“who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
~ Titus 2:14
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to teach? Do you like to learn? What do you think would be something good to teach? What do you think would be something good to learn? Teaching sound Biblical doctrinal truths is something that God expects guys and gals to do. Your grandpaa believes that God expects a guy, gal and kid to learn sound Biblical doctrinal truths before he or she begins teaching what he or she presupposes to be sound Biblical doctrinal truths to other guys, gals and/or kids. In the letter that he sent to Titus, Paul emphatically instructs Titus – in Titus 2, that he needs to primarily focus on teaching. Paul tells Titus what to teach to whom. Paul had sent Titus to the island of Crete to meet with Christ-follower guys who had been environmentally conditioned because of where they lived to be lazy gluttons and maligners to train, instruct, encourage, correct and discipline them as if they were little kids. Paul tells Titus to first teach older guys to be temperate or to act calmly versus being radical and acting out irrationally. Paul’s desire is that older guys live their lives worthy of being respected, self-controlled, grounded in a strong, sound faith, filled with compassion and love and having endured difficult life experiences. Your grandpaa wanted to always have some older guys in the contextualized Bible education programs that he and your grandmaa helped to implement in Bolivia and Guatemala. Your grandpaa believes that Christ-follower fellowships of guys and gals that are located in the rural areas of underdeveloped or emerging countries need to be jumpstarted. Because an underdeveloped or emerging society does not usually ascribe a position of authority to young single guys, it is the older guys who are abdicated the roles and positions of being leaders in villages, towns and Christ-follower fellowships of guys and gals. If an older guy has been enabled to be a Christ-follower leader through being a student in an informal Bible education program that his Christ-follower fellowship or another Christ-follower fellowship of guys and gals hosted that systematically taught him Biblical truths and then how to communicate the Biblical truths to other guys, the guy will probably be asked by his Christ-follower fellowship of guys and gals to be their up-front teacher and preacher. Jesús and Josefa García was one of the pivotal couples behind the ‘planting’ of the Pari Christ-follower fellowship of guys and gals in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Because your grandmaa and grandpaa lived only a couple of blocks from the house where Jesús and Josefa lived, your grandmaa and grandpaa helped them ‘plant’ the Pari Christ-follower fellowship of guys and gals. Zacarías and Justina Choque lived on the property where the Pari Christ-follower fellowship of guys and gals was ‘planted’. Zacarías became a student at the rural resident leadership training center (Centro de Capacitación) – that your grandmaa and grandpaa initiated in Concepción, Nuflo de Chávez, Bolivia, the third year after it was started. Zacarías became the leader of a Christ-follower fellowship of guys and gals after he spent two years studying at the Centro de Capacitación. A couple of years later and even though Jesús was already over 65 years old, Jesús was a student for two years in the rural resident Bible education program in Concepción.
Paul tells Titus to also teach older gals. Paul’s desire is that older gals live their lives reverently and respectful of other gals. Paul’s desire is that older gals stop slandering or making up fibs about other gals and that they no longer be wine drinkers. Paul’s desire is that older gals teach younger gals how to love their husbands and their kids. Paul’s desire is that older gals live self-controlled lives, have thoughts that are pure, keep busy at home, be kind to other gals and kids, are subject or submissive to their husbands and do not put down or be critical of Biblical truths. It was also very important to your grandpaa when he and your grandmaa initiated the Centro de Capacitación program in Bolivia and then when he and your grandmaa helped to implement with Héctor and Patty Pivaral the Programa de Educación Bíblica in Guatemala that the wives of the guys who made the commitment to study through either program were also taught in classes that were designed for them. Your grandmaa and grandpaa did not want any guy who was a student in the Centro de Capacitación program or Programa de Educación Bíblica to be way ahead of his wife as the spiritual leader of his family plus your grandmaa and grandpaa knew that a wife who had some Bible education would alongside her husband have an effective ministry with other gals and with kids in her Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids.
Paul tells Titus to also teach young guys. Paul’s desire is that young guys live self-controlled lives. Paul tells Titus to set an example for young guys to see – that he is to be filled with integrity, serious about what he is doing, speaks words that are sound and cannot be condemned and shames his critics or opposition because he does not do anything that will have him be accused of heresy. It was important to your grandpaa that for every five guys who were married who committed to be Centro de Capacitación or Programa de Educación Bíblica students that a single guy would also commit to be a Centro de Capacitación or Programa de Educación Bíblica student. Young single guys can present a perspective of what life is like being a single guy that older guys have forgotten and need to be reminded of while older guys will be able to present perspectives that young single guys need to know about as they get older, marry and have kids. Paul – in verse 14, says, “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” It is for Jesus’ sake that a guy, gal or kid will want to learn sound Biblical truths so that he or she is enabled to teach what he or she has learned.
Titus 2 (693)