Monday, September 29, 2025

In the back third of the New Testament, we find the short, three-chapter letter that Paul wrote to Titus.  The older apostle spoke of Titus as “my true son in our common faith” (1:4a). The purpose of this letter was to instruct and encourage Titus in his work serving the church at Crete.  Serving God in Crete was a tall order.  Paul noted what Titus was facing and confronting.  Paul quoted what one of Crete’s own prophets, Epimenides, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons” (1:12).  Yet, even in the face of these stern winds and currents, the work of the gospel went forward.  There was still a community that needed the good news of Christ and Titus was called and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the voice and leader that the people needed.
            Paul gave Titus some practical guidance that would serve him well in the face of Crete’s many challenges.  Paul wrote, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone” (3:1-2).  From these two verses, we learn how to serve the Lord in our times today.  We might want to think that the headwinds we face are different from the pressures and threats of the distant past.  We may think they are far greater today.  The reality is this—the enemy is always at war with the gospel and the Church’s efforts to serve the Lord Jesus.  This has been true since the days of the disciples and remains true today.  So, with this in mind, let’s see what practical instruction Paul gives to us today.
            First, we learn to be obedient.  To whom or to what?  We obey the Lord.  We obey what we read in Scripture.  We define ourselves by the Lord we choose to serve and follow. Living disobediently to God and His Word is a horrible witness for the world around us.  Phil Cooke, in his book The Way Back, wrote that 40% of churchgoing Christians read the Bible once a month, rarely or never.  It is kind of hard to be obedient to a standard that we often fail to read or pay attention to each day.  It can be hard to practice what we do not know.    
            Second, we want to be ready to do whatever is good.  Some form of the words good or goodness is found consistently through Scripture.  God is good.  Goodness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Christian men and women should be eager to do good things and to stand for goodness.  It should be our ambition to do good every day—either in word or deed. Think of the surprising influence that good can provide for the cause of Christ.  Doing something good opens the door to speak about the gospel. Doing what is good stands out. When we do good in and for the name of Christ, there are no limits to where that can lead.
            Third, slander no one.  There is no need to speak ill of others.  Remaining silent is preferable to slandering or maligning someone else.  Deal truthfully with those who mean you harm.  Pray for your enemies.  Serve those who pose a threat to you.  Refuse to be drawn into gossip and bitter conversations.  Never let someone else’s resentment stain you.  Timothy Keller wrote, “One of the paradoxes of history is the relationship between the beliefs and the practices of the early Christians as compared to those of the culture around them.”  When others slander, we can remain silent and serve instead.
            Fourth, be peaceable, considerate and gentle toward everyone.  That is a counter-cultural posture that comes straight out of Scripture.  We live in times where it seems many around us are getting angrier and louder all the time.  You might think that is true only of your opponents or those with whom you disagree.  But we might need to listen to ourselves and look at ourselves soberly and objectively.  We can easily get drawn into a war of words or emotions with others.  We can raise our voices when others do likewise. We can escalate things in a flash.  But we must come back to these three biblical values...peace, consideration and gentleness.  Sounds like Jesus, right?  Hopefully it sounds like us, His people, too.  Have a great Monday!  Do something good today! Remember you can share our worship with others at YouTube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.