“Brethren, pray for us.” (1 Thess. 5:25, NKJV)
The apostle Paul has written his letter to a church, a community of faith founded and formed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul had a hand in that formation. God had used his ministry among them. Paul’s close to his first letter to the church at Thessalonica reflects both of these features—community and Christ, gathering and grace.
Almost as a postscript following his benediction, Paul asks his brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for him and his coworkers (1 Thess. 5:25). Here we have a stark reminder that all we accomplish, God does for us (Is. 26:12). We labor with His energy at work within us. We till and sow and tend, but it is God who causes the growth.
That’s true of our spiritual development in Christ and our spiritual deployment for the sake of His kingdom. And that is why prayer is integral to all we do for the sake of Christ. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain to build it.
“Brethren, pray for us.” What might Paul want them to pray? We could construct a reliable prayer list by scouring his epistles, including what he has just written to the Thessalonians, but one example will suffice. Paul enjoins the saints at Ephesus to pray for one another (Eph. 6:18) and also for him: “and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:19–20).
If anyone would be qualified to explain the gospel, it would be Paul. But he asks for prayer. If anyone would be bold to proclaim the good news of salvation in Christ, it would be Paul. But he asks for prayer. If anyone would be obedient to the Great Commission, it would be Paul. But he asks for prayer, prayer from those who understand and share his mission under the lordship of Jesus. We need Him who is with us and for us, and so we pray.
Paul also asks that the brethren be greeted with a holy kiss (5:26), an expression of affection and connection. We who have “kissed the Son” (Ps. 2:12) in love, worship, and allegiance share a bond with fellow believers who have also bowed the knee before Him.
The apostle then adopts a somber tone. “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren” (1 Thess. 5:27). Paul’s letter was personal but not private. It was to be heard by all, not just by church officers but by all the saints at Thessalonica. More than that, it is to be read and studied and applied by saints through the ages in that it has been incorporated into the canon of Holy Scripture.
When Paul qualifies his charge with the words “by the Lord” he is not speaking God’s name flippantly. Rather, he is reminding us that His epistle is the word of God and to hear it is to hear the voice of Christ Himself. Its weightiness is that of the authority of the risen, reigning Christ. We are reminded of what Paul wrote earlier: “when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13).
Paul’s final words are not simply cordialities of “best wishes” or “yours truly.” He holds out grace to them, a grace bound up in Jesus Christ. We might think here of the grace of the gospel as Paul speaks not merely of grace but of the grace.
This is the grace that was bestowed upon us while we were yet sinners. This is the grace that caught us up in our rebellion and holds us fast in His love. This is the grace that brings us every blessing bound up in Jesus, a grace we don’t deserve, can’t merit, and have no reason to expect. It is a grace that is atmospheric of Christ’s kingdom into which we have been enfolded.
As we sojourn in this fallen world, we feel the gravitational pull of glory. Our longing now has to do not only with the depletion caused by weariness and weakness but also a longing for our completion in Him who began a good work in us.
How does the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ relate to your longing?
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
