I Timothy #5
CHCC: May 13, 2007 (MOTHER’S DAY)
The Faith Family
I Timothy 5
INTRODUCTION:
Have any of you been confronted with a “good news, bad news” situation lately? I heard about a man who got a call from his doctor. The doctor said, “Your test results are in, and I’ve got good news and bad news for you.”
The man said, “Okay --- give me the good news first.”
The doctor said. “The good news is: your test results indicate you have 3 days to live.”
“That’s the good news?” the guy exclaimed. “For heaven’s sake, what’s the bad news?”
Well,” said the doctor, “The bad news is: I forgot to call you yesterday.”
In today’s sermon I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is --- the church is like a family.
The bad news is ------the church is like a family.
For most people family is the most important thing in life. But that doesn’t mean family life is easy. Most of you have heard the famous speech Winston Churchill gave during World War II. He said, “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills.” Now, to some of us, that quote sounds a lot like our last family vacation!
In I Timothy chapter 5 the Apostle Paul talks to a young pastor named Timothy about the Church FAMILY. He starts by telling Timothy: Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. I Timothy 5:1-2 RESPECT is the foundation for any healthy Family.
1. Respect I Timothy 5:1-2
Believe it or not, ALL the people in the Church are --- in a very real way --- your relatives. No matter what kind of earthly families we come from, we all have the same Heavenly Father. The way we talk TO and ABOUT each other should show the RESPECT that is proper within a family.
Of course, every family has some friction now and then. There are times when we need to get our troubles out on the table. Paul isn’t saying we should overlook problems --- or sweep things under the rug. What he IS saying is that we owe each other RESPECT --- even when we disagree. When Paul said, “Do not rebuke” the word rebuke describes a condemning or violent attitude. Instead, Paul said we should “exhort” --- which conveys the idea of coming alongside to strengthen someone who is weak.
I went to visit my Parents on Monday through Friday of this week. My Dad has had some recent heart surgery and is having a slow recovery. Thinking back about my childhood, I would never have DARED to speak disrespectfully to my Dad. Now that he’s getting older, I can’t even imagine talking to him without proper Respect. Most of us understand that we owe our mom’s and dad’s all the honor we can give.
Mother’s Day is all about HONORING our Moms. There’s no doubt that Mothers deserve lifelong appreciation from their children. I’m especially aware of Mom’s with Preschoolers --- because that’s the age of my Grandchildren ( I probably haven’t mentioned it recently, but I have 4 of them.)
Recently I heard about a MOM who was home with her Little Ones when the phone rang. In going to answer it, she tripped on a rug. She grabbed for something to hold onto, and turned over the telephone table. It fell over with a crash, and jarred the receiver off the hook. The table landed on top of the family dog, --- who leaped up, howling and barking. That startled the woman’s 3-year-old son, who broke into loud screams --- which woke the baby who started wailing.
The woman crawled over to the phone --- muttering under her breath --- and finally managed to pick up the receiver. She put it to her ear just in time to hear her Husband’s voice on the other end saying, "Nobody said hello yet, but I’m positive I have the right number." James Dent, Charleston, W.Va., Gazette.
Moms with Little Ones are in the “trenches” of Motherhood. When they come to Church, they need time away to get some Spiritual input. That’s why we put an Insert in the Bulletin today where you can Volunteer to help with some of our Children’s Ministries here at CHCC.
I’ve asked Jenice Longfield to tell you a little about the ministry of working with out CHCC children. She and Bob sometimes help with Wee Worship. In fact, she was scheduled today, but Ronnie said he’d cover for her since it might mean he could get some new volunteers.
TESTIMONY: Jenice Longfield (powerpoint pictures on screen)
Helping with the Children’s Ministry is a very practical way to HONOR our CHCC Moms. If this is a Ministry that you would consider doing, I hope you’ll sign up today. Don’t put it off! You can give the Insert to any of the Staff --- or leave it in the BASKET at the WELCOME CENTER.
One of the hallmarks in our Church Family should be that we Help one another. Those who have no children in the home can help those who have a house full. Those who are enjoying good health can assist those who are sick or injured. Hospitable people can open up their homes for meals and meetings.
The younger folks should gladly help older. And older should gladly mentor, counsel, and encourage those who are younger.
Our Church website describes CHCC this way: We are crossing cultural and generational barriers. We are a group of people focused on serving Christ, and serving people. We are many faces and talents combined as one body, the church. That’s a good description.
When I look out on the congregation, we LOOK like a family… a big, diverse family. Let’s make sure we ACT like a family. A good family will show proper RESPECT. A good family will also PROVIDE for the needs of all the family members.
2. Provision I Timothy 5:3-18
You know, Child Protective Services considers “Neglect” to be a category of child abuse. That’s because no child can survive without some sort of FAMILY that will PROVIDE for that child. God takes the same attitude.
I Timothy 5:8 says, If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Notice that caring for family is not an option --- it’s a commandment.
In our Church, we support and encourage our families. We also fill in the gaps when an individual has no family support. In I Timothy 5, Paul gave Timothy specific instructions for how the Ephesian Congregation should PROVIDE for each other. Paul starts by talking about Widows in the congregation. Widows in the First Century were often destitute --- with no way of making an income. In Acts 6, we learn that the very first Deacons were chosen in order to meet the needs of Widows in the Jerusalem Church.
Our situation is somewhat different today. Many Widows are able to support themselves. In other cases, they have the proceeds from Life Insurance to meet their needs. But I think we can take the principles that Paul writes about here and apply them to our congregation.
It seems to me that Paul was concerned about the Widows because they were the most vulnerable people in the Church Family. So I think it would be fair for us to say that our first priority should be meeting the needs of our own church family members. That might include single-parent families; children with a deployed parent; people with disabilities; folks out of work; disaster victims, and so on. Family Matters by Pat Damiani
Of course, no congregation has unlimited resources. Just like any FAMILY needs to budget their money --- the Church Family needs a budget. Here are some of the guidelines Paul gave Timothy:
§ Give only to those who are truly in need (v. 3) Unfortunately, Fraud is a reality we can’t ignore. That’s why our Church Leadership is careful how they use the Donations of our church members.
I remember one situation where a family had medical expenses for a sick child. They told everyone in their church about their hardship, --- so a group threw a Special Charity Party where people made donations to pay medical bills. A month later the hosts of the charity event were shocked when they found out the family they had helped had flown off together (5 people) on a 2-week Hawaiian vacation. People who had given Sacrificially had to wonder just how needy they actually were.
• Paul also says to give to those who do not have family that can support them (vs. 4, 5, 8, & 16) Paul talks about honoring our fathers and mothers --- especially when they grow older. The family is our first line of support. The Church should fill in the gaps only when there is no other family support available.
And along those lines, it’s not usually wise for a family --- or a Church Family --- to give out LOANS. It is quite common for people to ask the church to “loan” them some money --- which they promise to pay back soon. But the Church is not a lending institution and we have no Biblical reason to ever become one. I remember an unfortunate situation where Husband took out large personal loans from several Church Friends. When the time can to start payments on the loans, he and his family suddenly switched membership to another Church --- leaving all loans unpaid.
I’ve learned the hard way that personal loans can poison friendships. In fact, I have made it a rule to never let go of any more money than I can freely give away --- without expectation of return.
§ Paul also said to give to help those who live godly lives (vv. 5-7, & 9-15) He made it clear that the Church was NOT obligated to help Widows who harmed the testimony of the church. Those the church helped should live Godly lives. They were not to be gossips, and were to serve in Ministries for the church. Family Matters by Pat Damiani
The principle behind this is that we should not just dole out money willy-nilly to anyone who knocks on the church door. Every week we have people who come to the church looking for Handouts. Now, most of you know that I’ve been to India several times. So I’ve seen real poverty up close. In India, beggars will sit in public places with their hands out --- and they are satisfied with a coin or two.
But in America they often drive up in a car and ask for gas money; a night’s lodging; a hot meal; cash for miscellaneous needs; and payment on an overdue bill. Many of these folks have made panhandling churches their Vocation. For some of them, it’s an ART form.
The bottom line is that the Church’s money should NOT be given to people who will misuse it. If we give money to someone who is determined to travel the road to ruin, we are ENABLING them … not HELPING them. The church’s money should SAVE lives, not help RUIN them.
Paul has one more thing to say about how the Church provides for its own. Vs. 17-18 says, The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." I Timothy 5:17-18
The double honor referred to here is the same thing we call an honorarium. Most of the Ministry at ECC was carried out by unpaid volunteers. The same is true here at CHCC.
But in their time --- as in ours --- some leaders are paid to devote their entire attention to the Church. These leaders direct the affairs of the church which includes organization and administration. Paul gave top priority to paying those who preach and teach because this is so vital to the health of the Church Family.
3. Discipline I Timothy 5:19-21
Besides giving RESPECT and PROVISION, a family also needs to give DISCIPLINE. New Parents might get by with just love and care for a while --- but around the time little Junior turns 2, Mom and Dad would be wise to give him his first taste of DISCIPLINE. And, of course, that’s just the beginning. The need for Discipline continues in various forms for at least 16 more years.
Someone once asked a Mom the following question. “If you had it to do all over again would you have children?” She promptly responded, “Yes…but not the same ones.” How many of you have had days where you would answer the same way? (I wonder how God would answer if we asked Him that same question.)
In the Church Family, Discipline is not just for the children. The words discipline and disciple are from the same root. The only way to make progress as a DISCIPLE is to under-go daily spiritual DISCIPLINE. Timothy’s congregation in Ephesus was facing several situations that required official Church Discipline.
We’ve learned that ECC had these problems:
• Some were following the doctrines of the false teachers
• Some women were trying to usurp the leadership
• Some men who aspired to leadership were not qualified
• Some widows were living impure lives
Paul advised Timothy that Church Discipline must be given only when the issue has been thoroughly examined --- and it must be impartial and consistent.
I Timothy 5:19-21 says, Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
From this we notice that there must be proper Respect shown to the accused --- and proper Procedures so that Church DISCIPLINE doesn’t rest on something as flimsy as gossip or innuendo. Discipline is important in the church, but it must be done properly so that it STRENGTHENS the Church Family.
Paul ended this advise by saying, Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands … (in other words, don’t ORDAIN leaders until you are sure they are trustworthy and mature in their Faith) … and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. I Timothy 5:22 Paul warned Timothy to DISCIPLINE himself so that he would not fall while trying to lift others up.
CONCLUSION:
Paul ended this letter with some personal advice to this young man whom he called his son in the faith. He told Timothy: Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. I Timothy 5:23 (Now doesn’t that remind you of something a Jewish Mother might say …)
Paul cared about Timothy’s PHYSICAL as well as his SPIRITUAL health. Timothy may well have had a “ministry induced ulcer.” Now-a-days Paul might have told him, “Be sure to take some Zantac for your stomach’s sake.”
Maybe Paul’s next comment was meant to reduce the stress that brought on Timothy’s stomach troubles. He encouraged Timothy not to fret over the problems in his Church Family. Paul assured him that everything would come out right in the end when he said, The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. I Timothy 5:24-25
You see, we are not just a FAMILY – we are GOD’S FAMILY. And God will take care of His own.
Are you a part of God’s Family? Maybe today you would like to join with us here at CHCC and grow together with us in this FAMILY of FAITH..
