1 Thess 5 : 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, [3] encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 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 prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

B. Urging and exhorting.

1. (12-13) Paul urges them to do three things in regard to their leaders.

And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who 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. Be at peace among yourselves.

a. Recognize those who labor among you: Christians are to recognize their leaders, and leaders are described in three ways.

i. Those who labor among you. Leaders are recognized not by their title but by their service. Titles are fine, but only if they are true, and describe what that person really is before God and man.

ii. And are over you in the Lord. Leaders are recognized as they are "over" the congregation in the sense of ruling and providing headship, as a shepherd is over the sheep.

iii. And admonish you. Leaders are recognized as those who admonish the congregation. "Admonish" means "to caution or to reprove gently; to warn."

b. Esteem them very highly in love: Christians are to esteem their leaders, and to esteem them very highly in love. Why should Christians esteem their leaders? For their work's sake. They don't deserve esteem because of their title, or because of their personality, but because of their labor on behalf of God's people.

i. Very highly in love means that Christians should love their pastors and church leaders. In his commentary on Galatians, John Calvin wrote: "It is not enough that pastors be respected, if they are not also loved. Both are necessary; otherwise, their teaching will not have a sweet taste."

ii. If a Christian can't esteem and love their pastor, they should either get on their knees and ask the Holy Spirit to change their heart or put themselves under a pastor they do esteem and love.

c. Be at peace among yourselves: With this simple command, Paul says Christians should simply put away all their squabbles and arguments. This is a great way to esteem and love the leaders of your church.

2. (14-15) Paul exhorts them in how to deal with difficult people.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

a. Now we exhort you: To exhort is to tell someone what they must do, but without sharpness or a critical spirit. It is not rebuke or condemnation, but neither is it merely a suggestion or advice. It is urgent and serious, but associated with comfort.

b. Warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all: Paul tells the Thessalonians - the people, not only the pastor - to minister in a variety of ways, depending on the state of the person who needs the ministry. So if someone is unruly, the duty of the Christian is to warn them. Others need comfort, others need to be upheld.

i. We must be patient with all, because true Christianity is shown by its ability to love and help difficult people - we never say "perfect only need apply"

c. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone: The Christian never should seek revenge or vengeance, but let God take up our side. Instead, we must always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. When we have a forgiving heart towards others, not only is it good for them, it is good for ourselves.

i. In the following passage, Paul will write about "spiritual" matters such as prayer, thanksgiving, and worship. But before the "spiritual" or "religious" matters comes teaching about right relationships. Jesus made it plain: get things right with men before you come to worship God (Matthew 5:23-24).

3. (16-18) Regarding their personal worship.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

a. Rejoice always: Not only happy things, but in sorrows also. The Christian can rejoice always because their joy isn't based in circumstances, but in God. Circumstances change, but God doesn't.

b. Pray without ceasing: Christians are to pray continually. We can't bow our heads, close our eyes, and fold our hands without ceasing, but those are customs or prayer, not prayer itself. Prayer is communication with God, and we can live each minute of the day in a constant, flowing, conversation with God.

i. There is significant, important value in a time where we shut out all other distractions and focus on God in a time of "closet" prayer (Matthew 6:6). But there is also room - and great value - in every-moment-of-the-day fellowship with God.

c. In everything give thanks: We don't give thanks for everything, but in everything. We recognize God's sovereign hand is in charge, not blind "fate" or "chance."

d. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you: After each one of these exhortations - rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks - we are told to do them because it is the will of God. The thought isn't "this is God's will, so you must do it; the thought is rather "this is God's will, so you can do it." It isn't easy to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks, but we can do it because it is God's will.

4. (19-22) Paul exhorts them in their public worship.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

a. Do not quench the Spirit: We can quench the fire of the Spirit by our doubt, our indifference, our rejection of Him, or by the distraction of others. When people start to draw attention to themselves, it is a sure quench to the Spirit.

b. Do not despise prophecies: We recognize that the Lord speaks to and through His people today, and we learn to be open to His voice. Of course, we always test prophecies (test all things), but we do not despise them.

c. Test all things; hold fast what is good: Evil and deception can show itself even in a "spiritual" setting, so it is important for Christians to test all things. When the test has been made (according to the standard of God's Word and the discernment of spirit among the leaders), we then hold fast to what is good.