VARIOUS EXHORTATIONS TO THE THESSALONIANS

“Now we exhort you, brethren…” (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

In the dictionary, the word “exhort” is simply defined as “to encourage.” It originated from the Latin words: “ex” (thoroughly) and “hortari” (urge). We often see this word in the gospels when the author is trying to warn and strengthen his fellow believers in Christ.

Those who exhort the brethren are the ones who can uphold the weak in the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul was one such exhorter. He lived up to being his “brother’s keeper” for the church in Thessalonica.

Apostle Paul preached in the city of Thessalonica for three Sabbaths but soon after, they experienced great persecution, forcing Apostle Paul to leave. This left the Thessalonians who just received Christ barely knowing the gospel. Thus, Apostle Paul wrote this Book of Thessalonians to encourage them in their faith and to teach them more about God.

Whether we are just starting to walk with God like the Thessalonians or we have already known God for many years, may we find encouragement to continue to press on in our journey with God through these various exhortations from Apostle Paul.

Warn the unruly.

He told the church to warn the unruly, those who were disorderly and did not follow correction. In the same way, we must warn the unruly like parents warn their children.

When their children are not behaving well, parents need to warn them right away about impending discipline so that they would be corrected at an early age. The same goes to those God has given us to care for.

However, may we be careful in giving correction. When we give reproof, may our words still always be seasoned with love and gentleness, not with anger and frustration.

Comfort the fainthearted.

The word “fainthearted” here literally means “a little soul.” Those who are fainthearted are more easily discouraged than others. When they are on the verge of giving up, may we comfort them by cheering them on, telling them, “Press on! Go forward! God will see you through!”

Uphold the weak.

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29)

Pastor Daniel Caram once said, “Some people are so unstable that they would never make it to heaven unless you carried them. They get off track every few weeks and the only way to get them to be saved is because the church carried them.”

We may meet some believers who are like this. And when we do, may we uphold them, faithfully helping them stand up again every time they stumble.

Be patient to all.

We are to be consistent in showing patience to everyone, not just to the people close to us. Patience is a fruit of the spirit and this fruit can only be developed in us when we experience the opposite attribute of that fruit, which is irritation.

The next four exhortations of the Apostle Paul are the keys to overcoming evil.

See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good.

Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:20-21)

The first key to overcoming evil with good is love our enemies. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tells us, “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

So when we are being hurt by very difficult people, may we overcome evil by choosing to be good to them. Instead of taking revenge, let us respond with words and acts of kindness. For this is when we gain true victory - when we respond with God’s goodness, they get a glimpse of the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then this could be the very door that would lead them to God.

Rejoice always.

This is the second key to overcoming. We can rejoice even when our situation do not seem good because rejoicing is a decision we can make. And when we choose to rejoice, it creates an atmosphere where God can move.

Apostle Paul was one who knew this key of rejoicing quite well. Despite being bound in prison, he was able to write about joy in the Book of Philippians! Repeatedly, he told them to rejoice.

In another account in Acts 16:25, Paul was in prison too and we are told that he and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God! This abundance of joy allowed the Spirit of the Lord to move and miraculously open all the prison doors to set them free (Acts 16:26).

Pray without ceasing.

The third key to overcoming pertains to prayer. The Christians at that time took this literally while Peter was in prison. Because of their constant prayers, the Lord moved supernaturally and delivered Peter from prison.

We can practice this in our own fellowships by having a prayer chain of people praying consecutively or by having an attitude of the heart where we constantly pray personally to the Lord. We can also pray in tongues to get in touch with God.

In everything give thanks.

Thankfulness releases faith. This is the fourth key to overcoming. We acknowledge the sovereignty of God as we give thanks to Him. In Corrie Ten Boom’s testimony, while they were in prison camp, she learned to thank the Lord even in the most inconvenient times.

While in camp, they suffered an infestation of lice in their quarters yet because of it, the guards did not approach their rooms and Corrie was able to minister to other people for the Lord. Psalms 104 tells us to enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving!

Do not quench the Spirit.

Quenching the spirit is like putting water on a fire. Whenever we do this, often it’s because we do not understand what God is doing. Revivals in the past have an aspect of the miraculous moves of God and the people who experienced it had to yield to how the Spirit is moving at the time.

Sometimes when we do not recognize the Lord, we quench the Spirit of God. When this happens, the Lord will continue to move on touching other cities or people until His purposes have come to pass.

Do not despise prophecies.

When we hear an abundance of prophecies often, we can become overly familiar with them. We are not to judge prophecies based on our natural senses like being monotone or with a strong voice. It is not the articulation of speech that’s important but whether the anointing of the Lord is there.

The Lord even used a donkey to prophesy (Numbers 22:28). Whatever prophecy we receive, we should confirm it from the Lord Himself and not despise it.

Test all things; hold fast to what is good.

We need to know the spiritual sources of things that we encounter. When we see or hear miracles and revelations, we should test the sources to know whether if it’s from the Lord or not.

Some false religions are founded on revelations from fallen angels and evil spirits because the people who heard from them did not test the spirits. What we received must confirm with the witness of the Spirit of God and the Scriptures. It must be evaluated both by us and the authorities in the church.

Abstain from every form of evil.

This is especially relevant for ministers. Even when things seem to be legitimate, he must abstain from situations that can be misinterpreted as evil. We should not be a stumbling block to others and must therefore be wary of what we do.

What the minister practices sets pace of what others allow in their own lives. The Bible tells us to make no provision for the flesh rather edify each other.

May we heed the exhortations of the Apostle Paul and keep these reminders as we daily walk with the Lord. Let us also consider these keys to overcoming that we would be presented blameless at the second coming of Jesus Christ.