Chuck Larsen

True biblical leadership is leadership by example. Paul told Titus to be sure to look for leaders whose lives were above reproach. Find people whose lifestyles give no “handle of offense” by which a watching world can grab hold and find fault. He then begins addressing the very specific “handles” that must be avoided if a true believer is to honorably carry out his mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. The first specific character trait essential for effective ministry is sexual purity.

Nothing will ruin a reputation faster and destroy a ministry more thoroughly than sexual sin. The wisest man in the world, Solomon, in the book of Proverbs asks a telling question regarding marital infidelity. In Proverbs 6:27-29, He asks, “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Or can a man walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched? So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her will not go unpunished.” The consequences related to marital infidelity are unlike any other. You can reimburse someone for what you’ve stolen. You can find forgiveness for any offense. But as Proverbs 6:32 says a person who commits adultery “will find wounds and disgrace.” There is no way restitution can be made and “their reproach will not be blotted out.” The one caught in sexual sin can never be “above reproach.” Their reputations are ruined.

Leaders must lead by example. The standards for biblical leadership are extremely high because everyone is watching. They must have reputations of sexual purity and complete faithfulness to their spouses. When leaders fail, so too does their ministry. No matter how accurate our teaching or how spiritual our words, or how strongly we call for truth and righteousness, if the life of a leader does not back it up, it will avail for nothing. Will Houghton became president of Moody Bible Institute in the 1940’s. He played a huge role in the life of a famous agnostic who was contemplating suicide. The skeptic was desperate, but he decided that if he could find a minister who lived his faith he would listen to him. So he hired a private detective to watch Houghton. When the investigator’s report came back, it revealed that this preacher’s life was above reproach; he was for real. The agnostic went to Houghton’s church, accepted Christ, and later sent his daughter to Moody Bible Institute.

Chuck
“The one who commits adultery…destroys his own life.” Proverbs 6:32

Paul is instructing Titus to appoint leaders in all the church in Crete. Actually, Paul tells him to find those who are already leading by the example they are setting by the way they live. Leadership by example is truly the biblical model according to Paul. Peter agrees with Paul. He explains leadership in 1 Peter 5:3. He tells the leaders not to try to be “domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”The author of Hebrews also describes biblical leadership as leadership by example. He tells us all to find those whose lives are exemplary and follow them. He writes in 13:7, “Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.”

The first thing Paul tells Titus to look for in a leader is their reputation. He tells Titus that those who are “above reproach” are those who are living out their faith. That speaks to their reputation in the world as a whole. The Greek word for “above reproach” might literally be translated “handle of offense.” It means that we live our lives in such a way that others will not find any blatant practice in our behavior that “they could get a hold of” to accuse us of misconduct. At a social function, J. C. Penney, a solid Christian, took ginger ale, and someone mistakenly reported that he drank a cocktail. So he said, “I am sure that a reputation which I value has been endangered by my drinking ginger ale. Hereafter it will be plain water or tomato juice for me.”

Since I’m quoting believers who are known by their initials, let me quote A. W. Tozer. He tells us what makes our reputation. There are seven things according to Tozer: 1. What we want most. 2. What we think about most. 3. How we use our money. 4. What we do with our leisure time. 5. The company we enjoy. 6. Who and what we admire. And finally, 7. What we laugh at. Let me close with a couple lines from Edgar Guests little poem: He writes, “…the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds, for to see the good in action is what everybody needs.”

Chuck
“…And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church…” 1 Timothy 3:7

The second thing that was left undone on the Island of Crete was the appointing of Leaders in the local churches. Without the right leadership nations as well as churches will fall. Paul understood this important truth and commanded Titus to find the right leaders and get them official installed as such before the congregation. He called these leaders “elders.” If we study the whole New Testament, however, we find that the Greek terms for pastor, elder and bishop are used interchangeably. Further study reveals that each church was to have more than one of them. They are always referred to in the plural. The point I want to focus on however is that what was left undone in the churches in Crete was the solid establishment of leadership.

The selection of leaders was to be done on the basis of character traits of the individuals, not on their social position, education or financial status. Leaders were to be those who personified the character traits mentioned in the following chapters of this letter. Paul tells us that we’re at war with evil and we need the accoutrements for battle. Leaders must be strong and Courageous to set the example. Moses called Joshua to be strong and courageous as an example for the people. Joshua called the nation to be strong and courageous as they entered the battle. When Joshua died the following generation had not leadership! The nation fell into chaos. This chaos was upsetting the churches in Crete. What was described in the book of Judges before official leadership was established for the nation was “chaos” in the land, i.e., “everyone did that which was right in his own sight.” Leadership is absolutely essential to good order.

The film El Cid illustrates this concept. Charlton Heston in the title role was leading a Spanish army in a series of battles against the invading Moors, and just before the climactic confrontation, he was mortally wounded. His presence on the battlefield, however, was so important to the morale of his army that the few people who knew how badly he was hurt fastened him in his saddle and propped him upright so he could lead his troops into the fray.  Seeing their leader before them, the Spanish soldiers took heart and fought on to victory. If El Cid had not been there, or if he had slumped in the saddle, his army might have lost heart and gone down to defeat. The Church needs godly leaders as examples to follow.

Chuck
“Brothers, join in imitating me (Paul), and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” (Philippians 3:17)

Paul told Titus why he left him on the Island of Crete. There were two reasons. The first reason is so that he might “set in order” what hadn’t been “set in order” yet. The root word from which the phrase “set in order” comes from is orthoo (or-tho-o). We get the medical specialties of orthodontics and orthopedics from that word. It literally means to make straight. Orthodontists straighten teeth, or put them in their proper order. Orthopedics is the setting of broken bones, or straightening of bent limbs. Apparently the church on Crete had some crooked teeth and some broken or malformed bones.

To push this analogy beyond the reasonable, the crooked teeth that needed to be “put in order” were those church members or teachers who refused to submit to the authority of the Apostles’ teachings or to the Apostles’ appointments of qualified leaders in the churches on the Island of Crete. They had their own agendas and caused great turmoil. Paul goes on to add a second reason for leaving Titus on the Island of Crete: that he “appoint elders in every church.” I could go on to push the analogy further and say that the “broken bones” in the church in Crete were those unqualified, self-appointed leaders who rejected apostolic authority and taught their opinions as doctrines of God causing great cacophony amongst the believers in the church. They were making disciples of their own personal opinions rather than making disciples of Jesus Christ. They added a system of works that confused the very Gospel message of salvation by grace through faith. This always results in division in the church and destroys the wonderful intended life of harmony amongst the believers of Jesus Christ.

Nothing functioned the way it should. The church looked like a mouth full of crooked teeth, uncooperative with order of God’s intended design. The church looked like a body with all it’s bones out of joint, a grotesque perversion of God’s creative order. God is a God of order. There is a rhythm in everything God created. You see it in the movement of the planets and stars, in seasons, in the beauty of the flowers of the field, in the surf of the sea, the beat of the human heart. God put all creation in perfect harmonious order. When we get out of tune, trouble results, strife erupts. Paul told the Romans and all the churches from their day to ours to “live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16).

Chuck
“I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

Paul continues to instruct Titus about the true principles involved in making disciples for Jesus Christ in the first chapter. It requires a commitment to God as Lord and Master. It requires commitment to the Mission the Lord has given us (See Matthew 28:19f). It requires commitment to the message of Jesus Christ specifically as contained in God’s Word, the Bible. It also requires a commitment to the “proclamation” of that truth. Today there is a strong trend toward the social gospel. I understand that to be a focus on doing good deeds locally and around the world without a proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. But Paul always connects his actions with his faith just as Peter did in Acts Chapter 4. When he healed the crippled man, he declared to everyone that he did not do it, but that Jesus of Nazareth was the source of that healing. Both Peter and Paul made it a point to connect their good deeds with the message of Jesus Christ. When we do good for others, do we want them to think how good we are, or to see Jesus working in their lives through our ministry?

Paul writes to Titus in 1:3 that the message of Jesus is “the proclamation with which I was entrusted.” He’s recognizing that God as his Lord and master, has given him a sacred mission, and that sacred mission included God’s message about Jesus. Neither Paul nor Peter would cower to the pressure of society or the religious leaders of other faiths to silence that message. We shouldn’t either. Paul tells the Romans, the center of the Political world, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believer, to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.”

Paul illustrates his commitment to God’s Lordship, His God given mission, the message as revealed in Scripture, and to the proclamation of that to all who would hear. Paul was developing Titus as a disciple of Jesus Christ by his example. In other passages of Paul’s writings he tells other disciples that he was “set apart from his mother’s womb” for this mission. We were too! He tells the Colossians “he was made a minister according to the stewardship of God bestowed on him” for the benefit of others. We were too! He said he was “under compulsion” to preach God’s word. We should be also! He told the Corinthians, “woe to me, if I don’t tell others about Jesus.”

Chuck
“But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.” Acts 20:24

God is every believer’s supreme authority. It’s our goal and passion to live lives that are pleasing to Him. He’s our Lord, and we’re His servants. He’s given us all a mission. We often refer to it as the “Great Commission.” As the Commander in Chief of His Army, He commands us, His Soldiers, to “Make Disciples.” We are not commanded to make disciples of ourselves, like many in Paul’s day, but to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We must give high priority in our lives to this sacred calling. We must be committed to God’s Message in the Scriptures, not a particular perspective or system of interpretation, but to the message itself. The central theme in that message is the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross.

A commitment to God’s Message will always be challenged in the secular world. There are numerous attempts to silence the centrality of Christ in Christianity in every major institution in American. The educational system is often hostile to the Evangelical mission of Christianity. The Judicial system is deciding cases in which attempts to remove Christian terminology from Christmas and Easter. One case currently being heard is whether a Navy Chaplain can end a public prayer “In Jesus Name.” The Political system in American has made it nearly impossible for a person of faith to be elected to any major office at the national level. We’ll see this again real soon. These are just modern expressions of the way it’s always been. The world has always been hostile to the mission and message of biblical Christianity.

In Acts, Chapter 4, Peter and John were commanded by the political authorities to stop preaching the message of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. Peter’s response was in the form of a question. He knew what his mission and message was. He knew it came from God and had the authority of God’s Son, Jesus Christ (See Matthew 28:19 – “all authority has been given to me…”). So, he asked those commanding him to be silent about Christ, “you choose whether I should obey God or obey man.” If we’re not committed to God’s mastery, God’s mission, and God’s message we’ll never persevere in a world hostile to the Biblical faith. After their miraculous delivery from prison, Acts 4:31 says, “When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.” It will always require boldness to talk about Jesus Christ!

Chuck
“Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech…” 2 Corinthians 3:12

Paul instructs Titus that in order to make disciples one must be committed to God’s mastery. We must acknowledge that God is Lord of our lives and that His mission for our lives is crucial for living a meaningful, successful life. He then makes a connection between God’ mastery, God’s Mission, and God’s message. It’s the revealed Word of God that must be the primary focus of anyone who intends to lead others into spiritual truth.

I have known many preachers, chaplains, and pastors who were trained psychologists or sociologists but have no true in-depth training in God’s Word. They have numerous principles to suggest to their “disciples.” They have procedures to follow for gaining victory over addictions and problems. Their sermons and teachings are based on the popular issues of the day, but void of biblical truth. Many, working in association with Psychiatrists, prescribe drugs to help deal with life’s difficulties. I’m not suggesting there is no place for such things. There certainly is! But if that treatment is devoid of the truth of God’s Word, it will play out empty and meaningless in the end. There are many Christian counselors, psychologists and even Psychiatrists who not only offer treatment for the difficulties associated with our modern society, but also spiritual insight from God’s word that can bring lasting life change in the present as well as eternal life in the future. A true and total commitment to God’s Message as revealed to us in Scripture is essential for any true spiritual leader. The true “balm of Gilead” that is the only medicine “that heals the wounded soul” is found solely between the pages of the God’s Holy Word.

If the Scriptures are not the central theme for our ministries, whether we are full time pastors or small group leaders, or believers working and living in the world, we are offering nothing of truly lasting value to those we attempt to reach. The central theme of God’s Message is Jesus Christ and His work on the cross on our behalf as recorded in the Scriptures from beginning to end. If we’re not doing what Paul did (preach Christ only, and Christ crucified) we are only making disciples for ourselves, not for God. Later in this book we’ll meet the “party of the circumcision.” They took the focus off of God’s message and put it on their traditional practices. Paul told the Galatians they are only seeking to make you “their disciples” not disciples of Jesus Christ (See Galatians 6:13).

Chuck
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” 2 Timothy 3:16

Paul begins his letter to Titus by modeling what it takes to become a good disciple maker. In verses 1 through 4 of chapter 1, Paul illustrates for Titus and us that it all begins with commitment. The first commitment is to the mastery of Christ in our lives. We must place ourselves fully under Christ’s authority. Then we must commit ourselves fully to God’s Mission.  Jesus calls us to “Make Disciples.” That’s every believer’s true commission. It’s recorded in every one of the four Gospels as well as in the book of Acts. Committing ourselves together to this purpose gives life true meaning and eternal significance.

The first two verses give us the three focuses our mission must take. Paul calls himself a “servant” of God “for the sake of the faith of the elect.” This is “Evangelism.” Paul’s primary role as God’s servant is to bring those chosen to their full stature as believers in Jesus Christ. The mission always begins with evangelism. There are those who must hear God’s Good News about Jesus. Paul is God’s servant in this respect. We should be also. The second aspect is “Edification.” Paul is God’s servant, not only for the sake of the faith but also for the “knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness.” This speaks to me of building up the faith we profess through learning God’s word and growing in our understanding and then putting it in practice in our lives. Paul wants to lead others to faith in Jesus and then help them grow in that faith. Thirdly, it’s “Encouragement.” Paul is God’s servant for evangelism, edification “in the hope of eternal life.” Paul charges those with growing faith to live their lives with an eternal perspective.

Committing ourselves to a life of making disciples, evangelism, edification and encouragement is the path to living a meaningful life. Paul told another young disciple, Timothy, that he should “Command” his followers to live like this. He writes, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

Chuck
“Go… and make disciples.” Matthew 28:19