Who Do You Trust?

Titus 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; 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. 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-- 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.

How many people do you trust with your most important possessions?

I have always been amazed Jesus trusted the growth and expansion of the church to men, especially since the men He chose had not exactly demonstrated competence in the time Jesus spent with them. One betrayed Him, one denied Him, and one of them was very forthright in his doubt.

Of those gathered as Jesus pronounced His great commission in Matthew 28, the gospel writer even notes, “some doubted.”

This is the history of the church.

Jesus knew His example coupled with man’s weakness would be a powerful combination - even if men were dubious about that being true.

Now comes Paul, following that same program. Invest and divest. Distribute. Share leadership roles. Allow others to run things too.

The Book of Titus is yet another example of how Paul followed and implemented Jesus’ example. In Titus, Paul saw a young man with a desire equal to his own. Titus had been a traveling companion of Paul’s for several years, and now Paul turns over to him his most priceless and crucial possession: Jesus’ church.

Paul was a church planter. Of that we are certain. There is probably no greater example of church planting than what we see of Paul’s life as a missionary in the Book of Acts. But Paul did not just preach the gospel - he planted churches.

First, Jesus trusted Paul to plant churches, and now Paul trusts Titus to manage the churches which have been planted at Crete. This is a wonderful distribution of command and giftedness which is founded in the trust of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer who has shown himself faithful.

The Lord can do a whole lot with a faithful man, and Titus is another wonderful example. That the Lord trusts men with His most priceless possession on earth is amazing enough – but even more amazing is the kind of man in whom He places His trust. Never discount faithfulness in comparison to ability.

-  Pastor Bill