P.O. Box 53055    
Los Angeles, CA 90053   

CONNIE: When you hear the word “Chrsitian,” or “Church,” what comes to mind? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Join us today as we study Paul’s counsel to Titus on how to make church a good place.

Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: And I’m Lonnie Melashenko.

CONNIE: Lonnie, we were handed some rather startling statistics recently, courtesy of Gallup poll. Their recent survey of people’s attitude toward religion kind of pulls you up short when you read it. For instance, in just a little over a year—between September 11, 2001 and the end of 2002, the general public’s confidence in organized religion dropped a startling 30 points!

LONNIE: Not only that, people’s attitude toward the clergy took a noticeable dive—particularly in one denomination that has been racked by scandals recently. People have less confidence in Christian ministers than they do in nurses, military officers, teachers, doctors, and the police.

CONNIE: That’s a troubling turnaround, from a time when people were flocking to churches to find comfort and solace for their fears.

LONNIE: It certainly is, and I think that we as Christians have to admit that we may have fallen down in fulfilling our proper role in the world. Perhaps we’re missing the mark of the high standards that Jesus set for His followers. Perhaps we’ve gotten so involved in our own ideas and programs that we’ve neglected to reach out a helping hand, doing good for those around us.

CONNIE: Well, it’s not the first time something like that has happened. In fact, the apostle Paul had to remind Titus about the importance of goodness in the church, didn’t he?

LONNIE: He did indeed.

CONNIE: As we look at the book of Titus, we’ve invited Dr. John McVay of Andrews University to introduce us to some of the high points. Ken Wade spoke with him.

KEN: I want to welcome Dr. John McVay, the dean of the theological seminary there at Andrews University here to our show today, welcome Dr. Mcvay.

JOHN: Ken it’s delightful to be with you.

KEN: We’re talking today about the book of Titus, and it’s a nice short little book and you can read it in about 5 minutes, and as we read through in that short of time, what is this book about, what should we notice in particular about it?

JOHN: Titus is one of Paul’s letters that is addressed to an individual, and in this case it is Titus, a pastor and longstanding colleague of Paul’s.

KEN: His name is mentioned quite a bit in the New Testament actually…

JOHN: It is, obviously from the letters from Corinth we realize that he is a very trusted surrogate for Paul, someone who stands in for him from time to time, as he is doing in the context of this letter. Paul has left him on the island of Crete to organize the Christian faith there, and the church there, and he is sending him instructions about how he would like to see that done.

KEN: So what are some of the high points here, some of the things that we ought to take note of?

JOHN: As you mentioned, it’s a brief letter that you can read through quickly, as you do that all of us are struck by the centrality of the call for good works and good deeds in this letter. You know Paul is obviously the apostle of grace, faith, and salvation by faith in Christ alone, so it can be a little shocking to see him say so much about the need for good works on the part of Christians.

KEN: It’s not a matter of salvation that he is talking about though is he?

JOHN: No, he has this wonderful passage; and this surely is one of the high points of the letter in chapter 3 and following, when he says, “When the goodness and the loving kindness of our savior appeared he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy.” This book is about life through salvation, and that is what he is really trying to get across here.

KEN: This book is quite parallel in many ways to 1 Timothy, where Paul makes a similar statement in the context of his saying, I’m the chief of sinners, and God saved me by His mercy, he’s building up this idea of the mercy of God alongside the idea of good works that we do in response to the mercy of God.

JOHN: I think that the emphasis on good works is apparently explained by a concern that he has for what we might call the reputation of Christians and Christian faith on the island of Crete, and you see that alluded to in several places, and some of the most clear places might be chapter 2: 5, where he is addressing some counsel to older women, and he talks to them about various things and says to them, “So that the word of God be discredited. He is saying we want you to behave well, to be sober, to teach younger women to love their husbands, and children and so on, so that the word of God be not discredited.” A thought that he returns to in the counsel to slaves in chapter 2:10, “So that in everything, they, slaves, may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior.”

KEN: So that Christians are setting a good example in the world.

JOHN: Maybe they aren’t doing so well if you read the letter from that angle, but Paul is anxious that they do so. He’s concerned that Christians be good citizens, good neighbors, good husbands, and wives that that reputation might spread to the Christian faith, people might be attracted to Christianity because of the quality of Christians.

KEN: In chapter 1 he brings that up to, because apparently there are some people who are disruptive idle talkers and deceivers who have upset whole families, and apparently there are some who come behind him and muddy up the water theologically perhaps, maybe there was some strife going on in the church that was not a good representation to the community.

JOHN: There appears to be some heresy threatening here doesn’t there? It talks about idle talkers and deceivers, and he is concerned about that and he returns to some of those thoughts in chapter 3 where he says to Titus, “Avoid stupid controversies”, and wants him to stay away from meaningless quarrels, because he doesn’t feel that those are benefiting Christian faith and its reputation on the island.

KEN: Well, I think that kind of gives us an overview, and I appreciate that and we’ve got just a little bit of time left here, but I appreciate your insights and if a person is reading through Titus they ought to pick up on this thought of what Christians ought to be as an example in the world.

JOHN: Yes, and it’s a bracing challenge to all of us to consider that our behavior is not just our own, but if we bear the name of Christ, how we react, how we respond to other people, reflects on the faith that we profess, and that’s a real challenge to us all.

KEN: Thank you very much doctor, we will try to live up to the words of Titus.

JOHN: You’re welcome Ken, it’s nice to be with you.

CONNIE: Amen! That was the Good News Singers—offering a prayer for us. If we’re going to live the life that we’re called to as Christians—the life of goodness—most of us need to have a heart change every day—courtesy of Jesus.

LONNIE: Jesus needs to be the center of our religion, if it’s going to make us the kind of people we ought to be. I’ve noticed that religion can be a good thing—if it’s working right in a person’s life. But it can be a bad thing if it’s just sort of an addendum to your life—something tacked on to the outside, rather than a genuine heart-centered, Jesus-centered religion.

CONNIE: We have a little book called A Religion That Works, by Mark Finley and Steve Mosley of our sister ministry, It Is Written. It’s full of stories and illustrations and ideas of how you can make Christianity real in your life—make it the motivating, driving force that will impact the world for good.

LONNIE: We’d love to send you a copy of this little book, and it’s yours for the asking. Just call us at our toll-free number, 1-800-872-0055, or write to us (and we’ll give the mailing address later.) Ask for the book A Religion That Works, and we’ll get it right out in the mail to you.

CONNIE: Right now, though, let’s listen to Lonnie’s message about the book of Titus today, “Leading for the Lord.”

Titus—Leading for the Lord

What should Christians be like? Really? Should they be noticeably different from non-Christians? Should they stand out in a crowd? Should they seem . . . weird . . . by the world’s standards?

In my own Seventh-day Adventist denomination, I can remember the days when church members were proud to quote Deuteronomy 26:18—from the King James Version—in reference to themselves:

“And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments.”

As conservative Christians, we were proud of being different from the world and attending to all of God’s commandments—even if it did make us a little “peculiar.”

The same phraseology occurs in the book of Titus, which we’re studying today, in the King James Version. It’s in one of the most precious passages in this short letter, the passage about the blessed hope of the Second Coming of Jesus. Here it is in Titus 2:13, 14: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

More recent translations such as the New King James Version have substituted the word “special” for “peculiar” in these verses, because the original Hebrew and Greek words refer to something akin to wealth or treasure—something that is especially valued, not something that is strange or different.

Nonetheless, I doubt that my own denomination was the only group of conservative Christians who liked to think of themselves as a bit “peculiar” by the world’s standards. Our women kept their dresses far below the knee for several years after the miniskirt revolution. We refused to wear jewelry, didn’t go to theaters, and our men certainly didn’t wear beards that might make them look like hippies!

There are still conservative congregations in many denominations that uphold those sorts of standards. But by and large, it seems that Christians in the late 20th century began to try to blend in with society rather than standing out as different, or peculiar.

Does it seem to you that these days most Christians are doing their best NOT to look that much different from the world?

In an age when rock star divas hold hands with their crew and pray to Jesus before prancing out onto the stage to perform their erotic dance steps, and when we are urged not to be “too judgmental” about others’ activities, what do you think the apostle Paul would have to say?

If you’re curious, you might want to take five minutes and read through his letter to Titus.

It’s only three short chapters, and you can easily read through it in five minutes or less. It takes up less than two pages in most Bibles. But it is jam-packed with the sort of wisdom that comes through divine enlightenment coupled with years of experience in serving the Lord.

Titus is one of the apostle Paul’s last letters. He apparently wrote it about the same time he wrote 1 Timothy—the messages of the two books show a great deal of similarity.

Here we have a seasoned apostle, veteran of many evangelistic endeavors, writing to one of his closest young associates, with counsel about how to establish churches on a sound footing.

In Titus we find that the apostle has developed a mature wisdom about church matters that he couldn’t have shared a few years earlier, because the Lord had not yet led him through the experiences that taught him these things.

It’s a fascinating thing to read the epistles of Paul in chronological sequence, following along in the book of Acts, and noticing how the Lord’s servant grew in wisdom and stature and knowledge through the years.

It’s evident from some of his earliest letters—to the Corinthians for example—that Paul learned some important lessons along the way. After spending 18 months in Corinth, teaching and raising up a church in cooperation with Priscilla and Aquila, Paul and the other missionary leaders all departed at once, leaving the Corinthian believers on their own to carry on the work of the Christian church.

That led to problems. Within a few months the morals and morale of the church hit rock bottom. Incest, drunkenness, and self-serving quickly took the place of love, sobriety, and good works among the new Christians. And it took a painful series of letters and visits to straighten things out.

Paul first sent Timothy to Corinth, but he wasn’t able to solve the problems. Next Titus went as Paul’s representative, and this young Greek missionary must have done and said just the right things, because when he rejoined Paul, he shared a glowing report of how the Corinthians had repented of their evil ways and had returned to their love of Jesus and their appreciation of Paul.

Now, a dozen or more years later, the apostle has been continuing his missionary endeavors, going from place to place, preaching the gospel, and raising up churches whose membership—like the church at Corinth—consists largely of Gentiles. These people have very little background in biblical morals. Paul no doubt gave them careful instructions when he preached to them. But he’s learned through experience that it’s not wise to just move on and leave the new Christians to muddle through on their own.

He no longer leaves his newly-founded congregations to their own devices as he did at Corinth. He begins his letter to Titus with these words: “To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you” (Titus 1:4, 5, NRSV).

A dozen years of experience have opened up to Paul’s understanding the importance of making sure each church has good, solid leadership.

Not just anyone is qualified to be a church leader. The elders in each town weren’t to be selected on the basis of their wealth and ability to help support the church building program. Nor were they to be chosen because of their charisma and charm.

No, here are the qualifications for a church leader—called a bishop, but not in the sense we use the term today. A bishop was simply a local church elder when Paul wrote this counsel to Titus: “A bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” (Titus 1:7-9, NKJV).

Inspired by the Holy Spirit’s guidance, Paul set high standards for church leaders. Not only must they be blameless, moral, self-controlled people, they also need to be careful Bible students, thoroughly indoctrinated in the truths Paul had taught them.

Because hard experience had taught the long-time apostle that it wouldn’t be long after he left that people would show up with new ideas to teach. Like snake-oil salesmen, they would camp on the doorstep of the church proclaiming the merits of all sorts of deleterious spiritual medicines.

“For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers . . . whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain” he warned (Titus 1:10, 11, NKJV).

Paul’s counsel about how to deal with such people? “Rebuke them sharply, that they may become sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13, NKJV).

The duties Paul entrusted to Titus would not be easy. He was to be the guardian of the faith against all comers. And he was to pick out people in every church who could be entrusted with that responsibility after he left.

One wonders. Does the church need a few Titus’s today to help it clean up its act and to guard it against false teaching? Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that churches all need a hardnosed legalist to stand on the front steps and try to straighten out all the members’ morals before they’re allowed to enter the church. I don’t think that’s what Titus did. I think he must have been more tactful than that, and that Paul understood this because of the great success the young man had achieved in reconciling the rebellious Corinthians and bringing them back into the fold.

But Paul does make it clear in his letter to Titus that the church is to be called to a high moral standard. In chapter 2, he goes through all the categories of people in the church and calls each of them to live righteous lives. Older men are to be “temperate, serious, prudent . . . sound in faith . . . love and endurance.” Older women are to be reverent, sober, and good teachers of the younger women. Younger women need to be “self-controlled, chaste, good managers . . . kind, [and] submissive.” Younger men also need to be self-controlled, and Titus himself is to be a “model of good works” (Titus 2:2-7, NRSV).

“Good works” is an idea that comes up a lot in this letter. This might surprise you, since it’s written by the foremost champion of salvation by grace apart from works. But one of Paul’s chief complaints against those he told Titus to “rebuke sharply” is that “They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work” (1:16, NRSV). Christians, by contrast, are “to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work” (3:1, NRSV).

I like the way the Jerusalem Bible translates Titus 3:8—a rendition that’s very close to the original Greek by the way. Here it is: “I want you to be quite uncompromising in teaching all this, so that those who now believe in God may keep their minds constantly occupied in doing good works.”

Wow!

Consider the wisdom in that simple sentence.

Paul had seen things run amok in churches all too often, when people exercised their minds over unimportant little doctrinal details and myths and genealogies. He cautioned Titus against letting that happen in Crete. But telling people what not to think about isn’t enough. Better yet, tell them to “keep their minds constantly occupied in doing good works!”

That, my friend, will solve a lot of problems in a lot of churches. Don’t you think so?

Paul must have thought so, because he closed his letter to Titus by reemphasizing this point: “And let the people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive” (3:14, NRSV).

Oh, the challenges of leading for the Lord. It’s not always easy to keep the church on the right track. But if everyone is focused on doing good things—well, how far can you miss the mark?

It’s great to be saved by grace apart from works. That was Paul’s theme song. But he also knew just how important it is for us as Christians to focus our lives on doing well.

Are we supposed to be different?

Are we supposed to be peculiar?

Well, if spending our time helping others and doing good is a peculiar thing to do, and then sign me up as one of God’s peculiar people!