Moments in the life of a Pastor

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16. Mentoring matters – Part 3

Titus 2:1-8

“As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. 2 Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. 3 Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers.[a] Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God. 6 In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.”

As Paul challenges mature men he starts first with the:

  • Calling – Reason we are running the race “As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching.”

This is the call to walk out the Word of God because the world is watching. It’s about your witness, but most men have never made the focus of their work their witness. They have made it about a pay check instead of proclaiming Christ. Here is what I love about this passage unlike what the world has to say about older men God’s Word not only gives worth to older men but also calls us to work. Our problem is that we want the worth without the work, you see the greatest challenge to the church today is not the culture its saints that are sitting on the sidelines squandering their lives on meaningless things when they could be mentoring the next generation of men. Men let me remind you that following the Savior is not a spectator sport you are not called to watch you are called to work. It’s time to suit up and stop sitting, to put on the full armor of God and step out onto the field of battle. Because this isn’t a game, we are not playing flag football this is full contact for 4 quarters. What quarter of life are you in, 20, 40, 60, 80. Look Faith finishes the race it doesn’t forfeit the race. Men we were not created to coast we were created to compete for Christ.

Are you making the goal the glory of God. Our problem as men we are working for recognition and retirement instead of working for the Redeemer. We don’t retire from righteousness we are called to run all the way to the finish.

  • Character – Rudder

Christ like character will always steer you to serve, but a corrupt character will steer you into sin. Is your ruder set for service or sin, are you running after righteousness or ruin?  Guys we need to guard our character because it’s our compass it provides direction to your drive. Most of us are driving dangerously because we are driving without direction. As men we are to macho to stop and ask for directions because we are afraid we will look like a loosers, so instead we fake it and instead of just looking like a looser we end up acting like a looser. Are you more worried about looking like a looser or living like a looser?

  1. Self – Controlled –

This deals with drinking, mature men don’t get drunk. Unlike the Cretan culture that was dedicated to the national pastime of drinking Christ ones are to let the Holy Spirit control their lives. Ephesians 5:18, challenges Christains: “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.” Alcohol has been the rudder to ruin for many people. What consumes you will control you, are you consumed with Christ or cocktails, is the Lord or liquor what is leading your life? If you want to have Christ like character then you need to let the Holy Spirit be in control. Who is cultivating your character, Christ or the culture?


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13 Dealing with the Disobedient – Part 4

Titus 1:9-16

“9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. 10 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 11 They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. 12 Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.” 13 This is true. So reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith. 14 They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth.15 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.”

It’s here that Paul reminds us of the goal which is to:

3.         Reconcile the Rebellious – Vs 15-16

The context here refers to those who are devoted to the rules but don’t have a relationship with Jesus. The word translated “pure” is the same word used to describe those who have been washed clean by Jesus Christ. Verse 16 reminds us that even though an individual may claim to know God, how they live can cancel out their confession. A changed character leads to changed conduct. Proper belief must express itself in proper behavior. Isaiah 29:13: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” What Paul is saying here is that people do what they do because of what is in their hearts. Just because they speak about spiritual things doesn’t mean that they are saved. Its here that Paul uses some strong words.

Detestable. This comes from a word that means, “to emit a foul odor” and was used to describe that which is an abomination to God.

Disobedient. This word literally refers to one who refuses to be persuaded. There are those who don’t believe not because of insufficient evidence but because of proud hearts.

Worthless. Meaning that their lives don’t stand the test, it was used of metals that were rejected by refiners because of impurities.

So let me ask you a challenging question, are you a Christian or a counterfeit. Are you a follower of Jesus Christ or a fake? There are those who have convinced themselves that they are a Christian, but in reality you’re not. Paul gave a very serious challenge to church people in 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.” Have you ever really examined yourself?

There are people who profess Christ but don’t possess Christ. Some of you claim to be a Christian with your words but you prove that you are carnal with your walk. What about you are you a professor of faith or a possessor of faith? For many years John Wesley professed to be a believer and yet when he took the time to examine himself, he came to the conclusion that he was not a Christian. This is what he said in his sermon called, “The Almost Christian.”

“I did go thus for many years, as many of this place can testify; using diligence to eschew all evil, and to have a conscience void of offence; redeeming the time; buying up every opportunity of doing all good to all men; constantly and carefully using all the public and all the private means of grace; endeavoring, after a steady seriousness of behavior, at all times, and in all places: and God is my record, before whom I stand, doing all this in sincerity; having a real design to serve God; a hearty desire to do his will in all things; to please him who had called me to ‘fight the good fight,’ and to ‘lay hold on eternal life.’ Yet my own conscience bears me witness, in the Holy Ghost, that all this time I was but almost a Christian”

What about you are you a child of the King or a counterfeit?