1 Thessalonians 5

5:1-3“How and when all this will happen” refers to the knowledge of what will happen in the future, specifically at the return of Christ. Efforts to determine the date of Christ's return are foolish. Don't be misled by anyone who claims to know. We are told here that no one knows and that even believers will be surprised. The LORD will return suddenly and unexpectedly, warns Paul, so be ready! Because no one knows when Jesus will come back to earth, we should be prepared at all times. Suppose he were to return today. How would he find you living? Are you ready to meet him? Live each day prepared to welcome Christ.

5:2The “day of the LORD’s return” is a future time when God will intervene directly and dramatically in world affairs. Predicted and discussed often in the Old Testament (Isaiah 13:6-12; Joel 2:28- 32: Zephaniah 1:14-18), the day of the LORD will include both punishment and blessing. Christ will judge sin and set up his eternal Kingdom.

5:4,5It is good that we don't know exactly when Christ will return. lf we knew the precise date, we might be tempted to be lazy in our work for Christ. Worse yet, we might plan to keep sinning and then turn to God right at the end. Heaven is not our only goal; we have work to do here. Christians must keep on doing God's work until death or until we see the unmistakable return of our Savior.

5:8For more about the Christian’s armor, see Ephesians 6:13-17.

5:9-11As you near the end of a long race, your legs ache, your throat burns, and your whole body cries out for you to stop. This is when friends and fans are most valuable. Their encouragement helps you push through the pain to the finish line. In the same way, Christians are to encourage one another. Be sensitive to others’ need for encouragement, and offer supportive words or actions.

5:12,13“Those who are your leaders in the LORD's work” probably refers to elders and deacons in the church. How can you honor your pastor and other church teaders? Express your appreciation, teil them how you have been helped by their leadership and teaching, and thank them for their ministry in your tife. If you say nothing, how will they know where you stand? Remember, they need and deserve your support and love.

5:14Don’t loaf around with the lazy; warn them. Don’t yeil at the timid and weak; encourage and help them. At times it can be difficult to distinguish between idleness and timidity. Two people may be doing nothing—one out of laziness and the other out of shyness or fear of doing something wrong. The key to ministry is sensitivity: sensing the condition of each person and offering the appropriate remedy for each situation. You can’t effectively help until you know the problem. You can’t apply the medicine until you know where the wound is.

5:16-18Our joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings. Obeying these three commands-—~be joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful—often goes against our natural inclinations. When we make a conscious decision to do what God says, however, we will begin to see people in a new perspective. When we do God's will, we will find it easier to be joyful and thankful.

5:17We cannot spend all our time on our knees, but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times. This attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing his presence within us, and determining to obey him fully. Then we will find it natural to pray frequent, spontaneous, short prayers. A prayerful attitude is not a substitute for regular times of prayer but should be an outgrowth of those times.

5:17Have you ever grown tired of praying for something or someane? Paul said that betievers should never stop praying. A Christian's persistence is an expression of faith that God answers prayer. Faith shouldn't die if the answers come slowly, for the delay may be God’s way of working his will. When you feel tired of praying, know that God is present, always listening, always answering—in ways that he knows are best. §:18 Paul was not teaching that we should thank God for everything that happens to us, but /n everything. Evil does not come from God, so we should not thank him for it. But when evit strikes, we can still be thankful for God’s presence and for the good that he will accomplish through the distress.

5:19By warning us not to “stifle the Holy Spirit,” Paul means that we should not ignore or toss aside the gifts the Holy Spirit gives. Here, he mentions prophecy (5:20): in 1 Corinthians 14:39, he mentions speaking in tongues. Sometimes spiritual gifts are controversial, and they may cause division in a church. Rather than trying to solve the problems, some Christians prefer to smother the gifts. This impoverishes the church. We should not stifle the Holy Spirit's work in anyone’s life but encourage the full expression of these gifts to benefit the whole body of Christ.

5:20,21We shouldn’t make fun of those who are called to speak for God (“scoff at prophecies”), but we should always “test everything that is said,” checking their words against the Bible. We are on dangerous ground if we laugh at a person who speaks the truth. Instead, we should carefully check out what people say, accepting what is true and rejecting what is false. §:22-24 Christians cannot avoid every kind of evil because we tive in a sinful world. We can, however, make sure that we don’t give evil a foothoid by avoiding tempting situations and concentrating on obeying God.

5:23The spirit, soul, and body refer not so much to the distinct parts of a person as to the entire being of a person. This expression is Paul’s way of saying that God must be involved in every aspect of life. It is wrong to think that we can separate the spiritual life from everything else, obeying God only in some ethereal sense or living for him only one day each week. Christ must control aif of us, not just a “religious” part.

5:27For all the Christians to hear this letter, it had to be read in a public meeting—there were not enough copies to circulate. Paul wanted to make sure that everyone had the opportunity to hear his message because he was answering important questions and offering needed encouragement. §:28 The Thessalonian church was young, and they needed help and encouragement. Both the persecution they faced and the temptations of their pagan culture were potential problems for these new Christians, Paul wrote to strengthen their faith and bolster their resistance to persecution and temptation. We, too, have a responsibility to help new betievers—to make sure that they continue in their faith and don’t become sidetracked by wrong beliefs or practices. First Thessalonians can better equip us to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.