| RELATING WITH ELDERS |
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Memorise: “Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren” (1 Timothy 5:1). Read: 1 Timothy 5:1-2 |
There are several born again, Spirit filled Christians who lack proper home training. You will identify them by their inability to apply common sense on simple moral or ethical issues. ‘Common sense’ is not as common after all. One of the issues that should be properly addressed is how we handle our elders. Honouring elders is a vital part of home training. 1 Peter 5:5 says, “Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble”. God expects you to treat elders with great humility. For instance, if you see an elder carrying some heavy load, do not wait to be invited before you assist him. Some ministers or workers will see their pastors carrying some load and simply pretend they saw nothing. It is an evidence of no good home training.  Similarly, if you are sitting down in church or a bus and there are no more seats, and you see an elder standing, you should immediately rise and offer him your seat. You should not allow an elder to greet you first. If you are travelling on a narrow road and an elder is coming, you should wait to give way to the elder. 1 Timothy 5:1-2 says, “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters with all purity”. It is wrong to scold an elder like you would do to your mate or child. Some people rebuke their pastor like a child right in front of members. They call it boldness but it is a lack of home training. When you see your elder sweeping, cleaning, washing or doing some other chores, you should immediately take over such chores. When dealing with elders, you can easily receive a blessing or a curse hence you should be very careful with them. You are commanded to treat elders as your father and mother. You should care for them, feel for them and always prefer them. Your pastor by virtue of his office is an elder even if he was 10 years old. You should treat him with great respect as you would treat your father. He is not perfect. If he does something wrong, prayerfully bring it to his notice. Be humble, patient and loving. |
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Pray against the spirit of untimely death in families of RCCG members. |
