FIRST THINGS FIRST
Titus 1:1-5
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (Matt. 5:48). That’s a rather tall order, wouldn’t you say? We are to be perfect like God is perfect? How can anybody be perfect?
First, we must realize the word “perfect” means mature, full grown. Jesus is saying we are to be spiritually mature. We are to grow into spiritual maturity. We are to be Christ-like in our lives.
Since this is true, what is the first thing you must do to insure your growth into spiritual maturity? Pray? That’s important, but it’s not the first thing? Study the Bible? That’s also important, but that is not the first thing either. What about obeying God? Again obedience is certainly important, but it is not the first thing you must do to insure your growth into spiritual maturity.
The answer is found in our passage to Titus 1:5-9. It may surprise you what Paul says. Paul and Titus had traveled over the island of Crete sharing the gospel. God had saved people in “every city.” There were groups of Christians in each city, but they were not organized into churches. Paul needed to go minister elsewhere so he left Titus in Crete to continue the ministry. Paul receives word that Titus is having trouble with these new Christians in Crete. He writes Titus to give him instructions on how to get the churches set up and promote spiritual growth among the Cretans. Paul tells him he needs to set in order what was lacking. There term “set in order” is a medical term used of setting broken bones or make straight bones that are crooked. Paul is saying Titus is to get these Christians straightened out or set in order.
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, 6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. 7 For the overseer 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, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 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. Titus 1:5-9
The first thing Titus needs to do to insure the spiritual growth of the Cretans is to appoint qualified leadership. This shows the priority of qualified leadership. The rule is: People advance no further than their leadership. Look at Israel. When they had evil kings the nation was evil and apostate. When she had a righteous king, usually the nation would improve somewhat. But you never find a wicked king and the nation rising above him in righteousness. Look at Israel in Jesus’ day. The religious leaders were spiritually corrupt and the nation was in spiritual shambles. Jesus knew this principle. That is why He spent two years intensively training those who were to the lead the early church.
The main truth of the passage today is: Since you will advance no further spiritually than your leadership, you must place yourself under qualified leadership. This is the first and foremost thing you must do to insure your spiritual growth. Paul tells Titus to make sure each church has qualified leaders.
In our passage today we will first look at the responsibilities of the spiritual leadership, then the qualifications for spiritual leadership, and finally our responsibilities to spiritual leadership.
We see three main responsibilities of the leadership in this passage. The first is to lead the congregation. The elder is called an overseer in (7). This word carries the idea of supervising or looking over something. In the Old Testament days Israel had a group of men that looked over the nation. We see Moses calling on the elders to help him govern the nation, (Numbers 11:16). In the New Testament days the synagogues had a group of men, elders, which watched over the proceeding of the synagogue. Paul has this function of leading in mind when he tells Timothy, “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching,” (1 Tim 5:17-18). The word “rule” literally means to “stand before.” It carries the idea of presiding over or supervising. The elders are to give direction and guidance to the church. They are to oversee what is going on in the church.
The second responsibility of the elder is equipping the saints. Paul calls the elders “God’s stewards,” (7). A steward is responsible for the wise administration and distribution of the treasures of the household. For the elder this means he has the job of distributing the treasures of God’s Word unto the edification of the church. He is to be like the steward Jesus told about in the parable who takes both new and old things from his storehouse to equip his people. The elders are to reach into both the Old Testament and New Testament of God’s storehouse and bring out what is needed to equip the saints for ministry.
Not only must the leadership lead and equip the church, but they must also protect them. In verse 9, Paul writes “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.” The elders must protect the flock of God from false and distorted doctrine. They must refute those who teach things contrary to the Bible. Paul also charged the elders in Ephesus with this same task. Acts 20:28-30
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Having seen the three responsibilities of the leadership are to lead, to equip, and to protect, let’s now turn our attention to the qualifications necessary for godly leadership.
6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. 7 For the overseer 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, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 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. Titus 1:6-9
Did you notice the one overriding qualification for church leadership? The overriding qualification is church leadership must be above reproach. “Above reproach” literally means “not to be laid hold of.” Paul is saying no one should be able to lay an accusation on an elder and it stick. He has a good reputation at work, at home, in the community, and at church. He has an impeccable reputation and he deserves it. A phrase I like is--he to be a man of unquestionable integrity. He is true through and through. He does not act one way at church and another way at home or at work. He is above reproach in his life. Paul gives three areas where the elder is to be above reproach. He is to be above reproach in his family life, in his personal life, and in his treatment of the Word of God.
First, the elder is to be above reproach in his family life. Paul says he is to be the husband of one wife. The phrase in the Greek is literally “a one woman man.” This means he is not a womanizer. He is totally committed to his wife and he does not look at other women in a sensual way. He is not flirtatious nor is he always hugging on the women of the church. He is totally faithful to his wife both emotionally and physically. This phrase also means he is not to have been divorced. The marriage covenant is very sacred to God. An elder must be an example to the flock of a strong and viable marriage. There are other places divorced persons can serve God, but in the leadership of the church is not one of them. Next, his children are to have faith. They are to be children of faith. The literal rendering of this phrase is “having faith.” This does not mean they must be Christians but it means they must believe the things of God. You maybe think, “How can they believe the things of God and not be Christians?” A four year old child can believe the things of God but not be a Christian. The father cannot determine when his children will become Christians. That is left to the sovereign will and timing of God. But he can make sure they are taught the things of God, and they see them embraced by their father. Then the children will believe the things of God even if they have not yet been born again. His children are also to be under control and respectful. They are not to be involved in dissipation. Dissipation means loose living and debauchery. The NIV translates this word “being wild.” I think we all know what that means. In addition, the children are also not to be rebellious. They are not to be unruly or out of control.
Notice, the man must first prove he can manage his own household before he is given the responsibility of managing God’s household. His home is the proving ground of his leadership qualities. An old Chinese proverb says it is easier to manage a country than your own home. I know men who can successfully manage a Fortune 500 company, but their marriage has fallen apart or their children are living in rebellion. If a man can manage his own home well he can manage anything! Thus, the elder must first be above reproach in his family life.
Next, the elder is to be above reproach in his person life. Paul divides these into two areas: what he is not to be and what he is to be. First, what he is not to be. The elder is not to be self-willed. This means he is not to be overbearing and inconsiderate. He is not to want his way. As God’s steward his is to want God’s way and God’s will. He is to be a God-willed man not a self-willed man. He is not to be one who says, “It’s my way or the highway!” Next, he is not to be quick-tempered. In other words, he is not to be a hot head. He is not to express himself with anger when he is opposed or crossed. He must have a cool head. Not only must the elder not be self-willed or quick-tempered, but he must also not be addicted to wine. The Greek is literally “alongside wine.” The word is made up of the prefix “para” which means alongside and the word for wine. He is not to be dependent on alcohol or drugs. He is not to be an addict or a drunkard. Paul is saying wine is not to be his companion. The elder also must not to be pugnacious. This means he is not to be quarrelsome. He is not to be the kind of person that takes issue with everything. He does not enjoy arguments, controversy, or confrontation. He is not one who fights at the drop of a hat, and he drops the hat. Lastly, the elder is not to be fond of sordid gain. This means he is not to be greedy for money. He does not use his position for financial gain. The elder is to be a man who is committed to storing up treasures in heaven not on earth.
Having given us what the elder is not to be, Paul now tells us what the elder is to be. First, he is to be hospitable. The Greek word for hospitable is made up of two words, love and strangers. Hence, the word literally means “loving strangers.” The elder is to be one who is friendly and warm to new people. People are to feel comfortable in his presence. In addition, he is to love what is good. He is to love goodness. He is to love good things and good people. He is ready to do what is beneficial to others because he has their best interest in mind not his own. The elder is to reflect the goodness of God in his life. Not only is the elder to be hospitable and love what is good, but he must also be sensible. The word carries the idea of good common sense. He does not act on the impulse, but he has sound judgment. He does not make rash decisions, but takes the time to think through issues before making up his mind. Next, the leader is to be just. He does what is right and fair. He makes decisions based on principles not personalities. He seeks what is right even when it is controversial. The elder is also to be devout. This word is actually “holy.” It means he is to be pleasing to God. His ultimate desire is to please God. He has a deep devotion to God that is evidenced in his word and actions. He is a God-pleaser not a man-pleaser. Just being around him you sense his close walk with God. Last, he is to be self-controlled. The idea in the Greek is “having power over himself.” He is a self-disciplined man. The leader has chosen to live for God instead of living for self. He is not in bondage to selfish desires. Here Paul has given us the qualities the elder is both to have and not to have.
Paul now moves to the third area in which the elder must be above reproach: his treatment of the Word. The leader must be above reproach in his family life, in his personal life, and in his treatment of the Word of God. First, Paul says the elder must hold fast the faithful word. This means he is to be firmly grounded in solid Biblical truth. He is to have a good grasp of sound doctrines. He is to know what he believes and why he believes it. Second, he is to be able to exhort and refute. He is to encourage and admonish others in sound doctrines. He is to present these truths in an understandable way. He is to be able to teach. He is also to be able to refute those who contradict sound doctrines so that they are convicted and repent. The elder is to have a sense of apologetics. He is to have a good enough grasp of Biblical truth that he can argue and refute those who are in error!
Paul has clearly set forth for us the qualifications of godly leadership. The immediate application for you is to first look for such leadership. Go to a church that has leaders of this quality. That’s the problem with television preachers. You see them only one hour a week. There is no way you can know them and their family life well enough to put them to these tests. Seek a church where you can know the leaders and put them to the test. Second, when you find such leadership follow them. Place yourself under their authority so you can growth spiritually.
