“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-20)
- Rejoice always: A perpetual state of rejoicing is only possible if we have the supernatural joy of the Holy Spirit bubbling up from the inside. We know that our hearts are clean and our salvation is secure because of Jesus Christ’s redeeming sacrifice.
- pray without ceasing: Non-stop praying doesn’t mean you will have to close your eyes, bow your head, and recite prayers aloud 24 hours a day. Praying without ceasing means MAINTAINING AN ATTITUDE OF PRAYER at all times—an awareness of God’s presence—and staying in constant communion and close relationship with the divine giver of joy.
- in everything give thanks: Only if we believe God is sovereignin all of our affairs, can we give thanks in each and every situation. This command requires complete surrender and peaceful abandon to worship the God who holds EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIVES securely in his grip. Unfortunately, this kind of trust does not come instinctively to most of us. Only by God’s grace can we fully trust that our heavenly Father is working all things out for our good:
- for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you: We often worry and wonder if we are following God’s will. This passage plainly states: “This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” So, wonder no more. God’s will for you is to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks to him in every circumstance and at all times.
- Do not quench the Spirit: The actual order of the Greek words is “the Spirit not quench.” The Greek language places the most important part of the sentence first. So this verse is emphasizing “the Spirit.” We also need to note that the root Greek word for “quench” is sbennymi which means “to extinguish,” “to put out” or “to go out.” The word was used to refer to putting out fires, sparks, or the putting out of a lamp. Quenching the Spirit is to despise the supernatural work of the Spirit and treat it with contempt. Right there in the context: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” But Paul’s response to that is very realistic. He says: Yes, that happens. So, test everything. Hold fast to what is good. Throw away the chaff. Keep the good. So, don’t despise God’s gift. That would be the first way that we quench the Spirit: having an attitude of contempt towards God’s supernatural gifting. (1 Thess. 5:16-19)
We normally don’t quench a fire by accident WILL. The fire goes out because someone either lets it burn out or takes steps to put it out. This suggests that the Holy Spirit naturally burns within us unless we do something to put out the Spirit’s fire. So, let’s not do that! John the Baptist said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE.” (Matt. 3:11)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham