Our
home life cannot be separated from our ministry. Our home life [is mostly private] and our ministry [is mostly public] –
are two sides of the same coin. Apostle Paul charged Timothy in his
pastorate epistle to select leaders for the church carefully. He was like
saying: ‘Don’t put a man in spiritual leadership
until his home life passes examination’. In his own words, “He must manage his
own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot
manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?”
(1 Timothy 3:4-5NLT).
The
home, home sweet home, is the personal proving grounds for a public ministry.
Show me a messy home life man, and I will show you a man of messy ministry. Show
me a godly home life man, and I will show you a man of integrity in his ministry.
Many minister tried to use his public
ministry as a cover up for failing in the basic responsibility God has given
him at home (I don’t mean that the home must be perfect – but manageable
and under control). Sooner or later, if the unbalance is not cure, he is almost
certain to face incredible conflicts in the future.
It
is sad when a Christian who has served for many years in a faithful and
effective ministry failed in the home life. All up for soul-winner, great
disciple-builder and has fed many young men into a might ministry – had lost
his own private ministry at home. Telling others what Jesus Christ can do in people’s
life when in fact, never allowed Him to work in their own home. This is the
saddest tragedy happened within our four walls.
John
Stott in his book Between Two Worlds speaks
to this matter of integrity when he says,
"Communication is by symbol as well as speech. For a man cannot only preach, he must also live. And the life that he lives with all its little peculiarities is one of two things, either it emasculates his preaching or it gives it flesh and blood. We cannot hide what we are. Indeed, what we are speaks as plainly as what we say. When these two voices blend, the impact of the message is doubled. But when they contradict each other, even the positive witness of the one is negatived by the other. This was the case with the man Spurgeon describes as a good preacher but a bad Christian. He, says Spurgeon, preached so well and lived so badly that when he was in the pulpit everybody said he ought never to come out again. And when he was out of it they all declared he ought never to enter it again. But at this point, it is a practical problem presenting itself to us, pastors are to be models of Christian maturity"
"Communication is by symbol as well as speech. For a man cannot only preach, he must also live. And the life that he lives with all its little peculiarities is one of two things, either it emasculates his preaching or it gives it flesh and blood. We cannot hide what we are. Indeed, what we are speaks as plainly as what we say. When these two voices blend, the impact of the message is doubled. But when they contradict each other, even the positive witness of the one is negatived by the other. This was the case with the man Spurgeon describes as a good preacher but a bad Christian. He, says Spurgeon, preached so well and lived so badly that when he was in the pulpit everybody said he ought never to come out again. And when he was out of it they all declared he ought never to enter it again. But at this point, it is a practical problem presenting itself to us, pastors are to be models of Christian maturity"
Minister, how’s your home
life?
THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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