Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20121118.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Titus: God's Directives For Church Leaders In Deteriorating Cultures
Part I: The Value Of Quality Spiritual Church Leadership In A Deteriorating Culture
(Titus 1:1-4)
  1. Introduction
    1. David Jeremiah's book, I Never Thought I'd See The Day! "details the signs of cultural decay" in Western civilization with "the end of marriage, creeping socialism, and the rise of atheism" according to one ad.
    2. As such, we may wonder about the value and role of the local church and its leaders in such a bleak era.
    3. Paul's epistle to Titus who was then ministering on Crete, an Island in cultural decay, provides great insight and direction for Christians and local church leaders relative to this subject (as follows):
  2. The Value Of Quality Spiritual Church Leadership In A Deteriorating Culture, Titus 1:1-4.
    1. The Island of Crete where Paul had left Titus (cf. Titus 1:5) was suffering cultural decay, for even one of its own poets, Epimenides, wrote that his countrymen were "always liars, evil beasts [brutes], slow bellies [gluttons]," Titus 1:12 KJV, NIV in brackets; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Titus 1:12.
    2. Accordingly, when Paul began his epistle to Titus, his opening greeting unveiled the value of a quality spiritual local church ministry and leadership in a deteriorating culture like Crete (as follows), Titus 1:1-4:
      1. Paul asserted he was a servant of God and an apostle, one sent by Jesus Christ to minister, Titus 1:1a. Even in an era of a declining Cretian culture, God and Jesus Christ had directed Paul to serve the interests of God by having him direct Titus on Crete in such an era.
      2. Paul also noted that the knowledge of the truth of God in Christ's Gospel and the Scriptures leads to godliness in living irrespective of the world's cultural decline, Titus 1:1b NIV. Thus, God and Christ are very impassioned about seeing individuals live upright lives amid their decaying world's culture.
      3. The salvation offered in Jesus Christ provides the hope of eternal life to individuals regardless of the eternal damnation of so many in the decaying world culture, Titus 1:2a. Though many enter the broad way of destruction that leads to damnation (Matthew 7:13), the few in the decaying culture who do believe in Christ gain hope of blessed eternal life with a holy God (Matthew 7:14), making the ministry of reaching the few who will trust in Christ amid a decaying culture invaluable, cf. Matthew 13:44-46.
      4. The eternal life promised by God to all who trust in Jesus Christ was promised before the "times" (chronos, Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament , 1967, p. 896) "of the ages" (aion, Ibid., p. 26-27; U. B. S. Greek New Testament, 1966, p. 739. That is, "before the beginning of time," or before the creation of the universe, God promised this eternal life, Titus 1:2b NIV. Accordingly, for even one soul on the Island of Crete, regardless of its decaying culture, to trust in Christ and find eternal life, it was worth a ministry effort there in the eternal plan of God!
      5. The Apostle Paul reported that in the appropriate time in God's eternal plan, He brought His Word to light through the preaching of the Gospel that God had entrusted to Paul by the command of Jesus Christ, Titus 1:3 with Acts 9:1-16. Accordingly, regardless of Crete's decaying culture, the eternal plan of God made it very important that Paul minister as he did at that time unto Titus, and that he write this epistle to Titus about a godly ministry to believers on Crete during its era of cultural decay!
      6. Paul addressed Titus as his "genuine, legitimate" (gnesios, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 162) "child" (teknon, Ibid., p. 816; Ibid., U. B. S. Greek New Testament ) in the Christian faith, that is, one Paul had led to the Lord in fulfillment of God's eternal plan regarding Paul's ministry, Titus 1:4. Since Paul was also an apostle of God who was given authority over Titus to direct him in ministry, Paul's epistle to Titus furthered the eternal plan of God regarding discipling people on Crete in a decaying culture!
Lesson: The value of the ministries of the local church and its leaders is not to be measured by how it improves the culture, for Scripture predicts world apostasy, 2 Timothy 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Rather, the value of these ministries is to be measured by how they align with God's eternal plan to disciple the few unto eternal salvation and godly living regardless of the world's deteriorating state!

Application: May we value our ministry effort in a decaying culture not by how we affect a doomed culture, but by how we align with God's eternal plan to disciple the few who believe unto godliness.