People ask questions, God answers by His Word

Answer: Once more we need to ask what the Scripture says about this. In Matthew, chapters 5, 6 and 7, the Lord preaches the all-encompassing sermon on the mount to the multitudes. At the conclusion of that long sermon we read, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings the people were astonished at His doctrine.” (7:28).

In Mt. 10 the Lord addresses the twelve disciples whom He calls apostles, not the multitudes. When addressing them He said, “… whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” (Mt. 10:14).

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves …” (v. 16).

“… But when they persecute you in this city, flee into another …” (v. 23). The Lord also made this important statement, which might very well decide someone’s eternal destiny, “He that receiveth you receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me.” (v. 40). Everyone should read with great care what our Lord said about those He had commissioned. They were to go from city to city, whether they were married or single. The calling is the command.

Jesus Christ, our Lord, addressed the following Scripture to the ones He had called to proclaim peace, “Think not that I come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother … and a man’s foes shall be they of his own household … “ (Mt. 10:34‑36). That is the foretold family turmoil, which can also happen in the house of a preacher. Nevertheless, a servant of God must continue to preach. The servants that He sent were not promised a harmonious family life or a pleasant ministry. Never did God say that an apostle, a prophet, or a teacher had to be married. Whatever the marital status of a servant of God might be, he must be obedient to the divine commission.

Watch, how totally different the words addressed to the elders in a local church are. According to 1. Tim. 3 and Tit. 1, the elders and deacons had to be married. The statement, “They must be the husband of one wife.” does not imply that all the others could have as many wives as they wished. It simply means that a man who has certain responsibilities in the local church has to be married, because he must deal with the problems which arise in that local assembly. Quote: “The Bible requires a deacon to be a married man. He must be the husband of one wife.” (COD, Vol. 1, pg. 354).

What about the Son of God? In spite of His supernatural ministry, the multiplying of the bread, the healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the calming of the storm, etc., we read, “… neither did His brethren believe in Him.” (Jn. 7:5). They knew Him after the flesh, not after the Spirit. According to Mt. 13:53-58, the Son of man could not accomplish anything in His own city because of their unbelief. They said, “We know Him, He is the carpenter’s son, we know His mother Mary, we know His brothers, we know His sisters.” And they were offended, because they judged according to what their eyes beheld and what people were saying. Then follows the statement in Mt. 13:57b, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.”

It hurts us to read what the religious leaders of that time were saying about our Saviour. The Pharisees and Scribes told Him to His face, “We are not born in fornication … Say we not well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon?” Just imagine for one instant, our Lord, the only begotten Son of God, was labelled a Samaritan, accused of being born in fornication. That was the moment when He made the statement, “… I proceeded forth and came from God … ye are of your father, the devil.” (Jn. 8:41‑48).

Can a servant expect to be treated differently than his Lord? It shows that the Saviour did neither come to establish a natural family, nor to turn His ministry into a profitable business. The same applies to His servants. They do indeed have a higher calling to serve the Body of Christ, a calling which goes beyond the natural family ties.

There is also no promise in God’s Word for the sons of a prophet, or of an apostle or teacher, to be the heirs of a commission or calling. The prophet Samuel meant well when he appointed his two sons as judges, but, “… they turned aside after money and perverted justice.” (1. Sam. 8:1-5). Even a well-meant decision of a prophet can fail, but what God ordains can never fail. It can also happen that a son of a prophet, of a king, or of a man of God can assume a position and exalt himself, drawing the people in to follow him. One such example is recorded in 1. Kings, chapter 1, when Adonijah, the son of David by Haggith, was, “… exalting himself, saying, I will be king … and he prepared chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.” God’s decision had already been made: Solomon was to be the successor on the throne of David. His brothers, however, did not think that he should assume the throne.

It is furthermore possible that sons will say to themselves and to others, “I will be the president!” “I will be the leader!” “I will take charge!” “I will arrange meetings!” “I will have a church …” “I will …” “I will …” Regardless of their personal circumstances, from the beginning of time all true servants of God have obeyed their commission, which God can never take back. No servant of God ever said, “I will … I would like to be … I want to do this or that!” Many of them were not willing to go at first, but they had to, because God’s callings are without repentance. So, family or no family, married or single, a divine commission is part of the plan of Salvation and must be carried out under any and all circumstances.