Paul finishes his first letter to Thessalonica with a list of instructions in 5:11-22 for how we relate to each other in the body of Christ. A To-do list.
- Comfort each other – We don’t have to worry about the future.
- Edify one another – Be each other’s cheering section as we navigate this life.
- Recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you – Respect a and appreciate your pastors. It’s a tough job.
- Esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake – Hold up your ministers because of the responsibility they’ve been given.
- Be at peace among yourselves – Wanna help your leadership out? Do your best to squash conflict.
- Warn those who are unruly – “Unruly” in Greek is essentially those who are AWOL. Bad things can happen when you ditch.
- Comfort the fainthearted – Bolster the timid.
- Uphold the weak – Uphold means support, not talk down to, the weak. Weak in faith, that is.
- Be patient with all – People need grace.
- See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone – Vengeance, paybacks, and getting even don’t belong in the body of Christ.
- Always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all – This is essentially the outworking of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
- Rejoice always – In some circumstances, an eternal perspective is needed to find the joy.
- Pray without ceasing – Ensure your relationship with God is set for prayer anytime. Recognize you are always in His presence.
- In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you – Note: it is “in” everything, not “for” everything. There are things to be thankful in every situation.
- Do not quench the Spirit – Don’t interfere with what the Spirit is doing in your life or in others’ lives.
- Do not despise prophecies – You don’t get to ignore the parts of God’s word you don’t like.
- Test all things; hold fast what is good – Test them against Scripture. Do they agree? Does Scripture support them? Hold tightly to the things that pass.
- Abstain from every form of evil – If it doesn’t pass, stay away from it, from them.
That to-do list should keep us busy.