No Time to Go Wobbly

During the Gulf War, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher penned the famous phrase “No Time to Go Wobbly” regarding her conversation with President George Bush in August of 1990. She praised him for his resolve in passing a Security Council Resolution enabling the British to enforce the embargo against Iraqi shipping.

Physical warfare and resolving conflicts among nations require a firm position and holding ground against political enemies. Similarly, spiritual warfare requires that we stand fast, knowing what and Whom we believe (1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 5:1; Philippians 1:27; 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:15). This was a guiding principle that the apostle Paul stressed in his letters to Timothy and to Titus as he instructed them in how to lead churches.

Titus was Paul’s convert, or son in the faith, whom he left in charge of the churches in Crete (Titus 1:4-5).  Although originally a pagan Greek, Titus was saved by Paul’s preaching of the common faith, meaning the plan of salvation open to Jews as well as Gentiles who trusted in the death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) of Jesus Christ as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6).

Soon after his conversion, Titus accompanied Paul and Barnabas on missionary journeys (2 Corinthians 7:5-7, 13-14; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18) and also to the Jerusalem council (Galatians 2:1-3). There Paul persuaded the church elders that salvation is by God’s grace through our faith alone, and not by any works such as circumcision or baptism (Ephesians 2:8-9). Thereafter, Titus was responsible for building and leading the churches Paul planted in Crete.

At that time, Crete was ruled by Nero, a cruel, deranged Roman emperor who persecuted the Christians and had them fight to the death for his amusement. It was an especially difficult time to be a Christian, as it is even today. We are blessed thus far in the United States to be able to worship freely, but Christian persecution is rampant and festering in many regions including the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Headlines (more so from Christian sources than from mainstream news) inform us of Coptic Christians and even children beheaded for refusing to recite the Islamic creed or to renounce Jesus Christ. We should not be surprised if persecution increases as the End Times draws near (1 Peter 4:12-16).

The letters of Paul to Titus and Timothy therefore have special relevance today, because the devil knows that his time is short and is doing what he can to destroy Christians, their families, and their churches (1 Corinthians 10:10). Now more than ever we must know what we believe and pass it on to our families and communities directly and through our churches.

No wonder Paul urged Titus and Timothy to hold firmly to the truth Paul had taught them, so that by preaching sound doctrine they could overcome the damage done by false teachers, encourage the faithful, and even convert the false teachers to the truth of God’s Word (1 Titus 1:9; 1 Timothy 1:15; 4:6; 2 Timothy 3:14).

Effective spiritual warfare requires putting on the whole armor of God, each piece applied with prayer (Ephesians 6:10-17). We must resist the devil (James 4:7) as he attempts to seduce us into compromising our position. Just as he deceived Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit by twisting God’s Word (Genesis 3:1-6), he will try the same trick on us if we believe his lies (Revelation 12:9).

Satan attacks us through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) Sometimes he attacks believers in general through false teachers (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1) or through worldly distractions, and sometimes he aims his fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16) directly at our own unique weaknesses and areas of vulnerability.

When Satan strikes, as he will in the life of anyone who is saved, we must stand fast to resist him. This involves being aware that he seeks to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8), not believing his lies, and remaining firm in our beliefs taught in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16) and in our commitment to continue in God’s work and will for our lives.

Once we are saved and become productive for God, Satan does all he can to bring us down, undermine our testimony, and stop our work for God. Just as we laid down our sin burden at Calvary’s cross, we must hand over all our fears (1 John 4:18) and doubts (which are sins also) to Christ so that His love and His completed sacrifice can remove them (1 Peter 5:7-11).

1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Paul urges Christians to be as firmly planted in our faith as a statue, or a wrestler or warrior standing his ground against the enemy. May none of Satan’s weapons keep us from our purpose of serving God in all that we do (Colossians 3:23).

Even when no one seems to appreciate our efforts and the devil tries to discourage us, God notices our service and will reward us for it (1 Kings 7: 13-22), sometimes here on earth, and ultimately in Heaven when we hear Him say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21).

Hebrews 6: 10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Let us learn from Paul’s letters to Titus and Timothy the importance of sound doctrine in our hearts, minds and churches.  Like Paul, let’s keep the faith, finish the race, and fight the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7) until Christ comes again!

© 2017 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

 

 

Walk the Walk!

Photo by Jennifer Huber 2013

Hypocrisy plagues our world today, and even our churches, because there is spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). Even Heaven’s doorway is darkened by the devil! (Job 1:6-7). Satan has his minions strategically placed in leadership of world governments, commerce, finance, industry, educational institutions, entertainment, churches and religious organizations (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

In any gathering of two or more, there will be politics, and even when two or more are gathered in the Name of Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:20), there will be impostors who claim to be Christians but who do not know Christ (Titus 1:16). These “talk the talk,” putting on a good front, dressing up for church and sitting in the front pew, giving regularly and doing good works (and making sure everyone knows about it!)

But how many actually walk the walk? More so in the past than in the present day, there were social, political, and networking advantages to being a Christian, even if in name only. But all the religious works even the best person could muster cannot save the soul  – only the shed blood of Christ can do that, by His grace through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

It is easy to want the blessings God has promised His children, and even to praise Him when things go our way. But do we praise and thank Him in the trials (Ephesians 5:20), realizing we are meant to share in His sufferings (2 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Peter 4:13; 5:1) as part of our spiritual inheritance? (Romans 8:17). Are we willing to take up His cross and follow Him? (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).

I believe there will be many surprises regarding who is “left behind” after the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), including many regular churchgoers, church leaders, and even pastors who treat their vocation as just a job to generate income rather than a calling to serve Christ and feed His sheep (John 21:17).

Even among the original twelve disciples who walked with, learned from and served Jesus for more than three years, there was an impostor. Judas Iscariot, in a position of leadership as treasurer (John 13:29), was actually the “son of perdition” (John 17:12). Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:2,27) and used him to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15; 27:3,9), the going price in that day for a common bondservant.

In the ultimate irony, Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss so that His captors would recognize Him (Mark 14:44; Luke 22:48). As our pastor likes to say, “The lips that kissed the Door of Heaven went straight to hell.” So we cannot assume that anyone sitting next to us in the pew, or even in church leadership, is saved, for only God knows the hearts (1 Samuel 16:7).

That is why the apostle Paul, under Holy Spirit inspiration, so carefully explained not only sound doctrine, but the need for discernment regarding teachers and teachings. We must know what we believe and compare what we hear from others with the absolute truth of the Word of God.

As we continue our study in the book of Titus, we see that Paul established qualifications for pastors that ultimately serve as an example for all of us. Pastors must be blameless (Titus 1:6-7), which is impossible in the natural, for all of us have a sin nature since Adam disobeyed God and brought the curse of sin upon mankind (Genesis 3).

To be blameless, therefore, we must be born again (John 3:3-8) by trusting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, placing our faith in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Only then can we be blameless in God’s sight, for when the Father looks at His children, He no longer sees our sins, but only the perfect righteousness of His Son (Romans 3:22-25). Jesus Christ paid for all our sins (John 1:29), crediting His righteousness to our account and reconciling sinful man to Holy God (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Paul writes that the pastor must be married with obedient children (Titus 1:6), which is surely no guarantee that a man is saved. Yet it gives him an opportunity to live out the Gospel in his own home, loving his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it, and demonstrating his leadership in Christ by encouraging his own family to grow in God’s grace (Ephesians 5:25-33; 6:4).

The pastor must be a faithful steward of God (1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Timothy 3:15), putting the needs of others before his own; controlling his temper, not drinking or being violent, and not motivated by greed or financial gain (Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:8; 1 Peter 5: 2). While abstaining from these negative behaviors, the pastor must also demonstrate positive qualities of hospitality, loving good things, sobriety, justice, holiness and temperance (Titus 1:8).

Hospitality was especially important in Bible times, when Christians travelling to spread the Gospel depended on the generosity of their brethren to open their homes, their hearts, and their purses to further God’s kingdom (Romans 12:10,13; 3 John 5:).

Although many men are hospitable by nature, others believe “My home is my castle” and tend to prefer their privacy. Or they may be reluctant to open their home to others if their pride leads them to believe their home doesn’t measure up to self-imposed standards of wealth, decor or housekeeping.

We tend to think of hospitality as more of a female trait, and this may be yet another example of where Godly Titus 2 women may encourage and facilitate this quality in their husband. Opening the home to others may be a more natural outgrowth of the Proverbs 31 woman’s role in caring for her husband, children and household, regardless of whether it is a mansion or a thatched hut.

But it’s not really hospitality if we resent doing it! It should be practiced with an open, accepting and loving heart (1 Peter 4:9), anticipating the blessings of giving to others, and realizing that by practicing hospitality, we may be entertaining angels without even realizing it! (Hebrews 13:2)

Are we walking the walk, or just talking the talk? Only God knows our hearts, but our behavior and lifestyle can communicate volumes to those who can be inspired or discouraged by our testimony.

If we tell others we’re committed to improving our physical fitness, and we even sign up for a gym membership and buy exercise equipment, it’s just a lot of hot air unless we work out regularly and intensely. When friends come over and notice dustbunnies on our free weights, and piles of clothes hanging from our treadmill, they’re not going to follow our advice for them to exercise. Especially when they notice that we’re still out of shape!

Similarly, if our church family sees us skipping church to hang out on the beach or at the mall, or drinking and partying with friends, or losing it when things don’t go our way, we’re being a stumbling block to their spiritual development (Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 8:9). We can't rely on "Do as I say, not as I do," for we must lead by example, as did Paul (Philippians 4:9; 2 Timothy 3:14).

May we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25) worthy of His calling (Ephesians 4:1). Let’s walk the walk, pick up Christ’s cross, and follow Him!

© 2017 Laurie Collett