Gary Gleans

When I send Artemas or   Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me   at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.    Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and   Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing.   And let our people learn   to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not   be unfruitful.    All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.     Grace be with you all. Ministry is a team sport.  Nobody can accomplish effective ministry by themselves.  Those who attempt to do so will eventually be ineffective or worse.  As believers we are all working together for the cause of Christ and the advancement of the Gospel.  The different gifts and different functions are essential to the advancement of the Gospel and reflecting the image of God to a world that desperately needs to know Him. HELP FROM OTHERS: Paul wants to send someone to continue the work Titus is doing on Crete so he can come meet

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.     But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.     As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. As believers there are things to which we must dedicate our lives and there are things we must avoid.  Knowing the difference between these two is what determines how wise we are and how effective we will be in ministry.  One of Satan’s most effective tools is distraction.  It is easy for us to get “bent out of shape” over secondary issues to the point that we neglect the primary ones to which we have been called. BE DEVOTED TO GOOD DEEDS: There is no way anyone c

For   we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.    But when   the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,   he saved us,   not because of works done by us in righteousness, but   according to his own mercy, by   the washing of regeneration and   renewal of the Holy Spirit,   whom he   poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,   so that   being justified by his grace we might become   heirs   according to the hope of eternal life. The Gospel is both glorious and transformative.  We were saved from a life of terrible sin and darkness to an eternal life of hope.  The reason we need to patiently remind people to submit, serve, and speak in a way that honors God is because we remember the mess from which we were saved and are thankful for the results of that salvation.  When ministers of the Gospel forget about their own miracu

Remind them   to be submissive to rulers and authorities,   to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,   to speak evil of no one,   to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and   to show perfect courtesy toward all people. As ministers of the Gospel, we are called to instruct our brothers and sisters in Christ as to how they are to live within this fallen world.  Paul gives a summary of the key exhortations that should mark that instruction.  They serve as a great reminder of the priorities we should all seek to build into our lives. SUBMIT TO LEADERS: We often have very little control over the leaders that are over us.  Even in a democracy where we have the right to vote for our leaders, we find ourselves feeling like we are voting between the lesser of two evils.  We may not always like or prefer our political leaders, bosses, or even our pastors, but we are called to be submissive to them because they are established by God.  The Roman Empire was an oppressive and unjust regime that

For   the grace of God   has appeared, bringing salvation   for all people,   training us to renounce ungodliness and   worldly passions, and   to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in   the present age,   waiting for our blessed   hope, the   appearing of the glory of our great   God and Savior Jesus Christ,   who gave himself for us to   redeem us from all lawlessness and   to purify for himself   a people for his own possession who are   zealous for good works.    Declare these things; exhort and   rebuke with all authority.   Let no one disregard you. All the maturity and self-control that men, women, and slaves are to demonstrate can never be achieved through human effort.  Godliness is a supernatural gift that is the result of God’s grace as proclaimed in the Gospel.  The only hope of transforming a lost and dying world is the Gospel.  He graciously transforms us and equips us to be able to do all the things commanded in Scripture.   SALVATION IS BY GOD’S GRACE: We mu

But as for you, teach what accords with   sound doctrine.  Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled,   sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.    Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior,   not slanderers   or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,   and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,   to be self-controlled,   pure,   working at home, kind, and   submissive to their own husbands,   that the word of God may not be reviled.    Likewise, urge   the younger men to be self-controlled.    Show yourself in all respects to be   a model of good works, and in your teaching   show integrity,   dignity,   and   sound speech that cannot be condemned,   so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.    Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters   in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,   not pilfering,   but showing all good faith,   so that in everyt

For there are many who are insubordinate,   empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of   the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since   they are upsetting whole families by teaching   for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.    One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”  This testimony is true. Therefore   rebuke them   sharply, that they   may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and   the commands of people   who turn away from the truth.    To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and   unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both   their minds and their consciences are defiled.    They profess to know God, but they   deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient,   unfit for any good work. The reason strong leaders are so vital to the health of the church is because there are so many attacks on the faith an on the truth.  Satan is always seeking to destroy

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and   appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of   debauchery or insubordination.    For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not   be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent   or greedy for gain,   but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy,   and disciplined.    He must   hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in   sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. The stability and effectiveness of any church or organization will rise and fall with its leadership.  There are some professions where a person can be successful while neglecting family and lacking integrity if they are skilled in a certain area.  The ministry is not one of those professions.  A brain surge

Paul, a servan t  of God and   an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and   their knowledge of the truth,   which accords with godliness ,  in hope of eternal life, which God,   who never lies,   promised   before the ages bega n  and   at the proper time manifested in his wor d  through the preaching   with which I have been entrusted   by the command of God our Savior;   To Titus,   my true child in   a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Paul begins this book written to his co-worker whom he has left on the island of Crete, with his own job description.  Paul felt called by God and compelled by God to minister in the lives of other people.  Those who were unbelievers needed to hear the Gospel.  Believers needed to be brought to maturity in Christ.  He also had a deep desire to see Titus blessed and encouraged in the Lord.  These initial greetings give us insight into Paul’s heart. THE PURPOSE OF AN APOSTLE: