Today we arrive at chapter 5, which is practical and clearly covers a number of issues raised by Timothy to which Paul is replying.   In my outline it is described as Discipline and responsibility, two words that our post-Christian society hates. We like charging in an being heroes in a crisis but the day to day humdrum care for one another is out of fashion. That is most clearly seen in the family where most children growing up today, live in a family where commitment is only while I like you, responsibility is who is going to look after the family member and discipline is I do what pleases me.

Read 1Timothy 5

 Paul takes Timothy and us back to chapter 3 verses 14-15.

I am writing you these instructions so that, ¹⁵ if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

 So Paul begins with a general principle of working and living with church members.

1.     Principle 1. We are family 1-2

Underlying this brief exposition is the great  biblical truth that when we come to the Father through Jesus the Son we join a family, not an organisation. We are not judged by our efficiency but by our ability to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love endurance and gentleness in our relationships with each other and the world around us. Buts lets be honest. It is in the family where lies our greatest strains. Most people who are murdered, are murdered by their own family. Most child abuse happens in the family, most violence happens between family members, we even give it a name: domestic violence. Why? Because in a family we have to accept each other. At work someone who annoys you is only there from 9-5 or you can change your job. In the family we are stuck with each other day in day out. In a sense other church members we only have to put up with for a couple of hours a week. You can change your church but you cannot change your family. Whether I like it or not I have a wife, seven children plus spouses, 4 grandchildren, 6 brother and sisters in law, a father in law, an Aunt, 4 cousins, 10 nephews and nieces, and about 60 family members I actually know of. Actually I like it! But that is what the church is. A family. You can’t just disown a brother or sister because we don’t get on and pretend they do not exist. He is your brother and we feel shame when he or she fails and people point the finger and say “Is that what being a Christians means?”  But you cannot deny you are related and we have to work out our relationships with the difficult to get on with as well as the easy ones. This is a call for endurance.

 And Paul sets out three guidelines

a.      Not harshly.

Two words stand out “Not harshly.”

The church has had its fair dose of harshness, whether it has been the treatment of sinners, or the treatment of Charismatics or children of church families or unacceptable music traditions, we have failed a lot. This is a reminder that harshness is not right and should be understood as failing in godliness. That is not to say firm discipline should not be applied, but that it should be properly conducted using Biblical processes which are enshrined in English law but little practiced in the church.

This is a call for gentleness.

b.      Treat as family

 Treat one another with respect giving rightful honour to each. Older people as parents, younger as brothers or sisters.  Our tradition is to actually refer to each other as brother or sister. While that simply becomes religious mumbo-jumbo it doe cause us to remember that we are not just fellow church members we are in the same family and we should be looking to share the family likeness.

c.     With absolute purity.

The Bible is uncompromising on sin. It is rebellion, it is a blot on our relationship with God and each other. John wrote “ no one born of God can commit sin” because it is a denial of our family status. We need to be much more puritanical than we think because the world is watching and it does not think much of what it sees. Otherwise why are they not queuing up to join?

 

 Paul then moves on to the subject of widows. Here is a summary of what he says.

2.     Widows

a.      Proper recognition as in Acts

b.     Natural family are to take responsibility

c.     Faith rather than pleasure

d.     Over 60!

e.      Godliness tests.

f.       Under 60’s to marry! (The hazards of non-responsibility with money)

g.     Looked after by family

These were the vulnerable members of society in their day and they had a difficult time. The church right from the beginning took special care of them. Today, we should include single parents, widows, orphans, unemployed, low-income, young people, carers, disabled, children from broken parentage, elderly living alone. These are all economically vulnerable. In James 1:27 we read

²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

 

Both passages imply digging into our pockets and support in kind. They also both speak about purity.

 

Rather than looking at this passage as ‘how to deal with widows’ , we should look at the principles of social care. But we must not lose sight of the context. 1Timothy 4 tells us to train ourselves in godliness and spells it out in these words:

set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift,….

 

In addition to all those things, as a church, we should also

1. Give proper recognition to those in need.

We cannot be godly and opt out and complain it is the government’s job or social services or local authority or some charity. We have to be active in out support. That means making sure our members get the full support of the agencies that are available. But if the agencies fails to deliver we have a spiritual and moral responsibility. In fact we should be pro-active assessing the support needed, taking into account what support is provided by agencies, above all making sure the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical needs of our brothers and sisters are attended to.

2. Family has the first responsibility.

Verses 3-8 & 16 are not cop-outs for the church. It is the ordering of Christian responsibility. The family lies at the heart of Christian Society. The fourth commandment is to ‘Honour your father and your mother’ So the church’s assessment of need begins by assessing how much the family can provide. We as a fellowship have a duty to support and nurture families with elderly parents, widows, orphans and single people. The objective is to let the family express godliness in the care of its members.

3. 60 is not a retirement age in godliness. 9-10

There is no age limit to godliness. Over 60’s have the same need to live godly lives as younger people. The temptations and challenges may be differ but the need to work out holiness is to the day we die and are transformed into the image of God, released from this body of decay and teleported into the presence of God.

4. Under 60’s 11-15

It may be a bit of a shock but the church is a practical organisation. Its members must take up their responsibilities. Certainly the ‘Merry widow’ is not an acceptable example of godliness. In the same way, the unemployed need to seek work, single parents need to seek to provide for families, those on low-incomes to make ends meet, carers have to go on caring. Godliness is worked out as we pay the bills as much as when we worship in church.

We now move on to elders. Remembering what I said about Bishops, and deacons the other week, this applies to all in Leadership in the Church. I was asked who they are! So here is a list. The Leadership Team consists of:

 

Ken & Nina Jousiffe,

Nicki Lewington

Sarah Mir

Phil & Liz Platt

Granville Richards

Sue and Tony Wenger

 

In addition there are some trustees of SRCT which manages our finances and appoints staff.

They are:

Liz Creese (Treasurer –also Jean Peters is a treasurer)

Ken Jousiffe(chair)

Gary Lewington

Sylvia Lewis (Secretary)

 

3. Elders
1. •Double Honour