Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
My Understanding: This last section of this letter to the Thessalonian believers in Christ contains a list of instructions for the church:
Respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard because of their work.
To respect someone means to show him thoughtfulness and consideration; to give him due honor and attention; to value him; to acknowledge him; to give appropriate recognition to him; and to show him love and concern for his thoughts, feelings, wishes, position and/or authority. When we show respect to others, we do not take them for granted, we don’t take advantage of them, and we don’t mistreat them. Showing respect also shows consideration and thoughtfulness with regard to what is best for the individual, too, which may involve speaking the truth in love (tough love) in a respectful manner. This places their true needs above what might be their selfish wishes and desires. To show proper respect, though, never involves us compromising our faith, our values and/or to give way to sin in order to please another human being. Our first allegiance should always go to Jesus Christ.
The believers were asked here to show respect to those who work hard among them, who are over them in the Lord and who admonish them. They were to hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. We have to try to put ourselves in the place of the apostles here and to think like they thought. When they spoke of those who worked hard among the believers, they were speaking of those who worked hard in sharing the (whole) gospel of Jesus Christ, and of those who worked hard in nurturing, discipling, teaching, guiding and leading the people of God to turn from their sins, to walk in fellowship with the Lord, to obey Jesus Christ and his commands, and to live holy lives pleasing to God, etc.
They were not speaking of those who work hard at maintaining corporations and businesses created by men, of those who work hard at developing marketing schemes for how to build big “churches,” of those who busy themselves with planning all kinds of fun activities for church members to get involved in, of those who try to attract the world with worldly methods, or of those who water down the gospel message in order to make it more palatable to their listeners. We should still show proper respect even to these leaders, as their position of authority over us in the Lord dictates that we should do so, yet we should not hold them in high esteem and to honor them in such a way that validates them as though they are ones who are working hard for the sake of the gospel, and who are working hard for our spiritual growth and maturity, unless, of course, that is what they are doing.
Jesus told his disciples that they had to obey the Pharisees, other than in cases where they were being asked to disobey the Lord, but that they were not to do what the Pharisees did. They were not to become like them. Scriptures also warn us much against false teachers who change the gospel into something it is not. We are not to allow them to influence us in such a way that it leads us away from our pure devotion to Jesus Christ, or that it gets us to compromise our faith or the gospel message. The scriptures also warn us against becoming followers of men instead of followers of God. We don’t have to do what our leaders do, and we don’t have to buy into everything they teach, if it is clearly not of God. We still should show proper respect, as their position over us in the Lord dictates that we should do so, but we must be spiritually discerning about who we admire and who we hold in high esteem.
Live in peace with each other.
Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Yet, he also said: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother…” When Elizabeth gave birth to John, and Zechariah gave him the name “John,” Zechariah then prophesied concerning Jesus Christ. He spoke of his salvation, and how he has redeemed his people, and then he prophesied concerning his own son, and how he would go before Jesus “to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (see Luke 1). Jesus also said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” And: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
So, obviously there is more than one meaning of the word “peace.” The world sees peace as the absence of all conflict, trouble, and of distress. Yet, this is not the kind of peace that Jesus promised us, nor that he intended when he spoke of peace. We do not become sons of God just because we avoid conflict with other human beings and because we make nice with everyone just so they will like us, even to the point of compromising our faith and the gospel just for the sake of “peace.” Jesus did not come to bring that kind of peace. In fact, he promised us that if we follow him, if we obey him, if we become his servants and his witnesses for the sake of his name and the sake of the gospel, that we will be hated, despised, rejected, afflicted, persecuted, and have false accusations spoken against us, etc. Even members of our own family (birth and church) will turn against us because of our faith and testimony for Jesus Christ and for the (whole) gospel.
So, a peacemaker is not one who compromises his faith and his commitment to Christ in order to avoid conflict with men, because true peace is not external, but is internal, despite what is going on externally. And, true peace only comes through genuine faith in Jesus Christ via repentance (turning from sin), forgiveness of sins, and a walk of fellowship with our Lord in which we obey his commands and we bow to his will and desires for our lives.
We cannot experience true peace with God if we are still walking in darkness. We cannot experience true peace with God if we are living in willful sin against the Lord Jesus. True peace comes with deliverance from bondage to sin. Then, when we are at peace with God, we can also be at peace with others, because we are no longer living to please our own selfish wills, but we are living to please God. Yet, this does not mean others will naturally be at peace with us if our walks of faith in Christ Jesus somehow bring offense to them (the cross is an offense to those who are perishing), to their positions of power (like the Pharisees were jealous and threatened by Jesus), or offend their beliefs that they can have God’s grace in their lives and still walk in sin, etc. That is why the scriptures teach us that we are to make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy, which means if we are living holy lives, we may not be able to be at peace with all men, i.e. they may not be at peace with us. That is why scripture also teaches us that, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” We cannot control how others treat us.
Warn those who are idle.
A person who is idle is one who is “not working, operating, producing or in use; lazy and unwilling to work; and is frivolous and wastes time” (Encarta). Making money or not making money is not necessarily a consideration here, depending upon the person’s circumstances. If the person is the head of the household and is the primary provider for the family, then being idle could include not providing financially for his or her family, if he or she has the means to be able to do so. Volunteer work is still work, though. Yet, the bills must still be paid. So, each household must determine for themselves what income is necessary to maintain the family’s needs (not necessarily wants), and who must work for money and who can work at home in caring for the needs of the family and household, and/or in doing volunteer work. Biblically speaking, generally the woman is the one to stay at home, yet there are always exceptions to this based upon the family’s situation and needs. Yet, we must warn other believers against laziness and against doing nothing.
Encourage the timid. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone.
The timid are those who are fearful. We must encourage them to not be fearful, but to put their trust in the Lord and in his sovereignty over their lives and over their circumstances. We must help those who are weak physically and need physical assistance, as well as we must help those who are weak emotionally and/or spiritually by encouraging them in the Lord through sharing with them the truths of God’s words and by modeling for them how to live and to walk a life of faith in Jesus Christ. And, we must be patient with everyone. We don’t all grow in Christ at the same speed. Now, this does not mean we should ever tolerate or placate willful sin. We are to address matters of sin and to offer words of counsel and Biblical direction in these matters by leading the sinner toward repentance and a walk of obedience to Jesus Christ. Yet, we must not expect everyone else to grow at the same speed as us, and we must be willing to bear with them and to keep helping them unless they express that they just don’t want our help.
Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
We should not make it our goal to get even with people, but to forgive. Kindness has to do with doing what is good for the other person, not necessarily what he or she likes or what makes him or her feel good. In other words, if we make it our goal to always say things to people that they want to hear and that makes them feel good about themselves, and we choose not to ever confront them with the gospel of Jesus Christ or to tell them the truth about their sins, then that is not kindness, even though we may call it kindness. The kindest thing we can do for anyone is what brings the most spiritual benefit to the individual, and that helps them to grow in their faith and knowledge and hope in Jesus Christ. So, being kind means speaking the truth in love, not in flattering others so that they will like us. What is most important is that they love God, not that they like us.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
This is one that the Lord reminds me about from time to time when I get weighed down by the cares and concerns I have over the lives of those I love. He reminds me to be joyful, and to take everything to him in prayer, and to be thankful always in all circumstances. There is a scripture that even goes so far as to say that we should “leap for joy” when men hate us, when they exclude us, insult us and reject our names as evil because of our faith and our testimony for Jesus Christ. We are to rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is our reward in heaven (see Luke 6:20-23).
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
A prophecy is a message given by the Lord for the church today through an individual believer. It has its foundation in the word of God, i.e. the word of God is being taught here. Yet, it takes the word of God and applies it practically to our lives today and it considers current events going on in the world, too. The purpose of the gift of prophecy is to speak words that edify (inform; educate; instruct; teach; improve) the church. And, it is for their spiritual growth in the Lord. The preaching of the word is often considered the spiritual gift of prophecy, but it is not confined only to men or to licensed ministers of the gospel. The apostle Paul told the Corinthian church that he wished they would all prophesy, though he also taught that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to men (and women) as he chooses.
When someone, thus, gives a message to the church that they believe is from the Lord, and is founded in the word of God in making the word practical and applicable to our lives today and to our world today, we should not just write off those prophecies just because they may not agree with the way we were taught (by men), or just because they may not agree with our theology (taught by men). We should test them against the word of God and in prayer to see whether or not they truly are of God. But, we must be in a right relationship with the Lord ourselves if we are to truly hear from the Lord in this matter. And, we must be willing for the Lord to show us things that may go against what man has taught us. If we automatically just throw away what others say is the Lord speaking to them, and for them to share with the church, then we might be in danger of putting out the Spirit’s fire. That is why it is important that we test everything, including our own hearts.
Concluding Remarks
Paul concluded his instructions to the church with what some might call a benediction. He spoke words to encourage the believers in their relationship with Jesus Christ. It was his hope for them that God would make them holy so that they could live lives pleasing to God in every way, in forsaking their sins, and in walking in obedience to Jesus Christ. It was his hope that they would remain faithful in their commitment to Christ to walk in obedience so that when the Lord Jesus Christ returned, he might find them walking in faith and in truth. And, truly, this is my hope for the church and for myself, as well.
The Peace of Christ / An Original Work / October 31, 2011
Based off of Col. 3:1-17; Eph. 5:19-20
Let the word of Christ dwell in you,
As you teach with all wisdom,
Teaching one another to not
Think on earthly things;
Think instead on things above,
Where Christ sits with God, in love,
Saving us from all of our sins,
Cleansing us; made new within.
Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts,
As you sing songs unto Him;
Speak to one another with psalms,
Hymns, and spir’tual songs;
Always giving thanks to God,
In the name of Christ, His Son,
Who gave His life up for us all,
And gave us eternal life.
Let the love of Christ within you
Rule in your hearts; grace within,
Purifying you from your sin,
Make you whole within.
Forgive as the Lord forgave.
Show His kindness ev’ry day.
In word or deed, whate’er you do,
Glory give to Jesus Christ.
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