Family and the "Household" of God...

[JavaJane]

Family has such importance in our lives… they are always there, you are always a part of them… Yet how many of us were taught that “family” only really applies to those who were followers of twi?

Not that we were expressly taught this in a class or in a SNS, but it was definitely implied, if not taught in a private setting, as it was to me when I was “highly encouraged” [translation: bullied and then manipulated into thinking these actions were what I needed to do if I loved God] to mark and avoid my family. They used these verses:

Matthew 12:47-50

Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Because I wanted so badly to please God, and because they used scripture, I followed along….

And how many people (not to mention children) were hurt by the teaching on this verses in the Old Testament that talk about stoning a rebellious child? (I can’t remember the verses right now, but I am sure someone out there will remember them.)

Our families came LAST in the scheme of things. How many kids either missed out on extracurricular activities at school because of fellowship schedules? How many soccer games were missed by how many parents? How much disconnect was there because of these things?

Not to say that ALL parents did these things – just like not ALL kids marked and avoided their entire family like I did…. My siblings and I were pretty well taken care of until my parents and sibs went off to Rome City to join the FC.

I am only now really realizing the HUGE importance of family in my life… Not just my own family (now reunited), but my husband’s family as well… and our children which we will have someday.

Thank God for our families!! And thank GOD my kids will not have to go through these things like me and my siblings did!

[frank123lol]

According to der vey,Twas the household,Those faithful to der vey,do not blame the ministry,

Obey all leadership,Do what was required.

Me?How you going to have a household?Family first.The concept of thw household becomes wayspeak,

They had to pull this one out of thier A@s.Definitly a manipulation of the bible.

[excathedra]

Dear JJ, I thank God for family!!! I'm with you.

The Way, trying to remember categories --

the Household (the Household of standing believers)

the Household within the Household (like the maybe way corps)

the Family (I would think saved people NOT standing, not faithful)

Earthly Family (ppffttt)

Believers (I guess believing Believers)

Unbelieving Believers

Body and Soul Man (aka Natural Man)

Seed (you know the bad kind, seed boy or girl)

Still thinking

Angels should have gotten more credit

--

And of course

Unrenewed mind

Wordly

Copped out

Tripped out

Greasespot

I'm sure there are a million more, just gave some of my faves

[Shellon]

This stuff was always kind of confusing huh? To me anyway, although I guess the only thing I every really understood was the marriage and children part, my own personal little family gig. I didn't turn away from my parents and brothers, although I did do some really ugly and mean things to one brother and my mama for a few years, behavior they've forgiven me for, thank God.

I see it as that song my eldest and I sang every time she had to move to yet another new school. "Make new friends but keep the old.." in applying it to household of God. Those household members might not always be there, lets play the game twi dumps on our plates until we have to figure out the rules to the next one they make up.

Immediate family, meaning yours, parents, grandparents if we're fortunate enough to still have them, our own kids; that's family, that's household, that's the love of God.

I stand so thankful for my parents and brothers and am so proud of them and how they hung in there while I was in twi, knowing I was messin' with something that wasn't a good thing, but they stuck in there anyway, welcoming us every time we visited (sadly VERY little), didn't push, didn't ask a bunch of questions, they just loved me, my husband and our children.

That is family, that is God, that is household. As my own children grow up and as one has left and has her own family, I get it every bigger. She does things, sometimes, that 1)worries me, 2) I think is really stupid, 3) makes me wonder if she's really my kid. But it doesn't matter, she is mine and that love is unconditional. Even during some really! rough times when we were estranged for several months, she always knew this was home, period.

There are other means of family, too, aren't there? I belong to a writers workshop group, where we get together and share our work, laugh, chatter about our kids, etc., and after about 6 years we feel like a family.

Sometimes this place feels like a huge dysfunctional fun crazy wierd family.

Other

[Watered Garden]

One thing I was taught right off the bat by one of the medical WOW's was that they were the household. I was the family but not that special. The household was special. My former boss, God bless him, correct that in a big hurry!

There were definitely different classifications within TWi. Not so in God's eyes.

WG

[JavaJane]

So much for God not being a "respector of persons" from twi's point of view!! I keep coming back to this in my mind - how we were taught to believe one thing, but were actually doing the EXACT OPPOSITE.

For example - "Make the Word your own! The Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so...." ACTUALLY MEANT in twi: "Make sure you study what we say and get yourself convinced that everything WE SAY is the WORD OF GOD."

or... "Your priorities are 1. Your relationship with God, 2. Your relationship with your spouse 3. Your relationship with your kids 4. Your relationship with the Household." ACTUALLY MEANT: "We are God in twi, so everything else is crap in comparison to us."

Basically, without actually saying it, they convinced (at least me, if not a lot of people) that they took the place of God here on earth.

Isn't that the ultimate in idolatry?

[chockfull]

When I rejected the "family" vs. "household" blatherings of TWI, it was amazing to me how much more I valued genuine Christian fellowship regardless of the doctrine or background of the Christians. I saw that it was I who had blinders on due to a condescending and judgemental attitude I carried towards brothers and sisters in Christ. They were not considered "household". Boy what a beam I needed to remove from my own eye.

[excathedra]

Basically, without actually saying it, they convinced (at least me, if not a lot of people) that they took the place of God here on earth.

Isn't that the ultimate in idolatry?

yes and yes, jj

[brideofjc]

So much for God not being a "respector of persons" from twi's point of view!! I keep coming back to this in my mind - how we were taught to believe one thing, but were actually doing the EXACT OPPOSITE.

For example - "Make the Word your own! The Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so...." ACTUALLY MEANT in twi: "Make sure you study what we say and get yourself convinced that everything WE SAY is the WORD OF GOD."

or... "Your priorities are 1. Your relationship with God, 2. Your relationship with your spouse 3. Your relationship with your kids 4. Your relationship with the Household." ACTUALLY MEANT: "We are God in twi, so everything else is crap in comparison to us."

Basically, without actually saying it, they convinced (at least me, if not a lot of people) that they took the place of God here on earth.

Isn't that the ultimate in idolatry?

It is indeed. Who can ever take the place of a God who is so all powerful?