1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 COMFORT AND EXHORT In an earnest appeal to the Lord's people, whom he treats as equals in the same family, Paul exhorts the believers at Thessalonica to acknowledge and appreciate the labor of some of those in the assembly. There are those "among you" that could include people like Phoebe of Cenchrea, Dorcas of Joppa, and Aquila and Priscilla, who were noted for their interest and efforts to be a help to the Lord's people. Such people among us deserve our respect and thanks. There are those who are "over" us by virtue of them being raised up by the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. Church government is to be recognized, and their spiritual concern establishes their designated authority. Their position of headship in the local congregation comes from the Lord. Spiritual maturity and wisdom are obvious evidence of their right to admonish us by putting into our minds those things that are right scripturally.
Those who have insight into the things of God have the responsibility to impart what is right to the believers in that fellowship. Admonishing does not only mean the correction of what is wrong but of promoting and teaching what is right. There are those among us who are over us, who have the capacity and God-given wisdom to help us in the difficulties of life. There are also those who, by the very fact of having lived longer, know how to address problems and how to define and bring about wise solutions to those problems. It is a comfort to have such people to whom we can turn and know with confidence that they have our spiritual welfare in their hearts.
People like that need to be respected, not with gushing words of flattery, but with an intelligent, sympathetic appreciation for who they are and what they are doing for the Lord's people. We need to let them know we respect them for their work and competence in the things of God and assure them of our gratitude and love. They, in turn, need to promote harmony among God's people in the assembly and maintain harmony among themselves as leaders among us. A divided, contentious oversight soon loses the respect of the believers in the assembly and their ability to lead. Fellowship can easily be lost in an assembly when it is lost among those who lead. Living in peace with others will mean there are times I have to listen and act on the opinions of others, even though they may differ in some ways from mine. Leadership has its dangers, and Satan knows that if he can divide leaders, he can divide assemblies.
There are some rules and guidelines that enable those who lead to maintain the purpose of the assembly effectively. The warning to the idle on that day may have been because they were expecting the Lord to come within a short time and so quit working. The warning was corrective rather than a threat. Being disorderly requires a verbal warning, but that does not mean we are to yell at them to straighten up. A firm, clear, serious statement as to what is appropriate and their need to correct their behavior has in view a person who is out of work to get back in step with what is right.
Some of the saints are timid or shy and are afraid of making a mistake. They need some understanding and encouragement from a sensitive, long-tempered man who has compassion but is not a pushover. When a person grieves over the death of a loved one, they need comfort and sympathy. A leader who maintains self- control in spite of the opinions of others or provocation and unavoidable difficulties is one who can be trusted. All of us need these characteristics in our dealing with others. Acting with grace and sensing the condition of others, and being able to give some sound advice, is a great help to those who suffer in one way or another.
We need to be able to communicate in order to know the problem, and we need God to give us the right solution. People need to see Christ in us, not retaliation or criticism. That may mean we will have to suffer rejection of our advice or some vindictive action taken against us. Do not pay back in kind!
EXHORT ONE ANOTHER
We need each other as the people of God We need comfort and exhortation in this ungodly world When we know there are those who care for our soul We recognize that each one is sanctified, set apart for the Lord.
Some lead, and some follow; some labor intensely Others are careless and need warnings when they're unruly Leaders need to take the careless ones aside And urge them to remember who, for them, has died.
Normal living for most is not right for the people of God Our commitment to Christ means we follow our Lord How He lived and taught when He was here among men It is the way we are to live as representatives of Him.
Let us all commit ourselves to live by faith In that way we can demonstrate God's grace in this place Our testimony will then have an impact on others We, in turn, trust in Christ, learning from our sisters and brothers.
"Father, the saints of God here do want to please Thee and come together in faith and fellowship. Bless us all as we share in common our life in this assembly. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."
Perhaps the best way we can influence and lead or help others is to have a glad heart ourselves. Joy is one very positive thing that is contagious. Our joy as believers comes from many reasons. To express joy in being alive, being able to know God and experience His grace is one way to pass on joy to others. Joy at the arrival of the Lord's Day, joy in singing a hymn, joy when we see our Christian brothers and sisters bless us and others. Joy when we hear the Gospel preached, joy when we hear the Lord Jesus well spoken of, declares the Source of our joy. Joy in sickness because we know the Lord is with us; joy in the very shadow of death demonstrates the reality of our faith in Him. It may be that there are times when we are not inclined to be joyful, but joy is a result of our choices, not our circumstances. Christian joy is different from our natural human response to events or people. It finds its source in God, and "the joy of the Lord is our strength."
The second of these commands that connects us with God as believers is our communion with Him in prayer. This act of choice on our part is to stay in conscious contact with God at all times. This lifts us above all the stress of life that hinders us when we try to "go it alone." In this sense, prayer is an attitude of being aware f God with us at all times, even though we may not be speaking words to Him constantly. We need to have times set aside to pray and express ourselves in words of "Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication" to God in our "closet." In this case, prayer is dealing with God in faith when we are working, singing, are in danger, or are suffering. The consciousness of fellowship and communion with God is our choice in response to this command from Him.
Thankfulness in spite of difficulties does not mean we are thankful for the difficulties and suffering, although sometimes they are for our good. This third command makes us aware of what we have rather than what we don't have. Joy is what we have in God. Prayer is what we have with God. Thankfulness is what we give to God. Prayer is in relation to our appreciation of knowing God is with us in all circumstances. Thanksgiving is our attitude and includes acts of appreciation being expressed to God for "every good and perfect gift that cometh down from above." Nothing that happens to us is haphazard. God's will, has been designed by Him for us, and through us, He can work effectively for the benefit of those around us. Everything from the warnings we give to blessings that result as a result of our service is a reason to be thankful that God is willing to work His will through us.
We are not turned loose to act independently of God. The Holy Spirit is in each believer to work out God's will. There are times when we wonder why someone else is doing something very different from what we do. There may be a temptation to criticize and stop them because it doesn't fit our mold. That would be wrong. Don't suppress or quench the fire another person has because it is different from our traditional or formal way of doing things. To quench that action because of a technicality we might have could mean that we are interfering with God's work. In the same way, we should not quench the Spirit in ourselves by passing up a "teaching moment" when it arises. The Spirit of God can use the spontaneous action that comes unexpectedly to produce results of which we never thought. To resist is to refuse divine guidance. It is the Spirit who gave the gifts, and He guides the use of them.
Before the days of the written New Testament, the Lord gave prophets to pass on His truth to His people. Apostles and prophets were the foundation of the church. There may have been a tendency in some of the Judaizers or those who listened to them to treat those prophets with contempt because their "prophesying" was not what they wanted to hear. We need to understand the fact that God uses others to minister to us, and we are not to despise what they know to be true. It may be things we have never thought of, but when we "try the spirits" or test the teaching with the scriptures which we now have, we can be edified, exhorted, and comforted. There is an unfortunate tendency to put down what someone else says because it doesn't agree with my opinion about a matter or an interpretation of a scriptural passage. By examination to test for reality, we are able to discern what is right or wrong. It is up to us to check out and prove what is right. That needs to be our objective, not just to prove the other person is wrong. "The word of God is not bound." It is up to us to be willing to let it teach us, guide us, and empower us when we let the Spirit of God work through others for our benefit.
COMFORT ONE ANOTHER
Joy comes by choice from our spirits in worship That gladness is caught by others because it is contagious We come together in testimony and happy fellowship To praise our Lord Jesus, who has daily blessed us.
Our thanks we raise when our souls are warm With songs, we testify and praise our Lord's name We wait for that moment of time when our Lord will come And with prayer and thanksgiving, we testify to His honor and name.
These bodies in which our spirits and souls now dwell Move under the direction of the choices we make The Holy Spirit bids our voices to open and tell Of the salvation and blessings in this way that we take
This epistle was written that we might look higher than the earth The things of time and sense will soon be things of the past Spirit, soul, and body are of immeasurable worth At the rapture, when the Lord comes, we will be home at last.
There is a list of rules given that are simple and plain and essential in order to maintain an appropriate Christian testimony. One of these is to keep us away from and have no part with anything that even looks like it is evil. We need to distance ourselves from every visible form of that which would dishonor, disregard or dismiss the name and character of our Lord. It is our responsibility to "prove what is good" and do it, know what is bad, and remove ourselves from it. This includes errors in teaching, not just pleasure seeking. Unscriptural teaching is not of God. I will remove myself from it and have nothing to do with it. That action will often make us very unpopular with those who want "everyone to be happy, so we must be tolerant," even though their doctrine is wrong.
When we separate from that which is wrong, "sanctify you wholly," there will be charges of bigotry, intolerance, unchristian-like attitude, divisiveness, and a judgmental attitude. People want to lay down their own rules of conduct and think we all should accept them in spite of what the word of God says. We need to testify that it is "the God of peace" that completely sets us apart to peace on His terms, not ours. He sanctifies us and enables us to carry out His instructions in His way. The whole person is affected by this sanctification. My obedience to His word maintains my spirit and the fellowship it has with God. It will be worked out daily when "the Spirit bears witness" with my spirit. The soul is sanctified as my relationship with people around me is affected by my response to my spirit's fellowship with the Lord. My body will turn away from that to which it is attracted by others when it responds to the mental and moral restrictions placed upon it by my soul and spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all working on our behalf as "the God of peace" to preserve us, so there will be no grounds for accusation in view of the Lord's coming.
God has called us to Himself. What we cannot do ourselves, God can do through us. He will work out His will when we are available for Him to use, and that is what He expects of us. The Thessalonians need to be taught that God is working through them to further the Gospel, and that was why they were successful in their
Christian testimony up to this point. Now they had to be made aware of the way God intends to keep on using them and their responsibility in this activity. The same is true for us today.
We need to pray specifically for those engaged in laboring in the Gospel and teaching God's word. We need to keep in fellowship with our fellow believers and show our friendship and gladness whenever we see them. They need to know we appreciate them, and we can demonstrate our faith and love in ways appropriate to their culture and the place they live. We need to realize there is an authority in these epistles we read, and the words need to be heard publicly today as a message from God, not just a book to be studied. A charge is a strong statement that does not allow any excuses to be avoided. Everyone needs to hear the same things at the same time so there will be no speculation or misunderstanding.
Assemblies of God's people are testimonies He raises up in communities to represent Him and to demonstrate the characteristics of God through God's people. In that way, those in darkness may see the light of "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." When they see that grace lived out in God's people in attitudes and actions, God is glorified. When God is glorified, those unbelievers may see the reality of faith in God's people and recognize there is a Supreme Authority, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom they are obligated and whom they must trust. He is not dead. His body is not in the grave. He is alive. He has promised to come again, and He is coming - soon!
"Father, I give Thee thanks for giving the truth of the coming of the Lord so plainly and understandably in the book of 1st Thessalonians. May this hope purify Thy servant so I will not be ashamed when He comes. The promise the Lord gave just before He died provides a lot of motivation to press forward in the work to which we are called. I praise Thee for this in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."