I never cease to be amazed at the number of people who claim to believe in Christ, yet who also say that they do not really know what God expects of them. Without seeking to be abrasive, I would like to say that the Bible is basically clear on at least a good number of things every believer should be doing on a regular basis. It is interesting that most people, and especially believers, know what their employers expect of them, so why is it that so many seem to “play dumb” concerning what God expects of them. I have learned through many years of ministry that the Bible does have some material that is not easy to understand, but it has far more material that can be understood rather easily, so I am going to major on those things in this series of articles. I will seek to emphasize that all who are believers in Christ do have a “to do list” of things God expects of them!
A partial list of things all believers should be doing is found in I Thessalonians 5:14-22: “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
If a believer will practice only this list of things that God commands for all believers, he will find that he has a rather full schedule of activities! Perhaps some may say, “Oh, this list is just for Christian leaders, and not for all believers.” That might sound good to the slothful believer, but it will not hold water when these verses are seen as a part of what the apostle Paul commanded for the church at Thessalonica, as can be seen in I Thessalonians 1:1-10. So, without further justification for my reason for giving this information, I will point out that our verses above show that Paul is writing to the entire church at Thessalonica. In his letter he gives an exhortation concerning the unruly, the feebleminded and the weak. His command shows a list of things that these believers were to be doing, among which is that of warning the unruly, which does not seem to be on the agenda of most churches in our day. God has always expected believers to be able to live in peace with each other, even though there is room for differing opinions among us. To comfort the feebleminded speaks of the care believers should give to those who may be “little spirited”, or “faint-hearted” among them. So, God desires that we make allowances for those who may not be “on board” with all that we are doing. After all, there should be room for differing opinions among believers, and especially for those who may be “a little short on faith”.
Our world often seems to be more concerned with applauding the strong than with supporting the weak. It might be worth a thought that all who live to be old will also live to be somewhat weaker than when they were in their prime. But perhaps the exhortation here is that of supporting those who are “weak” in spiritual matters. After all, if the human bodies of some people were to become as weak as their spiritual sides, they would need a wheel chair, and someone to push it for them! None of us has room to brag about his or her spiritual strength, but all of us should seek to be spiritually strong, and yet to grow even stronger. I have sometimes seen a stronger individual take advantage of a weaker person, and that is a mark of pride and stupidity, perhaps in the same way of that of an adult abusing a child. The admonition of the Lord in our verses says that the strong should support the weak, not that he should seek to take advantage of him, or her. It takes more grace and maturity to support the weak than to pride oneself in his own strength and ability!
By J. Briggs King