The Family is the basic unit of society.
It is also the basic unit of the New Testament church.
The church is like a family in many aspects. We say that a family has members, and the church has members too. We say that a family has a human head and so does the church. We say that a family has to provide for itself, love all who are within primarily, and each member must be ready to sacrifice for it.
In the family's effort to survive, to thrive, and to prosper, it sometimes seeks the help of people outside who are sympathetic to their cause. There are neighbors who help, relatives, friends, loved ones, acquaintances, co-workers, and sometimes even the passers by who empathize.
All of these help given, whether solicited or unsolicited, does not empower the giver who is outside the family unit to interfere in their decisions. As long as the unit is functional, as long as it is standing up as a unit, we dare not impose our own better judgments on their inner circle of trust. If advice is sought from us, then we gladly help further, but not until.
And so the church itself is best left alone by those who might be willing to help some more with their precious invaluable advice unless it is sought out and welcomed by the members of the church themselves.
It is also the basic unit of the New Testament church.
The church is like a family in many aspects. We say that a family has members, and the church has members too. We say that a family has a human head and so does the church. We say that a family has to provide for itself, love all who are within primarily, and each member must be ready to sacrifice for it.
In the family's effort to survive, to thrive, and to prosper, it sometimes seeks the help of people outside who are sympathetic to their cause. There are neighbors who help, relatives, friends, loved ones, acquaintances, co-workers, and sometimes even the passers by who empathize.
All of these help given, whether solicited or unsolicited, does not empower the giver who is outside the family unit to interfere in their decisions. As long as the unit is functional, as long as it is standing up as a unit, we dare not impose our own better judgments on their inner circle of trust. If advice is sought from us, then we gladly help further, but not until.
And so the church itself is best left alone by those who might be willing to help some more with their precious invaluable advice unless it is sought out and welcomed by the members of the church themselves.
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