The Model Christian Home

A college professor’s wife said, “Now we are in the full time service mainly because of the prayers, constant visit and counselling of committed couple”. The couple visited the professor’s home often and spent time with them. They conducted prayer meetings and Bible studies in the professor’s home. They took them to the meetings. The Lord touched the professor and his wife deeply in the meetings due to the prayerful involvement of the couple. They accepted the Lord in the meetings and involved in the ministry while they were working in the college. Now they are in the fulltime ministry.

We need such committed who will involve in the ministry as a family. Only such committed, prayerful and sacrificial families, can raise leaders to meet the need in our country. In the Bible we read about a committed family, the family of Priscilla and Aquila. They taught and raised Apollos as a man of God. They gave fellowship to Paul. Let us study the family life and the ministry of Priscilla and Aquila to know the characteristics of a model family.

There are six references in the Bible about Aquila and Priscilla. In all these references both their names are present together showing that they involved as a unit. It is customary in these days to write the husband’s name in the beginning. But in referring to this couple, Priscilla’s name occurs first in four places. This shows that she was of noble origin and talented than Aquila. In spite of these differences Priscilla loved her husband and Aquila accepted his wife as equal. This is evident from the fact that they involved in the ministry as partners. Here are a few lessons that we can learn from this model family.

• Displaced family but not a disappointed family: Aquila and Priscilla family faced displacements and discouragements which never deterred them from involving in the ministry. They were originally settled in Rome. But they were forced to move from Rome to Corinth by Claudius. Acts 18:2. Even in these disturbances they had an open home and invited Paul to stay with them. Acts 18:3. This showed that they were not discouraged by displacements or disappointments in life.

The Bible says that they were willing to move from place to place and in all those places they involved as a family in the ministry. From Corinth, they went to Ephesus Acts 18:18, then went to Rome, Rom. 16:24 and returned back to Ephesus 2 Tim. 4:19.

• Sacrificial family and not a selfish family: Aquila and Priscilla were willing to take risks for the ministry and the children of God. When they were at home, Paul wrote that they risked their own necks for his life. Rom 16:3, 4. Today also we need such families where the members will risk their lives for helping believers and the ministry. 

• Hospitable and open family and not a closed family: They were forced to move from place to place. But they loved those who served the Lord and gave them fellowship and accepted them in their home. St Paul stayed in their house Acts 18:2. They also permitted a church to meet at their house.    I Cor 16:9. How much the ministries will flourish now if all Christian families are hospitable and open like this family?

• Building family and not a breaking family: Aquila and Priscilla took special efforts to support and build individual believers involved in the ministry. When they saw Apollos they understood the potentiality in him and explained to him the way of the Lord more accurately Acts 18:26. They understood the potentiality and the talent of Apollos and shaped him for a teaching ministry. Paul stayed in their house because he also was involved in tent making like them. They backed the ministry of Paul to the extent of risking the life for him.

• They worked in partnership and not in isolation: After studying their involvement someone wrote about them that they worked together, welcomed together and worshipped together. They had single purpose and so they worked as a unit. They had good partnership and ministered together. We need families like Aquila and Priscilla in these days who will work in partnership to support and raise Christian leaders. 

The home of Aquila and Priscilla is a model home for us. Craig Funston wrote rightly about them, “Aquila and Priscilla represent the Christian Home to me. A home where the word of God and the God of the word are both honoured, not merely with lip service but with life service. They were sufficient models and inspiration for me, a direct and pointed reminder of the sad lack of solid Christian homes in the world today”.

(Dr. C Barnabas, Translated from True Discipleship August 1995)