1 Thessalonians 5:16-28

16: Rejoice always;
17: pray without ceasing;
18: in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19: Do not quench the Spirit;
20: do not despise prophetic utterances.
21: But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22: abstain from every form of evil.

23: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24: Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

25: Brethren, pray for us.
26: Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
27: I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.
28: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

*** 

Paul continued to give instruction on Christian conduct and then gave his closing thoughts. He said to always rejoice, not to stop praying, and to give thanks in everything. A joyful, prayerful, and thankful demeanor is the way God desires His people to behave. This is “God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Seeing that we are in Christ, we are able to maintain this kind of conduct for we can do all things through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

He went on to say not to quench the Spirit nor despise prophetic utterances. When the Spirit of God ignites and the gifts of the Spirit are evident, don’t extinguish them. Whether it be in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, etc. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), don’t stop Him. Yet examine everything carefully (1 Corinthians 14:29). There are those who through immaturity, inexperience, or in some cases an intentional misleading, will not be speaking by the Spirit of God. So, we need to take it seriously when someone speaks as from the Lord and judge it.

Paul told the Corinthians for two or three to speak in tongues and then one to interpret; for two or three prophets to speak and the others to judge (1 Corinthians 14:27-29). It’s a safeguard to obtain a consensus among Spirit-filled believers as to what is from the Spirit and what isn’t. Hold on to what is good and stay away from everything that appears to be evil. We’re all learning to discern the Spirit of God, His voice and guidance. We should continue to pursue Him and His gifts, allow them to operate in our midst, yet judge and learn what we get right and what we don’t.

Paul ends the letter asking for the God of peace Himself to sanctify them entirely and for their spirit, soul, and body to be preserved complete and without blame at the Lord’s coming. There is a definite distinction between the three—spirit, soul, and body--the three parts which make up the human being. All three may be preserved complete and without blame when the Lord returns. Paul was convinced that God is faithful and would bring it to pass. He ended with closing requests for prayer and greetings.



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