When Paul found it necessary to leave the island of Crete, he left Titus in his place of leadership. Paul tasked Titus with finding and developing leadership for the various churches on the island. The first chapter of Titus makes it very clear that it is more important to look for character than skill in establishing church leadership. Paul went on to tell Titus that he must be ready to both exhort and train good teachers, but also to reprove false teachers. We must heed the instruction found here and elsewhere that the goal of reproving is always to restore the false teacher to a place of sound doctrine.
In Titus 2, Paul turned his attention to establishing a model or a template for discipleship in the church. He listed five groups: older men, older women, younger women, young men and bond-servants. Each group was instructed to be self-controlled, temperate and worthy of respect. Love, faith and perseverance were held up as admirable traits. Honesty and purity were promoted. Hard work and respect for authority were commanded. Getting along with other people and preventing arguments is to be one of our goals. All of these are admirable qualities for all people, Christian or not. Paul pointed out that a failure to exhibit these characteristics reflects poorly on Christ. He even put it more bluntly: failure to do so would dishonor the word of God, while doing these things will make the Savior more appealing to a lost and dying world.
A couple of other things catch my attention in this passage. While Paul tells Titus to instruct the older men, the older women, the younger men, and the bond-servants, he does not say the same about the younger women. In fact, Titus is told to teach the older women so they can teach the younger women. Many leaders in the church have fallen because of a failure to observe this very important principle. It is a dangerous practice for men teachers to get in one-on-one teaching or counseling relationships with younger women. There is good reason for Paul to put this restriction on Titus. It is for the protection of everyone.
A second thing that catches my attention from Titus 1 and 2 is the emphasis on connecting the generations. It seems to me that one of the greatest problems of the church in 2016 America is the disconnect between the generations. It is a tragedy that we have organized the church and planned activities that put up barriers between the generations rather than building bridges between the generations. The theme of this passage is developing leadership, especially teachers for the church. Titus cannot possibly do all of the teaching. He is to teach the teachers. Titus is to train, equip, exhort and encourage the older men who will naturally serve as role models for the younger men. Furthermore, these older men will be expected to teach the younger men. Titus is to train, equip, exhort and encourage the older women, who are explicitly told to do the same for the younger women. This practice of connecting the generations in teaching and mentoring relationships is something that would serve the church well today.
Steve Ellison's years coaching and teaching in public schools have given him a love for high school students. He was on staff with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which fostered an interest in sports ministry. His life's purpose is to teach the Bible in a way that will capture the attention of a world that needs it. He works as camp administrator at Ouachita Baptist Assembly, providing preaching, revivals and youth events. Email questions or comments to [email protected].
Religion on 10/22/2016