PASTOR’S NOTES
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.”
In today’s culture, the lack of leadership and submission in the home is a major problem. Submission is a word that has been labeled oppressive and leadership is undesired by all. With these Biblical breakdowns has come the breakdown of the family. Men are not leading in the home, leaving women to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to child raising and other responsibilities. Women are not submissive and have passed on the “helper” role because of their own desire for control or their feeling that there is not a man to respect or submit to. The simple Biblical formula of the family has broken down which has led to every breakdown you see in the world today. Poverty, racism, war can all be traced back to the breakdown in the home. Since sin was born in the garden, there has not been a more devastating breakdown like the breakdown in the family!
With that, Paul makes sure that he addresses the need for a Biblical core in the home when he speaks about faithful living. Some see this part of the text as misplaced from other focus areas of his letter, but that’s not true. The family is at the core of faithful living. What happens inside the home directly impacts what happens outside of it. The verses on marriage and the family are not just accurately placed in the letter, they are perfectly intentional to Paul’s desire for what he wants the people of God to hear.
The book of Ephesians is a beautiful example of foundational Christian living. Paul starts with theology before he ever speaks on daily living. On that same token, Paul teaches on the ministry in the home before he does the ministry in the world. With a foundational belief and obedience to God and His word, faithful living is made possible.
SCRIPTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE MESSAGE
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 on the attributes of selfless love
HIGHLIGHT IN YOU BIBLES
Highlight the verses that you need to target most in this week’s scripture.