Titus: Part Two – Ordained and Disappointed

Gtcotr/ws031319 

The Bible does not give every step made by the Apostles in their fulfillment of the Great Commission which given to us by Jesus. Many details of the people, places and events referenced in the New Testament are missing from the narratives chosen by the Holy Spirit to be accounted for in the writings of the Apostle Paul and Dr Luke. Through the centuries manuscripts have been collected and poured over by brilliant God-fearing men and women in a concerted effort to know all we can know about the life and times of the first-generation pioneers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Allow me to draw on the wisdom, reflection and anointing of some of the more learned Bible scholars in past centuries to offer a reasonable consideration as to how the events leading up to the Apostle Paul’s writing of his letter to Titus might have occurred. If I am allowed, I suppose: 

1. Jews from Crete were in Jerusalem at Pentecost, Acts 2:11, and had no doubt carried the Gospel message back to the Island. Paul also visited Crete after being arrested and while being transported to Rome for his first imprisonment, but he did not have time to preach the Gospel and better establish the Churches as he wished. 

2. The Apostle Paul was released from his first imprisonment in Rome in about the year 62/63AD. 

3. Clearly intending to visit Colosse in Asia Minor and Philippi in Macedonia, Paul sailed from Rome. Titus and Timothy were with him. 

4. The ship stopped on the Island of Crete either as it’s destination or to take on supplies before continuing on its journey. 

    

   

   

5. Crete is one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean/Aegean seas. It is near 150 miles long, east to west, and ranges from 5 to 35 miles wide, north to south. It boasted in that day to be an island of 100 cities. There is little doubt that each city needed a good Church. 

6. If we drew an equilateral triangle using Athens in Greece, Ephesus in Turkey, and Heraklion on Crete, as the three points, each leg would be about 200 miles long. To further locate the Island of Crete, it is approximately 200 miles north of Libya. 

7. I suppose Paul saw a great need and was moved by the Holy Spirit to leave Titus in Crete while he and Timothy continued on his mission as promised to Colosse. (Philemon 22 – Philemon lived at Colosse) 

8. After visiting Colosse, at some point Paul sent Timothy to Ephesus and kept his intent to visit Philippi in Macedonia. (Philippians 2:24) 

9. After some time, Paul found himself in Greece, in the neighborhood of Nicopolis, and it is from here that he writes these two disciples personal letters of encouragement and direction. These two letters: 1 Timothy and Titus bear the same general dates and were written from the same general location. 

There are alternate considerations as to the date these letters were written, we cannot know for certain since this is one of the details which was left out, as well as the full account of these events. However, we know these things happened but in what order and in what year we are left to suppose, not that it makes any difference in the outcome. Having said that … let’s continue our study of the Book of Titus. 

Titus 1 NKJV 

1 ¶  Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ … 

4  To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. 

• Titus = Nurse 
• True son = a spiritual family relationship through personal conversion or adoption by Paul’s commitment to father and care for Titus. 
• Common faith = a shared general trust in the truth of the Gospel 

• Grace, mercy, and peace = The same salute given to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:2. (Remember, these boys were both doing work for Paul) 

5 ¶  For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you —  

• Paul begins to go back over the instructions he had given Titus verbally. Now Paul wants to remind and put in writing the expectations and the goals he has for Titus and for the Churches in Crete. 

• Set in order = complete; add to; provide structure and order; secure. 
• Appoint = Ordain, (not in the sense of how we see the word to have evolved into today’s understanding of ordination – but rather to appoint as in the sense of Acts 6, which is the same Greek word); to put in place; to set into a position; to be given a responsibility. 

• Appointed (Ordained elders in every city – Acts 14:23) 

• Relationship, Recognition & Relationship  

• Dis-Appointed – (Defrocked – 1 Timothy 1:20; Acts 1:20)  

• Dissolution of Appointing Authority breaches relationship, recognition and representation  
• Diverging from intent and qualifications provides breach 

• Elders = older; mature; settled; experienced; trusted. 
• Commanded = Paul left Titus on orders. (Interesting to note the authority with which Paul commands his disciples who are not getting paid for this but rather have been afforded an unpaid privilege to serve … a privilege I dare say each one of us would embrace today. However for Titus, it was a daily chore and a great sacrifice. Paul was not a man of much public credibility or notoriety in those days.)  
• Titus did not have a good job … he had a God job. Men like Silas, Timothy, Luke and Titus felt the calling of God to serve Paul’s vision. 

• These men were ordained by God to this ministry … not ordained by Paul. But they were clearly chosen, appointed and sent by him. 

6 ¶  if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 

• Ordain/Appoint elders – if blameless and meets certain qualifications … not just because they are old or wise. 

• The husband of one wife = not polygamous. No indication they must be married and no prohibition to one who has been divorced or widowed or remarried within the allowances of Bible doctrine.  
• Dissipation = Abandoned; aimless; prodigal; useless; unproductive life. 
• Insubordination = Unsubmitted; Un-subjected; Unruly; Out from under authority; Contentious; Refractory life.  
• Not every older person is blameless or is qualified or is needed. 
• How many elders does a Church need? It seems it may depend on the size of the congregation. (Acts 20:17 – Elders from Ephesus …) 

7  For a bishop must be blameless … 

• Ordain or Appoint mature men if you find any who meet the qualifications because an overseer; superintendent; pastor; bishop; Church Leader must be blameless and as a representative of God …  

7  For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 

• Bishop = Overseer. Not older but over. Someone in charge of things. 
• An elder who is appointed to a leadership position is an overseer. 
• Further qualifications follow in the verse …  
• Given to wine = not a drunkard … doesn’t get drunk 

8  but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 

9  holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. 

These are the standards of faith and practice which serve as minimum qualifications for a person before they should be considered to be a candidate for appointment to a leadership position within or over the Church.  

Appointments are made first on the basis of relationship. We are admonished to know those who labor among us in the Lord. Second is the recognition by the legitimate leadership, Titus in this case, of the person and their calling and qualifications and also a recognition on the part of the potential appointee of their desire to accept the responsibility. (1 Timothy 3:1 – If a man desires the office of a bishop …) Lastly is the willingness and the commitment to represent the heart, values and vision of the ordaining/appointing authority. Certainly the appointee must maintain a good report of all those who know them and observe their life, faith and doctrine. (Acts 6) 

Appointments are seals of approval to serve in the appointed position of Church leadership. Not everyone who is called is chosen. The Old Testament accounts of Moses choosing elders and appointing captains over various size groups for various reasons with differing levels of authority is the basis for what the Apostle Paul left Titus and Timothy to do in their respective fields of service. Paul did not have a New Testament to give these boys … so he wrote one by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to leave for the Churches and the Church leaders in each succeeding generation. 

What happens if appointees/ordained leaders fall below the standards of the doctrines given by Paul? If they continue to neglect or refuse to remedy their fault, they fall subject to being dis-appointed or defrocked, fired, uncovered, released and removed from that appointed position.   

Ordination requires relationship, recognition and representation. When any or all of these are breached … there remains no covering authority and the appointee should of necessity be dis-appointed.