Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Proverbs 10-12; Titus 1
Devotional Thought:
The apostle Paul wrote the book of Titus to this young preacher who was left in Crete to set in order the things that were still out of order. It seems that Paul must have initiated the confrontation, but now needed Titus to finish addressing and fixing the problems. God had the highest of standards for leadership! It is amazing that the world today is willing to compromise character for convenience or integrity for personal interests. Under inspiration, this little book of the Bible, introduces the high expectation and demanded qualifications for the position of pastor. God demands that those in spiritual leadership of the church of God maintain the highest moral and doctrinal purity. Titus was to find such men and appoint them as elders over the various churches in Crete. His responsibility was two fold as we can see from chapter one, confront and remove those who are perverting the churches, and recruit those who are properly qualified to lead these churches to accomplish the will of God. It is clearly the task of the church, and especially its godly leaders, to silence those who claim to be Christians in an effort to pervert God’s truth and confuse and corrupt His people. In the rest of this book, we will find the addressing of carnal Christians who cannot control their tongue, but in chapter one he is addressing false teachers who teach doctrine that is contrary to truth. He seems to indicate that there were two types, one who were salvageable because of ignorance or immaturity (vs. 13-14), but then there were those who were intentional and wicked. (vs. 15-16) Those who are immature and ignorant, “rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” However, “unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.”
Those who are to lead the flock of God are to be blameless as a steward of God. The word for blameless is “irreproachable.” It is not a word that means sinless or perfect, but rather implies that he has not done things for which he can never correct. He has done something that will be a continual reproach to his reputation and to the name of God. He then names the things for which he can lose his reputation. (1) Being the husband to more than one wife, (2) having children, in his home, who are allowed to live worldly, (3) living with a selfish agenda, (4) having an uncontrolled temper, (5) becoming a drunkard, (6) constantly fighting with people, or (7) being greedy of money gained by sordid ways. The pastor must be willing to help all in need, loves what is good in people, serious about the things of God, standing firm upon truth, separated from the world and unto God, and making the truth of God’s word the priority.
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help to be the leader that demonstrates each of these important qualities. Please give me the backbone to stand against error and sin, the grace to love people unconditionally, and the wisdom to discern.
• Lord, please grant me the wisdom to know what needs to be set in order at Faith Baptist Church. Help me to exalt the purity of the doctrine of the truth.