality. I wonder if Paul made this list with an order in mind. Regardless, they are to be obeyed.

Respecting and honoring those over me in the Lord. So does this refer to paid staff at the church? Would it include Sunday School teachers, singers, meal planners, etc. I would think all in the body should be honored and respected, but especially the pastors. Their work and ministry carry with it a huge responsibility and a huge accountability. Does honoring and respecting mean to be blind to faults or areas that need to be corrected?

Peace among the brothers is of ultra importance. When there is peace, no one is doing or receiving evil, instead they are seeking to do good to each other. In this same arena, would be rejoicing with each other in their good circumstances and not delighting in their bad circumstances. But rejoicing goes much farther than interpersonal relationships. It goes vertical as well. I need to rejoice not just in the people God has put in my life, but in the circumstances God has given me. As I pray unceasingly about people and circumstances, I must be thankful in everything. This is the will of God!! Oh how difficult to be thankful for everything. It's one thing to say the words but an entirely different thing to mean the words. 

Abstaining from evil and quenching the Spirit somehow seem to be related. If evil is in the life, the Spirit can't work. Evil would totally quench the Spirit! God cannot tolerate evil and neither does His Spirit. The believer's new nature should make evil an abhorrent thing, but somehow evil still seems to hold quite a bit of power. Certainly praying without ceasing is essential in this most basic of areas. Constant communication is the only way any of these areas are to be a reality, the only way to abstain from evil, and the only way for the Spirit to work freely is through prayer. 

Paul closes with a benediction. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The God of peace is the only One who can sanctify and keep the believer. In fact, Jesus Himself will present us blameless and holy at His coming. What a glorious day! Then Paul offers a word of encouragement. It is as if he is saying, I know that all these areas seem unrealistic and out of reach, but He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 

Father,

Thank You for these words and Your promise to do what You have called me to do. 

In Jesus name,

Amen