Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

The Apostle Paul continues to give us practical and applicable advice for our daily Christian lives. The first lesson is to “Rejoice at all times”. Think about all the things Paul suffered during his ministry, imprisonment, beatings, and illnesses, yet Paul continues to rejoice always. Why? Because Paul knows this is not our “best life now”, this is actually our worst life now. The best is yet to come, the New Heavens and Earth (Rev.22) because Christ is Risen!

Secondly we should “pray without ceasing”. Prayer should be central to our daily lives. Prayer should be like oxygen for our souls. How can we have a relationship with Christ, if we are not praying? How can we know our Fathers will, if we are not praying? How can the Holy Spirit fill us up , if we are not praying? Pray without ceasing in all circumstances!

Give thanks for everything! All these actions tie into each other, if you don’t know what to pray, give thanks to God! We have been blessed with so many things, we have so much to be thankful for, we need to keep an eternal perspective on our daily lives. Be Thankful that God created us and breathed life into our lungs. Be Thankful , that Jesus chose us and died for our sins. Be Thankful, the Holy Spirit has baptized us and made us Born Again

Listen to the Holy Spirit! Jesus called the Holy Spirit our advocate, our counselor, our helper (John 14:26) To deny or neglect the wisdom of the Holy Spirit is to deny God. Remember blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:31-32) We need to be willing to be led by the Holy Spirit as our guide and counselor

Finally, another application is to “Abstain from all evil” As Born Again Christians (John 3:3), our bodies are the Temple of God with the Holy Spirit living inside of us (1 Cor.6). We can’t pollute our temples or bodies with sin and evil, this is an abomination before God. As the Apostle Peter said “Be holy because He (God) is Holy” ( 1 Peter 1:16)

Being a Child of God, a Born Again Christian is the greatest honor and calling anyone could receive, walk worthy of being a servant of Christ, Amen

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour 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. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

We know that the Church of Thessalonica was well known for their respectable behavior, as Paul stated “You have become an example to all the believers” (1 Thess. 1:7) Why? Because this Church didn’t just talk the talk, but they also walked the walk. They lived a Christian life to the best of their abilities, as Paul also said “walk in a manner worthy of God’s calling” (1 Thess. 2:12) When we become saved in Christ, this is just the beginning of our journey, this is certainly not the end

So with that said, how do we live as a Christian? Many people focus on things in the Bible such as prophecy and history, but there are also a lot of practical applications that can be applied to our daily lives as Christians. Paul’s letters to the Churches, gives us a lot of practical instructions we can all apply to our daily Christian lives, again our goal should be to want to “conform to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29) If Jesus is truly our Lord, we should want to be just like him, live like him, act like him. While we will never reach the superiority of The Lord, we should still want to follow in his ways

So Paul is giving the Church some practical applications to living a Christan life. The first teaching is to respect authority. Paul says “acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside over you in The Lord, and give you instruction”. What a simple concept, for brothers and sisters in Christ to show each other mutual respect, however we know this simply doesn’t happen much anymore, especially on social media. We often hear Pastors being continually analyzed and picked apart from every word they say. While it’s good to verify what your Pastor is saying , we should also be demonstrating love and respect for your spiritual authority

Secondly the Apostle Paul tells us to “Be at peace among yourselves” This should be applied not only to the Church, but also to people outside your Church also. As Jesus commanded us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31) Christ was not just referring to other Christians, he was referring to your physical neighbors, people in your community, people online, basically everyone. While it may not always be possible to live in peace with everyone, we should strive to do everything we can to “keep the peace” as Paul says “strive to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18)

A third application as Paul says “Don’t repay evil for evil, pursue what is good for everyone” This coincides with what Jesus taught “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) When somebody wrongs us, it’s natural to want to get revenge, however as a Christian we need to live at a higher standard. Our battles belong to The Lord (1 Samuel 17:47) and not ourselves. We need to remember everyone is watching us, when we behave in a hypocrite way, it actually brings dishonor to our Lord Jesus, as well as ourselves

As the Apostle Paul says “Always pursue what is good for everyone”, while the right thing is not always the easiest thing, our goal in life should always to bring honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

When will Christ return? This is the million dollar question, in fact many false teachers made millions writing books false prophecies of when Jesus was actually going to return, you should throw all those books in the garbage, Jesus said “Nobody knows the day or hour” (Matt. 24:36) Don’t be deceived by false teachers, read your Bible!

The Apostle Paul describes Christ returning as a “Thief in the night”, so what does that mean? Well think about if someone breaks into your house, it usually comes at a day and time when you least expect it, it usually is an event that catches you off guard. This is what Paul is saying, Christ is going to return at a moment when you least expect him. The world will believe in a false sense of peace and safety, yet judgment is coming to the world when the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ returns

But as Paul says to the Church “You are not in the darkness” the true Church shouldn’t be caught off guard with the return of Christ, we are not in the darkness, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are the children of the light. We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, however “let us not sleep”, the Church can’t spiritually fall asleep as the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25) half was not ready and The Lord shut the door!

For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 1 Thessalonians 5:7-11

Referencing the parable of the Ten Virgins again, half were caught with their lamps empty (Matthew 25) which I believe the oil is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Half of the Church was not Born Again, therefore they were not ready for Christ. Paul warns the Church , when Christ returns “Be Sober” Where will you be when Christ returns? Will Jesus find you drunk in a bar at his return or will Christ find you living in a way worthy of his calling? We should live everyday as if Christ was going to return, this is exactly how the first century Church lived

Paul says “God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation”  Jesus dies on the cross for our sins, so we may inherit eternal life, this is our living hope, this is the promise by God Almighty. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)

Jesus is coming as a Thief in the Night, have your lamps full of the Holy Spirit, always be ready for the great blessed day when our Lord returns to take us to eternal glory, Amen!