Friday, November 2, 2012

Titus 1

Apologies to those that read my blog regularly.  I've had a couple late mornings and then never took the time later in the day to get back to my Bible study and blog.  And I will confess that my walk with the Lord has suffered as a result of the lack of communication on my part.

So today we enter Titus.  Though I am sure I have read Titus, I really have no clue of what to expect in this book.  Please join me as we explore God's word together.

Titus 1

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness

We know this was written by Paul.  We know that this book is to further our faith.  If you have accepted Christ's payment for you sin, you are one of the elect.  If you have not and you are reading this, God in his mercy and grace has chosen to reveal himself you to through his word here.  Pay attention.

 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

The word hope here is not as we would use it in English.  For example "I hope I get a pony on my birthday."  This use is one of trusting in something that is sure.

 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,To Titus, my true son in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

There are no coincidences.  There is no chance.  God is omniscient.  You are hear reading this by divine appointment.  I study Titus today be divine appointment.  This is God time.

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. 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.

One thing I appreciate about my church is the elders and leaders in charge.  Every one of them fills these qualifications.  To those of us who are not officially recognized leaders in our churches, these qualifications are good for us to strive for in our daily lives.  All of us are a leader or mentor to someone.

10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth.

Don't be this person.  Don't cause problems by stirring up trouble.  The people of Crete had such a bad rep that to this day the term "Cretan" is an insult.  We as Christians should have a reputation of love. John 13:34-35 

 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

Do my actions invalidate my claim to faith?  How about yours?

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters.  Amen.

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