Month: November 2013

1 Corinthians 4:2
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Every year I preach for a friend of mine in North Carolina who has a very special lady in his church. When you meet this lady, she is very quiet and unassuming, but she is probably one of the greatest Christians I have met in my lifetime. She has been a Sunday school teacher for over seventy-five years.

One year while I was preaching in this church, I was going through the auditorium greeting people when I came to where she was sitting. We shook hands and I greeted her, but then I told her that I was honored to have shaken her hand. She looked at me in a curious manner as to why I said that to her. I told her that to teach Sunday school for seventy-five years is a great accomplishment. I then asked her, “How were you able to do this great accomplishment?” I waited for some great piece of advice that would come from this great Christian lady. Her response to me was, “I just showed up.” That was how she taught for seventy-five years. She then said, “I thought that is what we are all supposed to do.” This may not seem very deep, but it is one of the greatest pieces of wisdom I’ve heard from anyone.

The verse above says, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” A steward is one who is employed to manage another’s property. If you’re saved, then God has employed you to manage the property of His church. God expects one thing from you, and that is to be found faithful. This is not a difficult command. At your place of employment they expect you to be faithful to your position. If you were not faithful, they would fire you. Imagine if God took the same action that your boss would take if you didn’t show up to your place of service to Him. It doesn’t seem like much, but all God wants is for you to show up.

Friend, God is not asking you to be an intellect, He is simply asking you to just show up. God is not asking of you to be recognized by all, He is simply asking of you to just show up. God is not asking of you to have the largest Sunday school class, He is simply asking you to just show up in your Sunday school class. Wherever your place of service is, God is asking you to just show up.

Furthermore, showing up also means that you are prepared. Imagine showing up to teach a Sunday school class, run a bus route or preach a sermon and not have anything to teach. Showing up also means that you are prepared. There are many Christians who are physically present in their place of service, but they truly never showed up prepared. A person who greets at the church doors not only needs to be bodily present, but their good spirit needs to show up as well. A person who teaches the Word of God not only needs to physically show up, but they need to show up by being prepared. Don’t be guilty of showing up unprepared.

Are you showing up? That is what everyone is supposed to do. I challenge you to be that one who is found faithful in your place of service to God. The way you will be found faithful is to just show up, even when you don’t feel like it.

Romans 14:1
“Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.”

Life is filled with two types of people, the strong and the weak. In the business world, you will find there are people who are very strong in business matters, then you will find there are those who are weak. It doesn’t matter what area of life you look at, you will find in every area there are people who are strong and weak.

The Apostle Paul deals with this subject in Romans 14. In secular areas there are strong and weak; likewise, in the spiritual realm there are strong and weak. It is important that we deal with the weak in a proper manner. Always remember that your ultimate goal is to make the weak strong, but if we deal with them improperly they will never have the chance to become strong. The verse above gives us a synopsis of how to deal with the weak.

First, we must be aware of weaker Christians. Notice it says, “Him that is weak in the faith…” There are going to be weaker Christians. Some are weak because they are brand new Christians who barely know what to do. Some are weak because they have fallen in sin. Others are weak because they are malnourished and have not fed themselves through the Word of God. Others are weak because they have not exercised their faith. As a Christian, you must accept that there are going to be weaker Christians.

Second, you must be aware that not everyone can take what you can take. This is the reason they are called weak. If you’re not careful, you will cast the weak aside because you get frustrated that they can’t do what you can do. For instance, we recently got a new dog. This puppy can certainly be frustrating. We are presently in the stage of trying to house break the puppy. When we want to hold the puppy and just pet it, all it wants to do is bite us with its sharp teach. If we treated the puppy the same way many Christians treat the weak, we would throw the puppy away and ruin a potentially good dog. Don’t expect every Christian to be able to take what you can. There are weaker Christians.

Third, you are to receive those who are weak. Notice it says, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye,…” No, they won’t have the standards that you will have, but they are willing to grow. They will probably do things of which you would not approve, but don’t push them away because they are weaker. There is only one way a weaker Christian is going to become strong, and that is by a stronger Christian taking the time to help them to become strong.

Fourth, you are not to lower the faith to receive the weak. We are commanded to receive those who are weaker, “but not to doubtful disputations.” In other words, you don’t water down the faith just to get more weaker Christians. Many in Christianity today are trying to get us to lower the faith so that we can get more people in our churches. God says we are to keep the faith at the same high standard that He put it, and we are to simply grow those we receive to this high standard. Don’t be guilty of lowering God to man just to receive the faith; instead, take the weak and teach them to raise themselves up to God’s standard.

If you are going to do what you’re supposed to do as a Christian, then you are going to deal with weaker Christians. Don’t let their weakness cause you to avoid them. Befriend them so you can disciple them and make them a stronger Christian; however, don’t ever lower your standards just to receive the weak.