CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION- 1 THESS. 5:12-28

The bible declares that every believer has a distinct ministry and many gifts and ministries have been given- Eph. 4:7-12; 1 Cor. 12:8-11; Rom. 12:6-8. All these are to be used for the benefit of the church. We are to thankfully recognize, acknowledge, value, respect and appreciate various ministries. The gifted abilities of both the clergy and laity are needed so that the body of Christ can function effectively- Col. 3:17.

The key areas that would complement the church as listed by Paul are thus: First, we are to ''warn them that are unruly''- The first century Church was very conscious of a strong Roman military presence. This indicates idleness, carelessness and neglect of duty; it could also suggest disorderly, carless, uncooperative. To warn is to instruct or admonish seriously. In essence, Paul is saying Let's all get in step.

Next, we are to comfort the feebleminded which means the faint-hearted. Paul instructed the Church to uplift these. Thirdly, his word is ''to support the weak''. We are to give a helping hand to the weaker brother or sister. We are not to abandon them, but to lift them up. This means to stand beside them, hold them up. The strong and spiritually mature Christians have a responsibility toward the new convert and the weaker believer.

Fourth, Paul's directive is to ''be patient towards all men''. He means that we are to be ''long tempered''. Certainly, God is not glorified with short-fused Christians. In Galatians 5:22, longsuffering is listed among the nine fold fruit of the Holy Spirit. Fifth in this list is the exhortation, ''See that none render evil for evil unto any man''. This is contrary to the natural impulse of retaliation. The scriptures clearly teach this principle- Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:17; 1 Pet. 3:9. The true follower of Christ resists ''getting even''. In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us the Golden rule by which we are to live- Matt. 7:12; In the Lord's prayer, we are directed to forgive those who trespass against us.

The final guideline is to ''follow that which is good'', both among yourselves and to all men. The believer's duty is to pursue that which is good and beneficial. This ''good'' which we must earnestly pursue after is love- 1 Thess. 3:12; Rom. 13:10; 1 Cor. 14:1.

Love is the fulfillment of the law- Rom. 13:10. A person with Christ-like love will automatically practice the last six of the Ten commandments; which concerns our relationship with others (Honour your father and mother, do not commit adultery, do not bear false witness, do not covet)- Ex. 20:12-17; Rom. 13:9. In the same way, the loving person will also find himself following Paul's guideline in 1 Thess. 5:12-15. These include the Christian living responsibilities.

Rejoicing- This means being happy in your faith at all times. In the Old Testament, the Israelites often murmured and complained. The net result was bitterness, hardship and often divine discipline. Numerous times the expression rejoice, rejoiced and rejoicing are used in the Bible. It is God's will that our joy will be full- 1 Jn. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:8. Lasting joy is found in things eternal- Phil. 3:1; Acts 13:48; 3 Jn. 4; Rom. 14:17.

Unceasing prayer- We are enjoined to ''pray without ceasing''. Prayer is simply fellowship with God. Through prayer, we realize His mighty presence. Like Daniel of old, who systematically scheduled prayer three times a day, we are to maintain regular seasons of seeking God. As we conduct the daily business of living we can often be in prayerful meditation. The injunction here is to never give up praying and never cease to pray.

Thankfulness- In everything, give thanks. Under all circumstances we are to give thanks to God. The emphasis is that being a thankful person is always the will of God.

Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit- Quench not the Spirit. To the Ephesians, Paul wrote ''grieve not the Spirit''- Eph. 4:30. Upon the early Church the Holy Spirit had bestowed special gifts- 1 Cor.12:1-11. Their worship was to flow in the Spirit- Jn. 4:23. The Holy Spirit is often likened to a holy fire or holy flame- Matt. 3:11. The net result of quenching the Spirit would be loss of Spiritual power and joy.

Avoiding evil- We are warned to abstain from all appearances of evil. A safe rule to flow is this: ''if in doubt, dont''. The word abstain is a companion of the term flee.

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