Order in the Lord's
Churches
Book of Titus 1
The Book of Titus
was written to Titus and the Church sometime after Paul had written
the first Book of Timothy to Timothy and the Church. Titus was a
Gentile whereas Timothy was a Jew according to the bloodline of his
mother. A Jew can only be a true Jew if they are from the bloodline
of Sarah the first wife of Abraham.
Abraham is the
father of many nations but only those from the bloodline of Sarah can
be considered to be the true Israel!
Paul wrote to Titus
to warn against false teachers. Many but not all those false teachers
were Jews.
Paul wrote to Titus
to set in order the organization of the church and the behavior of
true believers.
Paul wrote to Titus
to encourage him to proclaim the "Apostle's Doctrine" the
"Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It was also Paul who
had led Titus to the Lord.
The Book of Titus is
the third Book of Scriptures that are known as the Pastoral Epistles!
The Pastoral
Epistles deal with the Pastor's care of the church, the oversight,
and the organization of the Church that has the foundation of Jesus
Christ.
There is no church
if Jesus Christ is not the foundation of that church!
These books teach us
all how we are to behave in the House of God!
These books also
teach us how we are to defend Christianity! This is where we
Christians fail the most today. We are too lazy to stand up for the
Lord Jesus. What a shame!
Let's begin:
*****Tit 1:1 Paul,
a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the
faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is
after godliness;
Tit 1:2 In hope of
eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began;
Tit 1:3 But hath in
due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed
unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
No building can
exist for any length of time if it is not established on a solid
foundation. Each Christian has become a Temple of the Lord but even
this Temple cannot exist if it is not laid upon a solid foundation
and that foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ!
Only when the proper
foundation is laid, then that building can grow to its full
potential!
Every child of God
is called to serve in the House of God and be a messenger of the Lord
Jesus Christ. All functions of the Church are secondary to these two
things.
In a sense we are
all to become slaves to our new Master, Jesus Christ!
In other words, we
have given up our own will and serve at the will of our Lord and
Master, Jesus.
A man once wrote:
Our own will is to be swallowed up in the sweet will of God"
No doubt the
modern-day church has forgotten these things. The modern-day church
has forgotten the purpose of the church and have allowed the world to
dictate the work of the church.
Those who have
undermined the foundation, which is to be Christ, are beginning to
crumble and fall and this will continue until the Lord returns.
Only when we obey
the Words of our Savior can the church properly to do the work that
is intended!
Joh 12:26 If any
man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my
servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Rom 12:1 I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service.
1Co 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord.
There is no excuse
for any place where God's people gather, to be confused about the
purpose of the Church!
Eph 6:6 Not with
eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the
will of God from the heart;
Eph 6:7 With good
will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
There were only 12
Apostles specifically chose by the Lord but, after our own salvation
we are all to do the work of the apostle.
As believers we have
been chosen to be God's holy and beloved people, a people set apart
from this world and away from our old life of sin which brings only
death, to a new life and life eternal based upon the righteousness of
our Savior!
These things can
only take place according to our faith and our knowledge of the
truth, which comes only by the truth of God!
God says we must
repent from that old life that rejected, ignored and denied and was
constantly cursing in the face of God!
Think about that for
a moment and try to understand, that it is only by God's love, which
is the means of God's "grace", that we can be forgiven of
these things!
Our only hope is in
fact the Lord Jesus Christ, the God who cannot lie, who took it upon
Himself to provide the only path to forgiveness!
Jesus Christ did all
the work to allow us to be adopted into the family of God, no more to
be separated from Him.
Joh 6:28 Then said
they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29 Jesus
answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe
on him whom he hath sent.
Our only work is to
believe, have faith in the work that the Lord has done for us, to
restore fellowship with our Creator!
Our job then is
telling someone else the wonderful things that Jesus has done, so
that the Holy Spirit will convict them to know the truth and then
they too must make a choice to believe the truth or to reject the
truth.
God then will guide
us to live godly lives, that is, to follow in the ways of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
God shows the world
that He is real by showing how He can change lives. We as believers
are to be a portrait of God's Mercy and Grace.
God has promised an
eternal life of amazing wonders to those who trust Him but, also an
eternal life of misery to those who reject Him.
I still have a very
hard time believing that so many supposedly smart people fall into
that trap of evolution!
The hope of eternal
life is revealed in the Word of God many times and it is still true
today!
Joh 5:24 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
As Christians we are
to show the world our "faith"!
As Christians we
know that no one is out of reach to the truth of God!
Isa 12:2 Behold,
God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD
JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
The Lord has chosen
specific men to go out and "PREACH" the Word of God!
God is not somewhere
off in space, unconcerned about His creation.
God is not sitting
in His place ready to punish mankind for the least thing.
God is not mad at
any of us and He never will be.
God is love and it
is His desire to save us, so we can spend eternity with Him wherever
He is!
God has some
qualifications that we must accept the main one being "Faith"!
Eph 2:8 For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of
works, lest any man should boast.
God is seeking a
Spiritual relationship with each of us, not just the church, even
those who do not yet believe!
*****Tit 1:4 To
Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Every Pastor is a
spiritual father to each one they lead to accept the Lord Jesus
Christ as their Savior.
Titus was led to the
Lord by the Apostle Paul, as was Timothy and countless others.
It is the "common
faith" that we all believe in Jesus Christ just as Paul, and
Peter, James, and John, and all the apostles did that brings eternal
life to every believer, and this will never change.
Those that say they
believe the Word of God but still try to adapt to the world of today,
are those same ones who would like their own pet sin to be removed
from the truth of God and this is not going to happen!
Grace, Mercy, and
Peace can come only by the truth of God the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ our Savior!
The Lord left us
with His unchanging command.
Mat 28:18 And Jesus
came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching
them to observe all things "whatsoever I have commanded you":
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Why would we ever
want to fall away from the truth of our Savior, and He says He will
never change!
Titus was left by
Paul to establish and organize the churches on the Island of Crete
using this same "common faith"!
*****Tit 1:5 For
this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the
things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had
appointed thee:
Tit 1:6 If any be
blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not
accused of riot or unruly.
When we see the
terms elder or bishop in these Scriptures, we should think Pastor, or
Preacher, or Minister and the gift of Pastor-Teacher will refer to
just one gift.
The word "elder"
refers to the man's years of faithfulness and service to the church.
The word "bishop"
refers to the man's duties and his work overseeing the church that
God has assigned to him
These two words are
interchangeable!
What are the needs
of every church?
1) There is to be a
certain order in the church and this cannot go undone or the church
will be defective in its work.
It takes time with
everyone working for one goal to remove the defects of any church.
The church must be organized in the ministry that the Lord Jesus
Christ has commanded. Leading souls to Christ and making disciples of
them.
False teaching must
not be allowed into the church which can only cause divisions and
strife in the congregation.
The Church that is
not growing in Christ Jesus, is not a true church! Leaning into
apostacy.
2) Hopefully there
will always be a need to ordain more men called of God into the
ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
No church should
remain without a true Pastor for any length of time!
In the days of the
Apostle Paul there was a great need for men like Timothy and Titus to
ordain such men to be sure they were made up of the truth of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
That same need
remains today! Those who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ must be
totally rejected. The church has no need of such men!
Every true man of
God must also meet certain qualification.
Again, we will see
that God created the family before He created the church and every
family is to be a mini church for the family to work by God's design.
When Christian
families can come together in one mind and in one accord, then those
families become a church and then they have need for a Pastor.
Notice: first this
man must be blameless. Blameless in his family and blameless as to
his dealings with the world.
In other words, his
dealings with the world should contribute to his Christian service
rather than be a hindrance to him.
One who can lead his
family according to the Word of God has a better chance of being able
to lead a church.
A Pastor can be
single but there is no proof of how they can lead a family.
Both Timothy and
Titus were single as far as we can tell but they taught of the family
because most all Pastors will also have a family.
Php 2:15 That ye
may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as
lights in the world;
Php 2:16 Holding
forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that
I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
A good family man
will have a faithful and loving wife who can also guide the children
to be faithful and loving children.
There is no place in
the ministry of the church for those who would have more than one
wife at a time!
There is no place in
the church for anyone seeking to become rich off the "Gospel"!
Deu 17:17 Neither
shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away:
neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
The Christian family
will seek to glorify God in everything they do!
*****Tit 1:7 For a
bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not
soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
Tit 1:8 But a lover
of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
Tit 1:9 Holding
fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by
sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
Some words to
describe every Pastor should include humility, self-sacrifice,
simplicity of heart, undaunted courage, and moral faithfulness.
The true Pastor will
not be Lord over his flock, but he will be the shepherd!
The true Pastor will
be a good steward of God's tithes and offerings and will never seek
riches for himself nor his family!
The true Pastor will
seek to raise his flock above himself.
The true Pastor will
see that the household of God is cared for.
On the other hand,
the true Pastor will not be self-willed.
The Pastor does not
own the church, the church belongs to God and His children!
The Pastor must
never be self-centered, arrogant, haughty, nor self-pleasing.
The true Pastor will
not easily become angry!
The true Pastor will
not remain angry enough to sin at any time.
The true Pastor will
not partake of alcohol of any sort.
Luk 1:15 For he
shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine
nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even
from his mother's womb.
This was written of
John the Baptist and it is good enough for every true man of God and
of course every child of God!
The true Pastor will
not be a violent man!
The true Pastor will
not seek riches, nor worldly possessions, but this does not mean he
is not have leisure time and hobbies.
The true Pastor will
be a lover of hospitality!
The true Pastor will
love the children God has presented to him.
Heb 13:1 Let
brotherly love continue.
Heb 13:2 Be not
forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained
angels unawares.
Drunkenness brings
ruin to everyone who is touched by it and this includes the Church
that Jesus Christ has built!
Maybe the most
important of all, the true Pastor will hold fast to the truth of the
Word of God and never seek to change anything that God has already
said!
(This one thing is
abused more today than all the others put together).
When you must have
multiple translations to get you point across, then you are only
seeking to impress your will upon God's children rather than the
truth of God's Word!
We all must have
control over our bodies of flesh to be legitimate Christians. This
one thing is the greatest battle we face every day and it is no
different for the Pastor!
The true Pastor will
hold fast to the truth of the Word of God and not allow the world to
dictate what God meant!
If there is one
thing true above all else, it is that God says what He means, and God
means what He says!
We can be sure that
God's will is done upon this earth always!
1Jn 5:12 He that
hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
life.
1Jn 5:13 These
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may
believe on the name of the Son of God.
1Jn 5:14 And this
is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15 And if we
know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of him.
The Gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ is not only "good news" to be told to
everyone it is also the Faithful Unchanging Word of God, which is
sound doctrine, much more than good advice but also will also bring
Holy Ghost conviction to those who hear it when it is preached!
There are many more
false teachers that we realize!
*****Tit 1:10 For
there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they
of the circumcision:
Tit 1:11 "Whose
mouths must be stopped", who subvert whole houses, teaching
things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
Who is a false
teacher? All those who reject even one truth written down in the
Word of God!
There will be false
teachers in and around every true church!
To be unruly means:
to be insubordinate against God and His truth! The violation of just
one word in God's love letter is sin!
They were
religionists, which is being a bigot to Christianity.
They refuse to
submit themselves to the Word of God therefore, they reject God no
matter what comes out of their mouths!
They will teach
things that amount to nothing toward God's salvation plan!
Their teaching is
not able to overcome sin and death!
Their teaching will
not bring forgiveness of sin and therefore will not bring eternal
life to those who receive it!
Job 15:3 Should he
reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do
no good?
Job 15:4 Yea, thou
castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
Job 15:5 For thy
mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the
crafty.
Job 15:6 Thine own
mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against
thee.
The truth is they
are all like their father Satan, the Deceiver
2Jn 1:6 And this is
love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment,
That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
2Jn 1:7 For many
deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Paul used the word
circumcision, meaning that many of them were Jews demanding that the
Laws of Moses be followed which is a works doctrine that cannot bring
salvation!
Ecc 10:13 The
beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of
his talk is mischievous madness.
Ecc 10:14 A fool
also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what
shall be after him, who can tell him?
The refused to
believe that Jesus Christ died for their sin because they claim to
obey all the laws, written and oral, and therefore Christ Jesus need
not to have died!
These false teachers
are around today in even greater numbers, at least here in America!
These false teachers
rejected that it is faith and faith only that can bring us close to
God, even though they claimed Abraham as their forefather.
These false teachers
taught that only man can make himself acceptable to God! Jesus said
this cannot be true!
Joh_15:5 I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
What else does Jesus
say?
Mat 7:21 Not every
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity.
We find that most
all these false teachers are in it for the money (filthy lucre). Does
this mean we must stay away from Mega Churches?
We must stay away
from every church that does not preach Jesus Christ, Him crucified,
then raised from the dead, therefore salvation comes by the blood of
Jesus Christ!
All false teachers
must be silenced but not by physical force!
False teachers must
not be allowed to turn people away from Jesus Christ!
Gal 1:6 I marvel
that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace
of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7 Which is
not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert
the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8 But though
we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than
that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
One truth is that, a
false teacher will have a bad reputation outside the church because
everyone hates a liar!
*****Tit 1:12 One
of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are
alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
Tit 1:13 This
witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be
sound in the faith;
Tit 1:14 Not giving
heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the
truth.
It is said that
Epimenides, a Cretian poet was this prophet who had written down
these words "The Cretians are always liars"
Some Cretians even
invented a new word "Cretize" meaning all those who played
the part of a Cretian. In other words, they were liars as the prophet
had said and were as an evil beast which can mean that they were very
greedy.
We must understand
that the speaking of lies is condemned in the Word of God!
What does God say?
1Ti 5:20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
You see, it is the
Church body that is put a stop to false teaching!
When we study the
Word of God ourselves we will be able to discern the Word of God from
false teaching.
Every lie causes
harm to the Church because a lie is the enemy of the truth!
Lies are something
that God just hates!
Pro 12:22 Lying
lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his
delight.
It is well past the
time when Christians need to take a stand, but we certainly must
sharply address false teaching in our own church!
Fables can only
distract you from the truth. There are no fables in the Word of God!
Fables are attempt
of some human being to place themselves on a level with the Word of
God.
God's Word is
settled in Heaven, nothing on earth can compare to the truth of God!
Psa_119:89 LAMED.
For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
We already know it
is the Holy Spirit who gave us the written Word of God!
Any Jew who compares
fables to the Word of God has already left his own Jewish beliefs!
Jewish fables come
from a false interpretation of the Books of Moses, the Pentateuch.
We must understand
the Spiritual meaning of the Word of God and apply it to our own
lives!
This is why the Lord
Jesus Christ challenged Jewish teachers who put man’s laws before
the Word of God!
Ceremonial laws
cannot save but they also lead us away from the truth. Jewish fables
have nothing in them to replace "faith".
Without faith we
cannot even please the Lord, who came that we be saved.
Man-made religion
has no answer for the truth of God and we live in a world full of
man-made religion!
Christianity is
being obedient to the will of God!
Joh 7:16 Jesus
answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent
me.
Joh 7:17 If any man
will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of
God, or whether I speak of myself.
Joh 7:18 He that
speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his
glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in
him.
Joh 7:19 Did not
Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go
ye about to kill me?
If we are not rooted
and grounded in the truth of God then, we are subject to all fables,
which are only the words of some man.
As Christians we are
all required to warn all others that they will be eternally separated
from God unless, we know the truth and teach others the truth.
Eze 3:18 When I say
unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not
warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save
his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his
blood will I require at thine hand.
Our faith must be in
the truth of God or we will attain purity enough to live with the
Lord!
*****Tit 1:15 Unto
the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and
unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is
defiled.
No false teacher
will ever be pure enough to stand before a Holy God!
Our salvation can
never be based upon lies!
When we try to make
up our own rules to please God, we will always fail.
God has given us His
instruction manual and we must go by the Word of God to ever have a
chance to overcome God's wrath. Remember all mankind has already been
sentenced to eternal death from the day we are born.
When we cannot
accept that we are sinners in need of a Savior we will remain under
God's curse!
Our only question
should be, "how do we become pure enough to come face to face
with God"?
There are no works
that we can perform to overcome our sad situation!
When God our Father
in Heaven accepted the work of God the Son, only then did we become a
Temple for God the Holy Spirit, which means we will be pure enough to
stand before our Heavenly Father.
Only the purity and
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ can accomplish these things
and then only when we invite Him to come into our heart and stay!
Joh 1:11 He came
unto his own, and his own received him not.
Joh 1:12 But as
many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God.
The Jews rejected
the truth of God when He first came. They will accept Him when He
returns. There are no other nations that will get such a second
chance as this promise to the Jews.
It is the truth of
God that makes us free!
Unto them that are
defiled, and unbelieving is nothing pure and they will remain caught
up in their sin!
Mat 5:8 Blessed are
the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
What is wrong with
the Church today?
*****Tit 1:16 They
profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being
abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
We live in a world
ruled by reprobates!
A false preacher is
no more than a professional atheist!
Their sermon may
sound great but, in their everyday life they fail to apply the Word
of God to their everyday existence!
Their witness
outside the church will clearly show they are no more than
hypocrites!
When we deny God's
authority over our lives, we too are no more than professional
atheist!
Truly a hypocrite is
even offensive to those who do not know the Lord.
There are always
those in the Church who are hypocrites, and still lost but, God will
not remove them because they may see the error of their ways in the
true Christian.
The hypocrite is
always a great professor of religion, but religion will only lead to
your death!
Some hypocrites are
truly hard to see. Even Judas spent 3 years with the Lord, but the
other disciples never did accuse Judas of hypocrisy.
The Lord knew all
the while, even when He chose Judas!
We deny things in 3
ways:
1) With our tongues,
the words that we use.
2) With our heart,
that only God can see.
3) With the life we
lead, that everyone can see.
Without submitting
to God and His Word , we will never know salvation.
The false teacher
will corrupt the church and to be honest, corruption will always
leave a foul smell!
All these things are
the fulfillment of prophesy!
Mar 7:6 He answered
and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as
it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their
heart is far from me.
Amen
Let's Pray
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