Title: Paul's Last 3 Advices
1 Thessalonians (25) Paul's last three exhortations (1 Thessalonians 5:25-28)
1. A life of praying for each other
The Apostle Paul, in his final exhortation to the epistle, asks the Thessalonians to pray for his mission team and missionary work (v. 25). It was because he, a spiritually outstanding leader, needed the prayers and support of his co-workers. Just as the flock needs the prayer of the leader, the leader also needs the prayer of the flock.
2. Life of Loving Brothers
The Apostle Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to “greet all the brethren with a holy kiss” (verse 26). Kissing greetings was a popular custom in the ancient East. People of the same rank were kissed on the cheek, and people of high rank were kissed on the hands, feet, knees, or chest. Such a culture entered the church through the Jewish society and was used in the church until around the 2nd and 3rd centuries, but it was banned later due to many evils.
At that time, the “holy kiss” was a channel to promote brotherly consciousness. This verse ultimately challenges brotherly love. Love your brothers and widen the breadth of brotherly love, and strive for missions and relief. Such love for neighbor is the sign of true faith. When I look at some people, I try to help others even though it is difficult for myself. When I pray for such people, I often cry. "God! Remember that kindness and bless me!” In the same way, pray more, help more, and love more for your neighbor and brother.
3. A life that puts grace first
When writing 1 Thessalonians, the first words mentioned were “Grace and peace be with you!” (1:1). However, at the end of the letter, the letter ends with the blessing, “Grace be with you!” (verse 28). This means that the most important first and last thing in the life of faith is grace. It is because of God's grace that we are living well so far. Therefore, never lose your gratitude for God's grace. When you realize grace, more grace is given.
When I was studying abroad, when I was working at a laundry in Manhattan, New York, about two weeks after I started working, the building where the laundry was located caught fire overnight. The fire burned down from the 2nd to 5th floors of the building, but the laundry on the first floor had only slight damage, but little damage. Then the master said. “Usually we don’t commit sins, so we’re safe like this.”
Hearing that, I said a word without thinking. “Isn’t it because I didn’t sin, but because of God’s grace?” If you think about it in detail, the words “I am a being favored by God!” are more precious than the words “I am a righteous being before God!”. If you are safe because you are innocent, when an accident occurs in the future, you should think of it as an accident because of your own sin. Then how harsh will your life be?
At that time, I had no intention of undermining my master's pride. Rather, they said it with the intention of emphasizing the fact that “God has given you grace,” and they took it as a statement that hurt their self-esteem. Sometimes, whenever I think of the day I was fired from the laundry, I feel the importance of the wisdom of explaining God's grace well and the importance of realizing God's grace.
In fact, those who give thanks for everything are higher spiritually than those who fast and pray for 40 days. Because God serves by grace, not strength. Even when difficult prayer topics arise, do not forget God's grace. In fact, even with the grace of salvation, there are sufficient reasons to live a life of gratitude. Even when there are such joyous things, put God's grace first, and even when there are sad things, put God's grace first.