Day #314: Titus 1:1-16

Paul called himself a slave of God—that is, one who was committed to obeying God. (This is the only place where Paul used this particular phrase to describe himself.) Even though Paul was not one of the original twelve disciples (later called apostles), he had been specially called by God as an apostle to bring the Good News to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1-16).

As a servant and apostle, Paul focused his life on two main concerns: faith and truth. God sent Paul to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth. God’s chosen are those who have responded to the gospel. After responding to faith, God’s people then need training in the truth so that they can live godly lives.

Paul’s view of ministry was always long-term. He was not content to aim at people merely responding to the gospel. His goal was to bring people to spiritual maturity in Christ. This should be our focus as well. Win People, build people, train people, send people.

Titus, a Greek, was one of Paul’s most trusted and dependable coworkers. As a true child, he may have been one of Paul’s converts. Although not mentioned in Acts, other epistles point out that Titus fulfilled several missions on Paul’s behalf. Unlike the pressing matter of the false teachers that was on Paul’s mind when he wrote to Timothy in Ephesus, Paul’s letter to Titus focused on establishing healthy churches on Crete. In both cases, identifying good leaders was a priority. But in Ephesus leaders were needed to get the church back on track, while on Crete effective leaders were needed to get the church moving in the right direction. Paul wanted Titus to choose the right people to lead the growing church in Crete.

Paul left Titus, his trusted and able fellow worker, to complete the work of establishing correct teaching and dealing with false teachers, as well as appointing elders in each town. Paul had appointed elders in various churches during his journeys (Acts 14:23). On Paul’s return from the first missionary journey, he took extra time to revisit every church and establish each church’s leadership. He could not stay in each church, but he knew that these new churches needed strong spiritual leaders. The men chosen were to lead the churches by teaching sound doctrine, helping believers mature spiritually, and equipping believers to live for Jesus Christ despite opposition. The following verses give the qualifications for elders.

Notice that most of the qualifications that Paul requires of leaders involve character, not knowledge or skill. A person’s lifestyle and relationships provide a window into his character. Consider these qualifications as you evaluate people for positions of leadership in your church. It is important to have leaders who can effectively preach God’s word; but even more importantly, they must live out God’s word and be examples for others to follow.

The first qualification is to be well thought of for his good life. An elder must have no conduct that would be grounds for any kind of accusation. He must be above reproach. Again, the point here is not that the leaders cannot be blamed, but rather that when blamed, their life will prove the falsehood of the blame.

He must be faithful to his wife means that a church leader should not be promiscuous but should be faithful in his marriage. This did not prohibit an unmarried person from becoming an elder. That his children must be believers who are not wild or rebellious would show that the church leader has proven that he can lead his own household. An elder’s children should have received spiritual training and should be believers. This will prove that they care about teaching correct doctrine and discipling others. Obviously, those whose children are rebelling, running wild, and refusing to obey would not be fit for the important position of leading God’s people. How one’s children live attests to how the Christian life is practiced at home.

An elder must live a blameless life, emphasizing that this quality is essential in any person who is God’s minister. Church leaders who act unworthily and bring blame and reproach on themselves also damage God’s work.

A pitfall of leadership is becoming arrogant. But pride can seduce emotions and cloud reason, making a church leader ineffective. Pride and conceit were the Devil’s downfall, and he uses pride to trap others. In addition, a quick-tempered person will speak and act without thinking—hurting people and damaging the church’s work and reputation.

These last three prohibitions had particular significance for Titus’s search for church leaders in first-century Crete. A church leader must not be a heavy drinker or violent (often the result of being quick-tempered or drunk). Furthermore, the leaders Titus chose should serve out of love, not because they are greedy for money.

Pastors must fulfill a positive and a negative function in handling the truth. They must encourage by preaching, supporting, and reinforcing people as they follow the truth. But pastors must also confront and refute false ideas (The Shack). Confident leaders with backbone, courage, and an irrefutable message would stand in strong contrast with Cretan lifestyles, character traits, and false teachers.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

If you go to the Church of the valley website, www.covsanramon.org - and read my Monday Morning Insight from yesterday, you'll read that I challenge all of us to consider what the next level of growth that God would have for us.

For some, it might be joining the church and going through CLASS 101 - which is this Sunday. For others it might mean getting baptized or joining a LIFE group, getting discipled or deciding to finally start discipling another. Maybe it's the idea of serving in the church. Maybe it's time to finally start giving of yourself and serving our children or students or some other ministry, like the campus ministry or on the missions team or worship team or men's ministry or women's ministry. Maybe, it's time to start tithing and becoming faithful to God in the area of your finances.

Maybe for some it is time to start thinking about serving the church as Deacon or an Elder. You get my point right? It's time to get off our collective duffs and use the God-given we have to serve and grow and build God's church. The time is NOW. Will you tell God today that you'll do whatever it is that He tells you to do?

Remember these verses from Sunday morning.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

James 1:22 (NIV)

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

James 4:17 (ESV)