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Originally Posted by Pastor Poster
This is a very serious issue.
1. Provision:
In I Timothy 5:8 is one of the strongest statements in the Bible: "If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (infidel)," (RSV).
I believe a man who is lazy and will not provide for his family is lost and headed to Hell. He is as lost as two boys kissing. The perversion stems from the same root of homosexuality - selfishness.
What is an infidel? The Greek word translated "infidel" is apistos, meaning "faithless, unbelieving, without faith." |
Good points. I agree. I think these are sinful behaviors. (laziness, not providing for family)
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2. Care
Providing for one's family involves more than just monetary support. It involves providing a safe and secure emotional "home" as well. Physical, emotional, or verbal abuse would destroy any hope of the home as a safe haven.
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True, and I have seen some men who provide monetarily, but otherwise they're neglectful, and in some cases outright abusive. So providing has to be more than just a roof over their heads. On the flip side, I've seen some of the nicest, laid back, "fun" dads...whose big downfall was...not providing financial support.
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3. Pastoral response to dead-beats.
I have publicly rebuked twenty-something males in the church I pastor who refused to get a real job. I have told them not to offer any advice as to the direction of the church if they were not even providing for themselves. I have told them they were not eligible to be in any leadership position because of their lack of initiative.
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I wish you had put something in your post I could object to. LOL. I agree, men who don't provide for their families, shouldn't be in positions of leadership. I do think its important to note that "provision" doesn't necessarily mean "providing wealth", but rather, providing necessities, and working hard in general.
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Domestic abuse is not something I wade into. I have a certified Christian counselor that I refer those issues to. Our church tries to cover a portion of the associated fees for such services to hurting families.
I will say that I would call the authorities if I knew any man or woman was beating their spouse. I wouldn't think twice about it. Any male that would hit a woman is a despicable excuse for a human life form.
BTW, I teach biblical family structure on a consistent basis.
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Its very important. I wish more churches offered marital classes or family classes. (Parenting, financial planning, etc)
It just seems to me that if men are full of integrity, and can learn how to care for and lead their own families, following godly principles, that those leadership skills will naturally allow better leadership in the church.