Being a Part of the Family of God

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

These verses right here lay out a commandment of not rebuking, but encouraging all within the church. It seems simple, right? But when read in context of scripture the issue gets a little more complicated and deeper. When we get to the subjects of rebuke and encouragement. Scripture makes it obvious a form of rebuke/correcting happens within the church, specially a spiritually healthy church. Scriptures that show the place of rebuking are:

Proverbs 17:10

Proverbs 17:10 ESV

A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

Proverbs 28:23

Proverbs 28:23 ESV

Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.

Matthew 18:15-17

Matthew 18:15–17 ESV

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

These are just a few of the passages but it makes it obvious correction does happen among believers. So what does Paul mean by rebuke and encourage. We will break both down.

Rebuke

The word used here for rebuke is used more of in the sense of what we have seen described in the chapters preceding this passage. We rebuke false teachers. We rebuke people pushing false truth. Rebuke is more of a harsh correction in this passage, while the word used in Proverbs does not carry that meaning of harshness with it. Here it is harsh because sin is a destructive thing that stirs up the wrath of God. A promotion of sin in our communities should be a no fly. Scriptures such as John 3:36 make the wrath of God evident. When we rebuke we are not so much rebuking the person, but the demonic lies and teachings they are promoting. Demons seek to destroy. When rebuking be sure though to lay the grace of God out there. Rebuke the sin, make it clear God’s wrath is real, but his grace is awaiting those who repent.

Rebuke- harsh correction.

Harshness comes from wrath. Rebuke demonic teachings and lies. (Romans 1:18)

Encourage

Fellow believers are called to encourage all, regardless of age. Rather younger or older than you. So what does this word encourage mean? the word encourage comes out of is a word that carries a meaning of to cause, it is to cause a solemn exhortation.

Encourage- to cause strong, deep sincere exhortation (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

What does encouragement look like?

Deep Sincerity

When we talk about deep sincerity in the life of believers, that sincerity comes out of agape. Goes back to Matthew 22:37-39. Love God Love People. Right now we are talking about this love just for fellow believers. If they are a believer they are family and we should have deep concern for them mo matter what. Even believers in prison (Hebrews 13:3) in fact we have a special command to remember them.

How do we show concern for Christians in prison?

Is it always to show deep love for siblings/family? No, sometimes it can be a struggle and we can slip up. But in the end we always work it out. As siblings are you gonna always agree? No. Are you gonna be competitive sometimes? Yes, but their is nothing wrong with a little healthy competition just don’t get carried away. Competition does push us to do better.

A healthy church has deep concern for one another.

Deep concern should drive action.

Strong Exhortation

What does exhort mean? To strongly urge. as believers we are called too urge others to live morally righteous lives. Hebrews 10:24-25 commands us to do so.

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

To do this we are called to gather regularly. And I love this quote by Dr. Tony Evans on people who claim they do not have to go to church to be Christians:

I hear people say, "I don't have to go to church to be a Christian," and they are absolutely right. Salvation is through faith alone in Christ alone. But you don't have to go home to be married. But stay away long enough & your relationship will be affected.

You need the exhortation of other believers in your life, the Christian life is not designed to be lived in isolation, but in community.

Encouragement can include some gentle correction. The Holy Spirit convicts the children of God of their wrongs. And we should be faithful to share Scripture on the wrongdoings of our brothers and sisters to show them their wrong and to encourage them to do better. To encourage them to leave the sin alone and return to walking boldly on the path of hope and light.

A healthy church lifts one another up with Scripture.

Every cause has an effect, and we just got done talking about the cause and the rest of the night we are going to talk about the effects.

Caring for The Family

1 Timothy 5:3–8 ESV

Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Then verse 16 says

1 Timothy 5:16 ESV

If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.

A mark of a believer is one who cares for their biological family.

When we think of how we should interact with others everything flows from God.

We need to make sure we have our life's straight or else we no good to anyone. We can’t see our family needs with a giant log in our eyes (Matthew 7:3).

Then before address the needs of anyone else the needs of our family should be prioritized. 1 Timothy 5:4 talks about showing godliness to our own households. Why is that? Who do your most true colors come out around? Family, your true colors are gonna show at home, you gonna let your guards down. The true heart of your motivations are revealed. Always try to address home issues ASAP. You do not want harsh feelings among family.

Family builds character.

Think about how you are raised or how you pick up family characteristics. What you are around the most is going to effect you for better or worse.

After we meet our family's needs and minister to them we are ready to minister within the church family. When we put Biblical principles into practice in our day to day life we have the grounding to put those principles into work in our local church as we minister to those in our church body, filling in the gap for those lacking family.

1 Timothy 5:9–15 ESV

Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. For some have already strayed after Satan.

So not only are we responsible for tending to our parents, but also to the elderly who have no one. We should come together as a church body to meet those needs. As Christians we are to fill in the gap to ministering to our widows and orphans (James 1:27). Not to be cheesy or overuse a saying, but it is true “We are stronger together”. As we walk together as a church, not letting one another’s needs go unmet, spiritually and physically, we will burn much brighter in this dark world. Allowing us to minister strongly in this world.

A unified church is better equipped to minister to the world spiritually and physically.

This passage we have been reading commands us to care for the widows of the church, so does that mean nonbeliever widows are on their own? No, but we have a responsibility to care for our family before meeting the needs of non-family. In the long run we are stronger that way and more effective in reaching and ministering to the needs of the lost.

Also think about this. Do you think well of someone that treats everyone nice in public but is known for being mean to his family? Or they meet everyone else’s needs but not their families? No, you loose all respect for them. The world is watching us as a church, and if the see us abusing one another they are going to loose respect for us In a sense we as the church are living in a glass house.

Ministry flows from God to the individual to the family to the church family and then to the world.

Character Speaks

1 Timothy 5:17–25 ESV

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

So this section of scripture mainly focuses on how those called to ministry should be treated and how the church interacts with them. From this passage we get Biblical support for paying pastors. Pastoring is not as easy as people think. Pastors have to meet and counsel various people. Spend on average 8 hours working on each sermon. Deal with other things in the church. Plan events. etc. Allowing pastors to focus on these things full time does help create a healthier church.

This passage also brings out the important role the church has in calling pastors. Laying on of hands refers to ordaining ministers. Ordaining a minister is acknowledging their call and the church saying they approve of the call. The church should inspect the character of the called and make sure their character stands up to the call.

Passage also discusses how a pastor should be corrected if it is believed he is in sin.

But tonight I want to focus on verse 25. in how it should not only pertain to pastors but to us all. Which says:

1 Timothy 5:25 ESV

So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

Character speaks volumes. Your actions speak of the true state of your heart. If you are a good person you do not have to brag on it or tell everyone about how you help with such and such. You do not have to defend your “goodness”. Luke 14:11 says:

Luke 14:11 ESV

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

People will think more of you if you if you walk in humility. And also we do not do good deeds to make people happy, but to glorify God.

Good character flows out of a heart set on glorifying God.

If you are going to boast boast in God, 1 Corinthians 1:31

1 Corinthians 1:31 ESV

so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

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