Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Treat other people as if they were your own family.

1Timothy 5:1-16
If a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Give people these instructions, too so that no one may be open to  blame.
Younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.
If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.
Paul's advice is sound. Treat other people as if they were your own family.
Windows who have no means of support deserve special consideration. Their lot was unenviable. There was a grain dole(救濟金) in Rome and some other places, but no other state welfare in Paul's day.
The church was quick to realize and accept its responsibility to help. It soon had a sizable problem, and not all of the cases were equally deserving. 
Paul's rule is that the church should reserve its help for those who are really destitute(貧困). It should take on to its books only older widows of good Christian character, and committed to Christian work.And wherever possible widows should be cared for by their own relatives. In the city where the goddess Diana was served by a host of prostitutes the reputation of those who serve Christ must be beyond reproach(責備).
Why?
Serving people is serving the God, but practice it by caring for his own family.
Church should help those who are really in need, takes the responsibility. 
Serve Christ must be beyond reproach.
How?
Do what must be beyond reproach.

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