“This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”
~ Titus 3:8
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to help other kids? If you like to help other kids, what kind of help do you like to give to other kids? Do you like to get in arguments with other kids? Do you like to quarrel with other kids? Do you like to be involved in controversies or hullabaloos with other kids? Do you like to be divisive? Do you like to cause problems? Do you think that it is best to be as kids the self-assigned complainers about everything or the kids who are always proactively helping other kids? Titus lived over 1960 years ago. Titus was one of Paul’s converts. Titus was not a Jew. Titus was a Gentile. Titus traveled with Paul before Paul asked Titus stay on the Island of Crete after he and Titus spent a short time together in a ministry effort on the Island of Crete. Titus made a trip with Paul to Jerusalem when Paul dialogued his Christ-centric beliefs with the church leaders in Jerusalem. Titus spent time with Paul in Ephesus when Paul during his third missionary journey stayed in Ephesus for about three years. Titus was who Paul sent to Corinth to help with the Corinth Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids when the guys and gals in the Corinth Christ-follower community were floundering with some internal problems. Paul mentored Titus. Titus to your grandpaa is an example or model that your grandpaa likes to use for being a short term missionary. Titus was a guy who went where Paul asked him to go and who did what Paul asked him to do. Titus received a personal letter from Paul while he was on the Island of Crete. Because Paul had been on the Island of Crete with Titus for a short period of time, your grandpaa is sure that Paul understood the challenges that Titus was facing as he worked to come alongside the Island of Crete Christ-follower community of guys, gals and kids. Paul used the personal letter that he sent to Titus to help Titus try to resolve the issues that the Island of Crete Christ-follower fellowship’s guys and gals were facing. Titus 3 has Paul reminding Titus to tell the Island of Crete Christ-follower community’s guy and gal to accept their rulers and authorities instead of criticizing and slandering their rulers and authorities. Paul also reminds Titus in the letter that he sent him to never ever forget what his life had been like before he became a Christ-follower convert and his disciple. Paul reminded Titus what his own life had been like before he became a Christ-follower. Paul admitted to – before God led him to be a Christ-follower, doing foolish things, acting disobediently, deceiving guys and gals and being enslaved to or a prisoner of pleasures and passions that were no good to him. Paul also reminded Titus – that before he became a Christ follower, that he had been living a life that was filled with malice, meanness, nastiness and envy – that he hated other guys and gals and that he had other guys and gals hate him.
Do you know how God the Father expects a guy, gal or kid to live his or her life that has been reborn through His mercy, has been cleansed by His grace and has been and is being renewed by God the Holy Spirit? Do you know how God the Father expects you to live your life with the absolute hope of knowing that you will just pass through death’s door into an eternal life? If you know that you have been reborn by God’s mercy, that you have had your life cleansed by God’s grace, that you have been and are being renewed by God the Holy Spirit and that you have been unconditionally gifted the gift of eternal life, your grandpaa is convinced that a guy, gal or kid who has made a decision of faith leading to him or her being a Christ-follower that he or she will innately want to do what verse 8 says, “This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” Paul told Titus to keep on telling the Island of Crete Christ-follower fellowship’s guys and gals that always helping other guys and gals is good. After your grandmaa and grandpaa were married, your grandpaa wanted to do things in the church – the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware, that they were attending but . . . it was not until eight years later – after you grandpaa was transferred to Aberdeen, South Dakota by Beneficial Finance, that your grandpaa was finally able to become involved doing things that were a help to other guys and gals. Your grandpaa had gotten to where he thought that just sitting in a church pew – with his arms on the back of the back church pew, was all that your grandpaa needed to do as far as going to church was concerned. When your grandmaa and grandpaa where living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, they went to the Christian Reformed Church’s monthly Couple’s Club. Your grandmaa and grandpaa really enjoyed going to the Couple’s Club. After they had settled into living in Aberdeen and had begun attending the Aberdeen Christian & Missionary Alliance Church, your grandmaa and grandmaa told Lyle and Joanne Brock about the Couple’s Club that they had been going to in Sioux Falls. Lyle and Joanne encouraged your grandmaa and grandpaa to begin a Couple’s Club in the church that your grandmaa and grandpaa were attending in Aberdeen. It was not long after your grandmaa and grandpaa began attending regularly the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen that your grandmaa and grandpaa were both teaching a Sunday School class, were in a home Bible study group, were going door to door evangelizing, your grandpaa asked to be one of the church’s elders, lead Wednesday night prayer meetings, and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . .
Your grandpaa found out in the Aberdeen Christian & Missionary Alliance Church that giving his time to help other guys and gals versus just going to church is the way to go. A church is to be a Christ-follower fellowship of guys, gals and kids who are proactively networking together to help and to edify each other – which is good to do.
Titus 3 (315)