OCTOBER 10 READING…TITUS 1
Titus is Paul’s second pastoral epistle…his letter to pastors. How is a pastor supposed to both lead and serve the church? Paul takes the time to give instruction…remember these pastors had to learn as they went about their work, and they had not received any formal institutional training. They listened to the Apostle, but more importantly they listened to the Holy Spirit in how to lead and serve the Lord’s church. Paul begins this letter as he did most of his letters, but in this one he reminds the pastor of a wonderful truth…God cannot lie. Why is this so important? It is important because the pastor has to have confidence that when he preaches or teaches about the Gospel of salvation, and all of the Word of God, that what he is preaching is true. God has chosen to use the preaching of His Word as the means to give His message of hope and salvation to all humanity.
Paul then relates the instruction for the appointing of pastors/elders. The qualifications for the pastor/elder are the same that Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy. The pastor/elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife…that is male, not quick tempered. His children need to well mannered, and respectful. He must not be given over to wine, nor violent, nor greedy for money. He is called to be hospitable, a lover of what is good, sound of mind, just, holy, and self-controlled. Most of all he must hold faithfully to the Word of God…as he properly shares that word. The pastor is called also to rebuke and stand against the false teachers that find their way into the church. He warns him particularly about the judiazers, and says they must be stopped…for they are dangerous. The pastor is to rebuke these false teachers “sharply”, according to the Apostle…the pastor is not to just set back and let false teaching to occur. These false teachers are impure, defiled…and they are abominable, disobedient, and disqualified…for they do not even know God.
Please share your thoughts from today’s reading.
MONDAY’S READING…TITUS 2
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