1 Timothy 3:14-16
14 I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. 15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that 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.
16 And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
From the last 2 devotionals we have had in 1 Timothy chapter 3, we have been instructed by Apostle Paul on how we appoint an elders and deacons of the local church. This task has been charged to the existing church leaders that they may avoid to make a wrong decision in choosing someone in a position of leadership or in service.
Now, let us take a look on how Paul conclude in summary this instruction given to Timothy. Paul gave the reason for such list of standards to put in place the people in leadership within the local church administration and that is to know “how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household.”
This phrase clearly refers to both elders and deacons highest standards of behaviours, virtues, characters, and even activities both in public and private facets of their lives as member of the church.
Paul brought two distinct characteristics of the church in this passage.
a. The Church is the Household of God, a.k.a, the Church of the Living God
b. The Church is the pillar (support) and foundation (ground) of the truth.
These characteristics gives us more compelling reasons to value our membership to a healthy bible-centred faithful local community church where we are living within. The design of the church is to congregate every now and then as to exercise and demonstrate the required conduct and exhibiting or exercising our faith within the local church settings.
With the increasing adoption of media streaming technologies in our church activities, every church congregation activity suffered in lesser numbers of attendees in our new normal settings. This is happening everywhere and one main reason was the easy access to these weekly church activities through these technologies. I believe COVID19 is the main influencer or contributor of this situation.
Paul said that the Household of God is the church of the Living God. It is established by God, founded by God, led by God, and belongs to God. Moreover, its primary concerns is to support/stand and protect the Truth. Any member (not just leaders) of the church has to bear this responsibility of preserving the integrity of the truth. The church did it well not by individual approach but as a collective united synergetic effort of the group altogether under the administration God.
Our challenge these days, by every member of the local church, is how to conduct ourselves to act as a church in preserving the Truth that we received and lived with. The church is to the Lord’s and so we must display His glory especially (but not limited) on the Lord’s Day.
The church bears as witness of the righteousness of God that was granted through faith in Christ. This is what this passage claim as God’s great mystery. This is the Gospel to which we stand and fall, the righteousness that is by faith.
“He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”
Let us not be comforted of being a lone ranger Christian. Instead, let us participate in either ways, to lead by serving or to serve by leading. Both carries the Gospel of Christ, the walls and the path that guides us in His righteousness to which we trust in faith. This righteousness that we display in the conduct as true members of the church, the Household of God, of the Loving God.
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