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We are in the middle of a series called Foundations.
We are studying through the book of Titus.
Two weeks ago, we left off at verse 5.
Paul tells Titus, to appoint elders.
Elders are the spiritual leadership of the church, or possibly even the spiritual leadership over groups of churches.
So Paul says Titus, we need to formally organize these churches on Crete by appointing spiritual leaders.
Paul, in the verses that follow tells Titus it is important that the spiritual leadership of the church actually have the characteristics of Christ followers.
As Christ followers their lives ought to demonstrate a Christian lifestyle.
Titus, Paul says, when you pick these leaders, make sure that they look like Christians from the outside.
That is fairly obvious, don’t you think?
The leader should at least look like a Christian.
What is the #1 complaint against Christians?
It might be that Christians are hypocritical, right?
Non-Christians are almost waiting for a Christian to mess up so they can point it out.
In reality we give them plenty of ammo.
The world looks at people who are claiming Christ, then watch as someone has an affair, is involved in pornography, or says, something stupid on twitter or facebook.
Preachers with private jets ask for money and then are investigated for tax evasion.
The world says say look at the Holier than Thou person.... they claim to be better than everyone... but they aren’t.
You don’t even need to be a Christian, to know that if you claim to be a Christian you should at least live a bit like Christ.
You don’t even need to have a whole lot of biblical knowledge to know that a Christian ought to correspond to what is good, and right.
A Christian leader should appear consistent with what we think Jesus is like.
There should be at least some, authenticity.
There ought to some humility, some compassion, some generosity
We can define in detail what traits Christian should posses, and we even make lists.
Lists of what we think a Christian should be, and lists of what a Christian is not.
That’s what Paul does.
“Titus’, he says, “appoint leaders that look like Christians and here is a list.”
If you are a person that loves Checklists, get your pens ready, cause here we go.
Slide-List1
Paul says an Elder should be blameless.
That is without stain or without reproach, or guiltless.
Or to appear that no impropriety is occuring
In 1948 Billy Graham and his team were growing in popularity.
They had finished a Crusade in Modesto California, and they realized, how important it was that they were above being suspected of any wrong doing.
Newspapers, even at that time, were always looking for a story, and would love to sink their teeth into an evangelist as popular as Billy Graham.
As a result, Billy Graham and his leadership team came up with a plan to keep him and his team from apparent scandal.
This story was actually in the news again recently due to the sexual abuse scandals.
A reporter discovered Vice President Mike Pence had adopted one of Billy Graham’s rules.
The Charolette Observer published an article titled “Mike Pence follows Billy Graham Rule”.
The Billy Graham leadership team came up with a set of rules in 1948 they called the Modesto Manifesto, named after the crusade they were on at the time.
There were 4 rules, all designed to keep the team blameless, or above reproach.
The four rules were, paraphrased, one never be alone with a woman that was not your wife, two be financially accountable, three be honest about crowd size, and four work with local churches not against them.
The author wrote, “Whatever you think of the rules or their application circa 2017, they kept Graham himself largely untainted by scandal his entire career.”
The Billy Graham team did it to be blameless.
The list Paul wrote in verse 6, is largely about managing your family life.
We can take that verse and for sake of clarity, condense into a solid family.
Your family is the people that are closest to you, they know you best, and as it says in verse 7 if you can’t hold your family together how are you going to manage God’s family.
Here Paul gives us a list of things not to do.
SLide list2
These are generally emotional responses.
Don’t lash out with your emotions.
Get a handle on your feelings, don’t let them ruin your walk with Christ.
Today, psychologists refer to it as emotional intelligence.
The ability to control your emotions and not react in an unhealthy way.
Also, it is a sign of maturity, when you can control your desires.
When your flesh, or your desires control you-it is not healthy, If you are reacting emotionally-you are not spiritually mature enough.
Remember that series on the book of 1 Samuel?
Saul’s kingdom operated in that negative list.
Saul would lose control, become violent and hurl a spear at David.
He would purse him to no end for dishonest gain.
He was violent impatient vengeful, self seeking.
Who would want to live in a kingdom like that anyway?
Imagine a household like that?
Perhaps some of you have lived in a household like that.
Maybe you grew up with an abusive or alcoholic father.
Maybe you know that kingdom first hand.
For some of us here, just looking at the list turns our stomach.
Those items bring up fear.
How do you live in a kingdom like that?
Try to minister to them?
Doubtful, it is hard to minister in fear.
Just pursuing a normal life is hard enough.
Prayer and hope is what gets you through.
Hope that someday Jesus will rescue you from the darkness.
One of my past jobs, I had a boss that did not have any self control.
He was prone to horrible outbursts of anger.
I saw him throw phones through computer screens.
That is plural it happened on more than one occasion.
He was the boss too, so what do you do?
It is horrible.
Y walk on egg shells because you never know what and when he is going to go off, so you walk in fear constantly.
That is not of God.
If a person is on that list, they are not a Christian.
Think about this, how horrible would that be if that happened in the church?
What if the leader of the Church was like that?
I have read about it it happens.
How in the world could God’s purposes for the church ever be lived out.
A person in that list has not been transformed by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us that there is a more excellent way.
Rather, than being a product of this emotional response, or rather than being someone who responds to the flesh we should be another way.
A new list of positive traits to live by.
Slide List 3
Hospitable-welcoming of people-
one who loves what it is good-You want to pursue goodness
Self-controlled-Not subject to every emotional whim
upright-Holy and disciplined.
Being Holy because God is holy, doing what is right and good because you ought to, not because you have to
That sound good, and right.
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