Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
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Scratching
the Surface of Titus
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Titus is one of
Paul's shorter letters; but like his shortest that's next (Philemon) or any of
the other/smaller books in the book, it's the message not number of pages that
matters most.
Parenthetically,
there's nothing "minor" in the messages of the so-called "Minor
Prophets" of the Bible; for "minor" just refers to the fewer
pages in 'em compared to the greater number of pages in the so-called
"Major Prophets."
Truly, the
shorter/smaller books wouldn't be in the book with the longer/bigger books if
God had not breathed revelation about who He is and what it means to follow Him
into them.
Let me put it
another way.
It's not the size
of the dog in the fight that matters most. It's the size of the fight in
the dog that matters most.
Titus, like all
of the shorter/smaller books in the book, packs a King-sized wallop of
revelation regarding what it means to follow Who it's all about.
The focus of God
through Paul to Titus - another undershepherd
of the Good Shepherd Jesus being mentored by the apostle; hence referred to as
"my true child in common faith" - is Christian leadership;
specifically, the expected character traits of women and men called to honor
God through service in His body known as the Church.
While Paul
repeats many of the character traits of Christian leaders found in his other
letters, with the two to Timothy being the most expansive, his commanding
counsel to Titus is poignantly precise: "...the husband of one wife...his
children are believers...above reproach...not arrogant or quick-tempered or a
drunkard or violent or greedy for gain...hospitable, a lover of good,
self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined...He must hold firm to the
trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound
doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it..."
After providing
some special instructions for special situations, he gets back to the general
job description for authentic Church leaders: "Declare these
things; exhort and rebuke with all authority...Remind them to be submissive to
authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of
no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, to show perfect courtesy toward all
people..."
Then Paul throws
the haymaker, "I want you to insist on these things."
"But,"
he concludes as a footnote of contradiction in reference to what's not in the
job description, "Avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions,
and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless..."
Then he offers
something of an afterthought taking us back to Romans 16, "As for a person
who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more
to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is
self-condemned."
Whoa.
If we take all of
that literally and out of context, no one but
Jesus Himself qualifies for Church leadership.
That's why Paul
must have meant a Christian leader must pray and labor to emulate those
qualities and not be notoriously suspect in behaviors that are antithetical to
'em.
Remember, Paul
wrote, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
That means
nobody's perfect.
That means nobody
ever becomes good enough to not need Jesus to save them from their sins by
bridging the distance between human frailties/failings/fallings and divine
perfection.
To use a phrase
that is eternally more true than existentially tried, we do our best and leave the rest to
Him.
Or as Paul often
concludes, "Grace be with you all!"
Let me put it
another way.
Being a follower
of Jesus or mentoring followers of Jesus is not about how good we are or can
become.
It's about His
great graciousness that only demands our trust and confidence in Him as Lord
and Savior and our efforts to prove our trust and confidence in Him as Lord and
Savior.
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...to be continued...
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Blessings and Love!
1 comment:
Wonderfully right on, Brother!
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