Tag Archives: Christianity

Titus 1- The Role of Bishop

1 Reply

For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. Titus 1:7-9

We continue to look at the Apostle Paul’s divine instruction for the order and structure of the Church. Yesterday we looked at Gods qualifications for an elder or Pastor of the Church, today we are looking at the qualifications of a Bishop. Now if you look at the different English translations of verse 7, you get a more detailed idea of what the role of a Bishop is. It’s derived from the original Greek word “episkopon” which means overseer , this individual oversees many Churches not just one particular Church

Now the Apostle Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is very clear about the qualifications of the Bishop, again its clear the Bishop should be a Man of God, just as we talked about in our previous post about the qualifications of the Pastor and Elder, Gods order of creation, God created man first and then the woman was created from man. The order of Creation is engrained in the family and the Church. Anything outside of this order is not natural and probably more issues will arise.

Its also very clear, not everyone should be a Bishop. The role of Bishop is not determined by academic degrees but by the holiness of a person. Most denominations fail as they promote people to positions of Bishop or Pastor based on resumes or academic achievements, but they neglect the spiritual life of the individual. Are they men born again in Christ? Are they led by the Holy Spirit and bear fruits of the Holy Spirit? If denominations would use the Bible as their instruction book instead of their own teachings, there would be alot less corruption within the Church.

As we look at the expectations of a Bishop, its clear this is not a calling for the faint of heart. This should be a man of great integrity , that has the fear of The Lord and walks with God. Someone who is not self centered but more concerned about his brothers and sisters in Christ at the Churches. 

Notice this man needs to be grounded in the Word of God, as the Apostle Paul says “holding fast the faithful word he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” The Bishop not only needs to know the Word of God, but needs to be living the Word of God, and needs to be able to defend the Word of God against enemies of the Church

Titus 1- Order in the Church

5 Replies

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. Titus 1:5-6

One of the Apostle Pauls goals was not just evangelism but also to establish structure and order in the Churches. As we went through previously the Apostle Pauls teaching to the Church of Corinth about Order in the Church, here again we see there is an order and structure for the body of Christ. The Church is not to be ran in chaos, there is a hierarchy and structure, just as their is a structure to the family, the husband , wife, and children, this same structure applies to the family of God, the Church

This is why Satan is so determined to attack the natural order of God. The attack on the natural family, the attack on natural biological gender. Satan is opposing the authority and structure of God. And this has seeped into alot of our Churches, many people refusing to use the Word of God as their authority, and structuring the Church however they feel seems fit. But God has ordained a natural structure for the Church, just as he has ordained a natural structure for the family, anything outside of this structure introduces chaos into the hierarchy.

The Apostle Paul begins by saying “that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city”  A couple things we see from this, first Paul recognizes all the Churches need order and structure. Secondly every Church needs a spiritual leader overseeing them to protect the flock. The position of elder and pastor are used and considered interchangeable in the Bible. When you think of the elder position of the Church, you can basically think of it as a Pastor. If your Church is blessed enough to have multiple elders, consider your Church to be blessed. The more strong leadership a Church has, the less likely the Church will fall away from false doctrines

Now when you look at the qualifications of an elder, its very clear Gods intention was it to be a man, as the Apostle Paul said “if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of unruly behavior” Now those who say this a cultural issue, remember this letter Paul is writing is not to a specific Church, but to all Churches. You might ask why would Paul require the overseer to be a man? Well it goes back to Paul’s teaching 1 Timothy 2, the order of Creation, God created Adam and Eve was created from Adam. This is the creation order of the world, including the family and the Church. This is God’s natural design for creation, to go against this order is to go against God’s natural order.

We will continue this examination of the scriptures in the next couple posts as we work through Paul’s teachings here to Titus. I recommend you also study Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy 2

Titus 1- God our Savior

8 Replies

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. Titus 1:1-4

As we dive into the epistle of Titus, it’s interesting to reflect that the Apostle Paul became a spiritual father, a mentor, to men of God like Titus and Timothy. I bring this up because this should be the model for the Church and us, we need to continue to disciple and mentor the next generation in The Lord. I have found alot of kids these days, have never heard of The Lord Jesus Christ or the gospel. How can we expect there to be a next generation, if we don’t fulfill our calling of completing the Great Commision (Matthew 28:19)

There are some beautiful and powerful affirmations in Paul’s introduction here, first Paul is a servant of God. Regardless of what your position is in the Church, you are always a servant of God, appointed to serve the Church and your community. Second, this calling is in according to the faith of Gods elect. You have been chosen by God since the beginning of the world, it’s something hard for our minds to fathom. Thirdly, remember God can’t lie. The promises given to you by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, are certain, there is no possibility that your salvation is not secured, God has guaranteed your salvation, through the works of Christ and your genuine faith in The Lord

There are many people who take the pulpit who shouldnt be there. They are not truly called by God, they don’t truly believe anything they are preaching. Notice what the Apostle Paul says “in due time manifested His (Gods) word through preaching” Its a great responsibility and privilege to preach the Word of God, don’t take the pulpit lightly as ever idle word will be judged. Paul also says “which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior” Notice Paul understand the great responsibility he beared being the preacher of God. This was not a job or career, this was a higher calling, that was entrusted to him to preach the true Word of God

But the last point I want to make here, is the Apostle Paul acknowledges and affirms Jesus Christ is God. Notice Pauls mention here “God our Savior” and then later Paul states “Lord Jesus Christ our Savior” notice how Paul speaks of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit interchangeably because they are all in complete unison with one another. However the Apostle Paul makes another statement later in his letter “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)  

3 John 1- No Greater Joy

4 Replies

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:2-4

If you could be granted one wish, what would it be? Many people would wish for large sums of money, they would wish to be famous, some would wish for possessions , like a new house or car. But if you really ponder and think about the big picture from an eternal perspective, our wish should be that everyone comes to Christ!

Notice what the Apostle John says “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” There is nothing that can give the Apostle more joy than to see his people, not only become saved in Christ, but that they remain abiding in Christ. This is the heart and love we should have for people, especially our people, the Church. It’s agonizing to know and think, that there will be some who will reject Christ and live in eternal damnation. Not a thought we want to think about, but it’s a grim reality.

So what can we do? We can make a difference, God has called us to preach the gospel to everyone (Matthew 28:19) God has called us to be leaders in our Church (Ephesians 4:11) and our families (1 Timothy 3:4-5), God has equipped us with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11) and the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). But how many of us have neglected our calling? How many people rather pursue after worldly lusts than to care for the flock? 

The heart of the Church needs a heart of Christ! We can’t expect the Church to grow and thrive , if we don’t care about people’s souls. We care alot about budgets and statistics, but do we care about the people outside on the street? Think about the Apostle Paul, how he grieved over the Jewish people, he said” For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren” (Romans 9:3) The Apostle Paul was willing to give up his salvation, if that meant Israel would become saved

And of course remember brethren our Lord Jesus Christ, who demonstrated His love towards us, that he willingly laid down his life, and died on the cross for our sins! There is no greater love than what Christ demonstrated to us! So our question or challenge today is, do you have a heart for people? Do you lament over the souls of people? And what are you doing about it?

There is no greater joy than to see God’s children walking in the truth, abiding in Christ, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, Amen!

2 John 1- Doctrine Matters

6 Replies

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 2 John 1:9-11

 You have heard the expression “Doctrine Matters” well its true, your doctrine does matter. So what is doctrine? The original Greek word is “didache” and I’m not talking about the writings of the early Church, some of you may get that joke. This greek word means teachings or instructions. So when were talking about doctrine, were talking about the teachings of Jesus Christ. What did Jesus teach us in the red letters of the Bible? Does the practices of your Church align with the doctrines of Christ?

Notice what the Apostle John said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “Whoever transgresses and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God” Ouch, if you call yourself a Christian and don’t do what Christ called us to do, you are not even saved according to the Word of God. Now you understand why doctrine is so important as a Christian. As Jesus said “You will be known by your fruit” (Matthew 7:16) Christ said he will know us by the way we live our lives. 

Now you might say “How could someone not following the proper teachings of Christ, not be saved” Well it’s pretty simple actually, Jesus said “Unless we are Born Again we can’t see the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3) Therefor if you are truly saved, you have baptised with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is living inside of you, therefore your heart and soul clings to every word of Christ. You have an appetite for the Word of God, and read it daily. Your desire is to be conformed to the image of Christ. As Jesus said, if you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, then there should be evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit being produced

Now today’s Christianity is all about inclusiveness but is that Biblical? Well again according to the teachings of Christ its not. Jesus said “I didn’t come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34) Jesus came to bring truth into the world because Christ is the Truth. Jesus came to bring the light into the world to separate the darkness because Christ is The Light. The idea that all religions can remain together is demonic, there is a separation between the Wheat and the Tares, the Sheep and the goats, The Saved and the unsaved. 

As the Apostle John said “If anyone comes to you, and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him in your house or greet him” Now todays Christianity would say “thats not Christian” but actually it is, its in the Bible. 

I will end with the doctrine of Christ, Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) Do you claim to love Christ? If you do , are you keeping his commandments? Is your life showing the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Remember doctrine matters, read your Bible! Amen!

2 John 1- Deceivers

7 Replies

For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 2 John 1:7-8

We live in an era of “fake news”, where the majority of people can be persuaded by false information. This has been a tactic of Satans since the beginning of time, Satans relies upon people’s laziness and ignorance to the Word of God, therefor he plants deceptive ideas with smooth talking deceivers, which formulates into alot of people being misled, 

One thing I would like to ask or challenge you, what are the core beliefs of the religious group you worship with? Do you even know their core beliefs? Most Churches have a statement of faith or go by a creed, you should know where they stand on foundational doctrines of Christianity. Secondly, have you compared those beliefs against the Word of God? Seems like a simple concept, but surprisingly most people have no clue what their community  believes, they have no idea if its Biblical , many people don’t know their Bible well enough to discern truth from error

I bring this up , because as the Apostle John stated “many deceivers are entered into the world” Remember the word Satan means deceiver, He has been deceiving people since the garden of Eden. And these false teachers are children of Satan,  they deceive people for temporary power or gain, yet have sold their souls to Satan. They have no interest in the truth or serving The Lord Jesus Christ, beware this has infiltrated the Churches beyond comprehension

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh! Sounds like that would be a standard belief, by if you actually do digging, there are many groups who call themselves “Christian” who deny that Jesus is God in the flesh, and they deny Jesus Christ has physically risen from the dead. Does your Church affirm these? Many take for granted that all “Christian groups” believe Biblical doctrine, this is farther from the truth. There are many deceivers planted throughout the world who openly deny Jesus Christ as the physical Son of God who died for our sins on the cross and rose from the grave on the 3rd day!

Anyone who rejects the core gospel beliefs is not only a deceiver, but an anti-Christ. As I wrote about earlier in the “He Gets Us” post, many are worshiping a false Jesus, an idol made up of their own mind, they are not worshiping the Jesus Christ of the Bible. There is a difference, worshiping a false Jesus wont save you, don’t be deceived, don’t be misled by an anti-Christ, there agenda is to take you away from the real Christ. 

As the Apostle Paul states “God was manifested into the flesh, justified by the Spirit” (1 Timothy 3:16) If your not worshiping the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) you are worshiping a false god, don’t be deceived, read your Bible! Amen!

2 John 1- Walk in Love

5 Replies

I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 2 John 1:4-6

As we look at the Apostle Johns second epistle, we see a different tone. The first thing we notice is he opened The Letter with a description of himself as “Elder”. Remember the Apostle John was the youngest of the Apostles, but this is now a later point in his life. The tone appears The Apostle is expecting to come closer to the end of his calling, and wants to make sure the next generation of the Church remains in the faith

This reminds me alot of Moses when he was coming to the end of his life, retaught the commandments of God to the Israelites, so they wouldn’t forget Gods commandments and pass them down to the next generation. This is what the Apostle John appears to be doing also, as the Apostle is reminding the Church of Christs commands to “Love One Another”

As we know this was not a new commandment “which we had from the beginning” Gods commandments have always been Love God and Love Your Neighbor, but in the New Covenant, Christ has fully explained what this all means. We also see the Apostle John addressing a “lady”, most believe he is addressing a Christian woman named Kyria. It’s possible he didn’t use her name because of persecution of the Church. But the Apostle is providing Christian wisdom for the Church and family

So what is the Love of Christ? The Apostle says “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments” This coincides with what Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) People love to throw around the word love, but did they truly walk in love as Christ commanded? Do you truly love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, and soul?

The Apostle John wants to remind the Church not to lose their love for God and love for their neighbors, including themselves. Often times the Church can get preoccupied with other things such as budgets and programs, and forget about our true calling to be the body of Christ, the salt and light, the hands and feet of Christ.

“This is the commandment,  that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it” Are you walking in the love of Christ? Are we staying gospel centered in our Churches or are we preoccupied with worldly things? Walk in love just as Christ has walked for you! Amen!

1 John 5- He Gets Us?

9 Replies

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. 1 John 5:21

When we think of idolatry, we often think of the Old Testament. Throughout the Old Testament, God warned the Israelites to refrain from idols, to not make gods of their own image! However as we see throughout the Old Testament, over and over again, Israel made and worshiped false gods and idols. 

Even at Mt. Sinai, where the presence of God was with Moses and the Israelites, while Moses was talking to God face to face, what were the Israelites doing? They created a false idol of the golden calf, and they began worshiping the golden calf as their own god. What was the response from God? He was angry, in fact he wiped out a good portion of the people whose hearts fell away. What happened? They loved their idols more than they loved the real living God

This statement from the Apostle John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit seems out of place , right? This is the New Covenant, we don’t still worship idols anymore, do we? Recently during the Super Bowl, a campaign called “He Gets Us” spent millions of dollars to air commercials promoting a “liberal Jesus”. A Jesus that doesn’t care what you do or who you are, He just accepts you for whatever you want. But the question should be “Is this Biblical”?

What the commercial didn’t convey was the actual words of Jesus Christ, such warning as “Repent or Perish” (Luke 13:3) or “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15) or “You must be Born Again to see the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3) Jesus does “Get Us” which should be the scary part, but Jesus is telling us we need to change, we need to be “Born Again”.  Why do you think Jesus died on the cross? Why do you think Jesus rose from the grave? Do you think Jesus did this so we can remain in our spiritually dead state?

What “He Gets Us” is doing is creating an idol, they are creating a false god of their own mind that they want to worship. And many people have been doing this since the dawn of time. What do all false religions and cults have in common? They all have a false Jesus, an idol they have created to fit their own minds and agendas. So what’s wrong with this? Because these idols won’t save your soul, their is only one way to salvation, and that’s through the real Jesus Christ of the Bible (John 14:6, Acts 4:12)

So my question or challenge for you today, are you following the real Jesus Christ? Or did you make up an idol of your own mind? Have you repented of your sins and become Born Again? Is Jesus Christ truly The Lord of your life? Brothers and sisters, keep yourselves from idols, and turn to The Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

1 John 5- Jesus Is The Truth

5 Replies

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 1 John 5:20

We live in what is probably known as the “information age” . With technology today, information is available at our fingertips, literally. When we are having conversations with people today or giving sermons, people are “fact-checking” while we are talking. Which is good, we all need to know the truth. The problem is most of the information available online is false. People rely upon Google or AI as their source of truth, this is a grave mistake, as you will easily be deceived and misled

So how can we know the truth? Well Jesus said “I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life” (John 14:6) Christ is the living Word of God in the flesh, there is no better source of truth than the living God. If you truly want to “fact check” someone, compare what they say against scripture. The Word of God is our source of truth, if what people are saying contradicts the Word of God, then don’t believe them. You might say “Why should I put that much faith in the Bible”? Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, affirming who He is, affirming that every word in the Bible is true, as Jesus said ““These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44)

The Apostle John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says this “the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true” Jesus Christ is the truth, and Christ will also give us the understanding of truth, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth,  to be our teacher , guide, and counselor (John 14:26) If you don’t want to be deceived, put your faith in Christ as your Lord

Jesus also said “I have come into this world to testify of truth” Pontius Pilate responded rhetorically “What is Truth”? (John 18:37-38) This is the same attitude of the world today, people want to believe there is no foundational truth, that whatever we believe in our mind becomes truth, this is why we see the insanity of the world today. But we know this is not logical or reasonable, we know their is inherit truth in the world. For example the laws of mathematics will always be true, 0+0 will always equal 0, even though Atheists like to believe otherwise, it goes against all logic and reasoning

The Apostle John finishes by saying “And we are in him that is true” If you want to know the truth, then seek the truth, and Jesus Christ is the truth. If your tired of being deceived by this world, if your tired of being misled by mass confusion of this world, turn to Jesus Christ and put your full faith and trust in him! Amen!