“We can choose our friends but we cannot choose our family.” We need to learn to live together. We need to learn to love one another. We need to learn to serve and care for all without being picky. While we can choose our friends, we can’t choose our family. We may not like or “prefer” some members of our family, but that doesn’t change the fact that we or they belong to our family. The point is this: We need to learn to live together. But Paul I believe extends beyond merely learning to live together, to learning to love one another.   It is possible that Timothy and Titus, being young spiritual leaders, were inclined to minister more to their peers and the younger generation. That’s why Paul exhorts that we are not to show partiality or favoritism. Just like in any human family, we are to relate with “all” members of our church family by loving and serving one another regardless of age, culture, or personality.

Ministering to men and women, young and old, single, married or widowed follows the dictum “different strokes for different folks”. Ministry to various groups requires teaching godliness by modeling.

Ministering to the Older Men

Ministering to the Older Men How to treat them: Treat them like you would your own father – with respect (I Tim. 5:1a). 1 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. (Leviticus 19:32) Men over 60 in their culture! They are to be given proper respect. They are not to be rebuked harshly. This doesn’t mean they cannot be corrected at all. But when they need to be corrected, it should not be done disrespectfully or condescendingly. Instead, the correction has to be done in love and humility. Instead of rough rebukes, gentle exhortations are to be given to the older men.

Ministering to the Older Men What to teach them: Teach them “to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.” (Titus 2:2, NLT). Self-control = temperate, sober, alert, vigilant

Ministering to the Older Women

2 Treat...older women as mothers Ministering to the Older Women How to treat them: Treat them like you would your own mother – with love (I Tim. 5:2a). 2 Treat...older women as mothers They are to be loved and cared for, especially the widows, and especially the widows who are in need. The immediate family, the children, must be the first ones to care for their widowed mothers. If the widow has no relatives to care for her, the church should care for her and meet her needs.

Ministering to the Older Women What to teach them: Teach them “to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. (Titus 2:3, NLT).

Ministering to the Younger Men

1 Treat younger men as brothers, Ministering to the Younger Men How to treat them: Treat them like you would your own brothers – with authenticity (I Tim. 5:1b). 1 Treat younger men as brothers, They are to be supported, encouraged, and helped. And the best way to teach them is by example. This is why I placed as the key word here, authenticity. The younger brothers look up to their older brothers in search of good models. The Filipino culture places a high value on older siblings (Kuya & Ate).

Ministering to the Younger Men What to teach them: Teach them to live wisely through your own example. “Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.” (Titus 2:7-8, NLT).

Ministering to the Younger Women

2 Treat...younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Ministering to the Younger Women How to treat them: Treat them like you would your own sisters – with purity (I Tim. 5:2b). 2 Treat...younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. They are to be treated in absolute purity. Paul especially pointed this to Timothy because of two realities: 1) He was young; 2) The false teachers were exploiting the weak-willed women in their homes (II Timothy 3:6).

Ministering to the Younger Women How to treat them: Treat them like you would your own sisters – with purity (I Tim. 5:2b). They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, (II Timothy 3:6) They are to be treated in absolute purity. Paul especially pointed this to Timothy because of two realities: 1) He was young; 2) The false teachers were exploiting the weak-willed women in their homes (II Timothy 3:6).

Ministering to the Younger Women What to teach them: Teach them (especially through the older women) that they are “to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.” (Titus 2:4-5, NLT)

“Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Conclusion Paul’s emphasis was for us to treat the members of the church as our closest family members. After all, Jesus himself said in Mark 3:35, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Conclusion “I LOVE the church!” (Luis Pantoja)