Explanation/Direction expected – This article encourages families of the church to invest in discipling single men & women both formally & informally to prepare them for being godly husbands & wives.
Introduction
Discipling families is the key to building strong church communities. While the world aims to discard God-instituted marriages, it is the responsibility of the redeemed (the church)to restore its purpose. Societies may choose to redefine marriage, but marriage – because it was given in creation – is not ours to redefine. The church announces God’s definition of marriage, affirms godly marriages, nurture families and disciple them. If the church is careless about discipling families, the world will seize this opportunity to twist and tamper God’s purpose of marriage eventually destroying families and church communities. Four key ways to disciple families in a local church will be discussed from Paul’s letter to Titus.
1. Discipling through Preaching.
Pastors care for the flock when they faithfully preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) – week after week, book by book. The result is discipling of all the people of God who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Paul instructs Titus to teach what accords with the sound doctrine (Titus 2:1). He advises young Titus to teach people of all ages – older men, older women, younger women, younger men. It is sound doctrine that is preached from the pulpit that shapes the lives of God’s people. This teaching educates and reminds, both singles and married couples – the nature, purpose and definition of marriage. There is a possibility of seeing the Word of God as a manual for marriage. However, it must approached through the lens of gospel. Paul commands God’s people in Crete to live faithfully in the light of the what God has done through Christ (Titus 2:11-14). We are God’s new creation in Christ and therefore we are invited to build our marriages on Biblical standards.
2. Discipling through Exemplifying.
The impact of matured godly families on single men and women is very effective. That’s why Paul encourages older women in the church to teach and train younger women (Titus 2:3-5). Instead of being lazy and busybodies, they are instructed (i.) to teach young women what is good, (ii.) to train them to love their husbands and children, (iii.) to be self-controlled, pure, working at home and submissive to their own husbands. Interestingly, Paul asks Titus to inform older women to train younger women. To train involves more than teaching – exemplifying. Paul or Titus cannot do that but older women could model that kind of a living to the younger women in the church. Likewise, older men could exemplify godly living to the younger women on how to love and care for their wives. This requires elderly couples to invite younger men and women into their lives and homes.
3. Discipling through Hospitality.
One of the contrasts between a truth-teacher and a false-teacher given by Paul in his letter to Titus is that an Elder must be hospitable (i.e. a house manager, Titus 1:6), while the opponents are hostile (i.e. house up-setters, Titus 1:11). Elder couples inviting younger couples and single men and women to their homes to extend hospitality is a warm way to disciple. The Café Coffee Day has a catchy tagline: “A lot can happen over a cup of coffee!”. Tim Chester writes, “The table fellowship of Jesus, with its ethic of grace rather than reciprocity, was creating a new countercultural society in the midst of the empire.”Inviting strangers to our homes has a major role in showing the love of Christ to the outsiders. However, inviting young couples and singles in our church for exemplifying godly marriages and showing mercy. Before I got married, I remember my senior pastor inviting me home for lunch every week. I had a lasting memory of how the pastors family joyfully hosted me and shared their experiences with me. The way they cared for each other and for the kids was exemplary. It prepared me so well for my marriage.