1 Thessalonians 5:19

Quench not the spirit (to pneuma mh sbennute). Mh with the present imperative means to stop doing it or not to have the habit of doing it. It is a bold figure. Some of them were trying to put out the fire of the Holy Spirit, probably the special gifts of the Holy Spirit as verse Romans 20 means. But even so the exercise of these special gifts ( 1 Corinthians 12-14 ; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 ; Romans 12:6-9 ) was to be decently (euschmonw, 1 Thessalonians 4:12 ) and in order (kata taxin, 1 Corinthians 14:40 ) and for edification (pro oikodomhn, 1 Corinthians 14:26 ). Today, as then, there are two extremes about spiritual gifts (cold indifference or wild excess). It is not hard to put out the fire of spiritual fervor and power.