What We Are Urged To Do (4)

“We urge you, brothers…” 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22

What do you say when you are saying goodbye to someone in a letter or even a text? When Paul is basically saying goodbye to the Christians in 1 Thessalonians, the Spirit inspires words that are urging them to do everything from respecting their leadership and helping the weak to always rejoicing and praying. But the final urgings for them and us are these…

“Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Th 5:19). This would obviously have an application to them accepting the miraculous signs and prophecies of their day (the next verse says, “Do not despise prophecies” 1 Th 5:19), but I believe there is something much deeper here for them and us (so don’t quickly ignore this verse when you read it). First, we need to be deeply impacted by the miracles and revelations of Scripture. Don’t extinguish what the Spirit has done and is communicating through Scripture. Don’t despise what the prophets have revealed from God by ignoring or rejecting Scripture. Second, the Spirit is trying to light a fire in our spirit by igniting our faith and obedience. Don’t pour cold water on the love, passion, and zeal that the Spirit is forming in you!

“Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Th 5:21). You would think an apostle would urge us to just accept stuff, but he challenges everyone to test everything. There are no exceptions – it doesn’t matter who says it, what it is, or how long it has been believed or done. We are to test them by Scripture and make sure they are good. Only hold onto what tests out to be good. We don’t reject just things that test out bad – if we can’t show from Scripture (the Spirit) that they are good, we don’t hold onto them, we don’t believe them and we don’t do them. This doesn’t mean we become skeptics – assuming things are bad or setting out prove that something is wrong. We will let Scripture talk. Is it good? Yes? Then we accept it. No? (or not sure?). Then we don’t accept it.

“Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Th 5:22). First, our desire is to abstain from all evil, no matter what form it takes. We don’t differentiate between evil. We don’t hate some evil but love or tolerate other evil. We don’t condemn evil we don’t want to participate in but condone or tolerate evil we (or those we love) want to do. Our desire is to abstain – to not have any part in it at all. We don’t want to do it a little or get as close to sin as possible. That’s our desire. Second, we don’t want to do evil or encourage those who are sinning. Abstaining starts with desire and finds expression in our actions. It’s not enough just to desire godliness, it needs to change who we are and what we do. The good news of the gospel is that when we fail – when we desire to abstain but fail to abstain from sin – we can be forgiven in Christ. God’s Spirit and Word sanctify us (see verse 23) – change us internally and externally to both be right (forgiven) and do right (learn obedience). This is what Paul and the Spirit wanted for the Thessalonians, and what Paul and the Spirit want and make possible for you and me.   dd