Holy Spirit Checklist for Daily Victory: 8 Spirit-Led Commands from 1 Thessalonians 5
First Thessalonians 5:16 begins a section concerning the responsibility of the congregation.
The responsibility of leadership ends in verse 15, and Paul turns his attention to those within the church who live each day in the presence of the world.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit will be the unseen message of the verses to come. The normal everyday life of the believer is lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is a supernatural way of life, and it demands a supernatural execution. Only the Holy Spirit can produce divine good. The believer must produce divine good, not human good. Human good in the life of the believer is carnality. Human good can be accomplished by the unbeliever.
The results of the Spirit-controlled life are discussed in the verses to come. In verses 16-23 we are given eight commands that can only be accomplished by walking in fellowship with God, obedience to God’s Word, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
5:16 “Rejoice always,”
Through all circumstances, good and bad, the believer controlled by the Holy Spirit is to rejoice. This is not possible for the carnal believer or the unbeliever. Only the Holy Spirit can bring power to praise the Lord through the worst of times. We are to always remember the end of the problem is approaching and bringing with it an improved understanding of God’s will and purpose.
5:17 “pray without ceasing,”
The Greek word here means “with consistency.” We are to pray during intervals of the day for the needs of fellow believers, and pray again at other times for the needs of others. Answered prayer includes many prerequisites. The prayers we pray throughout the day need to be paved with forgiveness, confession of personal sins, and faith in God’s Word.
There are nine reasons why prayer may not be answered. All nine cover sins in one way or another. Prayer always breaks down at the human level, never the divine.
Lack of faith (Matthew 18:18-20, 21:22; Mark 11:24).
Selfishness (James 4:2-3).
Carnality (Psalm 66:18).
Lack of compassion (Proverbs 21:13).
Lack of peace in a marriage and/or the family (1 Peter 3:7).
Pride or self-righteousness (Job 35:12-13).
Dependence on the energy of the flesh (Ephesians 6:18).
Lack of obedience (1 John 3:22).
Not understanding or obeying God’s will (1 John 5:14).
5:18 “in everything [all situations] give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
This verse demands a soul filled with the knowledge of God’s Word. It is impossible for believers to thank God in the middle of a bad situation if they do not know God’s promises to deliver and bring His children through each one. God loves to hear praise and thanksgiving from the heart and lips of His own during the trials of life and demonic afflictions. This is God’s Word returning to Him from the lives and lips of the redeemed.
5:19 “Do not quench [extinguish] the Spirit.”
This verse tells us not to get in the way of the Holy Spirit. This is a warning to not use the energy of the flesh to solve a situation. We are to use the Holy Spirit’s power in every situation; we are not to use our own strength, intellect, or reasonings. This is done by opening our hearts to hear the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.
5:20 “Do not despise [consider as nothing] prophecies.”
We switch from the operation of the Holy Spirit in the individual life to the operation of the Holy Spirit in the congregation. Just as the Spirit’s working can be stopped by the energy of the flesh in the personal life of a believer, so He can be quenched in the church service by our lack of cooperation with His moving.
In the Thessalonian church, the leadership of the church had apparently become discouraged by prophecies and words of knowledge from the congregation and were now hindering or stopping the gifts of the Spirit from operating because of excess and abuse by the people. Instead of correcting the mistakes, they were stopping His operating altogether. Paul now warns, if the gifts are being quenched because of excess or abuse, this is really despising the Spirit’s moving and operations. The use of prophecy in the church is for any Spirit-filled believer, not just the prophets (1 Corinthians 14:31).
5:21 “Test [for approval] all things; hold fast what is good.”
Testing all things is for the congregation and church leadership both. If they test and prove all things, they will allow what is right and disregard what is wrong. The Word is the standard we use to test all things. The prophecies of the previous verse should be tested by the Word. The operation of the Holy Spirit, in the service, should be judged by the Word of God also. We know the gifts can operate in the church service because it is found in 1 Corinthians 14.
In the same chapter, we find all the gifts should operate decently and in order and are not to be despised. After testing by the Word of God, we should then hold fast to the good thing and turn loose that which does not line up with the Word. We should not hold on to church practices because of people’s feelings or traditions—but rather because of their importance in God’s people and necessity for the growth of the people in the congregation.
5:22 “Abstain from every form of evil.”
This is a warning to not yield or be under the control of the flesh. Evil comes from the flesh, the nature of sin living in us. This verse is not only telling us to stay away from the outward appearance of evil, but also from evil itself. If we are not controlled by evil, we will not have an outward appearance of it.
We Are Sanctified by God
Sanctification, holiness, and true growth must be our goal (verse 22).
God is who sanctifies (verse 23).
God is faithful (verse 24).
God will accomplish what He promises (verse 24).
5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This is how we abstain from every category of evil. We need to be sure each part of our being remains sanctified before the Lord until the day of the Rapture of the Church. Our spirit was sanctified at the moment of the new birth. This is when we became a new creation in Jesus Christ. Our soul is sanctified daily through study and the application of the Word of God. His Word brings our thoughts into line with His Word (John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26).The body is sanctified by applying the Word to daily experience. This gives us power over the flesh and causes us to become the mature sons and daughters God is looking for. The point of ultimate or final sanctification is for our body. This will occur at the Rapture of the Church when all believers from the Church Age will receive a resurrection body just like the body of Jesus. Our life of sanctification continues daily, until the moment we die, or the Rapture occurs. The God who provides salvation and peace through the Cross is the One who provides daily provisions for our sanctification. Our sanctification is provided by the God who sanctified His own Son, the Lord Jesus. We share His eternal sanctification at the new birth and His daily sanctification through our obedience to His Word.
5:24 “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do [perform] it.”
The power to accomplish sanctification comes from the faithful God who called us in eternity past and will perform and increase our sanctification throughout our lifetime each day. God’s faithfulness is part of His immutability, His unchangeable character. He does not change and cannot change. The God who was faithful yesterday will be just as faithful today and tomorrow. The performance of sanctification will be just as powerful and available today as it was yesterday. It will also be just as powerful forever.
Paul’s Closing Salutation to the Believers
5:25 “Brethren, pray for us.”
Paul is asking for their prayers to be made for him and his team. Paul has been faithful to pray for them and their spiritual growth (1:2-3) and now asks for them to return the favor. His faith has been working for them, and he now wants their faith to work for him. Paul wants prayer for doors to open for him to witness to others (Colossians 4:2-3) and for deliverance from religious opposition and persecution. Very little is more important in our daily life than having other brothers and sisters praying in faith for us. Paul’s request was also for the church to pray for his entire team.
5:26 “Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.”
The kiss in the ancient world was a form of greeting from one friend to another. This custom was brought into the church and declared to be “holy” between believers. Although this custom is not found much in the Western nations today, it is still used in the churches in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. This verse is encouraging believers to have fellowship with each other, which is so necessary in our daily Christian walk. Since we are to have no intimate fellowship with the world (James 4:4), we need to develop friendships within the body of Christ and especially within the local church to which God has joined us.
5:27 “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.”
This epistle was to be analyzed by the pastor and understood by the congregation. The Word is not to just be read but also to be taught aloud by a minister to the group of people over which he has been given charge.
Next, this verse tells us that the Word is for believers only. The bulk of people who attend the church are already born again. The main function of a church service is to minister to believers. The pastor’s main function is to perfect or mature the saints. He does this by studying and teaching God’s Word.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:25, Paul called those who he wanted to pray for him “brethren.” In verse 26, Paul calls those he wants to have fellowship with “brethren.” In verse 27, Paul calls those who are sitting under the teaching of the Word “holy brethren.” When we are receiving God’s Word, God sees us as taking in that which truly causes us to become holy.
5:28 “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Paul leaves the Thessalonian congregation with a closing statement of grace. Only grace will sustain and keep them and us when others have gone. Paul has to leave them for now, but the presence of the Lord will be with them forever.
