1 Timothy 3:5
5 (For [de] if a man [ei tis]
know [eido] not [ou] how [eido] to rule [proistemi] his own [idios] house, [oikos] how [pos] shall he take care of [epimeleomai] the church [ekklesia] of God [theos]?) KJV-Interlinear
5 (but if a man does not know how
to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?); NASB
If a man has no
authority, no control, no semblance of structure within his own family, a small
group that is presumably made up of younger people, that he sees and interacts
with everyday, then how could he possibly have any control of interaction with
folks in a larger group, the most of whom he may never see or know in this
life?
For the family, Paul uses
the word, proistemi, which means to stand before,
to preside over and comes to mean to have a personal up close relationship.
For the Church, Paul
uses the word, epimeleomai, which means to care
for, to look out for, and comes to mean to know what is needed and to lead or
guide through counsel.
The objective of the
family, from the parents view, is to raise their children in such a manner that
they will be able to make their way through life on their own, when they go out
on their own.You do this by giving the
children structure, security, stability, opportunity and resources, not to
mention the love and care that they need.
The objective of the
teacher for the Church, a larger group, is to make available the resources they
need in order to complete their individual lives to the utmost. That means a daily dose of spiritual food (Bible
doctrine), so that the members of the congregation, group, assembly, etc, can
have a steady spiritual diet and a healthy growth pattern in their spiritual
life.
If a man is not well
organized within his family, then he will likely be disorganized in his preparation
and presentation to Christian students.
A failed family may
mean failed lives for the children.A
failed ministry means misleading people in their spiritual lives, or causing
confusion, or simply messing their lives up.
In either case, getting
straightened out usually takes many falls in life and a great deal of time.
Too often, you will run
across would be ministers, prophets, or whatever they call themselves, who run
from one sensational message to the next.
And this is only to gain followers, because they need followers in order
to satisfy their ego.That does not help
anyone.
If is far better to
tell students that they are messing up and need a daily study of spinach, than
to feed them sugar only.Of course many
students do not like to hear that, so they will fall away.
But sooner or later, in
the back of their mind, they will come back to the diet of meat and potatoes
and vegetables, and set aside the sugar, because they know the former is a
better diet than the latter.
A family is run with
the fundamental principles of life, which includes love, discipline,
encouragement, guidance, allowing a safe space to maneuver in, an education,
and so forth.
A congregation of
Christian believers likewise needs the nuts and bolts of doctrine, so that they
can grow up and eventually become independent from within their own spiritual life.
A family will grow up
and move on, but they will always be your children for all of your life.
A congregation of
believers should grow up, but they will always be students for all of their
life, as the learning of knowledge of doctrine has no ending.
Those who want it all
and now, are like the five year old who asks, When will I be grown up?
Maturity takes time and
is comprehended as it happens, or from hindsight. Sometimes you have to be fifty before you
realize just how dumb you were when you were twenty.
There are three levels
of maturity physical, mental, and spiritual.
They are all very different.
The physical maturing
process simply takes time.You have to
grow up physically. You have to become five years old, then ten years old, then
twenty years old, then thirty years old, etc.
The mental maturing
process takes education and experience.That
too, takes time, and it is generally a part of the family environment and from
your life s experiences.
The spiritual maturing
process comes from your daily Bible study.
That too, will not occur over night.
All learning and experience and growth take time, and each compliments
the other to enhance your overall maturing process.
The Bible instructor is
primarily concerned with providing you the resources and tools necessary such
that you can have a full spiritual education, which prepares you for life and for
all of eternity.
That is what is meant
by taking care of the Church.
Gimmicks, cults, and
religions all, are only interested in taking care of the leaders at the expense
of the membership.
A Christian Bible
instructor s first priority should be making sure that you are taken care of.
Isn t that what being a
parent is all about?The children and
family always come before ones self?
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