1 Thessalonians 5:20
“Don’t despise prophesies.”
What does 1 Thessalonians 5:20 mean?
In Paul's letter to the church at Thessalonica, he's asking them to take seriously the messages people believe God is giving through them. This wasn't a command to believe everything uncritically, but rather to stay open and respectful toward spiritual insight instead of dismissing it out of hand. He's protecting a community that might be tempted to ignore guidance they needed to hear, perhaps because it came from unexpected people or challenged their comfort. For us today, this speaks to staying humble about where wisdom might come from: sometimes the perspective we need arrives through someone we might otherwise overlook, and a closed heart can cost us real spiritual growth.