Series Title: Pastoral Leadership, By Example (Titus)
Message Title: Beacons in the Gloom
Scripture: Titus 1:3
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--2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
I grew up in a rural area in Northeast Texas. Now, however, I spend most of my time surrounded by people in the city. Whether it is family or the person next door, or the person living in the apartment above us, there is always someone near and, at night, there is always some form of light outside. Yet, when we travel back to the rural areas and spend an evening or so there we are reminded of the total lack of people, and, the complete ‘darkness’ when we are outside when the sun goes down and there is no moon.
It’s a very capable illustration. In the city, even when you may be on a street that has no street lamps, there seems to be enough light to walk around without the bother of carrying a flashlight. Though they do call it ‘light pollution,’ it does help the people keep from bumping into each other. Whereas in the countryside or rural areas, many activities simply have to move inside due to darkness.
As Christians, we have the light of God shining in our lives and shining through our lives [for the benefit of others.] Additionally, when we surround ourselves with Christians, their light shines into our own lives. We are able to easily see the ‘spiritual’ way, or stay on the ‘spiritual’ path because of the light. That is probably one of the reasons that the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 10, verse 25,
25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Surrounding yourselves with other Christians ensures that you have sufficient light even on those days where you really don’t feel spiritually healthy. Their smiles or kinds words are ‘brighten’ your day, or pick you up and enable you to cross the bridge of depression.
Not only does God use our fellow Christians during fellowship times to bring light into our lives, but He uses pastors. Yes, He uses pastors and the spiritual light of the church will only rise to the level that is being given off by the pastor, both socially and in the pulpit. Sometimes you may not feel like being a beacon, but you may be the only ‘beacon in the gloom’ that a person may meet. And, each one of those times has been appointed for you to bring that light in their life.
and at his appointed season he brought his word to light
God does not do anything ‘off the cuff.’ He has a plan that He follows. I mean, if He didn’t have a plan, then He would not be God, would He?
Let’s look at some other ‘appointed seasons.’ In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon writes concerning these seasons or these times.
3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Other places in the Bible tell of God’s appointed times or planning. He told Abraham that He would return at the appointed time and Sarah would have a son. Jesus also followed a strict time schedule concerning His life and ministry on this earth.
(Matthew 26:18) He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ’The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’"
Even demons are aware of God’s planning:
Matthew 8:29, "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"
Now that we know that things only occur according to God’s timing, let’s take one step further in that verse:
he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me
Paul says that HE brought his word to light. God chose at this particular time to shed light on His Gospel for the gentiles to understand. And, how did He do that? “…through the preaching entrusted to me…”
Pastors and teachers have been given the responsibility of sharing the Word with their congregation. And, as we share, God will bring His Word to light for those that are listening. Yes, there will be some that have hardened their hearts, or may be out of fellowship with God and therefore will not have that light. But, for the most part,
(1 John 1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Pastors and teachers have been entrusted with the preaching of the Word. And, if you are hesitant from time to time about preaching the Word of God, listen to what Paul said:
(1 Corinthians 9:16) Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
Are you like that? You should be. Yes, there are times when you shouldn’t volunteer when you are asked. Yes, there are times when it might be inappropriate to share the Word. But, those times are few and far between, as Paul tells us,
(Romans 10:14-15) 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? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Again, pastors and teachers have been entrusted with the Word. God has delegated to these people the responsibility of teaching the Word. He has ‘handed over’ the teaching to man! And, we should not shirk at that responsibility.
Now, even though we have be given the responsibility to preach or teach the Word, the responsibility ends there. It is not our responsibility if the person chooses not to receive it. It does not matter whether the presentation is rough around the edges, as long as the message is presented. It does not matter whether the grammar is not entirely correct, as long as the message is presented.
If you are entrusted to preach, if you are instructed to preach, if you have been filled with the desire to preach, THEN PREACH, because it is:
by the command of God our Savior,
You see, if you have been entrusted to preach, then, you must preach. You are commanded to preach, to share the Word. There will always be, as we saw before in 1 Corinthians 9:16, that desire to share God’s Word.
On a sadder note, I have seen more and more people stepping out of ministry. In my own ministries, I know that something is up when someone approaches me and says, “Well, I feel that I need to step back from teaching right now.” That usually is an indication of one of two things. Either, they are overworked and really do need a rest [happens occasionally in small churches], or there is something going on in the life of the individual that needs to be addressed.
But, that’s not all. I’ve seen pastors stepping out of the ministry as well. Which, when those Christian laymen are watching, cheapens God’s Word and God’s promises. You see, pastors and teachers are in ministry because they are called to be in ministry and if they can just up and quit when they feel like it, then there is a message being sent out to the ranks that if it’s okay for the leaders not to follow God’s commands, then it must be okay for the soldiers to shirk the responsibilities that they’ve been given.
Obedience is a key factor in the Christian life and it starts with the pastor of the church.
