1 Thessalonians 5:16–22 “About the Holy Spirit”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Spirit of the Living God – Vertical Worship
• Spirit Break Out – Worship Central
• Goodness of God – Bethel Music & Jenn Johnson

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• The Fruit of the Spirit | Bible Story | LifeKids – Lesson for Kids
• Forever God, Forever Love | Scuba VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• My God Is Powerful | True North VBS Music Video | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Song – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

The Apostle summarizes God’s will for believers in three things: “joy,” “prayer,” and “thanksgiving” (vv. 16–18). He adds three modifiers to these: “always,” “continually,” and “in all circumstances.” This means that God’s will for believers is to rejoice even in situations where rejoicing seems impossible, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks even when the conditions seem far from worthy of gratitude. Such living is possible only “in Christ Jesus” (v. 18).

The command, “Do not quench the Spirit” (v. 19), indicates that among the Thessalonian believers, some longed for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, while others criticized or suppressed them. The Apostle warns against the dangers of mysticism or fanaticism, yet still urges them to pursue the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. Those who seek to be filled with the Spirit are always exposed to the risk of drifting toward fanaticism or mysticism. On the other hand, if one is overly cautious, it can lead to suppressing and extinguishing the Spirit. Human beings cannot truly suppress or extinguish the Holy Spirit; what gets suppressed and extinguished is one’s own spirituality.

The Apostle uses the gift of “prophecy” as an example (v. 20). Prophecy is receiving inspiration from the Holy Spirit to convey God’s will to an individual or community. The problem arises when a person, without the Spirit’s inspiration, speaks out of emotional excitement and calls it God’s will, or when someone lies maliciously, claiming to have received prophecy. Because of such issues, some prohibited prophecy altogether (“treating prophecies with contempt”).

The Apostle teaches that instead of suppressing the gift of prophecy, believers should discern it (v. 21). The Greek word dokimazō, translated as “test”, means “to examine and verify its authenticity.” When someone prophesies, the hearers must discern and keep only what is in accordance with God’s will (“what is good”). People of faith must avoid every form of evil (v. 22).

Meditation:

“I believe in Jesus, but I don’t want to receive the Holy Spirit.” I heard this long ago from a church member during a time when a wave of charismatic revival was causing confusion in our area. It was a reaction to the fanatical and mystical behaviors displayed by those claiming to seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Along with phenomena such as healing, speaking in tongues, prophecy, and trances, there were incidents where preachers would lay hands on people and make them fall to the ground, causing gold dust to fall from the sky, or seeing healthy teeth turn gold in color. Such spectacles were enough to dazzle people. Once caught up in them, people would lose their reason and chase after even more astonishing manifestations, often showing disgraceful behavior. Those absorbed in such things might feel as if they are living in heaven, but to onlookers, they appear as if they have lost their minds.

The issues of mysticism and fanaticism have existed since the early church. Even among the Thessalonian believers, there were such people, and the Corinthian church had even more. It is a natural reaction to feel the danger of such phenomena and try to suppress them. Likewise, strict rationalism and legalism—another extreme—also existed in the early church. Even today, some denominations that pride themselves on being conservative and orthodox go so far as to deny gifts such as tongues and healing, forbidding all forms of Holy Spirit movements. Most churches lie somewhere between these two extremes, but when it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit, maintaining balance is no easy task.

Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul teaches that we must be willing to risk standing between these two extremes. To believe in Jesus means to receive the Holy Spirit, and only by receiving the Holy Spirit can we truly believe in and follow Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:3). The risen and ascended Lord Jesus is at work among us through the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit, we live in Christ Jesus—and in such a life, we can always rejoice, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.

Therefore, the church must, by its very nature, be a community of the Holy Spirit. This means that when we gather as the church, we should be sensitive to the presence of the Spirit and long for His gifts and fruit. At the same time, we must remain watchful so that our passion does not consume us. For this, we need discernment. The Apostle often uses the verb dokimazō, which means not to believe something blindly but to test and verify whether it is true. Without such discernment, we can easily fall prey to spiritual deception.

Prayer:

Today, we seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit once again. May the gifts of the Spirit be revealed through our words and actions. And may the fruit of the Spirit be shown in our character. Let the presence of the Holy Spirit be evident within our community and cause every member to long for the fullness of the Spirit. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: Following Jesus means receiving and living by the Holy Spirit. The church is a community led by the Spirit, so we should seek His gifts and fruit with discernment—rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks in all circumstances.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • What do you think it means to have the Holy Spirit with you every day?
  • Can you name one way you can show joy, even when things are hard?
  • Why do you think God wants us to give thanks all the time, not just when good things happen?
    
• Youth
  • Why do you think Paul warns against both ignoring the Holy Spirit and following every “spiritual” experience without testing it?
  • How can you personally stay balanced between seeking God’s power and being careful not to be misled?
  • What does a church look like when it is truly led by the Holy Spirit?