Strong or Weak, Spot Me

Spot Me Please

If you have ever lifted weights, especially on the bench press there is usually some standing behind your head in effort to spot you. Spotting is necessary for heavy weight, but where injuries happen is when we think we are stronger than we actually are and we end up hurting ourselves. Sometimes the spotter even helps with your form, not to say that you are not strong enough to lift the weight but great form keeps you from injuring yourself as well and teaching you the proper way to lift.

Similarly this is why fellowship and relationship is very important. There are things in life that we have the liberty to do that we believe we can handle but sometimes we need a spotter to tell us, you might want to be careful or to show us the proper way to handle the things that life brings to us.

There are a number of things that you may be able to handle that I cannot handle nonetheless I should not be despised because I am not at liberty to do it. Even further I should not look down on someone because they can do something that I can, or something that I can do that they can’t.

The book of Romans gives us insight to the eagerness that Paul had to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some would even suggest that this is a Christian manifesto, Paul in attempts to build a personal relationship at the beginning of this letter even states “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.” We even see things like, “we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine”.

From chapter 12 to 15 the book of Romans can be broken down as such.

Our relationship to God

Our relationship to Ourselves

Our relationship to One Another

Our relationships to Enemies

Our relationship to the Government

Our relationship to the Law

Our relationship with our Present vs. Our Future

Our relationship with the Weak vs. the Strong

Essentially in effort to evolve our ability to build effective relationships with each other begins with God and ends with how we treat each other.

Context of

reads “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions”.

The relationship amongst the strong and the weak is the essence of the church. The church has never and will never be filled with completely strong individuals. Nor will the church be completely weak in its make-up.

This is the beauty of the body of Christ. Some of us, all we know is the church of Christ. We know the songs in the sacred selection song book by memory. We go to sleep humming the tune of a Mansion, Robe and Crown.

On the other hand we some of us are barely making it. We are still figuring it out. This whole Christian situation is rough, foreign, and I am struggling. If this is the case I should not have to worry about being judged because I can’t list the books written by minor and major profits in order.

Nonetheless, those who are week do not allow the spirit of covetousness and jealously seep in at the expense of you comparing yourself to the strong.

How Did We Get Here?

We see a very powerful word in verse 13, “Therefore” or essentially because of what I previously said here are the instructions.

Verse 7, “none of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself”

We have to know if it’s inappropriate to reject somebody who God has welcomed, we have to then know that it is also inappropriate to interfere with someone’s relationship with God.

No one in here is exclusively living for ourselves, none of us dies for ourselves as well. At some regard many of us have some sort of intrinsic motivation that is tied to someone else. Our child, a friend, our legacy, our spouse. Our example of perfection is Jesus, not only did he live for us but he died for us. With that said we aren’t the acceptance police.

We have no power to say who God accepts and who he denies, that is not our job. Our job is to treat people with love, our job is to show Jesus to those are do not know him.

Furthermore we belong to God, therefore we belong to each other. “You then why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgement.” (NIV)

At the end of the day, regardless of background, color, male or female we are connected in the strongest possible way, family ties.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you all one in Christ Jesus”

Consider Each Other

I believe it was Tupac Shakur that once said, Only God can Judge me. What is judgement, judgement defined is to select, prefer or pass judgement in effort to seek influence by judging people based on their lives and actions.

The problem with judgement is we have confused judgement with accountability. When someone is holding you accountable similar to Nathan and David that is not judgment, I just care about my brother to the point that I do not want to see him fall victim to Satan.

“Any longer” suggest that this action was prevalent in our context of church community of believers.

We have to get to a place where accountability does not seem invasive, but we can hold our brother or sister accountable because I actually care about me.

Understand accountability and relationship go hand in hand. I may listen to your advice, but if we have a relationship there is a greater chance of internalizing it properly with love.

The reality is we pass judgement. The reality is we don't realize we past judgement.

The strong despise others for what the weak can't do and the weak condemn the strong for the things they can't do.

Avoid judging others

Make a decision to take a contrary action

Avoid placing stumbling blocks or hindrances based on what you can or cannot handle.

The goal of the text is to provide a spirit of upbuilding for multiple congregations, but there is also an autonomous lesson to be applies.

We have to understand that dealing with people we consider weak, not only does God require patience but edification.

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding”

We have a bad habit of deeming things strong. People seem to be juggling life amidst going through a rough time and people preemptively from the outside looking in, say they are STRONG, meanwhile they aren't strong enough to ask for help.

In effort to grow with one another there has to be a sense of resolve: "to reach a decision toward some course of action". Make up your mind today that we will stop being hindrances to others and be mindful of boundaries and limitations of others.

Stumbling block - Causing a person to sin, or prevention of a righteous action or simply promoting sinful behavior.

- But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

To the things we consider weak let us not oppress through refusal to understand, on the other hand to the things we cannot handle let us not despise.

Stumbling Block

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

Doritos

Oreos

M&M’s

Ice Cream

Soda

We are all at liberty to eat these things. To some this might be a weakness, to some this might not be an issue at all.

It’s evident that we have freedoms. Understand that truly Christian respect, I cannot allow my liberty to be a hindrance to you, I should care enough about you to not expose you not to expose you to something that could weaken your faith.

We all have weaknesses, and I should not expect everyone to limit themselves because of something I cannot handle.

We have aligned this text as a supporter of freedom in worship, but I want us to be careful not to isolate this text to one setting, because our lifestyles can be a bigger hindrance that whether or not we clap during a song, or stand during a prayer.

Don’t be a stumbling block because you don’t understand my strength or fail to conceptualize my weakness, entreat me as a brother or sister because Jesus loves me.

Don’t be a stumbling block because you can’t wrap your mind around my struggle, just pray for me, just encourage me.

Be careful because that same strength you boast about can be the same weakness that destroys you.