Spiritual Check Up

When we go to see a doctor, we get asked a variety of questions. When did the pain begin? How long have you been feeling this way? Are you on any medication?  

Why all the questions? The medical staff is trying to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms so that we can receive the necessary treatment. The same applies to our spiritual lives. If we are going to get to where God’s wants us to be, we need to be honest about where we are today, know where God desires for us to be, and with His help strive to get there. As Paul closes out his letter to the Thessalonians, he gives them a string of exhortations. These exhortations in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 are not just random thoughts that Paul is spouting off. They are interrelated and vital to our overall spiritual Heath.
 
To unfold this text, it’s helpful to divide Paul’s exhortations into two categories; our relationship with others and our relationship to God.      

Our Relationship with Others

Spiritual exam question #1: Do you have spiritual leadership and accountability over your life?

Paul writes, "We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

If you attend church every Sunday that's good. But the truth is that many people go to church regularly and have no real desire for spiritual oversight and accountability. If this describes where you are, then you are not where God wants you to be. You are not in the position that God ordained to protect you from evil, to direct you in life, and to select you for His kingdom purposes. (See also Hebrews 13:17)

Spiritual exam question #2: Are you humbly and sacrificially serving others?”  

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15).

In verse 14 Paul urges the church to admonish the idle—meaning to admonish those who are not actively involved in the function and ministry of the local church. Paul wrote that believers are to encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone, Not repaying anyone evil for evil, but always seeking to do good to everyone. (v.14-15).

Thom Rainer, in his book, “I am a Church Member,” wrote, “Many churches are weak because we have members who have turned the meaning of membership upside down. It’s time to get right. It’s time to become a church member as God intended. It’s time to give instead of being entitled.” 

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The Greek word “makarion”, which is translated “blessed” in Acts 20:35, means “happy.” Do you know why some professing believers are so discontent and unhappy in life and in church? They have little joy because they're focused on what other people are doing or not doing rather than on serving others in the power of the Holy Spirit. When you're seeking to serve others, rather than seeking to be served, you will be a much happier person. The happiest people are the humblest people.

Spiritual exam question #3: Have you done your part to be at peace with everyone?

Note also in verse 13 Paul wrote, "Be at peace among yourselves.” As the great physician examines you in relationship to others, (Pastor, elders, brothers and sisters in Christ, family, friends) is there peace in those relationships? If there isn’t, have you done your part to be at peace with everyone? The state of your relationship to others is a priority to God. (Matthew 5:24)

Our Relationship with God

The next series of exhortations deals more directly with our relationship with God. Paul writes, "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.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22)

Let me emphasize that the level of your devotion to God will be the greatest factor to fulfilling the second greatest priority; a devotion to serving others for Jesus' sake. So, under the category of our relationship to God, let me ask you these additional questions derived from verses 16-22:

Spiritual exam question #4: Is your relationship with God enabling you to be happy and grateful in all circumstances?
 
Spiritual exam question #5: Are you earnestly, persistently and frequently seeking the Lord in prayer?
 
Spiritual exam question #6: Are you sensitive, discerning and receptive to the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life?

The exhortation in middle of verses 16-22 is “Do not quench the Spirit” (v.19). It’s important to emphasize that apart from the power of the Spirit, we would be inept at fulfilling all the other exhortations in our text. Do you realize that living the Christian life is impossible apart from the Holy Spirit?

How does one quench the Spirit?  The Greek word translated "quench" in verse 19 is used also in other places in the New Testament to refer to "putting out a fire." (Mark 9:48; Hebrews 11:34) We’ve all heard it said, “He/She is on fire for the Lord." When a believer is in fire, they are overflowing with joy and gratitude. To be on fire is to know with supernatural assurance that we are no longer dead in sin, but alive unto God through Christ. It’s to know that we are saved, sanctified, justified, and will be glorified with Him forever.

After the exhortation, "Do not quench the Spirit," Paul writes, "Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thess 5:20-22) It’s important to note here that prophecy in the bible is not simply the foretelling of future events, but also the forth-telling of God’s word. In fact, two thirds of all that the prophets spoke in the scriptures had to do with the preaching of righteousness to his generation. If we despise or disregard God’s word, we will surely quench the Spirit in our lives.

In 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, the bible describes prophesies in this way: “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”  We can define the exercising of the gift of prophecy in the following way: A Spirit-anointed declaration of truth, which when in operation, others present will know that God is present and is supernaturally speaking into their lives.

Now, God’s doesn’t just want us to except everything that someone declares to us as from God. This is why Paul exhorts believers to “test all things” (v.21). If what is being revealed to us is backed up by scripture, (that is how we test all things), Paul says, “Hold fast what is good” (v.21). In verse 18, Paul exhorted believers to “pray without ceasing.” No Christian or church will experience the powerful effects of the Spirit if they neglect prayer. Prayerlessness is our declaration of independence from God. Prayerlessness will surely quench the fire of the Spirit in your life.

Let’s review:
  1. Do you have spiritual leadership and accountability over your life?
  2. Are you humbly and sacrificially serving others?
  3. Have you done your part to be at peace with everyone?
  4. Do you have a growing relationship with God that enables you to be happy and grateful in all circumstances? 
  5. Are you earnestly, persistently, and frequently seeking the Lord in prayer? 
  6. Are you discerning, sensitive, and receptive to the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life?
 
How did your spiritual check up go? Are you ready for a New Year? If you're saved, you have the power of the Spirit to know the joy of fellowship with God and to spread that joy by serving others.

Don't put out the fire of the Spirit. Fan it into flame in the word, in prayer, and in community with the saints. Be accountable. Be a peacemaker. Don’t wait to be served. Rather, cultivate the joy of the Lord by seeking the guidance of the Spirit to humbly serve others for their good and to the glory of Jesus.

In your service,
Pastor Marco