This week’s topic is one that is sort of a cross post from my other blog, Unfiltered Ministries. There I started with the question of what is “Unfiltered” and as I worked on those posts I realized that most of what I found can apply to men and being the spiritual heads of their homes. What we will look at this week has application no matter if you are married, single, divorced, widowed, with kids, or not; every man can learn from this to be a better spiritual leader in their home and in their relationships. Unfiltered came from the concept of preaching the whole word of God, which while not written exactly in the Bible the concept appears in both Old and New Testaments. The one passage that sticks out to me is part of Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:27 where he states, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” You see as men we are to be the spiritual leaders in our homes, no matter what, and that means to our wives and kids, if we have them, or in a dating relationship we should be able to boldly proclaim that we did not shrink from proclaiming the full counsel of God to those around us. So what does this look like? Well to me I then looked at what Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2-5, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” Today we will look at verse 2, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
Preach The Word
So the first thing we notice in Paul’s command to Timothy is that he is to preach the word. Now what many of you may be thinking is getting up on a stage and preaching a sermon; this is not fully what Paul is getting at. Rather what Paul is saying is that we need to proclaim God’s word. We are to be heralds spreading the message of the Gospel to any who would listen. This means sharing our faith with those we meet in daily situations. The thing is this will serve as an example to our families for them in turn to follow, as they see you sharing your faith it will help make them realize the importance and need for them to share their faith as well. You see as a spiritual leader in our homes we need to lead by example.
In Season And Out
Paul next mentions that we need to be prepared “in season and out of season.” What this means is that we need to be ready to at the drop of a hat be able to impart to someone the wisdom and knowledge that the Holy Spirit gives to us. Yes there are times when we may need to spend time and prepare what we are going to say, these are the times when it is in season. Then there are the times when “preaching the word” is more providing that simple word of encouragement when a friend is feeling down, those times were what is said is more spontaneous, this is preaching out of season.
Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort, Teach
Paul finishes off this thought by telling Timothy to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” What Paul is getting at is to correct false teachings, confront or point out sins that need to be confessed, and encourage others. What we see here points some to the concept of accountability as well as discipleship. As believers we need to be one be willing for other believers to help hold us accountable, as well as be willing to hold others accountable. One thing I will point out is that living a life unfiltered discipleship, evangelism, and accountability all go together hand in hand for helping us to mature spiritually as well as to be the spiritual leaders in our homes that God wants us to be.
