DAY #316: Titus 3:1-15

In addition to teaching, encouraging, and correcting, a Christian leader must also remind his congregation to submit to the government and its officers. As the believers awaited the return of Christ and living eternally with him in his government, they had to live under worldly authorities.

So Paul explained how believers in Crete could best do that—by subjecting themselves to government rulers and authorities and by obeying civil laws. He did not want any trouble with the authorities that would bring the church under suspicion (Romans 13:1-7).

The things Paul wrote were true so Titus ought to constantly insist on them. The believers must show their beliefs through their conduct. They must be careful to do good deeds all the time. Sound doctrine must manifest itself in good works. Such teaching and action profits the believers as well as the unbelievers to whom the church witnesses.

If sound teaching and good deeds were beneficial, obviously foolish discussions were useless and a waste of time. The false teaching in Crete apparently had Jewish roots and focused on two errors: spiritual pedigrees and quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws—probably some useless speculations on the Old Testament rules and rituals, especially Jewish laws regarding what was clean and unclean. Similar to the methods used by false teachers in Ephesus and Colosse, these teachers were causing controversies, arguments, and quarrels about their own wholly imaginary ideas.

The “spiritual pedigrees” may have included imaginary genealogies of angels. These were needed, so the false teachers said, because believers had to worship angels as well as God.
Paul warned Titus and Timothy to not get involved in the false teachers’ debates and arguments, to not even bother to answer their pretentious positions. This did not mean that the church leaders should refuse to study, discuss, and examine different interpretations of difficult Bible passages. Paul was warning against petty quarrels, not honest discussion that leads to wisdom.

A local church cannot modify its doctrine for every new idea or accommodate every person’s viewpoint. It may be better to risk having a member leave for another church that emphasizes his or her theological “hot button” than to try to be a church that caters to every conceivable theological taste. A church cannot get to the important work of evangelism and service to others if the theological base is shaky or if the church is embroiled in theological controversy.

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

Oh Lord, raise up a church full of people that have one heart and mind - to reach people for Christ and to grow them in Christ. All the other stuff Lord, our personal preferences about worship or ministry or style or missions or whatever, grow our people to be so mature that those things just don't/won't matter.

Listen to what Rick Warren, Pastor at Saddleback Church in Orange County says about growing the church;

The Bible says real clearly "Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it dies it then bears fruit." In order for a church to grow there are some things that have to die. That's why it takes unselfish people for a church to grow. I wrote a column praising the 60 or so people who are still at Saddleback from the first two years.

Can you imagine the psychological shock on those people, that they've gone through from when I was in everybody's home all the time to now if I shake hands with them once a month it's rare? Look at the psychological change. They've had to be willing to give up control -- of the decision making, of some ministry (some of them have started ministries, seen them grow and then turn them over to new people and gone out and started other ones).

They've had to share their pastor with other people; now they realize I'm spread out among all kinds of people. It takes incredible unselfishness. They've been willing to die to some traditions, to some feelings, to some relationships in order for the kingdom of God to be advanced. That takes a lot of maturity.

Lord, bring those type of people to COV, Grow those kind of people at COV - people who are unselfish - people who are spiritually mature - people who are willing to do whatever it takes to win people for Christ and build Your church.