Focus on Reproduction, Mentor's Guide, MG12

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F O C U S O N R E P R O D U C T I O N

adelphoi , lit. “brothers,” includes both “brothers and sisters”). The theme of family relationships is particularly prominent in 1 Timothy, where the church ( ekklesia ) is described as “the household ( oikos ) of God, and the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim. 3.15; cf. Heb. 3.1–6). The purpose of this letter as a whole is to indicate “how one ought to behave in God’s household.” The order of the church is analogous to that of a human household. Members are to treat one another as they would the members of their own family (1 Tim. 5.1–2). They are to care for one another in need (1 Tim. 5.5, 16), while overseers are to be skillful at managing the household of God, as demonstrated by their skill with, and care for, their own immediate families (1 Tim. 3.1–7). Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about the power of the principle of oikos evangelism. In regard to outreach in urban communities, this is a critical perspective, one which implemented can result in new avenues of contact with those who otherwise would be distant or closed to any appeal to the Gospel of Christ. An oikos is a web of common kinship relationships, friendships, and associations that make up a person’s larger social circle. Truly, each of us belong to an oikos , and this allows you as a student to consider your own web of connection and influence , as well as ways that God may want you to pray for and penetrate your own oikos network. Listed below are some questions designed to get you into the frame of mind to consider the implications of this for your own life and ministry. What particular questions do you have in light of the material you have just studied? Perhaps some of the questions below may spur you on to further reflection. * How well do I comprehend the biblical and contemporary ideas associated with the notion of oikos ? Can I see how dominant the notion of oikos evangelism was in the ministry of the apostles as recorded in Acts, and mentioned in the Epistles of the NT? * Have I spent anytime tracing the patterns and structures of my own oikos relationships? If not, take the time to sketch out some of the main players and persons in your own web of connections and influence . ~Gerald F. Hawthorne, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters . (electronic ed.). Logos Library Systems. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997, p. 128.

Student Application and Implications

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* As I consider this material, of all the things present, what impresses me most about the nature of oikos relationships, and the implications they have for