Just imagine being the traveling and ministering companion of Paul. You walk along as he travels from community to community telling people about Jesus Christ. You ride in the ships that take him from continent to continent. You and Barnabas are with Paul at Antioch. You take part in the ministry at Corinth, Ephesus, and the very important Council of Jerusalem. Finally, you settle on the island of Crete, in the Mediterranean off the coast of Greece.
Once on the island of Crete, you travel from town to town sharing the news of Jesus Christ. You celebrate with the early believers in Agios Nikolaos and move along to Irakleion. Many come to believe in Christ. But, you’re called to move along to Hania, and again your efforts see many come to Christ. In each community, there are new Christians who need guidance and leadership. There’s just too much for any single man to handle. Then, a letter arrives from Paul. In this letter, Paul shares instructions about establishing leadership in the various churches.
"For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you." Titus 1:5
The letter from Paul to Titus, while written centuries ago, is just as valuable and helpful today as it was to Titus as he sought to help the early Christians bring order to their churches and families. As we begin our study of Titus together, we’ll explore three major themes from this letter. First, we’ll consider the qualifications and duties of Christian leaders, elders in the church. Then we’ll explore what Paul shared as it relates to our families and homes as we outline principles for family life. Finally, as we dig even deeper into Titus, we’ll discover some nuggets of knowledge to help us in our Christian relationships.
There are three common characteristics of the people of God. First is our shared faith in Jesus Christ, his life and sacrifice for us. As we begin to grow in our knowledge of the truth, we gain intellectual insight and experiential understanding. Ultimately, we begin to grasp the hope of the Gospel, the promise of God that gives us comfort in our lives and calls us to reach out to those around us.
Take a few moments each day this week to read Paul’s letter to Titus. Picture yourself on the island of Crete, moving from town to town sharing and ministering, applying the guidelines from Paul’s letter. Then, begin to apply Paul’s words to your own life and to Faith Bible Church. As we study this letter, it’s Pastor Tom’s prayer that it will ignite great things for Faith Bible Church and the body of believers who make up our church.
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