“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)
Paul wrote these words to the 1st century church at Thessalonica, but they are quite than relevant to the Church of America these days. For in these times of chaos we all need encouragement just as did the early church in Thessalonica. The saints there were experiencing persecution. They were living alongside of a pagan and exceedingly licentious and immoral people just as we are. These things may have made them feel as if the Lord were returning soon.
We may think the Lord’s return feel is imminent too. We think that the world has not been so engulfed by evil and lawlessness since the days of Noah. But the church still stands as a beacon of truth amidst all the darkness of wickedness. We possess the Word of God and are filled by the Holy Spirit. We need not fear the evil around us as we continue to preach this truth despite the hatred and violence that we face. The Lord God will carry us through no matter what.
Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to excellent Christian behavior rather than wasting time in vain speculation about the Lord’s return and in pointless activity. He told them to pray at all times and to live in peace and righteousness. Good advice for us all to follow especially the admonition to pray without ceasing. This is having a running conversation with God. Faith assures us that He hears us and provides, comfort, encouragement, wisdom, and strength for us.
In the season of Advent we must take Paul’s counsel to heart. We focus a lot on the Coming of Christ, as a baby 2000 years ago. We spend a lot of time, effort, energy, and resources on that first Coming but in light of the evil around us, we ought to spend more time on preparing for the Second Coming. It is of vital importance. The Holy Spirit will enable us to live holy lives free from evil as well as to carry on the work to which we are called. He is faithful to His task and will accomplish God’s will in us as long as we do not quench the Spirit by failing to pray or by deliberately indulging the flesh. He will enable us to spread the good news of forgiveness in Christ.