The letter to Titus (Part 2)

In the introductory blog to Titus, we identified why it was necessary for Paul to assign Titus to the churches in Crete. The issue of renegades leadership preying on the members was so urgent and needed immediate attention. Paul knew that, if the matter was left unresolved, these unscrupulous people who were peddling a different doctrine and turning the church into a Jewish Religious group would end up causing more harm and causing more havoc. Paul didn’t delay. He was quick to send Titus to mitigate the situation. In the letter  to Titus, Paul also specified certain areas that were important and needed immediate attention. In today’s post, we shall consider the need to appoint good elders in the churches.

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. ‭(Titus 1:5)

In Paul’s letter to Titus, he informs Titus that: “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.” (‭Titus 1:5). Paul knew the importance of appointing elders in the different towns to manage the churches. The elders were expected to be people of specific caliber:
“An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (‭Titus 1:6-9).

First, the elder or the overseer should be without blame. Whenever a church leader has issues all round, it definitely means there is something wrong somewhere. The whole church cannot be against a leader who is doing right. Accusations from here and there is an indication that something is wrong somewhere.
Secondly, faithfulness in marriage is a sure requirement for an elder. A cheat, an adulterer, or someone who dishonours the marriage vow is not worthy to be an elder according to Paul. This implies that no matter how supportive or committed one is to the church, if he is not faithful to his wife, he is not worthy of church leadership.
Similarly, the one appointed as an elder should have control over his own children. The first disciples of the elder are the children and keeping them in obedience to God’s words is very important.
In addition to these, Paul wrote that the elder or overseer must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. These characteristics are very important because the elder or overseer is managing God’s house and must be worthy of the task.
Other than the vices listed above, the elder or overseer is expected to be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. These good virtues are relevant for equipping the church.
Finally, Paul admonished Titus that the elder must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Thus, it is very important that the elder/overseer is a man who rightly divides the word of truth and does not compromise on sound doctrine. The elder must also be one who is able to refute all those who oppose sound doctrine.

Going through this list, you can ask yourself, if I was in Crete, would I have qualified as an elder/overseer? Even if you do not want to attain a leadership position in church,  these things Paul mentioned are very relevant to all believers. We cannot preach Christ when our lives are preaching the devil. None of us walk with x-rays to see what is inside the hearts of people. What we see is what your life presents. Christianity is not just a matter of the heart, it is a lifestyle. Live it, show it and let the world see it.

The children of God are those led by the Spirit

God created humans in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). After the fall in Eden, humanity lost that divine connection with God. Adam and Eve saw for the time that they were naked. The glory of God that clothed them was taken off and they had to use fig leaves to cover their nakedness. In God’s eternal plan, God wanted all humanity to reflect the image of His Son. Jesus’ death and resurrection paid for the sin that was committed in Eden and “all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Adam and Eve allowed the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life to lead them to the “forbidden fruit”.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.(Romans 8:14)

When we come to Christ, our senses do not die away. We still have the same feelings and desires but these do not lead us to do what we want. We are led by the Spirit of God. Yes! For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Our conduct is influenced by God’s Spirit. We do not live anyhow. We are careful of the things that do not have eternal value. Our focus is eternity. We do not live according to the flesh (our passions) but we live according to the Spirit (God’s way). “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). We are no longer slaves to sin, fear, guilt, shame, pain, etc. We are the children of God.

Our knowledge of this should lead us to follow our Lord in obedience. Children of the king do not misbehave. We are royals as 1 Peter 2:9-10 quote: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9‭-‬10). Each day is an opportunity for us to show the world our transformation from darkness to the light. We have been shown mercy and out of love, we should share the love of God with as many as possible.

Remember, those who are led by the Spirit are children of God. Who is leading you today?

Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit, lead me today, tomorrow and always. Guide me into all truths and show me the way to righteousness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Whoever does the will of God lives forever

Different religions have different views about life after death. Some believe that our state after death depends on the lives we lived while we were on earth, others believe that we return as animals but whether you return as an annoying mosquito or a lovely dog depends on how you lived. Christians have hope beyond this life. Paul states that “if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied”
(1 Corinthians 15:19). We have hope of a glorious life after death. Remember, this world is transient and it is passing away together with all it desires. However, whoever does the will of God lives forever.

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)

This hope is our comfort that our family members in Christ who have passed on to glory are the church triumphant now. They are cheering us on while we do this race of life. One musician sang a song about being forever young. So far, no cosmetic is able to keep one alive and young forever. When we grow older, the body naturally adjusts to our age. We can cover the outward view with make-up but we can never cover the internals. The only way to secure a forevermore life of bliss is in Christ. Jesus Christ promised us that, “I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3).

The only way to live forever is to do the will of God. God desires all men to come to the saving knowledge of Christ. God wants all men to live a Christlike life. God wants all men to live a life without blemishes. God wants all men to be saved! Through Jesus, God has made salvation accessible to mankind. John 3:16 noted that whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have life everlasting. Everything happening around is an indication that this world is fleeting. The world and all its desires will pass away but the words of Jesus will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).

Have you made that decision to accept the Lord as your Saviour yet?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9‭-‬10)

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified!

Recently, I saw an advertisement on YouTube. I was very disappointed because the message of the advertisement and the dress code of one of the people promoting this company did not align at all. It seems like the new strategy for online businesses is to present videos and images of naked people (particularly women). Thus, we are bombarded with sexual and sensual messages all day long. From the billboard, to the video ad to the picture ad that pops up on your phone screen. You either install an ad blocker or you deal with it!

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

How do we keep ourselves sanctified in the midst of all these? What the world has not realized that sexual immorality has a deeper root than what is mostly reported. It begins from the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and finally the pride of life (satisfying the crave). God’s will for us is to sanctified: that we should avoid sexual immorality and learn to control our own bodies in a way that is honourable (1 These. 4:3-4). There are times that the only way out for the believer is to flee and that is perfectly fine. Joseph had to flee from Potipher’s wife as well. It landed him in prison but in the long run, God glorified him.

Satisfying our human cravings is temporary but the side effects can be a permanent destruction of another life. Many women have been abused by men because of lack of self control. Some men have also suffered sexual abuse from the hands of women. Now, schools in the West are teaching young children that they can indulge in sexual immorality as long as they use protection. This is sad! We all have our rights, Yes! But some actions tend to have permanent effects on the people, the society and the nation as a whole. Teach your children the dangers of premarital sex. As believers, let’s learn to control our own bodies from acts that do not glorify God.

Remember, true satisfaction in life comes from God. If God cannot satisfy you, nothing will!

It is God’s will to live Godly in an ungodly society

For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (1 Peter 2:15)

It is increasingly becoming more and more challenging to live Godly lives in our ever increasing unbelieving world. At the slightest misnomer portrayed by a Christian, the world tends to point accusing fingers at the entire Christian family across the world. Peter admonishes the church to live faultless lives in the midst of a perverse generation. Below are some of the things Peter admonish the church to either do or abstain from:

1. Abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.
2. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
3. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
4. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
5. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
6. Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
(1 Peter 2:11‭-‬14, 16-18)

According to Peter, it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people (1 Peter 2:15). God’s will for the church is for us to live Godly lives in an ungodly society and by so doing, we will silence the ignorant talks or accusations levelled against the Church. We are free in Christ but our freedom is not a passport for lawlessness. We should not indulge in actions that dishonor our bodies and the entire body of Christ. As we reflect Christ in our lives, the unbelieving people will by seeing our lifestyles know what we truly reflect.

May we desire to live in a way that men will see our lives and desire Christ.