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1 Thessalonians 5:18-20
New Catholic Bible
1 Thessalonians 5:18-20
New Catholic Bible
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do Not Extinguish the Spirit.[a] Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies.[b]
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- 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Paul now speaks about the responsibilities in communal worship. Christians must never extinguish the Spirit (v. 19). He is probably referring to curbing the charisms in any way. Guiding the charisms is necessary, but overcontrol is detrimental. In particular, the gift of prophecy must be esteemed properly and all charismatic manifestations must be duly tested. Any evil that tries to mask itself as a genuine representation of the Spirit must be discarded. Only then can worship be true.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:20 Prophecies: the reference is not to the Old Testament Prophets but to those who exhorted the Christian communities (see 1 Cor 12:10-29; 13:2; 14:3).
