Scripture Introduction
Most of you have seen, either in a movie, or TV show, or maybe in person, a judge slam down his gavel and gruffly demand, “Order in the Court! Order in the Court!” Judges know that the success of the legal process depends, in part, on maintaining control in their courtrooms.
The Bible tells us something similar about the church. On the island of Crete, the Apostle Paul led many people to faith in Jesus as he started new churches there. But the Cretans were notorious for disorderly and immoral behavior. In fact, a Cretan philosopher by the name of Epimenides said of his fellow citizens, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
So how does a young pastor, with a congregation of recent converts, disciple them in the faith? How does one teach “crazy Cretans” to adorn the doctrine of God with a life lived to the glory of God? If the gospel is true, then it is transformative – so what does a pastor do to cultivate godliness in new believers? These concerns must have weighed heavily on Titus’ heart, because Paul coaches him in bringing order in the church. This will be our theme for the next several weeks as we study Paul’s letter to young pastor Titus. Today we consider the first nine verses of chapter 1.
[Read Titus 1.1-9. Pray.]
Introduction
John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. “Most of the Christians I know are disappointed with their church, finding it either too traditional or too modern. The sermon is either too theological or not theological enough. The people, too cold to one another or too cliquish. In the end, the root problem is always the same. It is the people.”
In the Winter 2009 issue of Leadership, Mike Lueken wrote: “We are a culture of Christ-followers who pay far too much attention to whether or not our needs are being satisfied. And we have become a culture of leaders who spend far too much time orienting our ministries around the ever-changing preferences of our people. As we mature in Christ, might the goal be to develop a gut-level instinct to give less attention to what we are not getting from our church? Perhaps a step on the way to growing more Christ-centered is to accept our dissatisfactions instead of assuming they have to be resolved. Churches that spend too much time alleviating their people’s dissatisfactions may be nurturing a self-absorbed attitude of the heart that needs to be nailed to the cross…. To authentically lead people into deeper apprenticeship with Jesus, we must graciously and rigorously confront the raging selfishness that is alive and well in all of us.”
Today is the same as 2000 years ago. The problem in Crete was the people, and the sin was selfishness. They needed radically reordered lives, and Paul shows us three things to bring a new order, a Christ-centered ordering to the church.
1. Order in the Church Comes from the Power of the Gospel
Romans 5.20 reminds us that “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” The first half we get: sin abounded in Crete! These were not moral men, fine, upstanding citizens in need of a spiritual nudge. They were strangers to the covenants of promise, without God in the world.
But the gospel came, and the dead rose to life. Crete was like the valley God showed Ezekiel. The land was covered with “very dry bones.” But God told him to preach: “O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.” And behold, there was a rattling, and the bones came together. And there were sinews on them, and flesh, and skin covered them. And then Ezekiel preached, “Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” And the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Paul and Titus did the same: traveling from city to city on this island, preaching and proclaiming the Gospel, and the morally dead rose into a army of God. Salvation came to Crete!
We know this is the foundation for the church because Paul’s primary description of God is “Savior.” Three times in 46 short verses, Paul couples both God and Jesus to the title, “Savior.”
Titus 1.3-4: “…through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior…; Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Titus 2.10-13: “…so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions…, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Titus 3.4-6: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
My point is that the radical change needed to make a church out of a mess begins with the grace of salvation, not the giving of rules. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19.10). “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matthew 9.12). “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5.32). If we were on Crete, we might think first of getting these people cleaned up; God begins with the grace of salvation. And notice three things about how this good news came.
First, salvation came to God’s elect. Titus 1.1a: “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of God’s elect….” Salvation begins with God’s choice, because without his work, none seek him. The common belief that God elects those whom he knows will one day chose to believe in him is unbiblical. God the Savior being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive with Christ—by grace you have been saved.
Second, salvation came by knowledge of the truth. Titus 1.1b: “…for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth.” Gospel content must be conveyed, presented in a winsome and winning way, convincing and calling people to trust in Jesus. This is why I long for us to go out with the gospel, just as Paul says that he did. Look at verse 3: “at the proper time God manifested in his word through the preaching….” The fact of election establishes the need for evangelism and energizes the work. If Paul thought there were no elect in Crete, then he would not preach. If salvation depends on the desire of dead to get up and walk, then I give up the work! If salvation depends on the blind seeing the beauty of Christ, then we have no ministry. Evangelism proclaims good news for the sake of the faith of God’s elect, and they will live!
Third, salvation brought the hope of eternal life. Titus 1.2: “in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began….” Since Genesis 3, Satan the liar, has convinced humanity that satisfaction and significance come by success in this life. As a result, we must disobey or ignore many things which God teaches us, because all who would come after Jesus must take up their cross daily to follow him. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. The way of the Savior is the way of the cross. But that does not mean Christians are bereft of hope – our hope is in eternal life, which God who never lies, promised before the ages began.
This is critical for the change which salvation brings, because those who hope in this life disconnect themselves from the power of the Gospel. Listen to how Paul explains it to the Colossians: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God…. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Setting our minds on the hope of heaven opens out hearts to the work of God’s Spirit.
2. Order in the Church Comes from Progress in the Faith
Two parts are necessary to produce change in the Christian’s life: a right relationship and right behavior.
First, notice how the letter begins with the right relationship: “Paul, a servant of God” (Titus 1.1a). Our English versions prefer the word, “servant,” or even “bondservant,” but the Greek word is simply, “slave,” dou/loj [doulos] defined as: “pertaining to being under someone’s total control, slavish, servile, subject.” Paul knew that he was not his own, he had been bought with the price of Christ’s obedience (1Corinthians 6.19-20). Sin was no longer his master; now God is, and that change of relationship changed his behavior.
That is the second part: right behavior: Paul serves God as an apostle, “for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness” (Titus 1.1). God’s salvation does not leave the Cretans wallowing in their lies and lazy gluttony; with God as Savior comes a new life: “so that in everything [we] may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” The same Spirit who teaches us to think differently about God and self also convinces our hearts to behave differently in life.
3. Order in the Church Comes from Proper Leadership
Authority has always been unpopular; but the Bible insists that God institutes authority for our good. This is true in the family, the state, and the church, because it is true in the Godhead. The Son submits to the Father, and the Spirit to the Father and the Son, so that the Father’s will is fulfilled, and all glory goes to the Triune God.
In the church, all leaders must submit to the authority of Jesus through the Word, and God’s people are to submit to godly leadership, provided by pastors and elders and deacons. Verses 5-9 reveal three ways elders oversee us: direction, discipling, and doctrine.
First, the elders must direct the church. Titus 1.5: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.”
Paul and Titus went city to city, preaching the gospel and leading many to faith. Now these new converts are the church, and they need to be organized for discipleship and ministry, the job of the elders, men who direct the people and their work.
Every church will have as many ideas and interests as there are individuals. But Jesus is not making “Lone Ranger” Christians, where each of us has his or her private walk with the Lord and personal ministry. Jesus places us in communities where we must work together, sacrificing for the good of others, providing mutual accountability, motivating one another to love and good deeds — in sum, living out the faith we profess. Anyone can act godly alone – in the community we find out if we truly believe. So the elders direct the church so that God’s people grow in godliness and engage in ministry.
Second, the elders must disciple people, which means teaching by example. Jesus’ method for making men of God was always to share his life with them. He never simply told them what to do; he brought them along as he worked. And that is why verses 6-8 speak to the character of an elder.
• He must be an example in his home: devoted to his wife and effectively discipling his children.
• He must be an example in the community: not open to criticism and complaint from those outside the church.
• He must be an example in his church: not arrogant or a drunkard or violent, but hospitable and a lover of what is good and beautiful and praiseworthy.
• He must be an example in his finances: not greedy for gain, but generous with his time, talents, and treasure.
• He must be an example in personal life: self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
Please understand: these qualifications are not simply a checklist for passing an exam; they describe discipleship.
Suppose God converts a man who treats his wife poorly. He does not need an elder to say to say, “Brother, love your wife as Christ loved the church.” He can read that in the Bible for himself. The elder must say, “Brother, come share the life of my family, and see me give myself up for my wife.” These are more than the qualifications for discipling; they are the method.
Third, the elders must know Biblical doctrine. Titus 1.9: “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
There are two classes of elders in the church: teaching and ruling. The teaching elder, or pastor, serves the people primarily by teaching and preaching. The ruling elder serves primarily by shepherding. Titus 1.9 refers to the ruling elder, and tells us three things about his relationship to doctrine.
First, he must hold Biblical convictions: “holding firm to the trustworthy word as taught.” He sits under faithful preaching, takes notes, reads and studies the Bible on his own, asks questions of the pastor so that he can grow in understanding. He holds his own preferences and opinions lightly, to hold tightly to Biblical principles. Neither the weight of tradition nor the opinions of people sway him like Biblical arguments do.
Second, he must practice Biblical counseling: “that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine.” All of God’s people need the truth applied in practical and personal ways. Public preaching cannot address every nuance and difficult application. PCA Book of Church Order, 8.3 (the job of the elder): “They should pray with and for the people, being careful and diligent in seeking the fruit of the preached Word among the flock.” Faithful preaching exposes the need for Biblical counseling. The elder shepherds by applying the more general pulpit ministry into particular situations: the ministry of Biblical counseling.
Third, he must engage in Biblical confrontation: “and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” We could wish that the church only needed a positive ministry, but such a dream is not realistic. False teaching must be corrected, and false teachers confronted.
4. Conclusion
Evangelism Statistics from Michael Parrot, Acts Evangelism, Spokane, WA, 1993, pp. 9-11.
• Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ.
• Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ.
• Less than two percent are involved in the ministry of evangelism.
One denomination did a survey on its leadership:
• 63% of the leadership (pastors, elders, and deacons) have not led one stranger to Jesus in the last two years
• 89% of the leadership have zero time reserved in their weekly priorities for going out to evangelize
• 97% believe that if the leadership had a greater conviction and involvement in evangelism, that it would be an example for the church to follow.
This week I read Ligon Duncan’s sermon on these verses. He concludes by saying, “This congregation will not rise above the spiritual attainments of the elders of this church.” I know that makes me tremble. Let us pray for the men in officer and godly men training, that God would reveal his call, and also the changes we need to make in our lives.
