OCTOBER 7 READING…TITUS 1
Paul continues his pastoral instruction in his epistle to the pastor Titus. He begins by reminding the pastor(s) that God has given we believers a promise even before time began…the promise of eternal life, and we are reminded that God cannot lie. So, here is what is always true…if God promises something, it will come to pass, always! Paul had placed Titus in Crete (not an easy assignment) to make sure things were set in order and done properly in the church. Titus was to place elders in the church of Crete. I remind you that the church there was made up of many different locations on the island, people met in homes, as there was not one building for the church to meet in like we have today. Here we see again that Paul uses the words “elders” and “bishop” interchangeably…two other words would also fit into the instruction, “pastor” and “overseer”. These men were to be qualified to be in these positions of leadership. Paul’s list of qualifications to Titus mirror his list he gave to Timothy. Paul then instructs Titus to rebuke the false teachers as they come into the church. I remind you that where you find the genuine, you will find the counterfeit. Paul tells Titus to openly rebuke these false teachers…sadly we live in a time when pastors will not rebuke or even stand up against the false teachers of our time. Paul gives us our instruction in this matter…we are to stand up and rebuke, and even silence them when they speak their false teachings in the church. Paul gives us a graphic description of what these false teachers look and act like…they are easily identifiable to those who really want to identify them.
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TOMORROW’S READING…TITUS 2
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