[PriestlyScribe]

Originally Posted by PriestlyScribe

Below is a quote which will likely be seen as outright HERESY by the "up-to-date-Vision" loyalists in the local churches. But it is the truth from the Bible, and If I took the time, It would be easy to back up each point by quoting directly from the ministry of Watchman Nee and (early) Witness Lee.

Question: What Should be the order of Priorities in our Family?
Audio MP3: Family Priorities

Answer: The Bible does not lay out a step-by-step order for family relationship priorities. However, we can still look to the Scriptures and find general principles for prioritizing our family relationships. God obviously comes first: Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” All of one’s heart, soul, and strength is to be committed to loving God, making Him the first priority.

If you are married, your spouse comes next. A married man is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). Christ’s first priority—after obeying and glorifying the Father—was the church. Here is an example a husband should follow: God first, then his wife. In the same way, wives are to submit to their husbands “as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). The principle is that a woman’s husband is second only to God in her priorities.

If husbands and wives are second only to God in our priorities, and since a husband and wife are one flesh (Ephesians 5:31), it stands to reason that the result of the marriage relationship—children—should be the next priority. Parents are to raise godly children who will be the next generation of those who love the Lord with all their hearts (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4), showing once again that God comes first. All other family relationships should reflect that.

Deuteronomy 5:16 tells us to honor our parents so that we may live long and so things will go well with us. No age limit is specified, which leads us to believe that as long as our parents are alive, we should honor them. Of course, once a child reaches adulthood, he is no longer obligated to obey them (“Children, obey your parents...”), but there is no age limit to honoring them. We can conclude from this that parents are next in the list of priorities after God, our spouses, and our children. After parents comes the rest of one's family (1 Timothy 5:8).

Following one’s extended family in the list of priorities are fellow believers. Romans 14 tells us not to judge or look down upon our brothers (v. 10) or do anything to cause a fellow Christian to “stumble” or fall spiritually. Much of the book of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s instructions on how the church should live together in harmony, loving one another. Other exhortations referring to our brothers and sisters in Christ are “serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13); “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32); “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11); and “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). Finally comes the rest of the world (Matthew 28:19), to whom we should bring the gospel, making disciples of Christ.

In conclusion, the scriptural order of priorities is God, spouse, children, parents, extended family, brothers and sisters in Christ, and then the rest of the world. While sometimes decisions must be made to focus on one person over another, the goal is to not be neglecting any of our relationships. The biblical balance is allowing God to empower us to meet all of our relationship priorities, inside and outside our families.

© Copyright 2002-2010 Got Questions Ministries. www.GotQuestions.org

P.S.

Ok, since there was little response to my last post [except for Countmeworthy - Thank YOU!] here goes with a little more fuel for the bonfire:

On Nov 15, 2009 in Bellevue WA, toward the end of a talk to young adults, Ron Kangas was asked a direct question about relationship priorities in the local church. Here is the question he was asked:

QUESTION [from a brother in the audience named Andrew]: "I don't know how to best express this, but I have a question concerning the balance between a life of consecration and being "Jesusly" human. And you know, as a parent of three children, and I think many of us, we all want to see our children live a normal human life, and to be gained for the lord in the church life. But on the other hand, as part of the church life, there are many constraints on our time. And there's meetings and there is service. This is something I have been grappling with - how do we care for our families in the proper [way]? I mean, you shared some of this, but I'd like to hear a little bit more concerning this... And I know that, you know, even our children, the Lord has their own course for them. And they may not all make it into the church life. But I have seen many who have been so given for the church life that sometimes the children suffer, and I don't want to go to either extreme. But this is just my nature, I think it's the nature of brothers especially to go to an extreme..."

ANSWER from Ron Kangas: ".....The first thing I would say is we need to re-affirm the priority - and that is, we are here seeking the Kingdom first. And first is Christ and the church. If we invert that, and family replaces the church as a priority, we're cutting ourselves off from the Lord's blessing. So the priority is Christ and the church is first, and that's based upon Christ as the burnt offering. This is settled..."

Unfortunately, Ron's response to this question about the God Ordained priorities for Christian parents stands in direct opposition to the Ministry of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee. Compared to what the Ministry has to say on this, I feel Ron's answer constitutes a subtle, yet very destructive [to family relationships] lie. And, sadly, that lie apparently, went completely un-challenged.

Now, here's the audio so that you can listen for yourself:
8 points of fellowship given by brother Ron Kangas in the Northwest, USA source courtesy of http://livingtohim.com/dload/

Listen to the very Last Question along with Ron's Answer [11min]: 16KbsMp3 or 32KbsMp3

Or, hear Ron's Entire Recorded Fellowship to Young Adults - (Could point one possibly be in violation of the 5th Commandment to honor our parents?) [Mark 7:11-13]

I'm no longer a political junkie, but at the time when Donald Rumsfeldt was in office serving as Secretary of Defense, I admired his personal operating principles, or "Rumsfeldt's Rules" as they came to be known:

My Favorite Rumsfeld's Rule - "Look for what's missing. Many advisers can tell a president how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there." <--- Click Here to see them all

NOW I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU FOLLOW "RUMMY's" LEAD AND TRY THIS: While playing that short eleven min audio clip, instead of allowing yourself to casually listen to Ron's words, please pay careful attention to what he might have left out in his answer to this very crucial question. Ask yourself, what vital things did he fail to mention? Which important items did Ron fail to pass on to those eagerly listening young parents present there in Bellevue Washington? What could he have said that would promote oneness in their marriage, or to prevent divorces or to keep the saints children from going to the world? Does this word come anywhere near to delivering whole counsel of God regarding such a question?

Besides completely leaving out the importance of FIRST applying God's Economy to our family life, which other family & relationship related commands found in the New Testament were omitted by Ron? Think about it. Exercise your God given discernment to detect what else might be missing from this speaking by a prominent Blended Brother in the Lord's Recovery. And, if you decide to listen to Ron's entire fellowship, please discern whether any of the items he does put forth there might be just a few degrees off from the Ministry and also from Biblical Truth. For instance, in his points of fellowship Ron tells the couples that it is normal for a wife to love her children more than she loves her husband - because they [the children] came out from her own body. That may only be a slight deviation from the Truth, but embracing such an aberrant teaching could open the door for "emotional incest" to creep into a parent's relationship with a child.

Don't forget that according to Paul in Acts 20:20, our sins of passive "OMISSION" toward others are just as big of a deal to God as any sins we may actively "COMMIT" toward others.

"You yourselves know... how I did not withhold any of those things that are profitable by not declaring them to you and by not teaching you publicly and from house to house..Therefore I testify to you on this day that I am clean from the blood of all men, For I did not shrink from declaring to you all the counsel of God. Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock.." Acts 20:18-28 Rcv

P.S.