I like what I’m seeing here at Central Park. I’m seeing some growth. I hope you see it as well.
One of the catalysts behind this growth is in our youth. We have a very dynamic and outgoing youth minister, who along with his wife, have breathed some life into our ministry with young people.
While I do get excited about what is taking place here at Central Park, it also makes me ask some questions: How committed are the new people? How receptive are our members to the changes that are taking place? Do our people really know what we believe? How do we get everyone involved in ministry? How do we make sure everyone receives the shepherding that they need?
These questions are important to anyone who takes the church seriously. These are questions that need to be addressed whenever church begins to grow. That’s why we’re starting a new message series through Paul’s letter to Titus.
A church had been planted on Crete – an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Most likely this congregation was started by some who had been converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ years before when Peter had proclaimed the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost just 7 weeks after Jesus had ascended back to heaven.
The church on Crete was growing and so the Apostle Paul sent a young man named Titus to Crete so he could oversee the church and set it in order. The book of Titus is a letter from Paul giving Titus encouragement and instruction on how people are to conduct themselves in God's church. Titus is a letter that plainly speaks of what God desires in HIS church.
Titus 1:1-4 – Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, 4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
From the very beginning of his letter, Paul emphasized to Titus the importance of the truth. Paul recognized in his own life that he was a servant of God in part because of “the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness”: that we serve a God, who does not lie; that Paul had been entrusted to deliver God's Word through His preaching that he had been entrusted with. This is a foundational value for every church to understand.
I believe the task of the church is simple. God wants us to plant the seed of His Word, to water it, and then rejoice in whatever growth God will provide. The church’s primary mission is to spread the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
But there is a temptation with this task. We have to overcome the temptation of watering down the message to accommodate the culture.
This temptation can come from outside of the church. A growing church tends to be a bigger target to those who disagree with its message.
America has rapidly spiraled downward from a Christian culture to a post-Christian culture., and now we are becoming an anti-Christian culture. Today, if you dare say that Jesus is the only way to heaven, that homosexuality is a sin, that God created the world, that abortion is the taking of a human life, or that fathers are to lead their homes, then you will be radically opposed by the world. Nobody likes to face a lot of criticism, so we’re tempted to avoid the issues or change the message altogether.
But this temptation can come from within the church as well. Growth means that some things will change. We should never change our message but we should always seek to change our methods to reach as many with the gospel as possible. Paul said, “I became all things to all me so that I might win some.”
We can expect to reach our community with the ancient gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot expect to reach our community with methodologies from the 1970’s. As we heard earlier, our culture has changed. Our methodologies should change as well.
But once changes begin to happen, some people get upset. They feel threatened by the changes. The truth that we cannot continue to operate by old methodologies offends their comfortability with the old ways so they threaten to leave or threaten to withhold their financial support for the church. The temptation then is to stay away from the truths that might stir up hard feelings by these folks.
The Source of Truth
The dilemma we must deal with is: How do you determine what is truth and untruth? What determines what is right and what is wrong ?
Our country is divided over all kinds of moral issues: the war on terror, pornography, abortion, sexuality, and gambling. Nobody knows how to determine right from wrong.
Some say that moral judgment should be based on feelings. “If it makes you feel good, then it’s the right thing to do. If it makes you feel bad, then it’s the wrong things to do.”
Others say we should allow the intelligent people or the famous people set out standards for morality. The problem with that is that there is disagreement between these folks as toi what is right and what is wrong. Do you watch Fox News or do you watch MSNBC? It’s election season. Who’s right? Which one of them is speaking the truth?
Many say we should just let majority opinion decide the issues. Just take a vote and let popular opinion be the rule and guide for moral issues. Prov. 14:12 – There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Just remember that the majority in Germany favored Hitler prior to WW II.
Yet others say that we should just let everyone decide for himself what is right and tolerate everybody’s beliefs. If I believe it’s okay to drive while intoxicated, should you just tolerate that belief or do you have a duty to persuade me otherwise? And the same people who say we should tolerate every belief are very intolerant concerning some beliefs.
Paul points out in Titus 1:2 that the source of truth is God himself: “who does not lie.” Num. 23:19a – God is not human, that he should lie.
When you are a member of the body of Christ you have a definite source of truth that does not change. It’s not majority opinion or personal feeling. It is the person of Jesus Christ. God’s truth is demonstrated in Jesus Christ.
Jesus said in Jn. 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He told Pilate in Jn. 18:37b – “In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
But Jesus didn’t just claim to be the truth. He proved his claim by coming back from the grave. It’s easy to walk around and pontificate about God and the Bible and humanity but Jesus did more than just teach. He came back from the dead!
He prophesied about himself Matt. 12:40 – “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Paul said in Acts 17:31 –“For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
The source of truth is God. He best demonstrated the truth in his son, Jesus Christ. God’s truth is best communicated in the Bible. Prov. 30:5 – Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Ps. 33:4 – For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. Jn. 17:17 – Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
The Importance of Truth
Why is the truth so important? Why does it matter? In Titus, we see the apostle Paul emphasize the connection between truth and living a meaningful life. It gives meaning to life. Truth gives you a purpose in life. Paul’s purpose in life was to be a servant, an apostle of God. Paul was going to do whatever the Lord wanted him to do.
God’s truth leads us to godliness - to being more like God. It leads us to godliness. Paul wrote in Titus 1:1 – Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. God’s truth builds character in our lives.
Let’s say you are visiting LA. Your flight arrived late in the evening. You rent a car and drive from the airport looking for your hotel. However, you take a wrong turn and after a few minutes, you realize you are lost. Then, to make matters worse, your car runs out of gas.
Here you are, in downtown LA, out of gas, lost. You look out your window and you see three huge guys walking toward you. You begin to panic. But what if you knew these guys had just left a Bible study? How would that change your feelings? God’s truth enhances our character.
God’s truth also gives us hope for eternity. It provides hope for eternity. That’s what Paul said in verse 2. He talks about a “faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life,”
Have you ever heard that God won’t give you more than you can handle? I came to a shocking realization this week. That common phrase is not found in the Bible. We are promised that in facing temptation, God will provide a way of escape, but in everyday life, there isn’t a verse that says “God won’t give you more than you can handle.”
Please understand, I do believe God will provide for our needs and that He is more than enough to sustain us. But what needs to sustain us through the difficult times is the hope that we have eternal life. There is something better waiting for us. The knowledge of the truth gives us hope.
Knowing the truth also deepens our relationships. Paul addressed his letter to “4To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”
The truth makes our relationships deeper. In knowing the truth of Jesus, we put others ahead of ourselves. We are not just acquaintances; we are brothers and sisters in the family of God.
The truth improves our personality. It gives us “Grace and peace from God.” Some people get cranky as they get older. As they get older they start to worry more. But that should not be true of Christians. Christians should become more graceful and peaceful as they age because they have hope.
A missionary to the Kiamichi mountain Indians in Oklahoma told of driving to an old shanty where an elderly Indian sat in a rocking chair on the front porch. He called out to her, “Ma’am, are you all alone?” She just grinned and said, “It’s just me and Jesus son, just me and Jesus.”
The truth is important. It gives us a sense of purpose. It improves our character. It gives us hope. It deepens our relationships. It improves our personalities. The truth is what the world needs.
The Responsibility of Truth
Satan doesn’t have to get the church to reject the truth if he can get us to reduce the truth. He says, “Tell the truth. Just don’t tell all of the truth. Avoid those parts that might upset people. Just be tolerant.”
We are to be as loving, merciful, and gracious as possible but we must not shy away from the truth. In fact, we have been entrusted with a great responsibility. According to Eph. 4:15, we’re to “speak the truth in love.”
Another one of Satan’s schemes is to convince us that we never have to speak the truth at all. He tells us that if we’ll just live the way we’re supposed to, then we should never have to proclaim the gospel because people will be convinced because of our lifestyle.
But Rom. 10:14 – How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Jesus is our example in all things. His example was both living out and proclaiming the truth.
We have a responsibility to the truth, and that is to simply share it as it is. Paul wrote in verse 3 – . . . at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.
If I send a letter by the US mail, it is the postal service’s job to deliver that letter just the way I sent it. They are not to change it, alter it, or add to it. I don’t care how the Post Office gets it to where I’m sending it. They can send it by airplane, truck, or by foot, but they are supposed to deliver my letter as I wrote it.
God has entrusted us with His message to deliver to the world. We can use different methods, different music, different buildings, and different programs, but the message of the truth is to stay the same.
In spite of knowing this, churches are tempted to water down the message of the truth. Or they are inclined to add to it in one way or the other.
There are Seminaries that once stood firm for the basics of the Gospel, but now they question the validity of the Bible. Some denominations have changed the wordings to familiar prayers or hymns so they won’t sound chauvinistic. Instead of “Our Father who art in Heaven,” it becomes “Our Father and Mother” or “Our Creator.” Local churches stop talking about sin so they won’t offend people. They simply present Jesus as a good friend who can make them wealthy and happy.
During the Revolutionary War a group of soldiers camped out on a field near a farm house. It was cold. The soldiers needed wood for a fire. The officer in charge saw a wood rail fence. He knew the men needed to keep warm, but he also wanted to respect the owner’s property. So he told his men they could take off the top run of the fence, but only the top rung for firewood.
When the office woke up in the morning, he found that the fence was completely gone. It was all the way down to the ground. Yet not one soldier disobeyed his order. They had all taken the just the top rung. When we lose the principles of Scripture, there is nothing to hold back evil in the world.
Why is it such a strong temptation to water down the truth? Why is it hard to stand firm?
I think one reason is our pride. The world has a way of making people who stand for absolutes look ignorant and uneducated. We don’t want to appear out of touch, so we adjust our theology to keep our pride.
Another reason we do this is because we think it will appeal to more people if the truth is watered down. We are afraid that the truth is too demanding on people. But it is actually the opposite. People want the real thing.
The truth is appealing when it is lived out with integrity. That is why it is so important that as a church we stand firm for the truth: that each one of us who preach and teach, tell the truth, God’s truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and that each one of us who claims to follow Jesus Christ lives out God’s truth in everyday life. That proposition means that everyone who calls Central Park Church of Christ home has a responsibility to the truth.
How do we do that? How do we live out our responsibility to God’s truth? Let me share with you six very brief thoughts on that matter.
First of all, be discerning. Don’t accept things as truth just because it comes from this stage or from a Sunday School teacher. You have a responsibility to make sure what you are taught lines up with the Word of God.
Acts 17:11 tells us that the Christians in Berea “were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
If the Apostle Paul had to be checked on his preaching, you know that Michael Luke and every other preacher needs to be checked! Be discerning.
Second, be supportive. If you see that our church is doing its best to speak the truth, then do whatever you can to help us be even more successful.
Third, be studious. Paul told Titus that a knowledge of the truth leads to godliness. Don’t be satisfied to sit in your seat and swallow once a week when you are spoon fed. Learn to study on your own so you can grow at a more rapid rate.
Fourth, be courageous. When you have opportunities at work or school or in your community, speak up for the truth. Don’t be afraid, don’t apologize, just speak the truth in love.
Fifth, be confident. There is a lot of power in the simple truth of God’s Word. You don’t have to shove it down people’s throats. You don’t have to get upset if they don’t believe it. Just lay the truth out there. In its simplicity the truth has convicting power.
Heb. 4:12 – For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Sixth, be consistent. Live the truth. 1 Tim. 4:16 – Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Several years ago, David Kinnamin released a book called unChristian. The book is based on three years of surveys that sought to discover people’s perceptions of Christianity. Throughout the book, the findings support the hypothesis that people outside of the church like Jesus. They just don’t like the people who call themselves Christians. The reason: Christians don’t live up to the teachings of Christ.
Close
1 Cor. 15:58 – Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Leave the falsehood of this world, and put your faith in the truth of Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one gets to the Father except through Him.
(Freely adapted from Bob Russel’s book, “The Growing Church” published by College Press)
