Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Brothers and Others, Misters and Sisters.

1Ti 5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; 2 The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. 3 Honour widows that are widows indeed.

Please read all of I Tim 5 and 6

Relationships! Relationships with one another, with God, with the church. This is a vital aspect of our Christian walk.

Paul expertly lays out how people should be treated in regards to their situation in life. He considers a vast array of different types of church members such as the pastors, the elderly, widows, nieces and nephews, young women, the married, the single, bosses, employees.

He address gossips, philanderers, the shiftless, etc. He lays down principles for use of the church treasury, dealing with problems in the church, church discipline and ordinations.

This is compelling to me as a pastor because this letter is to a pastor from his pastor, instructing him about handling all the situations that arise in the course of practical church ministry.

We are not left to fly by the seat of the pants in church and relational matters, but we are given these principles as a guide to good church governance and people skills.

Praise the Lord for these pastoral epistles!

No comments: