Titus on Social Media, Etc.

The other day I figured I'd change my profile pic on Facebook.  I don't often do that (and now will do it less often, lol!)  The prior picture was one I love, but I just felt a more current and accurate representation was needed.  At any rate, I thought I'd make the switch late, late at night so that it could be sneaked in and nobody would notice.  Wrong.  There followed a flood of sweet, kind comments, which (since I'm uncomfortable with praise anyhow) I found a bit embarrassing.  I tried to respond with grace.  I say again, "You'll see that profile pic for a good while."

I mention this because it was what would be to most folks a "positive" social media experience.  Most likely, you have had some negative ones.

People use social media for several reasons, some of which are:
1.  To combat isolation.  Most people need interaction of some form with other people.  Social media allows them to "keep up with" a wide circle of friends and acquaintances with a few clicks.  It's been described as "an online cocktail party".  Your friends give you whatever snapshots of their lives they want you to see.
2.  For business.  Many use social media to attract customers.
3.  To get help.  The online yard sales, requests for a good plumber, "have you seen my dog", "that smell you smell over on Ranger Road" . . .
4.  To promote a world view or make a political statement.
5.  To create havoc.  In this category, I put hackers and their ilk.

It is almost as if the Apostle Paul foresaw the day of social media.The truth, though, is he deeply understood the carnal human nature. Technology is merely a tool, an outlet, after all.  Negative interactions between people have been around since the Garden of Eden.  Social media is merely the latest avenue for people to reveal their character, for good or for bad.

In Titus 3:1-2 (ESV) , we read:

1Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Interestingly, Paul pairs these two verses together.  I reckon it has always been fashionable to criticize those in authority over us, whether the one true God, parents and other family members, work bosses, or elected officials.  Human beings are, at the core of their natures, rebellious.  But, going beyond that, it is hard for many of us to accept the "rule" of a grossly imperfect person.  The letter to Titus is not the only place Paul mentions this.  (See Romans 13:1.)  And, of course, Jesus gave a beautiful illustration of this command in the gospel of Matthew (22:22).

Today, for example, many people have seemingly lost their minds over the election of President Trump.  And, in the presidential election before that one, an entirely different group of people were grossly disappointed in the election of Trump's predecessor.  Regardless of what your opinion of either, it is crystal clear that God appointed each of them to those positions of power, because nothing happens on this earth without His knowledge and permission.  It is for this reason we are told in verse 1 to obey our government while doing "good work" to create the most civil and moral society possible, and, in so doing, to keep our criticism civil, avoid pointless quarrels and to season our interactions with gentleness and courtesy.  Gentleness and courtesy....yeah, that describes Twitter.

One of the more recent manifestations of incivility on social media involves trolls.  Trolls are people who make it their prime directive to disrupt the direction of a post, a trend or a conversation, usually in a hateful manner.  A common adage is "don't feed the trolls".  In other words, when someone makes a hateful comment on a post or a hateful tweet, don't respond.  Any attention you give to that only widens its audience.  This is a modern-day form of "quarreling" and "pointless arguments" (Titus 3:9).  Honest, sincere dialogue can be helpful and beneficial, but not uncivil conversations.  They cheapen the name of the Savior whom Christians claim to represent.  Paul even foresaw "blocking" and "unfriending"!

10As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,

Then, in Titus 3:3-9 (ESV) Paul reminds us WHY we should treat with courtesy those behaving nastily.  "At one time, we too...." (NIV)  It is easy, as we move deeper into relationship with our Lord, to fall prey to the sin of pride.  This happens because we forget where we came from - - that place of total lostness, spiritually dead in our sinful state.  It is when we forget, that we view others who are dead to Christ Jesus with contempt or even downright hatred.  This is not the way of Jesus.  This is not the way of the cross.  Paul exhorts us to remember....

3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. 

Paul emphasizes that we, Believers, did not "turn ourselves around".  We did not become regenerate, eternally-redeemed souls through our own "good works" or taking the correct position, or making the correct argument, or even through "making good choices".  No.  We are redeemed because of God's goodness, His mercy, His lovingkindness.  HE did the washing of our souls.  HE renewed us by placing His Holy Spirit into our hearts.  He. He. He.  Not, we.we.we.

As Believers, those whose souls have been eternally transformed, we perform good works in response to what God has done, because of what He has done, as a result of what He has done.  And, we are to insist that this message, this Gospel of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ's finished work, be manifested in our behavior, both speech and actions....whether on social media, or on the ball field, or in the workplace, or in our family interactions (often the most difficult place).

The most potent weapon to keep ourselves headed in the right direction is filling our minds and spirits with the Word of God.  The pagan world surrounding us continually seeks to draw us away from the godly walk of faith.  To avoid conformity to the ungodliness around us, we must deliberately take steps of nonconformity.  In this way, we represent Jesus well.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Exhorting and Rebuking

15Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority.

Titus 2:15 (ESV)

When I was a college sophomore, the university began to make a full-length feature film entitled "Sheffey" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrqbnQPrc8o ).  It was based on the true story of a "circuit-riding preacher" of the 1800s, in Appalachia.
Being raised in Appalachia, although not in that century (lol), much of the culture was familiar to me.  As a child I attended many revival meetings.  But, I never got to witness exhortation as it was portrayed in that movie.  There were several revival scenes and, in each one, the main character, Sheffey, exhorted people to salvation.  During "the invitation", at the end of the services, when people were invited to the altar to make a decision for Jesus Christ, Sheffey would visually scan the crowd to discern which folks were under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.  Then, he would approach them and urge them to go forward to the altar and accept Jesus as Savior.

Have you ever seen that occur?  If you have, please share your experience by making a comment here on the blog.  I would guess this type of behavior is extremely rare. 

The word "exhort" means to come alongside another person and then to urge, to encourage, to even beg them to do the right thing.  1In the New Testament, "exhort" comes from the Greek word "paraklesis".  For you "churchy folk" that sounds a great deal like "paraclete", doesn't it, the word given to describe the Holy Spirit.  "Para" means "with" and "paraclete" means "to come alongside".   Hmmm....

Did you know that the apostle Paul lists exhortation as a spiritual gift, in Romans 12:6-8?  Those with this gift are, first of all, "people people".  They love other people and are uniquely gifted to be discerning encouragers.  By building relationships with others, who see them "walk the walk",  exhorters can then discern when a fellow believer or loved one is struggling.  They then obey the Spirit's leading to intervene in just the right way.  Those with this spiritual gift make awesome disciplers, teachers, counselors and mentors.  They don't merely make suggestions; they deliver Spirit-initiated "encouragement on steroids".

Now, what about rebuking?  I venture to say that this one is even more rarely seen in the modern-day American church.  In today's American culture, we are super-saturated by "tolerance".   As such, we have been programmed by the world to "live and let live", for the most part.  I submit to you, however, that this is a selfish, unloving practice for the Christian.  If you saw someone in imminent physical danger, would you not rescue that person from certain harm, perhaps even death?  Suppose you were standing on a street corner and the child beside you moved to step out into the street.  If you could stop him, would you?  Of course you would!
How much more then, if we see a believer harming himself or another person, or hurting the cause of Christ should we intervene?  To not do so is unloving!  And, what about the unbeliever on his or her way to a promised (according to the Word of God) Hell?  Is it loving to be "tolerant" and not share the saving, liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ?

We must be careful in rebuking, which in the Greek is "elegcho".2  It means to reprimand, to correct and/or to expose sin.  Much of what has been classified as godly rebuking is nothing more than sinful pride and hypocrisy, wrapped up in a veneer of righteous indignation.  There are those in the house of faith who enjoy criticizing, tearing down and pointing the finger at a "weaker brother', when they themselves are eaten up with the sin of pride.  This is not godly rebuking.  Ungodly rebuking is nothing more than "judging", which Jesus prohibited in Matthew 7:1-3.

The godly rebuking described in the Bible (Hosea 2:2, Leviticus 19:17, Proverbs 19:25) is motivated by love for the person being given the rebuke as well as love for the holiness of God.  It is a love so great in the heart of the rebuker that it overcomes his or her natural hesitancy to even do it.
Here are the steps a godly person must follow before issuing a rebuke:
1.  Examine your own heart.  Make sure the Holy Spirit is leading you to speak to the other person about the sin.  Make sure your own heart is clean before God.
2.  Pray.  About #1 above and then pray for the right timing to approach as well as the words to say.  Pray for the person God is leading you to, that the Holy Spirit will do what only HE can do.
3.  Be certain the rebuke is scriptural, and not just your own "opinion".
4.  Make your rebuke a gentle one.  Gentle words deflect anger, even when the content of those words is strong (Proverbs 15:1).  Remember that the Holy Spirit is using you.  It will not be the force of your words that changes hearts.

A good test of whether you are being led of the Holy Spirit in either of these spiritual disciplines is the results of your actions.  That's not to say that others will always respond to the words you say.  But, if as a general rule, most of the time, your words are not received positively or no change occurs in the life of the other person, you'd be wise to re-examine the points 1-4 above.

In closing, here are some scriptures which show the necessity of balance in our relationships with others, in light of these teachings today.

5Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
6Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Proverbs 27:5-6 (ESV)

Everything you do should be done in love. 

1 Corinthians 16:14

For we all stumble in many ways.

James 3:2a (ESV)

Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

James 5:20 (ESV)

Sources:

1    https://www.gotquestions.org/definition-exhortation.html
2    https://www.gotquestions.org/rebuke-believer.html

How to Be a Master Teacher

Meditating in Titus 2 this morning, I was reminded of one of the sayings of Dr. Bob Jones Sr., that early 20th century evangelist and educator, also founder of Bob Jones University.  He said, "Do right, if the stars fall."  A contemporary of mine at the university, Ron Hamilton, a gifted musical composer, expanded the adage into a song, part of which lyrics are below.

Do right till the stars fall, do right till the last call   Do right when there’s no one else to stand by you!   Do right when you’re all alone, do right though it’s never known.   Do right since you love the Lord — do right, do right!

Paul begins Titus 2 with the strong admonition to teach biblical truth.  Here's the thing about biblical truth...you can tell it's truth from the Bible if behaviors change, because the Word of God changes lives.  Accordingly, Paul goes on to admonish subgroups of the Cretan church about their practical living, under the restrictions of their contemporary culture.  Those groups were:  older men, younger men, older women and slaves.  In every case, though, and I think this is so interesting....Paul reminded each group that they were TEACHING ... not only those in their faith community, but also those unbelievers outside, about the glory and grace of the saving gospel!

Titus 2:11-14 (NIV) is the chapter's linchpin.  So, let's start there.  It is crucial we understand that Titus 2 is not merely a laundry list of "do goods" strapped to the backs of sinners attempting to earn salvation.

11For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Hallelujah!  Salvation is FREELY available to ALL people, not just a chosen few!  Isn't that awesome to remember this morning?  And, get this, our FREE salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), instigated through God's grace to us, not earned by our own false "goodness", TEACHES us, if we will allow it.  The Holy Spirit is THE Master Teacher.  When we accept Jesus as Savior, His Holy Spirit comes to reside in our souls forever.  When we submit ourselves to His divine goodness, He shapes us by teaching us to say "no" to sin.

As we are taught by Him and as we learn to live godly lives, even while surrounded by ungodliness, we are to teach others through our resplendent walk.  Christian: you can't be a "master teacher" if your walk is "off", if you are rebelliously practicing ungodliness in some area of your life.

Now, briefly, let's look at the admonishments to each subset of the Cretan church.  

1.  Paul specifies that all four groups should focus on "self-control" (which for the Christian is really letting the Holy Spirit be in control) and on leading by example, so that they garner respect and build/maintain integrity.  A "good reputation" validates the truth of the gospel message.

2.  Paul mentions temperance to both older men and women (2:2-3), and mentions that the older women should avoid excesses of wine (2:3).  It is very possible that, in the Cretan culture, overindulgence of alcohol was a social phenomenon, hurting the testimony of that local church.  It's hard to say.  Still, overindulgence of food or drink can harm one's testimony.  (I speak as one who struggles with this - - the food issue.) 

3.  Paul goes on to focus on the older women mentoring the younger women in how to love and respect their husbands, to raise their children and to run an orderly home (2:4-5).  In those days, families lived close by, sometimes even in the same physical dwelling.  Unfortunately, because families today can be literally continents apart, a great deal of that mentoring has either been lost, or young families are finding like-minded mentors in their expanded Christian circles.  A lot of that mentoring (although of a lesser quality, in my opinion) is also going on online.  It is just a reality of our age.

4.  Slaves - - obviously, we do not have legal slavery in America today.  However, the admonitions Paul gives to slaves are very applicable to the workplace (which, granted, can sometimes FEEL like slavery, lol).

Finally, verse 15...  Paul emphasizes that living a Holy Spirit-controlled life, practicing righteous living, gives a Christian the authority to both encourage and to rebuke others.  Most of us are fairly good at the "encouraging" part, but . . . 

Who loves to be rebuked?  Raise your hands.  LOL, yeah, that's what I thought.  We'll explore this spiritual discipline in more depth in the next post, because it is under-taught and yet vitally important.  

Source:

http://www.inthineheart.com/2014/09/14/do-right-till-the-stars-fall/

Blameless

What a beautiful Friday morning this is!  Let's study the WORD, hallelujah!

In the last post on the book of Titus, we examined the problem facing the church of Crete, namely that Judaizers were turning entire families in the church away from the truth of the gospel.  The Judaizers, who were "in it" for their own self-aggrandizement, were the epitome of awful church leadership!

Today, let's look at Paul's proposed solution, in Titus 1:5-9 (NIV) - -

5The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint^a elders in every town, as I directed you. 6An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe^b and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7Since 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. 8Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9He 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.

Paul is not the first apostle to describe the characteristics of church leaders.  Peter did also, and we will look as his list too.  You'll see a good deal of overlap between the two church fathers.

Most of the time, the term "elder" is applied to the "senior pastor" (in our lingo) of the congregation. However, it can be generalized to apply to any adult leader in the local church, as well.  The first thing that strikes me about establishing leadership in the church is the power of appointment.  These leaders were to be appointed by other trustworthy leaders.  Another translation of the word "appoint" is "ordain", which is why we have church ordinations for various church leaders.  Ordination commemorates, conveys and convicts.  The ceremony commemorates the beginning of the leadership position.  It conveys trust and authority concerning the responsibilities of leadership.  It convicts the leader of his ongoing Christian walk.

Argue about that as you will, but I have personally witnessed a strict "nomination/election" process in a large congregation and it was not pretty.  The results were not great.  People are distracted by the cares of life; therefore, they do not pay attention to such nominations.  Out of a congregation of hundreds, it was common to find only a handful nominated for these key leadership positions.  The congregation's attitude seemed to be, "Oh well, someone else will nominate and it will turn out allright."  Well, it didn't.

My current church body uses a combination of appointment by the body of current leaders, followed by a vote of the church body, which I believe is a just way of doing things, in keeping with scriptural principles.

Secondly, let's consider the word "blameless", the title of this post.  That seems like an impossibly high standard, doesn't it?  Basically, it does not mean "perfect", since no one is.  It does however mean "of high reputation in the community, especially the community of faith".  In other words, those who know him best speak highly of his character, a character forged in the furnace of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work!  Some of the other attributes of being blameless are given in verses 7-8.

Faithful to his wife is self-explanatory, but I would add a faithfulness coupled with expressed love.  A cold, heartless "shackled to the old lady" is not what Paul was advocating here.....

Paul also emphasizes that church leaders are to encourage others through the active teaching of sound doctrine and to energetically oppose those who are teaching false doctrine.  This is extremely important in every Christian congregation, and we know that the Cretan church was in great need of this kind of doctrinal warrior-leader.  These kinds of courageous leaders are in extremely short supply, in many congregations, because to confront doctrinal error takes tremendous courage, being willing to "go against the flow" in just about every case.  This is a type of spiritual warfare.  Of course, before you can teach sound doctrine, you should KNOW sound doctrine.  In other words, church leaders should be avid students of the Word of God.

With these characteristics from Titus/Paul in mind, let's look at the specifics of Peter's passage and mine out the traits needed for successful church leaders.  In this way, we unite the Word of God around the teaching on this important topic.

5 Therefore, as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of the Messiah and also a participant in the glory about to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you: 2 Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; not for the money but eagerly; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

5 In the same way, you younger men, be subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because

God resists the proud

but gives grace to the humble.

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time

1 Peter 5:1-6 (HCSB)

Shepherd the Flock
In this, elders follow the example of Christ, who is referred to as the Good Shepherd or the Chief Shepherd.  How should they do this?
1.  With humility - - - elders are not to view their roles as occasions for pride, which is the chief sin of the Church.  Peter realizes this too, because he mentions humility repeatedly in this passage.
2.  Without a lust for power - - - Peter mentions money in this context, which is analogous to power. Many church positions are unpaid, but those in them seek to accrue power to themselves as payment. A dead giveaway to this type of leader is the one who says, "My legacy ... "  or (God forbid) "I ran that sorry preacher off!"  Watch out for that type of church "leader".  They are in it primarily for their own self-aggrandizement.
Some of the worst "Christians" I've ever seen are in positions of leadership in our churches! They use their position to disregard church by-laws and constitutions, to not follow proper procedures and to "get their own way".
We are not given positions of leadership within a congregation to create a "legacy" for ourselves.  All glory from our service goes to the Lord, not to us.  Leaders, do you desire that "unfading crown of glory" from the Lord?  Then, don't seek to receive it in this life.

Be an Example
When you are offered a position of leadership in the church fellowship, fall on your face before God and examine yourself.  If your heart is not right, then that is an opportunity for Satan to get in and to not only tarnish your ministry but, more importantly, to harm others spiritually.  Some people are fond of telling other believers how to live the life, yet they don't live it themselves.
(This is how this blog got started actually.  I was co-leading the college group in my home, and we were discussing daily Bible reading.  I became so convicted because I was advocating that discipline for the young people, but was not doing it myself.  I resolved, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to change that in my life.  And, this blog, which is the outworking of my daily Bible devotional time, was born.)
In his admonitions to, his training of, young Timothy, Paul talked about how he as a church leader should be an example.  These were the traits he mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:12 - - -

"...be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness and purity."

• It is no accident that the tongue is mentioned first here.  Leaders in the church are to "put the quietus" on murmuring and backbiting and pot-stirring in the church, not be the instigators or the cause of it.
• The leader's behavior must be characterized by love, faithfulness and purity.  The Message version puts it like this:  

Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.  Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching.  And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed - - keep that dusted off and in use.

Leaders: don't be lazy!  We ought to see our elders praying, doing visitation, tithing, teaching, worshipping with the congregation, serving in church ministries, participating in many ministries of the church - - - and their spouses as well.  If we don't, then something is wrong.  And, any elder who cannot be loyal to his local church and its leadership, supporting it/them by being an example in these ways should resign.

Being called by God to a position of leadership in the local church is a fearsome responsibility. When we put on the robe of leadership, it has a bulls-eye on its back.  Satan immediately elevates us as a prime target, marked for destruction.  Each of us in leadership roles, each of us elders, should be constantly on our faces before God, asking His Spirit to examine us.  God forbid that we should, by our position of influence, do anything to fracture the Body, to sow seeds of dissension, to dishonor Him.

After you have finished reading this post, please take a moment and pray for your church leaders today.  Pray for them often, as a matter of habit.  And, if you ARE a leader in your local church or in a para-church ministry, ask God to lead you with tenderness and mercy, so that you may do the same with those He has given to your spiritual care.  

Judaizers (again)

When Jesus ascended to Heaven and very shortly thereafter the Holy Spirit descended onto the members of the early Church at Pentecost, the battle really heated up.  And, truly, Satan's opposition to the Church, with its gospel message of "salvation by grace through faith" has never abated.

The best information we have in the New Testament about the Judaizers comes from the book of Galatians, where the battle for the soul of the Church ran especially hot.  Note that Judaizers were also soundly renounced by early Church leaders in Acts 15 at the Council of Jerusalem, in the church of Colosse (Colossians 2:16-17), in the very carnal Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 7) and in the church at Rome (Romans 14:5).

The Galatians were a Gentile people who loved Jesus Christ and wanted to walk in obedience to Him. They had, however, been deceived by Judaizers who, I do honestly believe, were sincere (although sincerely wrong).  Look at what Paul says (5:2-3) about the Galatians trusting in circumcision to make themselves right with God (that is, work to earn their own salvation).

2-3 I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law.

Galatians 5:2-3 The Message version

Yesterday, a customer called the pie shop and RAVED about our apple pie, declaring it to be the best double-crust pie he had ever tasted.  He exclaimed that there was "no going back" for him.

What the Galatians were doing was submitting to, allowing themselves to be enslaved by, an old covenant.  They had chosen to remove themselves from the path of grace through Christ and to pursue achieving their own holiness through enslaving themselves again to the Law (5:4).

Jesus Christ established a new covenant through His blood.  He IS God's new covenant with His people!  How do I know this?  Where is the "proof"?  Let's examine the Scriptures.  You are expecting a NT reference, aren't you?  No, we must go all the way back to Jeremiah 31:31-34 (ESV).

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

I can hear some of you now - - "This was meant just for the Jews, the chosen people, and will be fulfilled in the last days."  Yes, while God WILL restore the Jews to Himself in the last days Jesus Christ made it clear that HE is the fulfillment of this scripture passage, and He did it at the last meal He shared with His disciples.  Luke 22:20 (ESV) - - -

17And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Jesus Christ's blood, poured out for us, established and sealed God's new covenant relationship with people, those people willing to enter into covenant relationship with Him, the Father God, through the Son, Jesus Christ.  This offer is for ALL people who are willing - - Jew or Gentile.  If the Luke passage is not clear enough for you, consider Hebrews 9:15 (ESV), which is quite emphatic.

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Does this mean that circumcising our male children is wrong?  Or, that observing Jewish feast days and customs is wrong?  Only if you are depending on them to achieve your own righteousness with God.  NO.GOING.BACK.

I have Christian friends and loved ones with Jewish heritage as well as those without it.  Regardless of bloodline, they choose to honor Jesus Christ by observing the Jewish feast days, because they see Him so beautifully represented in Old Testament practices.  But, they do NOT depend on their observances for their salvation.  They submit to various parts of Jewish law out of love for their Savior, while serving God from a circumcised HEART: a heart which covenants with God through faith in Jesus Christ, a faith is expressed in love (Galatians 5:6, Romans 2:29).

So, that is what Paul had battled in Galatia.  We are currently studying the book of Titus, where Paul had become aware of Judaizers similar to those in Galatia. Today's text is 1:10-16 - -

10For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. 12One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.16They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

Titus 1:10-16 (NASB)

Again, Judaizers were often referred to as "those of the circumcision" because they held circumcision as the centerpiece of their religious practice/proselytizing.
Judaizers professed to understand the heart of God revealed through the Old Testament, but in practice were entangled with all sorts of non-Mosaic "add-ons" - - Jewish traditions that had been tacked on through the centuries since salvation "by faith" was established with Abraham and from which they were seemingly unable to (or unwilling to) escape from.  (You may recall Jesus debunked several of these during his earthly ministry; we find such in the gospel accounts.)

In summary, let's remind ourselves of this over-arching truth from Romans 7:

But now we have been exempted from The Written Law, and we are dead to that which had controlled us, so that we shall serve from now on in the newness of The Spirit and not in the Old Order Scriptures.

Romans 7:6 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

Crete

Crete, Summer

I love to travel.  For me, it gives a greater sense of the grandeur of God's creation.  More than that, though, it helps me process how very grand He is through His workings in people's lives, and how small I am, in comparison.  This held true in my recent trip to Israel, to my 2015 trip to Peru and, I imagine, should I be granted the privilege of traveling further, it will hold true wherever He leads me.

One of the places I would enjoy seeing is the Greek islands, for the sheer beauty and culture of the place.  That was not the primary reason I visited Israel two months ago, yet I was stunned by both in that beautiful land.

I mention my desire to visit Greece because Crete is the setting of the book of Titus, which we have begun to explore together.  Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, and the fifth-largest island in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.  From 2700-1400 B.C., Crete was the center of the Minoan civilization, the earliest known civilization in Europe.1

What was Crete like in the first century A.D., though?
In his commentary Ellicott describes the culture as highly diverse, with a strange blending of both races and religions.  The primary ethnic group was Gentile; Jews were a small minority.  There was a great deal of idol worship, as Crete was deemed the "birthplace of Zeus".  The newly-formed Christian church there was large and lively, but plagued with disorder, confusion and excessively carnal behavior.  Tradition holds that Titus ministered on this island, to these churches, for the rest of his long life.  He was not a flashy New Testament character.  He simply fulfilled his calling with humility and faithfulness.  Because of this, Christianity gained a strong foothold in the region.

Do you love to organize?  I don't LOVE it, but must admit it brings a certain satisfaction.  Now, my younger son . . . he LOVES to organize!  (Honestly, if he did not look like me and I remembered - - for sure - - how I birthed him, I'd question if he were mine...)  My younger one is a beginning accountant.  He loves to see those numbers line up obediently.  Even here at home, he is very organized.  His bedroom and adjacent areas are "neat as a pin" on a regular basis.  There are even times when he gets perturbed with disorganization in other parts of the house and sets those in order.

I imagine Titus must have been a gifted organizer, a talented administrator, in addition to his other spiritual gifts.  Perhaps this explains why Paul chose him for the task of leading the highly-disorganized church of Crete.

Let's now begin to examine how this overhaul took place.  Paul helped Titus with the first step:
to define the problem.

10For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. 12One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.16They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

Every municipality has some sort of "reputation", whether good or bad...and it is usually a mixture of both.  According to Paul's understanding of "common knowledge", it was widely known that the Cretan people were colossal liars.  Maybe this is because they loved a "tall tale" and to exaggerate the truth.  Maybe it was because they merely believed that "the end justified the means" - - that lying was justified to achieve their personal desires.  The Cretans were also "famous" for being lazy, gluttonous and just plain "evil".  Well then!  Not a pleasant bunch of characteristics.

Keep in mind this was a generalized description of the people as a whole, not necessarily the young Cretan church.  However, we cannot help but be somewhat influenced by our surrounding culture, and it is plain that some of these behaviors had bled over into the local church to the point that Paul saw a need for severe correction ("reprove them severely").

However, the carnal behavior of the native peoples was only one facet of the problem facing this young church.  The other facet was the false teaching of the Judaizers.  These folks were not only stirring up problems in Crete.  We find Judaizers at work all through the New Testament, and in the next post we are going to explore who these men were and why they were so zealous.

Sources:

1    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete

2    http://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/titus/1.htm

Who Was Titus?

If you are a longtime reader of this blog, you know that I have been journeying through the letters of Paul, in chronological order.  This began with 1 Thessalonians in early 2015, three years ago!  I can hardly believe it has been that long!

Along the way, I started making 10-minute videos of my blog posts.  They are posted at a site called ByHisGrace.com.  My picture is on the front of each of my vlogs; so, you can easily find them there under the Empower tab.

The reason I mentioned that is - - this morning, I needed to do some logistical work associated with the ministry/blog.  The exegesis of the book of Hebrews took several months.  I managed to create videos of some of the posts, but not all.  Because of my video producer moving his ministry from one state to another, video production ceased for about six months.  He is now re-established, and so, we are getting ready to gear up again.

After I finished studying Hebrews, I went to Proverbs for a while and then to Israel, which I blogged about extensively over that two-week period.  Next, I journeyed through Ruth. Vlogs for Proverbs and Ruth will follow in the coming weeks, Lord willing, after I finish the Hebrews vlogging project.  The video blogs (vlogs) are always lagging behind the written blog posts, however.  I am trying to reach a different and wider audience with the vlogs.  (Some people just refuse to read a blog post; but, they will watch a video for the same length of time as it takes to read a post.)

Shortly after studying Ruth, Holy Week was upon me.  So, I reprised my Holy Week series of posts from 2016.  And, because I posted almost every day for that 10-day period, I have taken the past 4 days off.

Which brings me to today.  There are three more Pauline letters to explore:  Titus, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, the three which are commonly called The Pastoral Epistles, or "the letters to pastors".  The next one in the chronological order is Titus.

Who was Titus, anyway?  I admit to you that, as I began this study, I really did not know!

1Titus was a Gentile Christian, in charge of developing the church on the island of Crete, a church Paul established after his imprisonment in Rome ended, after 63 AD2.  Somehow, Titus came to be sort of a "ministerial assistant" or "assistant pastor" with Paul.  Here are other mentions of Titus in the New Testament:

• He traveled with Paul and Barnabas from Antioch to Jerusalem. (Gal. 2:1 and Acts 15:2) 
• He traveled with Paul on his third missionary journey (2 Corinthians 2:13 and 7:6)
• He carried Paul's letter to the Corinthian church and took up a collection there for the Jerusalem believers. (2 Corinthians 7:6 and 8:6-23)

Paul's instructions in the letter to Titus were more organizational, rather than relational, because Titus had to organize the Christian church there, a complex and daunting task.

Some people believe the letter to Titus was written before 1 Timothy; other believe it was written between 1 and 2 Timothy.  Still others believe that those three pastoral letters circulated among the young Christian congregations as a unit, in which case Titus, being more logistical and organizational, should have been read first.  That's what we will do, then!

Let's begin by looking at how Paul introduces himself in verse 1:1, as well as other "whos" and "whys".

1Paul, a servant^a of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began^b 3and at the proper time manifested in his word^c through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

4To Titus, my true child in a common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Titus 1:1-4

(ESV)

Paul, in other letters, introduces himself as "a servant of Jesus Christ".  Here, he calls himself "a servant of God", and it the only letter in which he does so.  Why the distinction?  Paul knows his letter will be read, not only by Titus, but also by the congregation of the Cretan Church.  At that time, the audacious, malevolent Judaizers were at work, undermining the grace so foundational to the gospel.  In his commentary, Benson notes that perhaps Paul used the title "servant of God" to emphasize to the Judaizers his allegiance to Jehovah God.  They had accused him of apostasizing from God because Paul had approved the inclusion of the "pagan Gentiles" into the churches of Jesus Christ, without requiring them to adhere to all aspects of Mosaic law.  For this same reason, in order to emphasize his authority to teach and establish, Paul then reminded readers of his divinely-appointed apostleship.

The other end of the "who" - -
Titus is called "my true child in a common faith".
This greeting bespeaks a discipleship relationship between the two men, with Paul being spiritual mentor to Titus.  It is not as personal a greeting as he gives to Timothy in those letters, as there he calls Timothy his "son in the faith" (1 Timothy 1:1).

Discipling another in the Christian faith is a tremendous gift from God, as well as a fearsome responsibility.  But, there's no time here to dive off in that direction.  Another post, another time...

The "why" now - -
The macro reasons for Paul's writing were:
1.   To strengthen the faith of those believers whom God had foreknown would choose His Son
2.   To increase their knowledge of the truth, without which there can be no godliness
3.   To assure the believers of their eternal life, through Jesus Christ and through Him alone
3Benson calls these "the sum of Christianity".  And, indeed, these verses are the "mission statement" which undergird this letter, the creed from which flows the more detailed instructions Paul gives to Titus, as the letter unfolds.

Faith and truth produce godliness, and assure eternal life, because God cannot and does not lie.  Wow!  I'm so glad Jesus is MINE! 


Sources:

1    http://www.usccb.org/bible/titus/0
2    http://www.matthewmcgee.org/paultime.html
3    http://biblehub.com/commentaries/titus/1-1.htm