Every believer is expected to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15; see also 1 Corinthians 12:26). When we mourn with those who mourn, we should avoid certain things, such as trying to cheer people up, competing with them by sharing our own stories of grief, or being false prophets by telling them things will get better.

https://youtu.be/vi8cWm5JMII
Every believer is expected to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:1). When we mourn with those who mourn, we should avoid certain things.

Table of contentsWe Must All Weep with Those Who WeepI Wasn't Equipped to Weep with Those Who WeepFirst, Don’t Try to Change the MoodAn Entire Book About WeepingSecond, Don’t “Pour Vinegar on Soda”Elkanah's Insensitivity to His Wife, HannahThird, Don’t Try to CompeteFourth, Don’t Be a False ProphetLearning from Job's FriendsPeople's Responses When My Brother Passed AwayWhy We Can Weep with HopeJob Wept with Hope

If I had to choose one verse to summarize my ministry, it would be:

Ephesians 4:12 [pastors are] to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

We tend to think pastors are the only ones in ministry, but the Bible says pastors are supposed to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry.

In John MacArthur's sermon, “The Foundation for Fifty-Five Years of Ministry,” he wrote about the need for everyone to minister:

“I understood the church had to be a place of mutual ministry, fellowship, spiritual gifts in one another. We have gifts that we minister to others. I have a spiritual gift for you. My gift is not for me, it’s for you. You have spiritual giftsspeaking gifts, serving gifts…Every one of us fits into the body of Christ in a way that the Spirit of God has designed for us to have a ministry that is critical to the life of the church.

Grace Church has always had that. In the early years, the first article ever written on Grace Church was…titled ‘The Church with 900 Ministers.’ We had 900 people at the time. And what struck him was these were not spectators; these people were really caring for each other. He picked that up on his own.

That article got a lot of traction because people didn’t think of churches in that sense. But we were heavily on a bent on giving instruction on the mutual ministry of God’s people to each other in a church so that we’re not spectators. Things that go on around here, you could never ever imagine that I did them. When I come here, I’m as shocked as you are at everything. Who does all this? This church has always understood fellowship, mutual ministry, caring for each other.”

I have the same desire for Woodland Christian Church. I’m thankful so many serve because each person plays a vital role in the church family. Part of the ministry you should be equipped for is visiting the hurting. I will cover this in two posts. This post covers what we shouldn’t do when weeping with those who are weeping, and the other post, Six Ways to Provide Biblical Comfort for Those Who Mourn, covers what we should do.

We Must All Weep with Those Who Weep

Scripture contains verses for specific people, such as husbands, wives, children, single people, widows, older people, and younger people. Scripture also contains verses for everyone regardless of their season of life. Romans 12 is one of those chapters written to anyone and everyone.

The chapter begins with familiar verses appealing to us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. It is followed by the command not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by renewing our minds. Then verses 3-8 encourage us to use God's gifts. Finally, in verses 9-21, Paul has a section titled “Behave like a Christian” or “Marks of the True Christian.” These verses are written to every Christian, and Romans 12:15 says:

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

If people have the gift of leadership but not the gift of service, they can’t say, “I’ll be in charge, but don’t expect me to serve.