Two Groups

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10) What kind of weak? Physical, mental, spiritual, all of these and more? When you are weak, when are you strong, when are you at your weakest, or are you always weak?

There are some Christians who do fulfill the world’s idea of what a “Christian” is, they do need a crutch only because they will not use any initiative, they refuse to walk out in faith unless the end result is virtually guaranteed, and that my friends, is not faith. I liken them to those who, as I tend to put it, wait for God to put something in the post, in their mailbox, and until that time, until they get a clearly defined, definitive message, they are not going to act, they are not going to budge. These are they that fit the verse, “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:10)

There are then, at least in the subject matter of this conversation, two classifications of Christians, those who do what they are commanded to do, and those that step out in faith, this verse makes that quite clear. So, the first class, if you will of this group is indeed always weak, they have misunderstood the context of what the Lord says we are to be, strong through faith in Christ, while the second group is all that the first group is, and more, they take what could best be called risks. They are willing to fail, to make mistakes, to be in error because they understand Proverbs 24:16, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief,” and it does not bother them one bit at all.

There are those that cannot comprehend what the word “humble” means, to the first group it could mean weak, to the second strength through, or because of Christ. The first group will do all they can to never offend, not even with the Word of God, they would no more confront a person, saved or lost, with their sins then they would step out into a severe thunderstorm, while the second are willing to be pummeled by the storm for the glory of God and the hope of salvation for whomever they are speaking to, for the soul of the lost or the rebuke and correction of their brother in Christ.

One must be quite careful in determining the difference in the amount of love that would differentiate these two groups, because love, whether we want to admit it or believe it or not, is tempered by fear, and that fear is emboldened by a lack of trust, personal retribution or repercussions, and a myriad of other factors, fear is what kills love. The first group may indeed not step out in faith, but in each occurrence, for each circumstance, they must ask themselves the question, why not? And the second group, though bolder, may at times step too far, or perhaps a better way to phrase it would be they step ahead of the timeline of the Lord in certain circumstances. They are bold but at times over exuberant and will be seen as contentious and too adamant by those in the first group.

The amount of faith that we have is governed by the amount of trust that we have in Christ, and that trust only grows as we step out in faith, without any knowledge whatsoever that what we believe is going to happen will occur. Those in the first group can only become part of the second group if they do this, if they begin to lose all fear, if they trust when they cannot see, if they love the Lord enough to lose even their own lives. There will be, in my humble opinion, none of the first group in the tribulation period, and it is only grace that allows, not only all of us, but the first group in this present age into the kingdom of the Lord.