M-G: 3.15.19 // A Trio of Tough Expectations, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Part 4 of 5

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Normally, imperative verbs are emphasized rather than taking a back seat. I recommend going back over the words emphasized because time and circumstances are addressed by the Holy Spirit via the Apostle Paul, and it will enrich your perspective every time you read this passage. Have I lost you? Stay with me. I want to take a quick peek at tense, voice, and mood. After that, we have “clear skies” to the end with no more technical jargon. We can then piece the puzzle together and get a bigger picture of these toughies.

I want to give the TVM here in our texts and try to explain what that means in these verses and go no further with that. It is going to really help in understanding and properly apply these verses to our life. It may be an eye-opener and a jaw-dropper, but again, they are all doable in the Spirit and not so doable in the flesh. I apologize ahead of time if I oversimplify; simple minds tend to do that!

Verse	Tense	Voice	Mood
16	Present	Active	Imperative
17	Present	Middle (deponent)	Imperative
18	Present	Active	Imperative

Present Tense: I have in the past used the word continuous to describe the Greek present tense, but that may have led someone into thinking such a tense is without interruption. The present tense is not like the movement of time or breathing. In the present tense, the action is ongoing, habitual, perpetual, constantly recurring, not continuously occurring. It is a lifestyle that is expected to be evident during a Christian’s lifetime. 

Active Voice: generally speaking, the subject is performing, producing, or experiencing the action; the emphasis is on the action of the verb, and the subject is merely acting (not pretending!).

Middle Deponent Voice: Deponent (Latin for laid aside) verbs commonly lay aside their active meaning and take their form from the middle voice. According to Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, “The only difference between the active and middle voices is that the middle calls especial attention to the subject. In the active voice the subject is merely acting; in the middle the subject is acting in relation to himself somehow. What this precise relation is the middle voice does not say. That must come out of the context or from the significance of the verb itself” (p. 804). Here it is sensing a need for prayer and its effectiveness, a reflexive quality.

Mood: The imperative mood with present tense is to command the action as an ongoing process. All three of these verses are commanded by God, not Paul. They are not considered or treated as a suggestion or options but as obligations. There are no acceptable excuses for not obeying divine orders from Yahweh in this matter of rejoicing, praying, and thanking,  or any other imperatives for that matter. The fact that all three of these tough expectations are commanded indicates they are vital to our spiritual well-being.

Now, in light of what we know so far, let’s group it all together, keeping in mind that the Thessalonians are under the pressure of persecution for their faith, which, if you think about it, can make these basic attitudes very challenging, tough, and, in addition, Paul was encouraging them with the comforting truth that the coming of Lord. In the context of this letter, that could take place at any moment at the end of each chapter.

Just because their faith was growing and spoken of while persevering persecution from the locals, does not mean they had arrived spiritually, they were young in the faith. They deliberately turned from an idol culture to Yahweh, and there is still a lifetime of maturing in the faith ahead with all of its challenges. Paul is probably addressing the present situation in the Thessalonian community through these commands. They are hammering out their faith in Christlikeness on the anvil of life right out of the furnace of persecution. They are in the Majors and need to be settled on doing the basics of Christian living.

I wonder if the baptism numbers in churches across America would take a precipitous dive if new converts were immediately facing the furnace of persecution? Ah, it would be the death of any romantic notion…. Persecution of the faith would revitalize the thinking that living the Life is full-blown spiritual warfare, not a primrose path.

Sadly, many people are looking for benefits without costs these days, and that mentality is most certainly drifting right into the local churches in America. Indeed, salvation is free, free, free! But living the Life is stepping right into a war that has been raging since the Garden as far as man is concerned. The faith of these Thessalonian believers was remarkable given their context.

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks should always come from the heart. We will learn that they are always to be a part of our spiritual deportment, a lifestyle of rejoicing, praying, and thanking for a lifetime. The tense of these three verbs is in the present, meaning they are to be a constant part of our lives, not spasmodic or intermittent but habitual. They are not seasonal but never-ending which means we are to be applying these basic expectations in the daily routine of life.

Avoid thinking this is a piece of cake! Try jumping into a hot LZ (a landing zone where the enemy has a significant presence) with a baseline attitude of joy, praying, and in everything giving thanks. This was the situation with the Thessalonians. For most believers, praying, in this context, would be embraced; rejoicing and thanking would probably be jettisoned. Our Commander-in-Chief, however, demands all three orders to be carried out regardless of the circumstances. Read the orders for yourself!  

God is the reason for our rejoicing, our prayers, and our thanksgiving. These qualities need to be persistent and regular in our walk with the Lord in every circumstance of life because there is nothing that enters our lives without His approval. That’s a tall order, particularly those adverbs (always, without ceasing, in everything) that encompasses every circumstance whether it is deemed by us as good or bad. But that is exactly what God wants from us; and we cannot rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all things without Him (cf. Jn 15:5). Let’s look at the orders from Yahweh, our Commander-in-Chief.

Rejoice always (v16) – for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (v18b).

Verse	Tense	Voice	Mood
16	Present	Active	Imperative

We know that the emphasis is on the adverb always. The tense of the verb rejoice is ongoing, habitual, constantly recurring, not continuously occurring like time or breathing. and we are commanded to always rejoice! The subject is doing the acting. The pronoun “you” is the understood subject - (you) pray. Literally, “Always you keep on rejoicing.” The understood subject is plural (cf. 1Thess 5:18b), including them and us. There are two incentives to rejoice always; it is commanded, and Jesus is coming.

This joy is not dictated by the circumstances of life, the expectation of the present tense (cf. Paul and Silas, being physically abused and imprisoned for their faith, were praying and singing while incarcerated in a dungeon cell in Philippi, Act 16:23-25 and Php 4:4, another active expression of it). FYI: 1 Thes 5:16 is the shortest verse in the Greek NT (pantote chairete); Jesus wept is the shortest in the English (Jn 11:35). Always be joyful.

There is no way that we can manufacture this joy from the flesh that languishes in sadness and depression from a victim mentality. It requires spiritual regeneration and obedience to the will of God. Joy, a part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), is the result of seamlessly yielding to the Holy Spirit’s control (cf. Eph 5:18), fellowshipping with the Father (1 Cor 1:9; 1 Jn 1:3, 5, 9), and doing His will (Jn 14:15).

“Joy takes the burden out of service” (Wiersbe). This is not an exercise of putting on a happy face in the face of difficulties. I have known men who had great joy with teary eyes while suffering. The church at Thessalonica was undergoing severe hardship due to their faith in Christ (cf. Jas 1:2).

Pray without ceasing (v17) – for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (v18b).

Verse	Tense	Voice	Mood
17	Present	Middle (deponent)	Imperative

We know that the emphasis is on the adverb without ceasing (Gk., adialeiptos); this Greek word was used to refer to a hacking cough. The tense of the verb pray is ongoing, habitual, constantly recurring, not continuously occurring like time or breathing, and we are commanded to pray without ceasing. The pronoun “you” is the understood subject – [you] pray without ceasing. Literally, “Without ceasing you keep on praying.” The understood subject is plural (cf. 1Thess 5:18b), including them and us. There are two incentives to pray without ceasing; it is commanded, and Jesus is coming.

We know that the subject is acting in relation to himself somehow. Here, he or she is sensing a need for prayer and its effectiveness. The subject is acting as both the agent and the direct object of the action. We should pray about everything pertaining to us. Since this is commanded by the Lord; this should not be viewed as a selfish attitude or act for this is nestled in fellowship with the Lord, reflective of reliance upon Him, an awareness of His presence, sensitivity to His holiness, to His leading, His love for us, et cetera.

God is not looking for longwinded petitions, Genesis to Revelation kind of prayers, catching-up prayers, impressing prayers, Pharisaical prayers, or prayers cutting the grain of truth but authentic prayers from the heart. There is this humorous story of a man praying to God. After a long while, God tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. The man responded to the tap on his shoulder without looking up, “Just a minute, I am praying!”

In Php. 4:6, Paul states, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  <><

To Part 5