THE MAN AND HIS MINISTRY AT HOME 1

THE MAN AND HIS MINISTRY AT HOME.

A home is a house where people live. You can then take it further from there to being particular about the kinds of people in the house and what role each person performs.

A home can also be safely defined as any place where you and yours feel safe enough to rest.

Foxes have holes. Birds of the air have nests. Any where a son of man lays his head is home.

For the sake of this discourse however, let me define a home as that house (or place; for sadly, people still live in structures that fall short of being called a 'house') where there is at least a father, a mother and children.

Let's take it from the Scriptures.

Psalm 128:3 KJV
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

The man. The wife. The children.

Psalm 127:1, 3 KJV
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

[3] Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord : and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

The man. The wife. The children.

We shall single out the man and see his God ordained role (or ministry) in the home.

Ministry is any service rendered to men on behalf of God.

We shall break it down. The man's ministry to his wife. His ministry to his children.

1. The Man and His Ministry to His Wife.

LEADERSHIP
The man of God gives leadership to his wife.

Ephesians 5:23 KJV
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

God made the man the leader in the home. He carries a hallowed title called 'Father'. Father means 'source'.

See the first man Adam. He was the source of his wife. Remember, God drew the woman from his ribs. And of course, the children came from Adam too.

Now the scripture above addresses man's headship to his wife. Let us pull it to the edge, it is man's lordship to his wife. Afterall, Christ is Lord to the Church, His bride.

Sarah called Abraham 'lord'.

1 Peter 3:6 KJV
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

So a man takes complete ownership of his wife. He takes full responsibility. How else does one explain this ? Maybe other points mentioned after now will help us better. And it is not a ministry to brag about. It is a very great responsibility. If Scriptures call her the 'weaker vessel' then you must how delicate it could be handling her. She is in your care completely! Be responsible. Lead her into fulfilment. Tell her what to do. Teach her how to live. And because it is a ministry, the Holy Spirit is there to help you. Amen.

LOVE
The man of God loves his wife passionately.

Ephesians 5:25-29 KJV
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

[26] That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

[27] That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

[28] So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

[29] For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

Colossians 3:19 KJV
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Love. But what is love, really?
But you know what you felt about her at the time you married her. Now, sustaining it is the true test. If it were true from the beginning it will surely last.

Of course, I know even true love dies if we do not consciously work at it. Hear the Lord Jesus speaking to a people in Revelation 2:4 'Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love'.

God further admonished them to return to doing the 'first works'. (See Next Verse). In other words, to sustain your first love, do the first works. What did you do to win her? Do more to keep her. That's your wife.

HONOUR
The man of God should honour his wife. Now honour is deeper than respect. Respect is what you do openly to her for the world to see. Honour is what you do to her when no one knows to show that you value her.

1 Peter 3:7 KJV
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

SEX
The man of God should please his wife with sex.

I am sorry if I disturbed your sanctimony. All the men and women you see on the streets have sex regularly. Okay not all. Most. And I said 'men and women'. I have excused the boys and girls, though you know the facts. Sex pervades our world and for a long time, the single most serious perversion among men is Sex.

But God arranged sex for marriage. Whatever else you do is sin. God approves sex in marriage only.

Hebrews 13:4 KJV
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

If God judges adulterers, how greatly fulfilled will He be with the married. We can deduce that the Holy Spirit is handy to teach you to satisfy your wife.

Let me push it with this scripture.

1 Corinthians 7:3 KJV
Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

Okay.

SINGLE-HEARTEDNESS
The man of God is a man of one wife. Some one said what of David? Let us hear the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 19:4-6 KJV
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

[5] And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

[6] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

God's original design is one man one wife. The Lord Jesus loves the Church like He loves no other people. Only the Church will make heaven- at least the part of heaven where Jesus lives. I don't know to break it better.

Ephesians 5:31-32 KJV
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

[32] This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

[33] Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Be a man of one wife. In your heart. Don't marry one and check on the other. Don't be with one in body and another in spirit.

See these Scriptures.

1 Timothy 3:2 KJV
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

1 Timothy 3:12 KJV
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

1 Timothy 5:9 KJV
Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,

Titus 1:6 KJV
If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

1 Corinthians 7:2 KJV
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Colossians 3:18-19 KJV
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Revelation 21:9 KJV
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

2 Corinthians 11:2 KJV
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Thanks for reading. I did say I would not teach marriage with authority until I clock ten years in it. I clocked five in October. Half authority, maybe. Take it as a piece of my mind.

I hope you learned something.

Fulfil your ministry to your wife. Amen.

- Adeolu Olumodeji