Spiritual Capacity
TCF Sermon
April 20, 2008
1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NASB77) And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men.
1 Thess 5:14 (NLT) Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
Encouragement. Help. Patience. After the initial admonition to warn of idleness, or laziness, this is what this passage of scripture is urging us to do.
In some ways, this passage could be seen as a follow-up to what we looked at a few weeks ago – dying to self – taking up your cross to follow Jesus. Because I think we explored, at least implicitly, the warning about being idle, this morning, I want to focus on these other things – encouraging the timid, or some versions say fainthearted, helping the weak, and patience with everyone.
The truth is these things more often than not take a death to self to accomplish. I want to explore an idea with you a little bit this morning related to helping the weak and fainthearted.
Capacity illustration
I’ve been thinking about this word “capacity.” Not necessarily in physical terms, as we just witnessed, but in spiritual and emotional terms. I believe we all have a spiritual and emotional capacity. This includes the amount of stress, the kinds of challenges we face, and just plain how much we can handle.
Here’s a dictionary definition of capacity. As I read this, think of how these ideas might be translated into the emotional and spiritual realm:
1. the ability to receive or contain: This hotel has a large capacity.
2. the maximum amount or number that can be received or contained; cubic contents; volume: The inn is filled to capacity. The gasoline tank has a capacity of 20 gallons.
3.power of receiving impressions, knowledge, etc.; mental ability: the capacity to learn calculus.
4. actual or potential ability to perform, yield, or withstand: He has a capacity for hard work. The capacity of the oil well was 150 barrels a day. She has the capacity to go two days without sleep.
I, for one, don’t have much capacity to learn calculus. Eric Dunn, on the other hand, probably does. But does that mean I cannot learn it at all? What it might mean is that Eric has a greater capacity to learn and understand and apply calculus, than I do. But the reality is, in many, if not most, issues of mental capacity, I can grow in my capacity and understanding, and so can Eric.
Now, of course, there are those individuals who have some sort of learning disability who might never really be able to learn calculus. But for the most part, all of us can grow in what we know, and not stay where we are in terms of knowledge.
I think this is even more true when it comes to spiritual things. So, even though we may say that Eric has a greater capacity for calculus than I do, we cannot say that I can’t grow in what little I have.
Let’s move that, for a moment, to the emotional and spiritual realm. Do you think it’s true that some of us have a greater capacity for handling emotional or spiritual stress and strain than others? Do you think some of us might have a greater capacity to deal in faith and strength with the challenges, the workload, the trials of life, than others?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and I’ve come to a conclusion. I do think some of us have a greater capacity when it comes to emotional and spiritual things than others. But where we have to be careful is where this passage, and others we’ll look at in connection with this idea, gives us some guidelines.
In our human pride, or perhaps even in just a reasonable and realistic assessment of ourselves, not necessarily related to pride, we might classify ourselves among the strong, rather than among the weak.
Now, it may be absolutely true that one person has a greater emotional and/or spiritual capacity than another. The apostle Paul did. And he wasn’t afraid to recognize it. I think he implicitly indicated this assessment in this passage from Thessalonians, and he did more specifically in Romans.
Romans 15:1-3 (NIV) We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself…
Paul was clearly identifying himself among the strong. He wrote to the Romans, “we who are strong.” Also note that there’s no hint of superiority, or hierarchy. It’s just a recognition of reality. Some are strong. Some are weak. It’s written in a sort of matter-of-fact manner. Now, the context here in Romans is in what’s required or not required in terms of Jewish rituals, as it applies to Christian believers. It has to do with strength of conviction and strength of conscience. Paul spends all of Romans chapter 14 talking about the strong ones who are able to eat anything with total freedom of conscience, versus those who are weak in the faith, and cannot in good conscience consume the very same things.
But with that context understood, I think we see a principle beginning to develop here. Yes, some among us are, in fact, weaker than others. And of course, some are stronger. We see that in both passages we’ve read this morning. And yes, that weakness can be a matter of conviction, conscience, faith and/or emotions – the capacity to understand, accept, receive certain matters of faith, or the capacity to handle various things in life.
But how those of us who are stronger respond to that gift of strength, and relate to those who are weak, is critical to family life, among the family of believers.
And we are talking about family relationships here. Family of God, that is. It’s no accident that Paul uses the word brothers here. It was one of his favorite words, especially in 1 & 2 Thessalonians, where he uses it more than 20 times. We, as followers of Christ, are of the same spiritual family. So Paul’s talking about how family is to relate to family. That doesn’t exclude us relating to those outside of the family of God in a similar fashion, but the context is that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I think we can extend that to those among us who almost always seem to struggle with the circumstances of life.
Now, don’t look around. But I’m sure each of us can think of someone we know who seems to be continually, or at least often, in crisis, almost always struggling to survive in their work, their school, the various things going on in their lives.
Some of us don’t have to look around at all – we may say, “hey, that’s me!”
Or, on the other hand, we may even legitimately say, most of the time at least, and without any real sin of pride, well, I’m like Paul in this regard – I feel stronger and more able to cope with life and all it throws at me, than some others I know.
But how do we deal with that reality in ourselves? Is it a matter of pride, or a matter of gratitude? Because, after all, the Word also tells us that without Him we can do nothing. So, if we are among the strong, it’s only because God has made us that way, has gifted us with a personality that contains the ability to cope with life more effectively than some of our brothers or sisters – the capacity to handle more, and sometimes more difficult things, than some others.
The other reality is that even those of us who might legitimately consider ourselves among the stronger in this context, might find ourselves in seasons where we’re not so strong as we think we are – and where we’d have to honestly classify ourselves among the weaker, among those who need the help, encouragement and patience which Paul admonished the Thessalonians to have toward their weaker brothers and sisters in Christ.
So, being among the strong carries with it a sense of responsibility, too. Again, one thing that seems to be consistent about any passage of scripture, where it seems to draw a distinction between those who are strong in an area and those who are weak, is that the weak brother, the weak sister - these are never denigrated – never looked down upon in any way. It’s just recognized as a reality that some are in fact, stronger than others. Both the strong and the weak are encouraged to look to the Lord for their strength. And it’s clear that there’s a right way for the strong to relate to the weak, and it always means humility… it means being open to being used of God for encouragement, it means helping the weak.
So, there’s this reality that some people deal with life better than others. I’d say Joel is one of those guys. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Joel really down for long. I’ve seen him manage life’s challenges like the rest of us. I’ve seen him grieve. I’ve seen him wrestle with hardships in various areas of his life, but he manages to find the strength to cope better than most.
Yet, there are those among us for whom life always seems to be a challenge. That’s partly what Paul is writing to the Thessalonians about. He writes about the weak. He writes of the timid, or fainthearted. And he tells those who are strong what our responsibilities are towards these. I believe that this idea of capacity is implicit in several passages of scripture. Let me cite just a few.
How about:
Matthew 25:15 (NIV) To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
Dave talked of this passage of scripture just a few weeks ago. Here, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. He says talents (in this case, finances) were given to each one according to his ability. That is, their ability to handle it – their capacity for handling money. Now, ability and capacity are not exact synonyms, but they convey similar ideas.
One thesaurus says:
applied to a person, ability and capacity mean about the same thing but are grammatically different: an ability to do something, a capacity for doing something; ability is qualitative, while capacity is quantitative
Someone with a greater capacity can handle more. Here are some other passages of scripture that deal with this idea of capacity.
2 Corinthians 8:2-5 (NIV) Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
Here, the context again is primarily financial, but there’s also a spiritual connotation. These Macedonian believers had a capacity to give, and they gave as they were able, and gave beyond their capacity or ability. We can’t give what we don’t have, but we can apparently stretch our ability to give, too. We can grow.
2 Corinthians 1:8 (NIV) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
In this verse, the capacity was endurance in the face of hardships – serious and severe trials of life. Paul and his group suffered tremendous hardship, and he recognizes they had an ability to endure – and surpassed that.
Revelation 3:8 (NIV) I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
In all these passages, we see something else, besides the simple recognition that we have a capacity or ability. We see that we can exceed this capacity, with equipping by the grace of God.
The word capacity isn’t found in any translation, but I did find it in these passages in the Message paraphrase.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (MSG) The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion.
1 Timothy 4:2 (MSG) These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth.
There are some words for ability in scripture that relate to power and strength. We have, or don’t have, the power or strength to accomplish something. Again, not an exact synonym, but related to the idea of capacity – how much we can hold.
I think this morning the Lord would have us address both classes of people. There are those Paul calls the weak, or fainthearted, or timid. First, let me speak to the weak among us.
One of the things I’ve thought about in preparing this message is that, though I believe scripture clearly recognizes that there are some of us who have a somewhat lesser capacity to deal with life than others, we don’t have to just sit back, accept that, and say, “woe is me, I’m weak and will never be any better at coping with life, at handling more, than I am today.” I don’t believe that for one second.
I don’t think it hurts to recognize that we all have a capacity, and that some have more capacity than others. But I do think we can grow. We can stretch. We can reach beyond that capacity. I do think that, even recognizing we may be among those whom scripture might classify as weak, we can grow stronger.
I think for some, we can even grow out of the weak class into the strong class. Some may always have some weakness in specific areas, but even those can move beyond where they are today.
I think of my darling wife of 30 years this coming August. I think Barb would agree that before we were married, and for years afterward, she was weak. That’s not a criticism, any more than it was a criticism when Paul recognized there are weak among us, whom we are commanded to love, to help, to serve. It’s just an observation of a reality. She didn’t handle all of life very well. She struggled with her self-image. She grew depressed easily in the challenges of life. She struggled with many kinds of stressful situations.
But through the years, God has done an amazing work in her. We’ve been through some things in the past several years that might have crushed her in the early years of our marriage. But I would classify my wife, with as much objectivity as I can muster, as a very strong woman today.
I’d guess she doesn’t see it that way – and might argue my point. But my larger point is that people can grow stronger through the seasons of life. And if you would self-classify as weak today, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll always be that way.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Those of us who are weak are being strengthened, and those of us who are strong, and not as strong as we think we are, are being strengthened, transformed, into His likeness, with ever-increasing glory.
Our lives are a process… ever-increasing… from one stage of glory to another. There’s also a reality that we’re all weak to some degree and we’re all completely weak apart from the Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (NIV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
How about the phrase – “I’m being stretched.” You’ve heard people say that, in connection with the difficult, challenging things that are going on in their lives. They say something like “this experience is really stretching me.” This job is really stretching me.” Doesn’t that say that we’re being stretched to handle, to hold, more than we could if we’re not being stretched?
Kind of like a balloon that’s small to start with, but stretches to hold more air? Even our everyday phrases recognize this truth.
Paul said, “we’re pressed but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.” How about “we’re stretched, but we don’t pop!” We don’t pop because God knows just how much we can handle. We do grow. We can change.
We may be the strong one that helps a weaker brother or sister one day, and the very next day, we may be the weak one that needs a stronger brother or sister to help us.
Of course, weak or strong, we’re all jars of clay. Some may be stronger, more resilient; some may be weaker, more susceptible to breaking or cracking. But if we have this treasure – the gift of God’s grace through Christ – inside our individual jars, we’re all weak – it’s only a matter of degree. But it’s also true that we are all able to reveal the power of God. So whether we’re a frail and puny jar, or a sturdy jar, we’re weak, in and of our jars, but all of us still retain the ability to reflect the power of God at work in us.
So, your capacity may be greater or lesser than mine, but, in Christ, we have equal capacity to reveal the life of Jesus – which says to me that we can grow, if we’re among the weak, and we can grow, if we’re among the strong. It says to me that we don’t have to stay where we are.
Now, let me address a few words to the strong. If you feel like, as Paul said in Romans 15:1 – “we who are strong,” you must remember the responsibility that God-given strength gives you. Let’s look at our opening passage again.
1 Thess 5:14 (NLT) Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
Paul places some urgency on this admonition. It’s not a simple – hey, if you think of it, you might do this. He writes, “I urge you.” Urge you to what? Encourage the timid. Timid here means those who are “depressed” or discouraged. I’m guessing none of us have to look very far to find someone in that state.
The word for “faint-hearted” (NASB, NRSV) or “timid” (NIV, TEV) referred especially to those who were self-denigrating, who had a low opinion of themselves.
Bible Background Commentary
The timid (oligopsychous, lit., “short of soul”) need encouragement. These fainthearted people tend to become discouraged and despondent more easily than most. They need cheering up, stimulation to press on, and extra help to live the Christian life.
Bible Knowledge Commentary
Then he says, “help the weak.” Help means:
to hold oneself opposite to, i.e. (by implication) adhere to; by extension to care for :- hold fast, hold to, support.
This means we stick by them, stand close enough to the weak, for whatever reason they are weak, to support them, to hold them up when they’re unable to stand on their own.
What’s more, this all takes patience. Paul also urges us to be patient with everyone. Now, that may not always be an easy task. Those of us who exhibit various kinds of weakness can be trying sometimes. We who are weak might not be the easiest, or most enjoyable people, to be around. So, Paul urges us to be patient.
to be long-spirited, i.e. (objective) forbearing or (subjective) patient :- bear (suffer) long, be longsuffering, have (long) patience, be patient, patiently endure.
The word here:
Makrothuméō (mock ro thoo meh’ oh) involves exercising understanding and patience toward persons – and it’s important to note that there’s a different Greek word used when it comes to bearing up under circumstances.
It’s the same word used to describe God in 2 Peter.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
The world honors the strong and not the weak. But the Kingdom of God turns this idea upside down. If you are indeed among the strong, you have a job to do.
And though the world doesn’t think the weak worth anything, the weak are of great worth in the Kingdom. They’re not just of great worth, but great importance for all.
1 Corinthians 12:20-25 (NIV) As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don’t need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don’t need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
So, this morning, whether you’re weak, or strong, or both, depending on which day we talk to you, let’s remember these things.
If we’re weak, God is strong. If we’re strong, it’s God’s strength we exhibit, and we must help the weak.
Isaiah 35:3-4 (NIV) Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come…
A month or so ago, when I was in Arizona with my folks, I had a phone conversation with my sister, Julie, who lives in Iowa. We were talking about what my dad’s facing, what we’re all facing, with this diagnosis of bladder cancer. I was trying to encourage her, as she was pretty upset about the news. At one point, she said, “how come you’re always so strong?”
I said, “I’m not strong. I’m just a weak man who serves a very strong God.”
So, the truth is, when I appear strong, it’s His strength being exhibited, not mine. Let me close with two verses:
1 Peter 4:11 (NIV) If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 6:10 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Pray
