1 Thessalonians 5 gives us instruction about what to do as we “keep watch for the Day of the Lord.” When we see sudden destruction taking place, we are encouraged to remain “sober-minded” and wear faithfulness, love, and the hope of salvation as protection over our hearts and minds. We are to encourage and build each other up, recognizing and affirming those leaders who work hard in the Body for supervision and correction. We are all to “comfort the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone… (and) pursue what is good for one another and for all.”

Then the writer, Apostle Sha’ul (Paul) gives a specific list of reminders for these times when distressing world events seem to herald the coming Day of the Lord. Knowing that in such times we might be caught up with the prevalent worry or reliance on what we or others can humanly do, Sha’ul gives this succinct list of instructions from verses 16 to 22:

¹⁶ Rejoice always,
¹⁷ pray constantly,
¹⁸ in everything give thanks;
for this is God’s will for you in Messiah Yeshua.
¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit,
²⁰ do not despise prophetic messages,
²¹ but test all things, hold fast to what is good,
²² keep away from every kind of evil.

Some may ask, “Rejoice always? Even now? In even dire circumstances give thanks?” As if responding to the likely questions, Sha’ul pauses in his list to insert the answer: “For this is God’s will for you in Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus).”

Then he briefly moves from the do’s, to remind us of two essential don’ts. Do not quench the Spirit, and do not despise prophecies. Why these particular warnings when we are facing dire circumstances? Think about it… don’t dire circumstances tempt us to get on a treadmill of trying to humanly fix things? Don’t dire circumstances tend to disrupt our schedules – even our personal devotion and corporate gathering times? Are we not tempted now – by news media, by urgent communications and other demands – to limit time for Body ministry and for hearing from the Holy Spirit? Are we not tempted, even when the Spirit does interject, to pay attention to that which sounds immediately relevant and forget about that which seems a bit outside of the immediate box?

To quench the Spirit, says the Thayer definition, means to “suppress / stifle” divine influence, or to “extinguish” the fire of the Spirit. Every intercessor knows that although the fire of the Spirit sometimes ignites even before we expect it, at other times the Holy Spirit just cannot be rushed. We need to allow ourselves and our brethren the TIME to pay attention to and respond to His ministry – whether the “fire” is flashing quickly or smoldering slowly.

One ministry of the Spirit is to SPEAK to us, and when He speaks through one of us to another or to many, that’s called prophecy. To despise prophecies, Thayer’s and Strong’s definitions tell us, means to “make no account of” / to esteem very little, to “set at naught” or to “utterly despise” these words from God. Since not all words that claim to be from God are actually from God, Sha’ul inserts another reminder, “Test all things.” That qualification does not release us from the obligation to pay attention to prophecies. Testing them is part of paying attention; remembering and ‘proving’ and perhaps just waiting to see what is true and what may not be, is part of honouring God, part of not taking prophecies lightly.

One final word – prophecies are not always prefaced by “Thus says the Lord.” They sometimes come forth in intercession, with just “I believe the Lord is saying we should pray about this…” They sometimes come forth in the relating of dreams and visions, with an individual’s interpretation of what the Spirit seems to be saying. However a word comes that is offered as the word of the Lord, we are not to disregard it, but to duly consider it, seek the Lord about it, and subject it to wholesome scrutiny.

Bless the Lord! That’s all I have to say about that today.