Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

5:12-13 respect those who labor . . . admonish you. The young Thessalonian community was not adequately appreciating and respecting its leaders. are over you. The Greek term proistēmi here means "rule, direct, be at the head of," and would refer to the elders in the church (see notes on Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Be at peace among yourselves may suggest (though not necessarily) that there were tensions within the community.

5:14 idle (Gk. ataktos, "undisciplined, insubordinate"). Some Thessalonians were shirking their responsibility to work in accord with the creation mandate (Gen. 2:15). See 1 Thess. 4:9-12; also 2 Thess. 3:6-15. fainthearted. Due to persecution (1 Thess. 3:3-4) or the unexpected deaths (4:13-5:11). weak. Either those with weak consciences (see 1 Corinthians 8-9), those rattled by the ongoing persecution, or those anxious about the day of the Lord (1 Thess. 5:1-11).

5:16 Rejoice always. Joy in Paul's letters is a basic mark of the Christian (Rom. 14:17) and a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). It is often associated with the firm hope of the Christian (e.g., Rom. 5:2-5; 12:12).

5:17 Pray without ceasing suggests a mental attitude of prayerfulness, continual personal fellowship with God, and consciousness of being in his presence throughout each day.

5:18 give thanks. Christians are to be marked by thanksgiving (Eph. 5:4, 20; Col. 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2). This probably refers to all of 1 Thess. 5:16-18.

5:19 Do not quench the Spirit. The manner in which the Thessalonians were extinguishing the Holy Spirit's fire is specified in the next verse.

5:20-21 Do not despise prophecies. Believers are to be open to the disclosure of God's will through fellow Christians exercising the gift of prophecy (see note on 1 Cor. 14:22-25). The Thessalonians apparently despised manifestations of prophecy and hence were cutting off a valuable source of encouragement and extinguishing the Spirit's fire. test everything. Rather than rejecting prophecies outright on the basis of inferior prophetic words, the Thessalonians need to weigh prophecies to distinguish the true from the false. Tests presumably include the prophecy's conformity with authoritative revelation, its value for edification, and its evaluation by those with spiritual discernment. See 1 Cor. 14:29-33 and the note on 1 Cor. 12:10 regarding the operation of prophecy in the church. what is good. In context, this most likely refers to prophecies that pass the test.

5:22 Abstain from. Paul now moves on to stress, more generally, the importance of rejecting every form of evil.