I Timothy 3:5-7
If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
Paul listed the attributes of a guardian: First, he needs to be able to manage his own family. In fact Paul had repeatedly emphasized on this requirement indicating the importance of good family testimonies in the church. This is because no matter how well spoken our words may be, when people see your family, they can clearly tell if your action matches with our words. Therefore, we should pray constantly for our families as we cannot force our children or spouse to come before God except by supporting them through prayers.
The Bible says, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." If the king's heart can be turned by God, can't this also be true to our families? Therefore the question is not whether God listens to our prayers, but rather have we been persistent in praying for them. This is also a responsibility of our brothers as heads of the households. We should pray with our holy hands raised so that God's spirit can work freely in our lives.
Second, new believers should not be in a position to lead as they tend to follow their old values of this world and may, therefore, deviate from our church principles. Not only would they go astray, they may also be conceited and follow their desires of the flesh as their lives have not crushed by the Lord; and they may be easily conquered by the enemies.
Third, they must have a good reputation outside the church. Good testimonies of a leader should not be confined to the church, but also outside the church setting up good examples in his circle of friends. In today's world, even though few are concerned whether you are honest, but in the eyes of the gentiles, they can clearly discern on their journeys in seeking the way, the truth and the life.
I recalled in my college days, a fellow student once asked me, "Lui Tong, for some reason I have a different expectation towards you as other can make mistakes, but not you since you are a Christian." It suddenly dawned on me that this is a generation of non-believers with exceedingly high expectations for the believers. Therefore, as leaders ourselves, we should have good testimonies both inside and outside of our families. May the Lord help us so that we may lead a glorious life like Jesus Christ.
Pray with Pastor Tong
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