1 Thessalonians 5:12

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, and to be at peace among yourselves... Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good, and abstain from all appearance of evil.

Paul's parting charge calls us to honor our leaders, live at peace, and yield to the God who faithfully sanctifies us for eternity.

Know Those Who Labor Among You

Paul writes these closing exhortations from Corinth, where Silas and Timothy have rejoined him. He had planted the church at Thessalonica about six months earlier, staying probably no more than a month. Timothy tended the church there for a time, and Silas remained in Berea; now both have come to Paul with reports of the churches, prompting this letter.

He begins, "Know them which labor among you." The ones laboring in the body of Christ are meant to be servants. The minister's position is not a revered, royal seat where the man is served and his ring is kissed. Jesus said in Matthew 20, "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many."

It's unfortunate that as you study church history, the minister's position became a position of a "reverend"—someone looked up to in a way that exalts him. Yes, we're told to esteem leaders highly, to honor and respect them. But they are not to be bowed down to. I confess it's almost uncomfortable to teach this, because it might sound as though I'm asking for honor. But honestly, if you came and kissed my ring, I'd be rather freaked out.

A Community That Knows One Another

Notice that those called to serve in the day-to-day work of the ministry serve alongside the rest of the body. We at Calvary Chapel believe in the priesthood of all believers—everyone is called to serve the Lord and do the work of the ministry. Yet, as in Acts 6, certain people are set apart for specific daily tasks. Paul beseeches the church to know who these laborers are.

As I've thought about this passage, I've been reminded how difficult it is to know everyone in a church our size, and it only grows harder as we grow. So we must seek opportunities to know one another. The body of Christ is a community. Scripture is full of "one another" commands: honor one another, love one another, admonish one another (Colossians 3), stir one another up (Hebrews), greet one another (1 Corinthians), serve one another (Galatians), bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6), forbear, forgive, comfort, exhort, and consider one another.

To do this, we must seek fellowship. The two minutes before announcements on a Sunday morning aren't enough. You're going to spend eternity with these people—you might as well get to know them now.

Those Who Are Over You in the Lord

Paul adds, "those that are over you in the Lord." The idea is rank—a God-ordained hierarchy within the church. There is a chain of command, with some leading out in front. But they are not to lord their authority over the church. Back in Matthew 20:25, Jesus said, "the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them... But it shall not be so among you. But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister."

In our flesh we tend to challenge and resist authority. Especially in America, we are independent, and submission is a dirty word. But Scripture outlines that believers are to recognize and respect the structure of authority God built into three institutions: the family, the church, and society. We submit to governing authorities even when we dislike them—the only exception being civil disobedience when they command us explicitly against God's Word. Paul develops this in Romans, writing under Nero, one of Rome's worst Caesars. Jesus affirmed it too: "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's." April 15th is coming quickly—and that, too, is a submission to authority.

The Discipline of Admonition

This authority is exercised in part by admonishing one another. "Admonish" means to reprove, warn, or exhort—the same Greek word used in verse 14, "warn those that are unruly." We not only struggle to submit to authority; we are especially annoyed by rebuke. The natural man does not like to be corrected. Not a single person here enjoys being rebuked for their behavior or words. But within the body, it will happen, because part of a leader's job is to admonish and warn.

We are in the process of being sanctified. God desires to transform us more and more into the image of His Son. You've heard the song "Come Just As You Are." It's true—we come to Christ just as we are, without cleaning ourselves up first. But after we come to Him, He cleans us up. He doesn't want you to stay as you are. A big part of that sanctification involves the admonition of more mature believers, and we are to submit to it. Our submission to God is practically seen in our submission to the authorities He has set up.

Esteem Them Very Highly

Paul continues, "esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake." Ephesians 4 reveals these leaders are placed there by the Lord: "he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." Verse 8 shows they are gifts from the Lord, and as such are to be valued. Paul told Timothy, "Let the elders who rule well be... counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in doctrine" (1 Timothy 5:17). Again, I feel the discomfort of teaching this—it may sound self-serving—but I'm simply teaching what the Word says.

We esteem them not for a title or personality, but for their work's sake—because of their service. The work God calls leaders to is not easy. Therefore Paul exhorts the church to value, esteem, and respect them.

Be at Peace Among Yourselves

"Be at peace among yourselves." I see this as an exhortation to make the minister's job easier. His work is much easier when he doesn't have to negotiate peace between believers. Ephesians 4:3 calls us individually to "endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace."

Have you ever argued with another Christian? Maybe they took your parking space, or sat in your seat. Our tendency is to deal with conflict through back channels—telling the leaders, "You really need to deal with this person." But Matthew 18 reveals we are to deal with it ourselves first, involving others only if we cannot resolve it. Psalm 34:14 says, "Seek peace and pursue it." Hebrews 12:14 says, "Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." And Jesus said if you remember at the altar that your brother has something against you, go make it right, then offer your gift. Seeking peace is one practical way a believer loves and esteems their leaders.

Sanctifying Works for the Body

In verses 14 through 22, Paul lays out about a dozen sanctifying works. God is the one who perfects that work in us, but we still have a responsibility.

"Warn them that are unruly." Paul uses military language. To be unruly is to be out of step or out of rank. Picture the body marching together toward the work God calls us to; certain ones, like section leaders, are called to warn those who fall out of step. Why warn? To maintain unity and cohesion, to maintain a strong witness in the world, to effectively fulfill the commission (which requires us to function as one body, not scattered factions), and so that we individually walk worthy of the Lord. The Thessalonians had a real problem here—as 2 Thessalonians shows, some had quit working, expecting the Lord's imminent return and living off the charity of others. Paul had to warn them: "those that do not work shall not eat."

"Comfort the feeble-minded." As we march, we are bombarded by trial and spiritual warfare, and may grow distressed and ready to fall by the wayside. The word parakaleo means to come alongside, exhort, and even carry that person, bearing their burdens (Galatians 6).

"Support the weak." The feeble-minded shows signs of falling; the weak has already fallen out of the race. Romans 15:1 says to bear with the infirmities of the weak. The word "support" means to be a stay—one upon which another can lean with all their weight—supporting those weak in faith, knowledge, or strength.

"Be patient toward all men." Notice he doesn't restrict this to the body of Christ. The disorderly, the feeble-minded, and the weak will try our temper, but God calls us to patience, exercising the fruit of the Spirit—self-control, gentleness, meekness.

Render Not Evil for Evil

Paul exhorts that we "render not evil for evil, but follow after that which is good." More than once an unbeliever has quoted Exodus 21 to me without realizing it—"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"—to justify vengeance. But they've forgotten Jesus' words in Matthew 5: "You have heard... an eye for an eye... But I say unto you that you resist not the evil man; but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

People misunderstand Exodus 21:24. "An eye for an eye" is a limitation, not a prescription. Before this command, the carnal mind responded to one knocked-out tooth by taking all your teeth, blacking your eye, and kicking you for good measure. There was no limit—wrongs were repaid tenfold. "An eye for an eye" instituted equal justice: the poor man's eye is as valuable as the rich man's, and the punishment must fit the crime. Now, in the body of Christ, we are to be completely different. What a witness it would be if unbelievers saw the church refusing to render evil for evil and pursuing good instead. Our flesh desires vengeance, but God's desire for His body is something else entirely.

Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks

"Rejoice evermore" (5:16)—an easy memory verse. But what are we rejoicing in? The world is always looking for a reason to party, latching onto temporal things—a sports team's season—that quickly fade. We rejoice evermore in a spiritual way, with the joy of the Holy Spirit that arises from the pardon we received through the blood of Christ, the justification granted by His righteousness and atonement. That gift never fades away.

"Pray without ceasing" (5:17). We should daily and often be in an attitude of prayer—not only at meals, but throughout the day, in constant communication with our Father. One problem is our cultural picture of prayer: on our knees, hands folded, eyes closed. There's a time and place for that—but it's a very hard way to drive. You can pray while shopping or driving, out loud or in your heart. When we're disconnected from the Lord this way, we fail to recognize He is with us at all times and that He offers help in our time of need.

Give Thanks in Everything

"In everything give thanks." Notice Paul did not say give thanks for all things, but in everything. Hard things enter our lives—the death of a loved one, a devastating medical problem, the loss of a job. It would be cruel to demand thanks for such things. But there is always something to be thankful for. Romans 8:28 says all things work together for good to those who love God—but that does not mean everything that comes is temporally and experientially good.

A few years ago I was flying back from Germany through Louisiana to see friends, four days before Christmas. In the Frankfurt airport I read a devotional whose key verse was Romans 8:28, and I thanked God for it as I boarded. Then the pilot announced we'd land an hour late at Dulles—and listed my connecting flight among those I'd miss. I waited in a line of a hundred people for an hour, only to learn the next flight wasn't for five hours. "All things work together for good, right?"

I finally reached Louisiana, rented a car, drove north to see friends, and on the way back to New Orleans it was raining harder than I'd ever seen. As a Californian, I don't drive well in the rain. Doing about fifty on the interstate, I hydroplaned. The back end lifted and fishtailed, and it's amazing how slowly your brain processes—"all things work together for good, right?"—as I drifted across the center divide into oncoming traffic and slammed into another vehicle.

When I came to a stop facing all those oncoming cars, I checked myself over—everything was there, I was okay. The Louisiana state trooper looked at this Californian with shoulder-length hair and sandals and wanted to arrest me; I'm thankful the paramedic, who turned out to be a Christian, insisted they take me to the hospital instead. In the ambulance I remembered how good God had been. Days earlier, the rental agent had offered insurance on the vehicle. Normally I decline—but that day a thought went through my mind, and I said yes. That insurance covered the vehicle. Still, two months later I received notice that the other gentleman was suing me. "All things work together for good."

We must understand that God's ways are higher than ours, and the good He intends is more for our eternal good than our temporal good. We focus on the here and now, and the event before us may not feel good—but if we recognize that God has a plan and that all things truly work together for good, then we can rejoice evermore, and it will stir us to pray without ceasing.

Quench Not the Spirit; Despise Not Prophesying

When the Spirit was poured out in Acts 2, cloven tongues of fire appeared above the believers. Scripture often pictures the Holy Spirit as fire, and we are not to quench, extinguish, or suppress His working in our lives. One way we quench the Spirit is by despising prophecy (5:20)—disregarding the prophetic work of the Spirit, one of the gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12.

We are not to disregard the prophetic word, whether the Old Testament Scriptures, which still have application for us today, or the prophetic exhortation that comes from the preacher on Sunday or from a brother. Not all prophecy is foretelling the future; most is forthtelling—declaring the mind and will of God, His Word. To disregard it is to quench the Spirit.

But verse 21 adds, "prove all things." When someone brings what they believe to be a prophetic word, we are given authority to test it by the Word of God. If it doesn't line up with Scripture, we disregard it; if it does, "hold fast to that which is good."

Abstain from All Appearance of Evil

Finally, "abstain from all appearance of evil." Notice Paul doesn't merely say abstain from evil—that's a given. This is harder. It means actively considering what we do and where we go, because if we say we are Christians, people watch how we live. We are living epistles; people are reading us.

I received a story this week that illustrates it. Mildred, the church gossip and self-appointed monitor of the church's morals, accused Frank, a new member, of being an alcoholic because she'd seen his old pickup parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon. Frank, a man of few words, said nothing in his defense. That evening he quietly parked his old pickup in front of Mildred's house and walked home, leaving it there all night.

Gossip is against the Lord—the Greek word translated "gossip" is diabolos, the work of the enemy—and Frank's response wasn't the best way to deal with it. But the story shows both an appearance of evil at the bar and an even greater appearance of evil parked in front of Mildred's house. Abstain from every appearance of evil.

The God of Peace Sanctify You Wholly

Why does Paul list all these exhortations? Because God desires to sanctify us. Verse 23: "the very God of peace sanctify you wholly"—completely. How does God sanctify us?

First, by the internal working of His Spirit. Second, by the washing of the water by His Word—Ephesians 5:26 says Christ cleanses the church "with the washing of the water by the word," and Jesus prayed, "sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17). Third, by the admonition of the elders—these very exhortations make us consider things we never would have on our own: an appearance of evil, rendering evil for evil, pursuing good. Fourth, as James 1 and 1 Peter 1 show, by the refining of fiery trials. "The testing of your faith works patience; but let patience have its perfect work in you, that you may be entire, lacking nothing."

So Paul prays "your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless." Our sanctification is not wholly dependent on us, but it does involve our response—we are called to rejoice, to pray, to do these things. Yet our full sanctification is more dependent on Him than on us, and I'm thankful, because I'm a failure. "Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it." As Philippians 1:6 says, "he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Spirit, Soul, and Body

Notice Paul says "your whole spirit and soul and body." This supports the view that man is a triune being—a trichotomy mirroring the triune nature of God. My understanding is that the real you—where your emotions, will, and intellect are housed—is your soul. Your soul interacts with the physical world through the body, and with the spiritual world through the spirit.

The real question is which part governs your soul: your body or your spirit. Before Christ, the flesh governs what you do. But it is God's desire through sanctification that we become governed by the Spirit. Here's why it matters: your body will die. When this fleshly body is dissolved, if your whole focus was that body, your spirit will be dead, and you will be in hell eternally. Sanctification readies us for eternity, moving us from being flesh-dominated to spiritually dominated. "Faithful is he who calls you; he will also do it."

Closing Charge

"Brethren, pray for us." As Paul, Silas, and Timothy labored, they asked the church to pray for them—and I ask the same of you. "Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss"—underline the word holy. "I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren." Nearly twenty centuries later, we are still fulfilling that charge.

Paul ends where he began in chapter 1, with grace: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." It reminds us that our walk with the Lord begins by grace, continues by grace, and will end by the Lord's grace as well.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for Your Word, and I ask, Lord, that You by Your Spirit would enable us to do these things Your Word says. Help us, when our flesh wants to war with one another, to be at peace. Strengthen us to receive a warning, an exhortation, a challenge from someone. Help us to look for brothers and sisters falling by the wayside, that we might be a comfort and a support. When we're tempted to seek retribution and vengeance, remind us that we're not to render evil for evil but to follow after good. Help us to rejoice evermore—not only when good things happen, but even in difficult times. Would You perfect these things in our lives and sanctify us wholly. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.