How Do We Do Church?

How the Church Family Functions...

A study of the book of Titus

by Pastor Frank Rice

Titus 1:1-4

Many things we do or own have instruction provided. Relationships have “understood guidelines” so participants can function toward a common goal. How is the church supposed to function? What are its guidelines? What’s its purpose? How’s it to be organized? Who’s in charge? Is there a handbook? Who has the last word?

 

v      It’s important to understand just a few key elements of church.

1.      The church belongs to God (Acts 20:28)! He owns her/ us!

2.      The church is founded upon the testimony of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ her Savior (Matt 16:18).

3.      The church is given clear directives for her to pursue; unity, stability, growth, maturity, and full participation (Eph 4:11-16).

4.      The church is given some fixed guidelines and some flexibility relative to organization and function (NT and pastoral letters).

5.      The church is provided clear guidance on what are and what are not acceptable attitudes & actions, beliefs & behaviors!

6.      The church is given a clear and objective source of authority by which she can adjudicate beliefs and behaviors (2 Tim 3:16).

7.      The church is given a clear mission to pursue (Matt 28:19).

v      It’s important to understand that churches are at various stages of age, growth, and maturity.

1.      The church in Ephesus, for example, was well-established. Their doctrine and leadership was developed and yet they still faced challenges both internally and externally!

2.      The church in Crete was still sorting through some basic issues and challenges in the area of doctrine and leadership!

 

v      The writer is none other than the well-known apostle Paul (v. 1a).

1.      He identifies himself as a bondservant of God, owned and operated by God, born into God’s family when he trusted Christ.

2.      He serves another, disregards his own will, understands what’s expected of him and does it. He waits for orders in areas with which he is unfamiliar, and lives in dependence upon his owner.

3.      He identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, called to service, equipped and gifted to serve, authorized and sent on a mission to serve. (Sounds like what we should be!)

v      The writer is very aware of his purpose in writing. He knows who he is and why he is (v. 1b-2). (The phrase “according to,” means “for the purpose of, to further, to promote.”)

1.      His goal is to promote faith among God’s elect. “’God’s elect’ are those who have responded to God’s call through the gospel.” (Hiebert) “Faith is a heart response to the truth of the gospel, but it must also possess the mind. God never intended His people to be intellectually ignorant of the truth of the gospel.” (Hiebert)

2.      He wants not only to bring them to personal faith (subjective) in Christ but to establish them in the faith (objective).

3.      His goal is to promote knowledge that leads to godliness, a life devoted to God, “a reverential attitude that leads to conduct well-pleasing to God.”

4.      Truth and godliness are inseparable; godliness is the ultimate gage for truth comprehension. (Do you understand?) He who says he knows and understands the gospel and does not aspire to godliness is like he who says he understands poison ivy, then lays in the “grass!” He does not!

5.      “This progression of faith to knowledge to godliness should be a pattern for every Christian… the cultivation of godliness becomes the ultimate evidence of God’s divine election (2 Peter 1:1-11).” (Lea/ Griffin)

6.      His goal is to promote confidence (hope) which is based on eternal life. Before the world was set in motion, eternal life was God’s intention. “Christian hope is rooted in God’s promises made before the world began.” And “God’s promises are grounded in His eternal purposes.” (Guthrie)

7.      The reference to the God “who cannot lie” deliberately “places God in contrast with the notorious deception of the Cretans.” (Hiebert) Evidence strongly suggests that “Cretans regarded lying as culturally acceptable.” (Winter)

8.      This confidence “is grounded in the absolute trustworthiness of God.” He never defaults on His promises!

v      The writer is well-aware that God’s plan for the local church must rest solidly on His authoritative word (v. 3)!

1.      Preaching (communicating) God’s word is the primary and inescapable mission and responsibility of the church! It must be understandable, practical, and life-changing!  “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17)

2.      Every “ministry” of the local church must have, as its ultimate goal, communicating God’s word, His message, and His promises!

3.      Preaching must be based on a grammatical, historical, literal, and contextually driven hermeneutic! (Huh?)

v      The recipient is a genuine spiritual son of the apostle (v. 4a)!

1.      A background check on Titus shows he is a devoted, trusted, tactful associate of Paul with exceptional people skills that enable him to work in difficult & sensitive situations (Corinth)!

2.      “In our common faith” establishes the spiritual basis for kinship. It is faith in Christ rather than blood or legal adoption.

3.      He is a leader and administrator of unquestioned integrity, entrusted with collecting money for the Jerusalem believers.

v      The greeting is more than just a nice “hello” (v. 4b)!

1.      God’s plan is rooted in His grace (unmerited favor) and mercy (withholding judgment), and results in peace for believers!

2.      God’s plan is centered in the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior (v. 4c)! Every word in this title carries massive theological freight!

3.      God is our Savior (v. 3) and Jesus Christ is our Savior (v. 4)! Have we two Saviors? No! We have one God. So much for those denying the deity of the Son (2:10; 3:4, 6; 2:13)!

 

Our goal is to understand and apply what we learn.