1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 New American Standard Bible
Christian Conduct
12 But we ask you, brothers and sisters, to recognize those who diligently labor among you and [a]are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you [b] instruction, 13 and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the [c]unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 New American Standard Bible
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly keeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and [a] perseverance of hope [b]in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, 4 knowing, brothers and sisters, beloved by God, His choice of you; 5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakes.
1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 New American Standard Bible
14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and [a]drove us out. [b]They are not pleasing to God, [c]but hostile to all people, 16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always [d]reach the limit of their sins. But wrath has come upon them [e]fully.
1 Thessalonians 3:1-8 New American Standard Bible
Encouragement of Timothy’s Visit
3 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it best to be left behind, alone at Athens, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the benefit of your faith, 3 so that no one would be [a]disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 4 For even when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; [b]and so it happened, [c]as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I also sent to [d] find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be for nothing.
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, 7 for this reason, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; 8 for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 New American Standard Bible
Those Who Died in Christ
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who [a]are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep [b]through Jesus. 15 For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive [c]and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a [d]shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, [e]comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 New American Standard Bible
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
What message was Paul trying so hard to convey to the Thessalonian church he planted with his constant repetition and implications, of the word “always?”
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3842/esv/mgnt/0-1/
First Question … What does always from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 mean?
Paul says that we must always seek after that which is good for them.
This word “always” tells us that we cannot pick and choose when or to whom we will do this. It doesn’t distinguish from who did or did not commit an evil act against you. It doesn’t depend on how many times they did it. It doesn’t depend on how much it hurt or how much it may have blessed, healed or rewarded you.
Do you ever think the Bible’s commands seem impossibly all-encompassing?
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is chock-full of such directives:
“Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
“Pray without ceasing” (v 17).
Sometimes verses like these seem to raise far more rhetorical questions than provide authentic true biblical answers for.
A bit of detail or a few caveats couldn’t hurt, could they?
And what about the command in verse 15? “Seek to do good.”
For whom? “Everyone.”
When? “Always.” That’s a whole lot of good to a whole lot of people for a whole lot of applied effort, a whole lot of sacrifices of time and material resources!
But perhaps instead of thinking of a command like this as impossibly general, a better way to think of it is that it is abundantly generous.
We have a God who gives and gives and keeps on giving.
No matter how many times we fail Him, He still meets us with both guidance, inspiration, kindness and sometimes fatherly discipline (Hebrews 12:4-11).
Along with Paul, we should ask ourselves,
“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
The answer, of course, is absolutely nothing. It is simply in God’s nature and disposition to overflow with kindness, mercy, and grace—and as His children, we should be always, continually, learning to imitate Him as best we can.
We all have bad days, of course.
Inevitably, we will displease, or even hurt, someone at some point.
But what if we went through today or tomorrow with the aim of always seeking to do good to everyone?
What do you think would change?
How would others respond?
Perhaps instead of seeing others as obstacles or roadblocks, we’d see them more as men and women with dignity, who are worthy of love and respect?
Or perhaps instead of us treating some people like enemies, we would begin to try to understand their positions and even genuinely begin to appreciate them.
Whatever the specific situations we encounter, God has placed us in this world for good.
It is our privilege and our good pleasure to share His always abundant kindness and His always abundant goodness with anyone and everyone we possibly can.
Gratitude in Community
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 The Message
The Way He Wants You to Live
12-13 And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
13-15 Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
One of the most gratifying experiences in life, I believe, is to see all of Christ’s followers living as Christ’s followers.
I often get glimpses when I visit a person who is sick and I see the many cards they have received, about a meal someone brought the night before, learn that another church member will be bringing them to an appointment the next day.
I get glimpses when I see Christ’s followers teaching Sunday school, sharing their resources with people in need, leading Bible studies in prisons, serving meals to people who are struggling to pay for their next meals for themselves or homeless, or working toward justice and peace in our world. I could go on.
As Paul describes the way we should live and serve and be the church together, I feel both challenged and thankful and regretful I didn’t try harder to help them.
I’m challenged in realizing that living for Jesus is hard work. Perhaps the Lord’s hardest instruction is to live peacefully together and to always strive to do good to others, including, those with whom we deeply disagree. (Matthew 5:38-48)
It must be why Paul calls us to always remember our rootedness in Christ.
Jeremiah 17:8 New American Standard Bible
8 For he will be like a tree planted by the water
That extends its roots by a stream,
And does not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought,
Nor cease to yield fruit.
like a tree planted by the water That extends its roots by a stream, always rejoice and always pray and always be thankful, always and continually to honor God.
To be clear, ‘continually’ isn’t about skipping through life with our head buried in the ground or so haughty that we can smell and taste and touch the clouds.
It’s about remembering, in all we do, the sacrificial love and grace we’ve been shown in Christ.
Carrying gratitude around with us daily, as Christ carried his Cross, helps to shape our testimony and our witness of Christ’s true saving love to the world.
In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit ……
Praying ….
The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
Running down upon the beard,
As on Aaron’s beard,
The oil which ran down upon the edge of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For the Lord commanded the blessing there—life forever.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 