I Thessalonians 5:12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
The end of chapter 4 and beginning of chapter 5 are all about the return of Christ, but Paul does not want the believers to slack off which waiting for Him to come back. Waiting is an active thing. Positively, it means respect, love, encouragement, patience, doing good, rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, and clinging to sound doctrine. It also involves admonishing slackness and abstaining from sinfulness. The call today is no different today than it was in that one. As much as we may be sure that the “signs of the times” indicate His imminent return, we cannot let down our guard, but must diligently wait.
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