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Final Instructions

 25 Brothers, pray for us.

26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (1 Thess 5:25-28)


Ending this short letter to his beloved church in the grand city of Thessalonica Paul give some parting direction. 
  • Pray for us - He knew the power of prayer and had already told the believers that he was praying for them. Now it was their turn to pray for him. He wanted so much to be with them. Maybe God would open that opportunity for a return visit if they but prayed. We never know what God will do until we ask him. 
  • Kiss the brothers! - Some of our teens would love to practice this request. What was Paul really saying? In fact, our Brazilian brothers do kiss on the cheek. It is a common greeting and nothing out of the ordinary. It is a way of expressing a special bond. In this case that bond was even greater because it was in Christ. 
  • Read and reread my letter - This letter was intimate but more than that it was instructive and could be used in all the churches. In the end, what Paul had written was scripture. We read it today and preach it to better practice our walk in Christ. 
  • Grace to you - Christians are saved by grace and live by grace, enjoying undeserved blessing from their loving God. So, for this new year, let's practice this passage and see what God will do in a church wanting His total blessing. 

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