The Healthy Church

In the last installment of our series looking at Paul's letter to Titus, we are challenged to consider what it is that we are actually devoted to. We have been reminded throughout the book of the importance of good works that come from sound doctrine and in this section we are given three ways to be devoted to good works: 1) Stress the gospel 2)Avoid what is unprofitable 3) Warn divisive people.

In this section of Paul's letter to Titus he explains why we should want to share the gospel that we have received with others. The reason is that we too were once living in darkness, dead in our sin. But Christ has raised us up, regenerating us to new life. and this is not because we are so great or have done good things, but only because of God's great love for us.

After several weeks of Paul instructing the church how they would live, in this passage he explains WHY we should live this way. He says we are to live holy lives in the present by looking back at the grace given to us when we first trusted in Jesus and look forward to the coming glory of Jesus' return. When we do this, others will see that our lives are different from the world and will give us opportunity to share Christ's life transforming love with them.

The gospel is not something that we get on Sunday and then put in our back pocket the rest of the week, only pulling it out when we want it. The gospel should radically transform the way we live, including the way we work. We have an opportunity to put the gospel on display every day in the way we humbly serve and work hard for our bosses, coworkers and customers.

Just like in a family, each person in a church has a distinct role and set of responsibilities. This section of Titus instructs four different demographics in how they should act to help the church function well. Older men, older women, younger men and younger women are all instructed in what is of primary importance, namely that we keep our eyes on Jesus and live in humble submission to His kingdom-advancing work in our lives.

In this section of Paul's letter to Titus he has some harsh words for those who would seek to preach anything but the true Gospel. This is because he is passionate to protect his family (the church) from the wolves that pose as teachers but are only interested in personal gain. He knew that if you begin to compromise on your beliefs, you will eventually begin to compromise your actions.

If an organization is only as healthy as its leaders, then it is important that those who are leading the church understand what their responsibilities are and rely on Jesus to carry them out. This section of Titus gives us a list of guidelines for elders of the church, helping us to identify, diagnose and pray for the health of our leaders. *Due to a camera error, the video is out of focus this week, but the audio is just fine.

What makes a healthy church? In part 1 of our sermon series walking through the book of Titus, we seek to answer three basic questions: Who are we (our identity), What are we about (our purpose), and Why are we here (our motivation).