Thoughts on Titus, Entry 2

*note: After asking patrons to give me some things they might like for me to blog about as I spend time studying God's Word, their primary suggestions were regarding the prophets. Since I'd recently spent a semester teaching the minor prophets, I wanted to spend some time in the New Testament...and there might be a minor prophets series in this space in the future. However, I started a study of Titus today and I wanted to welcome you to my first attempt at doing this on-line...stuff like this has existed in my journals until today. I can't guarantee this will be daily or that I won't tire of it or whatever, but it's a start, okay?


I wanted to make my life a melting pot of the people I looked up to when I was a kid.

I was four or five but I could blow past my grandfather's secretaries and assistants and right into his office. If he was in a conference I just walked right in, he'd say, "Let's take 10 minute break." and the meeting delayed upon the arrival of any of his grandchildren. He was offered the best seats at area restaurants and the owner would stop by his table. He had tickets to any sporting event he wanted given to him. Some people command respect, and I saw that by how others treated him.

I watched my father be one of the most liked people I know. Whatever he tried he was simply good at. Didn't matter if it was deep-sea fishing or basketball or dancing with my Mom (which, for the record, he married the head cheerleader/best "catch" from good old Bessemer High) or being the dad...he was better than average at anything and everything he tried. Of course, the converse was true, too. If he was apathetic (like at his job), he stalled.

I had a navy blue fishnet jersey with burnt orange/white piping and a #7 on it. It was standard issue to boys who happened to be fans of Auburn University's football team in the early '70's when quarterback Pat Sullivan won his Heisman Trophy. I loved it when he said winning that trophy was the 2nd highest honor of his life. The first? He said playing for his college coach, beloved "Shug" Jordan. I almost cried when I heard him say that on the televised broadcast.

I admired a guy in my church because he was a NASCAR pit-crew cheif and for a time held the Guinness Book world record for making a pick-up truck go over 180 m.p.h. He could take out most spark plugs without a ratchet.

I admired the high school baseball coach because he could demand excellence and push people harder than they thought they could go and keep high school guys focused on minute details for 7 innings, and at the same time teach English very well, and still be one of the "cool" teachers off the field. He'd let us know in various ways that each individual student was important to him.

I wanted to play guitar like Eddie Van Halen. I didn't care much for the practice it would take to actually do that, but what 15 year-old in 1982 didn't want to play guitar like Eddie Van Halen?

I liked the pastor at my new church because he'd hoped that, at some time in his life, he could own a convertible. Something about that humility and desire to serve stayed with me.

I could go on and on, but we all had people we looked up to (and still look up to) for various reasons. It's peculiar how when you're young you tend to lean towards those who had thousands of people cheering for them when they did their job well or were famous or held a world record or commanded some sort of respect...and when you're older you tend to find admiration in the nooks (I don't know what a "cranny" is, so I won't use the word) outside the light.

But when my college Bible study group went started looking at manhood and the type of man we should each aspire to be (I know, we were college fraternity guys and this ideal was an easy discussion starter for Charles, but we really did get pretty amped about it our junior year) Titus 1: 5--9 hit our radar.

It's talking about church leadership and what qualifies somebody to do so.

Apparently, from verse 5, there was some trouble in the churches in Crete. We don't know specifics of the troubles but we can deduce the troubles as we plow through the letter, right? Paul worked with Titus on Crete for a short time and left Titus there for a specific assignment...to restore order in the church.

And how would you do that? Well, you'd arrange some form of government...formal or informal or whatever...but they'd need leadership. And how would you find those leaders? Good athletes? Manly men? Community power brokers? Successful business folks? "Cool" teachers?

Paul takes the time to tell Titus the social qualities he was looking for in verse 6:

Above reproach. This doesn't mean "perfect" or "sinless" but rather connotates the idea that there aren't any major, glaring character flaws that would reflect badly on Christ or His church.

the husband of one wife. Our tribe interprets this in a variety of ways. I tend to be a bit more strict in mine, but at the very least it means that he's crossing the t's and dotting the i's of being a good husband. I mean, let's be honest, if we see a guy who can't take his marriage vows seriously (again giving freedom for those who believe those apply to the "current" marriage vows in the case of someone who has been divorced) we're not going to take them seriously regarding spiritual matters.

having children who believe who are not accused of dissipation or rebellion. Same for the kids. If we see a dad who treats his kids harshly, we aren't going to listen when he tells us to love one another. It doesn't mean they're perfect, but rather that he honors his responsibilities as a father. He lovingly instructs and has control even when his kids are at their worst. Because, you know, sometimes church folk can be at their worst, too.

We get the personal qualifications in verses 7 & 8:

Not self-willed: Not arrogant...more of a desire to serve rather than a sense of entitlement of privilege.
Not quick-tempered: Somebody that gets angry quickly. I often wonder if that means thoughts or outward expressions, but either way we're supposed to control our tempers. Hopefully there's room for us slow-tempered-in-our-thoughts folks!
No addicted to wine: Notice it doesn't say they don't drink. But hey, when you're in leadership my guess is that when you have a big old corporate meeting to sign contracts worth tons of money that you're not going to go into that with anything less than hyper sobriety. Why would it be any different leading a church? How can you give people wise insights with a good buzz happenin'?
Not pugnacious: This means they don't fight, or "strike" others. Maybe if I were bigger, stronger, faster & meaner, I'd struggle with this. Currently, I don't enjoy being beat up, so this isn't an area I've ever struggled with...lesson learned in 4th grade when Scotty Sims whipped me on the playground at Bluff Park Elementary.
Not fond of sordid gain: Gotta get your "gain" on the up and up...I mean, who respects a con artist?

But...contrast word here...we just learned what NOT to do, now we'll get some positives:

hospitable: Likes hosting others...or at least willing to make others feel appreciated and comforted.
loving what is good: I was thinking about this when I watched Oceans 13. Why was everyone in the theatre "pulling" for robbers, hucksters and theives, and (plot spoiler coming) glad when they pulled off the heist? Granted, a small example, but somebody who seeks/loves schadenfreude will have trouble leading people because he kinda wants them to fail.
sensible, just, devout: Keeps his wits about him, fair, set apart to God...in an obvious way. Hmmm.
self-controlled: disciplined in a way that's obvious. Hmmm.

And in verse 9 we get that the guy is solid doctrinally.

They have to "hold fast" to the God's truth. He's committed to it. Not only as a theory or nice idea but also in practical life. I mean, Oprah's got some nice ideas at times and I kind of like her humanitarian efforts...but if it doesn't line up with Scripture, what do we really believe and practice? I know lots of folks who take the ideas of "science" or "psychology" when they're in DIRECT CONFLICT WITH SCRIPTURE because, well, "these guys are DOCTORS. They went to college for 16 YEARS, for cryin' out loud." Sorry. Truth, as defined in God's Word, is truth. True truth. That's how it is...and we all have to deal with it.

he may be able to exhort and refute: The bottom line is that theology matters. Everybody has a theology and everybody's outward actions are affected. And, man, our Tribe tends to settle for all sorts of secondary issues when choosing a church: "The pastor is really passionate." "The worship there is AWESOME." "The sermons motivate me." Those aren't bad things. You might even want those things. But they're hardly worth choosing a church for. Leaders need to be solid when it comes to theology, because it comes out in everything you do and teach...and you don't want to trifle with the leadership of the sheep of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He tends to take that pretty seriously. So, it's worth the time, energy and effort to brush up on your church's doctrinal statements, folks.

And, from that little Bible study some 20 years ago, I still am striving for these things. They drew a nice picture of what being a man of God looked like, way better than some pop Chrisitan book telling me my heart needs to be wild or that I need to be some quarterback or a knight or I need to sit in sweat tents with the stick of truth and beat on jungle drums or I need to sit in a stadium with 60,000 other guys and hug or whatever else is popular at the time.

The same goes for what we admire in others. Sure, it's great to be see a good athlete do his thing or a businessman be a success in the right way or watch a good mechanic work or see an excellent teacher do their thing or a humble pastor or a legendary guitarist...nothing wrong at all with those things.

But, in my melting pot of aspirations...
...and what I look for in my own church leadership...
...and what I want others to hold me accountable for...

This pretty much sums it up.