“Building the Team”
Titus 1:5-9
Study #2 in Titus Series
INTRODUCTION:
Christian ministry is a team endeavor. It has been from the very beginning. Jesus hand-picked 12 men to be with Him and to become His apostles. He spent three years with them, teaching them, training them, and equipping them for a lifetime of ministry. Later He had a team of 70 that He sent out 2 by 2 to preach the Good News, to heal the sick, and to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Paul also was seldom alone because he understood that a team approach to ministry is the most effective strategy. He teamed up with Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Aquila and Priscilla, Luke, Epaphroditus, and many others over the years. They worked together, prayed together, suffered together, and rejoiced together.
In our text for this study, we hear Paul telling Titus that he needs to build a team of fellow workers to continue and advance the church-planting ministry in Crete.
TRANSITION:
To get us back
up to speed, let’s review the first four verses of Titus just to refresh our
minds.
Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth, which is according to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, 3 but at the proper time manifested, even His Word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, 4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
NOTES on the Text:
Now look at Verse
5: For this reason, I left you in Crete, that
you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every
city as I directed you,
·
So,
in this verse Paul reminds Titus of the two (2) reasons why he left him in
Crete:
1.
“That you would set in order what remains” – Paul and Titus working together had started
the work in Crete. They had gotten things up and running. People had come to
faith in Christ in several of the towns, and they were meeting together
regularly for prayer, for the study of the Word, for fellowship, and for the
breaking of bread (Communion). These were Christian congregations. But they
were all made up of baby Christians, people very new in the faith. They needed
to be instructed in the things of God, to be discipled, and to become grounded
in the truth. So, Paul left Titus in Crete to carry on the work that had been
started. He did the very same thing with Timothy in Ephesus. Paul was primarily
a church planter and a traveling evangelist. He was very good at getting new congregations
started. But churches also need pastors and teachers and capable lay leaders
who will be there for the long-haul. Who better to do that in Crete than Titus,
one of the founders of the ministry, a man already known, loved, and trusted.
2. “…and appoint elders in every city as I directed you.” This tells us several things: First, there was more than one Christian congregation in Crete. Evidently the Gospel had spread very effectively so that groups of Christians were now meeting in many towns and villages. And each of those groups needed and deserved to have godly, well-trained leaders. But how do you get those kinds of leaders? That’s the second thing—You must raise them up, train them, and then appoint them. You must apply 2 Timothy 2:2 in which Paul tells Timothy: “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” So, in the same way that Paul had discipled, trained, and appointed Timothy and Titus, they in turn now must find, train, and appoint others to carry on the same ministry in these new little churches that were springing up everywhere. The third thing I see in this phrase is the word “elders.” Notice that the word is plural, not singular. The model we see in the New Testament is a plurality of elders working together, leading the church. But what kind of men are those exactly?
Let’s take a little side trip for a couple of minutes. Then we will come back to Titus.
The English word “elder” that we find
here in verse 6 is the Greek word presbúteros. This was a
common and well-established Jewish concept in Paul’s time.
·
The
Jews had elders from way back when Moses chose 70 men to help him rule Israel
(cf. Numbers 11:16). Over time this group came to be known as “the Sanhedrin.”
Men were chosen to be a part of the Sanhedrin based on their knowledge of
Scriptures as well as their personal dignity and maturity.
·
Moreover,
every synagogue had elders. They were seen as the leaders of the Jewish
community.
·
The
presiding body of the Spartans was the Gerousía, from the Greek
word géros, or “old man,” (n.b. our word “geriatric”) thus, a
board of the older men.
·
The
Latin word senex means “a wise old man.” The Roman Senate
was so named because it was the “assembly of wise old men” i.e.,
the elders.
·
In
England the term used was “aldermen” which means older men.
·
Egyptian
villages were overseen by the village elders.
· In all these cases, the emphasis is on the experience and age of the person and on his character.
Besides the
word presbúteros, the Bible uses another word to describe
those who lead the church. It is a synonym. Paul uses it in verse 7 to refer to
the very same person and the very same office. It is the word “overseer”
and sometimes translated by the word “bishop.” It is the Greek word, epíscopos
(from epi = over, plus scópos,
to see, to look, or to examine.)
·
This
word is used of masters, managers, and foremen.
·
It
is sometimes used of commissioners and magistrates.
·
The
emphasis is on the person’s work and job description.
· It points to the function and the office of the person rather than to their character.
God calls and
gifts all Christians for service, and He expects all of us to
grow to maturity in Christ. However, some, like cream, rise to the surface demonstrating
not only godly character and spiritual wisdom, but also the ability to
lead others. After careful examination and evaluation these are publicly
elevated to positions of authority in the Body of Christ.
1.
This
involves being officially and formally set apart unto ministry, i.e.,
ordination.
2.
This,
only after the candidate has undergone a period of testing (1 Tim. 3:10).
3.
He
is to be paid a fair wage for his work so that he is free to serve the church (1
Tim. 5:18).
4.
He
is liable to censure and removal if he falls into sin (1 Tim. 5:19-22).
5.
He
has the duty of presiding over the assembly and teaching the congregation (1 Tim.
5:17).
6. He is not to be a recent convert but a proven man with some spiritual miles on him.
Now let’s drop back into our text. Look at Titus1:6.
Verse 6: …namely,
if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having
children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.
·
In
this verse Paul lays out five (5) Social and Domestic Qualifications for an
“elder.”
1.
“…is above reproach” – This means
unaccused and unaccusable, with nothing laid to his charge, blameless, above
criticisms or accusations, past or present. The Greek word is anégklētos
(ἀνέγκλητος), and is the same word used in 1 Tim. 3:10 in the same context.
2.
“…the husband of one wife” – This verse gets on the nerves of our enlightened
left-leaning feminist sisters because the Scripture affirms not only here but
in several other texts as well, that the primary leadership role in the local
church is reserved for certain specially qualified males. Not only are
they to be males but married men with children if possible. That was the norm
for local church leaders in the Early Church. In this modern egalitarian age,
many people view this restriction as an outdated standard that should be
changed, but I believe there are good reasons to stick with the practice, which
we will discuss more later.
3.
“…having children who believe” – In other words, children who have trusted in Christ, who
are in the Faith. This is not, and has never been, a hard and fast rule because
once young people reach adulthood their parents no longer have any
authoritative influence over them. But still, Christian leaders with believing
children is still the template, and what we should be aiming for.
4.
“…not accused of dissipation” – Here Paul uses the Greek word asōtía
(ἀσωτία), which literally means “unsavedness” but by implication suggests
a reckless, abandoned, dissolute, riotous life spent on selfish personal
pleasure.
5. “… [not accused of] rebellion” – Here Paul uses another complicated word, anupótaktos (ἀνυπότακτος), which means undisciplined, out of control, unruly, and guilty of public disorder. N.B. A man’s inability to train and lead a family creates a presumption of his inability to train and lead the church.
Verse 7: For the overseer
[Gr. epíscopos] must be above reproach as God’s steward, not
self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not
pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,
1.
“…above reproach as God’s steward” = i.e., unreproachable, as in vs. 6.
The elder/overseer is God’s house manager or administrator [Gr. oikonómos].
I believe it is noteworthy that Paul uses this same phrase, above
reproach, twice in two verses. It must be pretty important!
2.
“…not self-willed”
– Paul here refers to that self-loving spirit that seeks to gratify self in
arrogant disregard of others (Gr. authádēs αὐθάδης from autos
= “self” + hedomai = “pleasing” i.e., hedonism). – My opinions,
my way, my best interests, my rights, my pleasures, etc.
3.
“…not quick tempered” – Means soon angry, quick tempered, easily flaring
up at people (Gr. ὀργίλος = prone to anger, irascible, grouchy)
4.
“…not addicted to wine” – Literally “not one who sits alongside of wine;”
not addicted to it or influenced by it, because it leads to violent quarrels
and angry outbursts.
5.
“…not pugnacious”
– Not quick with his fists, given to bodily violence (KJV, “a striker”). Also,
not quick with hurtful words, browbeating, bullying, or bad-tempered. Remember,
Jesus was reviled but did not revile in return.
6. “…not fond of sordid gain” – He must not be eager for shameful gain, the kind who wants money and does not care what he must do or who he must step on to get it. The KJV translates this as “not greedy of filthy lucre.” Remember, money is not the problem. Rather, “…the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)
Verse 8: …but
hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,
·
Here
in verse 8 Paul continues to list the 12 Personal Qualifications of the elders/overseers.
As I mentioned, Verse 7 lists 6 of them, stated from the negative
perspective. Verse 8 lists 6 more of them but from the positive
perspective.
7.
“…hospitable”
– A lover of hospitality (lit. “a lover of strangers”), possessing an open
heart with an open home.
8.
“…loving what is good”
– A lover of goodness (things and people)
9.
“…sensible”
– Serious-minded, not frivolous, and therefore watchful, vigilant, and
self-controlled.
10. “…just” – Means upright in his dealings with
others; honest and fair.
11. “…devout” – He is holy, pure, unpolluted, free
from the stain of sin.
12. “…self-controlled” – Literally, “one in control of strength,” meaning able to control his own appetites and desires, and temperate (moderate) in all things.
Verse 9: …holding
fast the faithful word, which is in accordance with the teaching, so that
he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those
who contradict.
·
In
this verse Paul gives three (3) important Doctrinal Qualifications for elders/overseers.
1.
“…holding fast the faithful word” – True to the Faith, clinging to the Word
of God in the face of opposition and temptation to abandon it, i.e., doctrinal
stability – having such a tight grip that it cannot be knocked out of his hand
and heart.
2.
“…able to exhort in sound doctrine” – This is his ministry to believers,
encouraging, exhorting, challenging, correcting, and teaching. In 1 Timothy 3:2
Paul includes “…able to teach” as one
of the qualifications for elder. It’s just a different way of saying the same
thing he says here in Titus 1:9. “…able to exhort in sound doctrine”
or “able to teach” mean the same thing. This quality is the main
difference between a deacon and an elder.
3. “…able to refute those who contradict” – This is the elder’s ministry to refute, convict, and set straight the critics, back-talkers, and opponents of the faith.
CONCLUSION:
I see two
possible approaches to solving our need for more good leaders in the local
church.
1.
We
can whine, whinge, and complain about not having enough good leaders in the church,
pitifully crying out, “God has not given us the people we need!” In
other words, we can bellyache and blame God.
2.
OR (and this has two parts)
a.
We can
resolve to become the kind of people that all of us should be anyway and
begin to fill in the gaps and do the work of God, title or no title, letting
our light shine in such a way that the church will recognize our usefulness and
maturity, and the world will recognize our Christlikeness.
b.
Begin
to train the kind of leaders we want and need for the church. This responsibility
falls most heavily on the existing leaders but not entirely. Christian parents
need to raise their children in such a way that they naturally move into
serving and leadership roles in the church when they are old enough. Our church’s
children’s ministry and youth ministry should have as a goal to raise up leaders.
Training good leaders is a long-term project, and we must start early.
Moreover, every church should have a strategy for training new elders and
equipping them for service. There are many wonderful resources that pastors can
use to set up this kind of program. What is lacking, all too often, is the
willingness to do it, because it is hard work. However, in God’s plan, everything
is to reproduce after its own kind. That includes pastors. Pastors need to reproduce
pastors (elders) to come alongside them to carry out the work of ministry in
the local church.
