Titus 1: How Is Your Bishop?
Verse of the Day: (V7) “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;”
1. Wife (V1-8)
V4 “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.”
Apostle Paul instructed his spiritual son, Titus, as to how he as a bishop or elder or pastor should organise the church which they had started at Crete. Paul would be leaving Crete, and he ordained Titus to be the pastor of the church. Paul taught Titus the requirements of a pastor, that he must be blameless, selfless, patient, hospitable, and have only one wife as well as faithful children. Indeed, behind a faithful pastor is a faithful wife and family!
V6 “If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.”
2. Word (V9-14)
V9 “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
The pastor must in particular be well equipped with God’s Word, and be ready to pray, preach and even perish for Christ’s sake. Indeed, the pastor must be deeply rooted and grounded in God’s Word as there are false pastors, even during Paul’s time, who claim to love God and people, but sadly, they are only seeking for themselves fame and fortune.
V11 “Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.”
3. Works (V15-16)
V15 “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.”
Paul revealed to Titus that the ways to detect false and deceitful churches and pastors were that they not only did not preach the whole counsel of God’s Word, but they disobeyed God, and they did not even help the poor and needy. Let us pray for all churches and pastors that they must not only fulfil the Great Commission of winning souls and discipleship, but also the Great Commandment of loving one another and even their enemies, and to demonstrate their love by their works in helping the poor and needy.
V16 “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help my bishop to preach the Word as well as do the works.
