Zambia Hunt

I first heard Darrell Champlin preach in 1987 at our a little home church in Atkinson, New Hampshire. He and his wife Louise were supported by Pentucket Baptist Church, where we were members, pastored at the time by Dan Sherman.

Darrell was the guest speaker our annual missions conference – I listened to his one-hour-fifteen minute expositional sermons filled with references to the glory, sovereignty and majesty of the “God of Heaven”, and illustrations of a God who works to save the lost in hard places, on the edge of my seat!

One of the sermons I heard Darrell preach was, The Principle of Capacity. I have taken great liberty to edit his sermon in this post, because the lesson contained here has been one that has been of great help to me through the years of service to Christ in Africa.

A Needed Ministry Principle

As missionaries and pastors, we often struggle with two areas related to capacity. The first is our hearers’ response to evangelism, and the second, perhaps more challenging, is their response to discipleship and the spiritual growth of new converts.

When it comes to evangelism we recognize the hardness of the human heart and the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit required for a lost sinner’s salvation. While we long for the salvation of the lost and invest much effort and prayer toward that end, we don’t necessarily expect all or even a majority to turn to Christ as Savior. We rejoice when some come to God, understanding the challenges inherent in evangelism, and the sovereignty of God in drawing men to repentance and faith.

Capacity in Discipleship

However, the matter of discipleship is a different story. Countless pastors and missionaries have become discouraged and disillusioned due to the perceived failure of converts to demonstrate growth and obedience to the Word of God. Much of this disillusionment could have been avoided if they had understood the principle of capacity.

The Parable of the Sower

In Matthew 13:23, Jesus describes what He calls “good ground” – hearts where the gospel takes root and bears fruit. Importantly, this fruit is not only for the salvation of the soul but also for the eventual growth that will result in the life of the believer. All the ground in verse 23 is described as “good ground” – ground that produces faith and fruit. But of this “good ground,” we can expect some to bear thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, and some a hundred-fold. What is being spoken of here is capacity. Some, when saved, have the capacity to produce thirty-fold fruit. Others are recognized as having the capacity for sixty-fold, and still others, a hundred-fold.

The Parable of the Talents

Similarly, in Matthew 25:14-30, we read of a master who gave his servants differing numbers of talents “according to his several ability.” Each servant received talents according to his capacity. One received five talents, another two, and the third, one talent. The servant with five talents was expected to make more of them than the other two, and the second servant more than the third. In every case, however, they received according to their capacity and would be rewarded according to the degree to which they lived up to that capacity. Those who lived up to their capacity were rewarded with the master’s “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The third servant would certainly have received the same praise if he had served according to his capacity. Alas, it was not to be.

The responsibility of the believer is not to change his capacity but to live up to it by the grace of God.

Darrell Champlin

Varying Capacities Among Believers

The purpose of these parables is to demonstrate that those who become children of God through the new birth have varying capacities by nature and character. Some are “thirty-fold” believers, responsible for one talent. Others are “sixty-fold” believers, responsible for two talents. Still, others are “hundred-fold” believers, responsible for five talents. Nowhere is there any indication that a “thirty-fold” believer will ever become a “sixty-fold” or “hundred-fold” believer. Nowhere are we taught that a “sixty-fold” believer can become a “hundred-fold” believer, receiving five talents instead of two. Nowhere is there any indication that the passage of time, the gaining of experience, or the process of teaching and training can change the basic capacity of the believer. The responsibility of the believer is not to change his capacity but to live up to it by the grace of God.

Application for Pastors and Missionaries

If this principle is understood, the pastor or missionary will not despair when some believers fail to grow past the thirty-fold or sixty-fold point. Instead, they will be faithful in taking those believers as far as their capacity will allow and will learn to rejoice in the fruit borne, though it may not be especially plentiful. You don’t criticize a short basketball player because he cannot “sweep the boards,” as those familiar with sports vernacular would understand.

In conclusion, the principle of capacity teaches us that believers have varying levels of spiritual capacity, and our role as leaders is to recognize and nurture that capacity, not to expect everyone to reach the same level of fruitfulness. By understanding this principle, we can avoid disillusionment and find joy in the growth of each believer, no matter their level of fruitfulness.

Edited by Claude.ai