The Minister's Family

God instituted the family

The course begins at the source: the institution of marriage was established before the fall of man (Genesis 2:18-24), which means it applies to the whole human race. God intended marriage to be a foretaste of heaven on earth, and the course adds realistically that a successful marriage requires work.

A God of order

"God is not the author of confusion but of peace" (1 Corinthians 14:33). The course walks through biblical examples of God establishing order: creation, the instructions given to Noah for the ark, the organization of Israel under Moses, and the instructions for the tabernacle. Then it shows how God ordered His institutions: governments, the family, the Church, and work.

Priorities in the Christian life

The most practical teaching in the course concerns the order of priorities:

• Fellowship with God first (Matthew 22:37-38)
• The family next: the spouse, then the children (1 Timothy 5:8)
• The assembly of the local church (Hebrews 10:25)
• Work (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

Many ministries have been broken by reversing this order and placing the church before the home. This course protects servants of God from that costly error.

God's order for the family

The final part details the roles: the husband as head in loving leadership (Ephesians 5:25), loving his wife as Christ loved the Church; the wife; the children; and the parents' responsibility to teach and train (Proverbs 22:6).

"If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." — 1 Timothy 5:8

Who is this course for?

For spouses, parents, and future married couples, and in reality for every child of God, because the divine order of the family concerns every Christian home, not only ministers' homes. The servant of God will also find precious protection here: public ministry is built on a private life in order.