每个年龄都为主活
提多书二章1至10节
1但你所讲的,总要合乎那纯正的道理。
2劝老年人要有节制、端庄、自守,在信心、爱心、忍耐上都要纯全无疵。
3又劝老年妇人,举止行动要恭敬,不说谗言,不给酒作奴仆,用善道教训人,
4好指教少年妇人爱丈夫,爱儿女,
5谨守,贞洁,料理家务,待人有恩,顺服自己的丈夫,免得神的道理被毁谤。
6又劝少年人要谨守。
7你自己凡事要显出善行的榜样,在教训上要正直端庄,
8言语纯全,无可指责,叫那反对的人,既无处可说我们的不是,便自觉羞愧。
9劝仆人要顺服自己的主人,凡事讨他的喜欢,不可顶撞他,
10不可私拿东西,要显为忠诚,以致凡事尊荣我们救主神的道。
信息分享
无论甚么年纪的基督徒,在家中、在教会、在社会上,应有甚么表现呢﹖保罗就在这段经文中清楚指出。他提到5个不同年龄的组别:老年人、年长妇女、青年人、年轻妇人和作仆人的(或雇员)。
就算有文化的不同,保罗的教导对我们今天仍有很重要的指引。
这是作牧者的又一份差事!保罗提醒提多要教导这些不同年纪的人如何为主而活,并如何彼此相处。每个年龄的群体都需要神话语的提醒。例如,年长的人就很容易自以为甚么都懂,而认为年轻人的想法及行为都是错误。
但如果长者的行为能如保罗在这里所提的,有这样的长者,任何一间教会都会非常受益。留意当中所提的爱和忍耐,年轻人对这样的态度必能接受,但对严厉的批评和不停的斥责必定敬而远之。
保罗指出,年长妇女可以是年轻主妇的极好帮助。那些有小孩子的主妇确实需要不断的帮助和鼓励,而年长的妇女需要清楚这方面的需要,并尽力给予她们友情关怀。保罗也提醒妇女应学习如何爱丈夫,这在盲婚哑嫁的年代有特别帮助。
接着便是年轻人。他们的诚信、平常的言谈、自制,都是基督内住在他们心里的好例证,表明主已把他们从以往的恶习中释放出来。
同样,作奴仆的也应在工作上、顺服上及态度上见证基督。时至今天,这些原则对基督徒雇员仍然有效。如果教会中的每一位信徒都能活出这些标准,那该是一个如何美好的教会!
EVERY AGE GROUP LIVING FOR CHRIST
Titus 2: 1-10
1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:
2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;
3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—
4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
6 Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
9 Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back,
10 not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
Message
Allowing for differences in culture, there are significant instructions here for us all today.
Here is one more job for the pastor! Paul tells Titus to teach each of these groups how to live for Christ and with each other! Each group continually needs instruction from the Word. For example it is easy for older people to think they know everything and that younger people are usually wrong in their thinking and behaviour.
But any church would greatly benefit from having a group of seniors who act in the various ways Paul mentions here. Notice how love and patience are mentioned. Young people respond to that kind of attitude but are turned off by harsh judgment and constant reproof.
Paul mentions what a help older women can be to younger housewives. Those with young children are constantly in need of help and encouragement, and older women ought to recognise this and try to cover this angle of fellowship. Paul also speaks of women learning to love their husbands. In the days of arranged marriages this would be especially helpful.
Young men are next. Their integrity, their every day conversation, self-control, are all to be proof that Christ has come into their lives and has set them free from the habits of the past life.
Similarly even slaves must show Christ in their work, in their obedience and attitude. Even today those principles hold good for Christian employees. What a wonderful church it would be if everyone faces up to and lives by these standards!

