1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 12 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; 13 esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. 15 See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. 23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. 25 Beloved, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27 I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
How Paul Ends His First New Testament Letter – What Is On His Heart:
1. Respect and esteem those who have charge of you. Luther: Do not despise preaching and the Word. Respect, obey, love, serve parents and leaders. Shape your life by worship and life together.
2. Be at peace, admonish idlers, encourage faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient. Do not repay evil for evil. Do good. Our Lord Himself: love one another AS I loved us, dying to give eternal life and fellowship here. Christ’s forgiveness moves us to care.
3. Rejoice, pray, give thanks, as is the will of God. Gather to confess sin, faith, hear the Good News, be in communion with Christ and fellow believers. Do not go it alone. Faith dies if not fed. God set it up thus.
4. Do not quench the Spirit by despising the prophetic word, abstain from evil, test everything, hold to what is good. Worship leads out into a world as grace-drenched creatures, in Christ. Do not block the Gospel from yourself, your children, your friends! It is the power that brings peace and life.
5. May God “holy you up” to keep you blameless when Christ comes; He will keep His Word. You will see Jesus face to face. He surrounds you with forgiveness for your sins and strength for a new life. None of us are doing that great on our own. We open our lives to His guidance.
6. Pray for leaders. Greet each other with a holy kiss (a greeting of peace as we commune with your Lord). THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOU.
Paul sounds like what is on my heart every month as I write this. I yearn that we “Stand Up for Jesus,” proud to worship the Triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, thanking our Lord for dying and rising by making all of our lives and that of our children and families to revolve around our eternal hope and peace. I want our neighbors to know we are worshiping Christians, willing to die rather than fall away or hide our faith. Away with any foolish human excuses for refusing the invitation to confess sins and faith, hear the absolution, the Good News, and the invitation to be fed with His body and blood. Let us stand publicly, together, each finding our place to serve in this community. The Lord will indeed settle us as we sit at His feet and hear of His love in this broken, redeemed world.
Pastor Tom Trapp, Mission Pastor
Walking the Emmaus Road with the Risen Lord!
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XIV, Number 12, July 2013)