Jump Start # 3364

2 Timothy 3:6 “For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses.”

Weak brethren have always been part of God’s concern and God’s kingdom. The Thessalonians were told to “help the weak.” Just enough spirit about them to come once in a while, but not enough commitment to make any lasting difference or impression upon others.

You notice in our passage today, that it was not the strong women that were being led astray. It’s the weak women. The strong women would see through the smoke screen of emotionally based arguments that lack truth, substance and Scripture. Strong women are teachers. Strong women are the ones that are the backbone of many congregations. Strong women know their Bible. It’s the weak ones’ that never seem to understand things. It’s these weak women that were being held captive by smooth talk and an appeal to their emotions.

Some thoughts for us:

First, weak and strong are a matter of choices and will. One is strong, because they’ve taken the steps to learn, grow and fellowship. They are in Bible classes. They attend the services. You’ll see them at special events, with Bibles in hand, notebooks ready to write things down. Now, where are the weak? They are home. They’ve done “church” on Sunday morning and they won’t do anything more. Just as little as possible is what the weak are after. And, like three day old tea, weak faith isn’t much good. It doesn’t change a person. It doesn’t save a family. It won’t lead any one to Christ. Just enough faith to soothe a guilty conscience, but not enough faith to do any good. That’s weak faith. Weak faith doesn’t recognize error. Weak faith allows temptation to walk right on in with an open invitation. Weak faith relies on what it has heard years ago. Unable to answer simple questions from co-workers, confused by the what family members say, the weak faith is forever stuck in the third grade spiritually. The weak doesn’t see any difference from where they attend and a church down the street. The weak is likely to believe anything they’ve read on social media.

A weak disciple can become strong. All the tools are there in a congregation. They could attend. They could come to special studies and singings. They could. Will they?

Second, there are major character differences between weak and strong disciples. A rumor floats around. The strong will go to the source. The strong will check for facts. The strong will deal with it Biblically. The weak will just continue to spread the rumor. The weak will talk to anyone and everyone except the people involved. The weak doesn’t care much about the facts or the truth. Gossipy, busy bodies, the weak do not add stability to a congregation. The weak won’t be around to help out, lend a hand or be there for someone else. The weak are all about themselves and only themselves. The weak doesn’t care who is hurt by spreading the untrue things that they have said.

Third, the strong add so much to help a church grow. The weak undermine the leadership and tries to get others to listen to them. The weak, without realizing it, are doing the devil’s work. The weak don’t add to the kingdom. They take what they want and leave whenever they get their feelings hurt. The weak want to be coddled and pampered. The weak want everyone to tend to them, while they do little for anyone else.

The role of the shepherds is to get the weak strong. As long as loose lips and unconverted hearts hang around, there will always be fires that have to be put out. Much too long, congregations have tolerated sinful behavior out of weak brethren. Some were afraid to say or do anything, for fear that they may go somewhere else. In realty, they are already somewhere else. They are not with the Lord. Their behavior is not modeling the N.T. pattern for God’s people. The cowardly attacks launched under the disguise, “Someone said,” ought to be stopped. If “the someone” doesn’t have a name, then God’s people need to turn away and not listen to such rubbish.

We are the people of God. Act that way. Walk that way. Demand that from each other. The Ephesians were told to grow up. The Corinthians were told, “Act like men.” If weak disciples found a productive way to help others in the kingdom, they wouldn’t have time for their immature ways.

Error has a way of finding weak minds and shallow hearts. Error doesn’t stand a chance when one embraces the truth. But put error around a weak Christian, and they’ll be singing that song as loud as anyone will.

The following verse in 2 Timothy wells sums up the situation: “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth.’ Some just don’t get it.

Roger