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One-Wife Requirement of a Deacon “Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.” (I Timothy 3:12) Polygamy was a practice during the era of the first and second law (Deuteronomy). However, at the time of the reproof of the redaction (Deuteronomy) by the Lord Jesus, he referred to the monogamy of Adam and Eve (Mark 10:6) as an original, good and acceptable example. Hence, it seems followers of Jesus and teachers of the church recognized a monogamous and better way for their men to exemplify the restoration of the monogamous institution of marriage and fulfillment of the law in their personal lives. None of the early church officials were noted as having more than one wife, nor as antagonists against the reproof. The deacon is a servant/minister of the local church and relatively under the theological authority of the overseer. Marriage is related to the mystery of Christ and the church. God loved and provided for the church with purity. The office of a deacon is for a family man, not a bachelor or even a married man without children. A deacon must be married and not a polygamist or remarried--he would be without disqualifying immorality complaint if he were a virgin before his marriage. He must have a well-controlled family including a clean (not defiled) wife and orderly children. Society looks upon such men and their close relatives for an example how their own families should live. Ministers of the church are as stars in the dark sky, they give light and direction. The best way that I can think of to establish clean churches is to ask impure ministers to resign, and then re-fill their positions with Godly men with qualifications and who honor God and his local community church standards. Of course as the rejects and heretics err so as to continue their own way, they nor their followers will not probably take heed and repent, so we may have to start fresh with new officials, members and a new local building. (The first gatherings of the apostles were in homes. Oh, by the way, Christians must never go into debt to build a church, nor get involved in interest-earning schemes.) We must establish pure ministers and communities that seek marital purity in order to raise the children to be sexually clean, so as they can have ministerial and parental example to honorably marry and have the sexual cleanliness attribute themselves so as to serve as ministers in the house of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (I Timothy 3:15). We can give background checks for males and females. Non-official Christians, such as women, can teach women and children in a separate setting than the local assembly. Great Christian women, such as Deborah, can operate their ministries in a non-official capacity such as non-official men. Non-official Christian men can exercise their ministries elsewhere, online, writing (without commerce) and various ways. The whole body of Christ, official and non-official, can work as an effective organism honoring the blamelessness standard of the living house of God (the local church, even if it is in a home, garage, tent or somewhere else). Someone like Kenneth Copeland or John Hagee could not qualify as a deacon. Both have had more than one woman (wife). Actually, so-called ministers as such should be shunned at the doors of any congregation without express apology and separation from their partners. Copeland must annul his adulterous relationship, if not fornication, with Gloria. Hagee must bring transparency about his former and present wives. With repentance and separation, both could support the body of Christ without taking an office. You do not have to be a church official to be a Christian, but you do have to be without complaint of immorality or backsliding into a sin (falling away) to be a deacon. The deacon should be an example of a pure man going forward in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving the newcomer hope to look forward to improvement and more blessing. The world has suffered the contemporary heresies of the modern Jew myth and the false, pre-trib rapture eschatology. The deacon and man of God must not be deceived by such. 2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? (2 Thessalonians)
Links: Beware of fornication-marriage Gravity, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre: I Ti 3:8 Pure Conscience: I Timothy 3:9 Proved and blameless: I Timothy 3:10 Character of wives of deacons: I Timothy 3:11 Ruling the home: I Timothy 3:12 Christian Community and Models
BEGINNING A LOCAL CHURCH We must get out of the polluted congregations that will not repent of sexual uncleanness and begin our own congregations. Overseers needed: Deacons needed: See above.
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