TITUS

TITUS WAS A CO-WORKER OF PAUL.
PAUL REALLY LIKED TITUS.
IT WAS NOT THAT TITUS WAS NICE LOOKING, OR THAT TITUS WAS A NICE GUY AND HAD SOME OF THE SAME INTERESTS AS PAUL DID.
WE DON’T KNOW IF ANY OF THAT WAS TRUE.
WE DON’T KNOW IF HE WAS OLD OR YOUNG OR MIDDLE AGED.
IT TURNS OUT THAT PAUL AND TITUS DID HAVE THE SAME INTERESTS BUT THEY WERE SPIRITUAL INTERESTS.
PAUL AND TITUS WERE OF ONE MIND CONCERNING THE WORK THAT GOD HAD GIVEN THEM.
WE FIND HIM MENTIONED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1 CORINTHIANS 2:13.. PAUL HAD RECEIVED AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND PREACH THE GOSPEL IN TROAS.
BUT WHEN HE WENT THERE HE SAYS HE DIDN’T FIND TITUS THERE.
THE RESULT OF THIS WAS THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE ANY REST IN HIS SPIRIT.
THIS “REST” WAS A “RELAXATION OF CONFINEMENT”.
IN OTHER WORDS, PAUL DIDN’T FEEL THE FREEDOM THAT HE WOULD HAVE FELT IF HE HAD SEEN TITUS.
CAN WE IDENTIFY WITH THAT?
MAYBE THERE IS SOMEONE WE WISH WE COULD BE WITH.
WE HAVEN’T SEEN THIS PERSON IN AWHILE.
INSIDE US WE HAVE A KIND OF BUILDING-UP OF TENSION.
A TIGHT FEELING THAT WILL NOT GO AWAY UNTIL WE SEE THIS PERSON..
PAUL HAD THIS AND WANTED TO SEE TITUS.
SEEING TITUS WOULD RELIEVE THIS FEELING IN PAUL.
BUT TITUS WAS NOT THERE AND PAUL DID NOT GET RELAXATION.
HE DIDN’T GET REST IN HIS SPIRIT.
NOTICE THAT PAUL CALLS TITUS HIS BROTHER.
HE IS ALSO HIS COMPANION AND FELLOW-LABORER.
WE SHOULD THINK OF ALL OTHER BELIEVERS AS OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST.
THE TRUTH IS THAT THEY ARE MORE REAL AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAN OUR NATURAL BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
THIS IS BECAUSE WE WILL BE BROTHERS AND SISTERS WITH OUR FAMILY ONLY IN THIS LIFE.
WE WILL BE BROTHERS AND SISTERS WITH THE REST OF THE BELIEVERS FOR EVER AND EVER.
YOU MIGHT SAY THAT OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE OUR TRUE BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

IN THIS SECOND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS, PAUL KNOWS THAT HIS FIRST ONE CAUSED THEM GRIEF.
BECAUSE OF WHAT HE SAID ABOUT THEIR DIVISIONS AND THE IMMORALITY, THEY WERE DISTRESSED.
NOTICE IN 2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 7 VERSE 11, HE POINTS OUT HOW THEY RESPONDED.
THEY PROVED THEMSELVES TO BE PURE IN THE MATTER. (READ VERSES 8 – 12)
PAUL WAS DEVOTED TO THE CORINTHIANS.
NOTICE THE LANGUAGE OF VERSE 3: “TO DIE TOGETHER AND TO LIVE TOGETHER”
SO IT WAS A GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT AND COMFORT TO PAUL THAT THE CORINTHIANS HAD GOTTEN THEMSELVES BACK INTO ORDER.
THEY HAD REPENTED.
WE FIND LATER THAT THE MAN WHO HAD DONE THE IMMORALITY HAD REPENTED TOO AND HAD BEEN RESTORED.
THIS NEWS GREATLY COMFORTED AND ENCOURAGED PAUL WHEN HE WAS IN MACEDONIA.
IN MACEDONIA, PAUL HAD FIGHTINGS WITHOUT AND FEARS WITHIN.
HE HAD A LOT OF BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO HIM THERE.
BUT TITUS CAME AND TOLD HIM HOW THE CORINTHIANS HAD REPENTED AND IT GAVE HIM COMFORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT.
IT WAS PAUL’S GOOD FRIEND TITUS WHO BROUGHT THE NEWS.
TITUS HAD BEEN SPENDING TIME WITH THE CORINTHIANS HELPING THEM OVERCOME THE TERRIBLE SIN THAT WAS RUINING THEIR CHURCH.
CONSIDER THAT TITUS DID THIS VERY IMPORTANT WORK AND WE HAVE NOT BEEN TOLD MUCH ABOUT HIM.
PAUL WROTE THE LETTER BUT TITUS ACTUALLY WENT THERE AND DID THE WORK OF A SHEPHERD.
WE KNOW THAT HE WAS A VERY EAGER HELPER IN THE GOSPEL.
HE WAS LIKE PAUL.
HE LIVED FOR THE WILL OF GOD AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
PAUL SAYS THAT TITUS WAS ENCOURAGED ABOUT THE CORINTHIANS.
GOD SENT TITUS TO PAUL TO ENCOURAGE HIM BY TELLING HIM ALL ABOUT THE REALITY OF THE CORINTHIANS’ REPENTENCE.
IT WOULD BE LIKE SOMEONE COMING AND TELLING US THAT ALL THE DISTRESSING THINGS IN OUR CHURCH HAD BEEN DEALT WITH.
AS IF HE WOULD COME AND TELL US THAT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CAUSING DISSENTION HAD PUBLICLY RETRACTED ALL THE NON-BIBLICAL THINGS THEY HAD EVER TAUGHT AND THAT EVERY OTHER MEMBER AGREED WITH THEM AND ALSO REPENTED OF THEIR PARTS IN IT.
IF THEY ALL BECAME OF ONE MIND, LIKE GOD SAYS TO DO IN 1 CORINTHIANS 1:10, IT WOULD ENCOURAGE US.
WE WOULD BE COMFORTED.
IF THEY WOULD “CLEAR THEMSELVES” AS IT SAYS IN VERSE 11, WE WOULD BE COMFORTED.
THIS WOULD BE TRUE IF WE HEARD THE SAME THINGS ABOUT OTHER CHURCHES WE KNOW ABOUT.
WE KNOW MANY CHURCHES WITH REAL CHRISTIANS WHO ARE IN BONDAGE TO WRONG TEACHINGS AND PRACTICES.
WE WOULD BE VERY ENCOURAGED BY HEARING THAT THEY HAD REPENTED.
NOTICE TITUS.
NOTICE THAT HE IS EQUAL TO PAUL IN HIS CARING AND CONCERN. WE DON’T HEAR MUCH ABOUT TITUS BUT IT LOOKS LIKE HE DID A LOT OF TRAVELING FOR PAUL, IN PAUL’S PLACE.
HE WAS AN ASSISTANT WHO CARED AS MUCH FOR THE CHRISTIANS AS PAUL DID.
IN THE END OF VERSE 13 PAUL SAYS THAT HE REJOICED BECAUSE OF THE JOY OF TITUS. HE HAD THIS JOY BECAUSE HIS SPIRIT HAD BEEN REFRESHED BY THE CORINTHIANS.
IN VERSE 15 HE SAYS THAT TITUS’ AFFECTIONS WERE ABUNDANT TOWARD ALL THE CORINTHIANS BECAUSE OF THEIR OBEDIENCE. TO GOD IN THESE MATTERS, AND HOW THEY RECEIVED HIM WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING.
THIS ANSWERS A QUESTION I HAD WHEN I FIRST STARTED TO READ ABOUT TITUS.
I THOUGHT ABOUT HOW HE WOULD BE RECEIVED IN CORINTH.
IF TITUS WENT TO CORINTH TO HELP PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE DOING WELL, THEN HE COULD BE REJECTED.
THINK ABOUT IT.
THE CORINTHIANS WERE PROUD.
THEY WERE BOASTING.
THEY DIDN’T THINK THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG IN THEIR CHURCH.
TITUS GOES THERE AND BEGINS TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT REPENTING.
HOW DO YOU THINK THEY REACTED TO HIM?
HOW WOULD MOST PEOPLE REACT TO SOMEONE WHO DID THAT?
NORMALLY, THEY WOULD TELL HIM TO GO AWAY.
THEY WOULD TELL HIM TO KEEP HIMSELF OUT OF THEIR AFFAIRS.
BUT IT WAS NOT LIKE THAT.
THE CORINTHIANS HAD RECEIVED THE LETTER FROM PAUL THAT WE CALL FIRST CORINTHIANS.
THEN TITUS WENT THERE.
THE CORINTHIANS RECEIVED HIM WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING.
THIS PROVES THAT GOD WAS SUPPORTING THIS WORK.
THINK OF HOW TITUS DECIDED TO GO TO CORINTH.
WE ARE NOT TOLD OF HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT IT.
WE ONLY KNOW THAT HE TRUSTED GOD AND THAT HE WAS CONVINCED GOD WANTED HIM TO GO THERE.
THINK ABOUT THE FIRST PERSON HE TALKED TO THERE.
OR THINK ABOUT HIS FIRST MESSAGE THERE.
IT HAD THE POWER OF GOD BEHIND IT.
THIS IS POSSIBLE. IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE A SERVANT OF GOD LIKE TITUS.
WHAT IS NECESSARY IS THAT THE SERVANT HAS TO BE WILLING.
HE HAS TO BE WILLING TO TRUST GOD THAT HE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.
IF GOD IS NOT IN THE WORK, A WORK LIKE TITUS DID WILL FAIL.
TITUS HAD TO BE SENSITIVE TO GOD’S LEADING.
THE RESULT WAS THAT GOD PREPARED THE CORINTHIANS.
THIS IS WHY THE CORINTHIANS RECEIVED TITUS WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING.
THEY KNEW IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE THEIR WAYS AND THEY KNEW TITUS WAS THERE TO HELP THEM DO IT.
THINK OF THE SUBJECTS THAT TITUS HAD TO TALK ABOUT WITH PEOPLE.
HE HAD TO SPEAK VERY CLEARLY ABOUT IMMORALITY.
HE HAD TO SPEAK OF VERY PERSONAL MATTERS.
WAS TITUS AFRAID? WE ARE NOT TOLD THAT HE WAS.
IT IS NOT PLEASANT TO GO TO PEOPLE AND “CONTEND FOR THE FAITH” WITH THEM.
CHAPTER 8; VERSE 6 SHOWS THAT TITUS HAD MINISTERED TO THE CORINTHIANS ABOUT GIVING.
PAUL WAS ASKING THAT HE CONTINUE TO HELP THEM TO HAVE THE GRACE, THE GIVING OF SELF, THAT WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO GIVE SOME OF THEIR WEALTH TO THE POOR.
AGAIN, IT IS TITUS WHO IS THE MINISTER OF THIS TO THEM.
THIS ALSO WAS A HARD TASK.
IT IS ALWAYS HARD TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT GIVING AWAY MONEY.
PAUL TRUSTED THIS MAN.
GOD USED THIS MAN.
IN VERSES 8:16 AND 17, WE LEARN THAT TITUS HAD IN HIMSELF THE SAME EARNEST CARE (ZEALOUS CARE) FOR THE CORINTHIANS THAT PAUL HAD.
WE REMEMBER HOW PAUL SAID HE FELT LIKE HE WAS GIVING BIRTH TO THE GALATIANS (GAL. 4:16).
IN 1 CORINTHIANS 13 IT TELLS THAT WE HAVE TO MINISTER IN TRUE LOVE.
TITUS HAD THIS KIND OF LOVE FOR THE CORINTHIANS.
WHEN TITUS TALKED TO THE CORINTHIANS ABOUT THEIR PROBLEMS AND OTHER ISSUES, THEY LISTENED TO HIM
THERE WAS ANOTHER BROTHER AND FELLOW-WORKER OF PAUL.
HIS NAME WAS EPAPHRODITUS AND HE IS MENTIONED IN PHILIPPIANS 2:25 – 30 (READ THIS)
NOTICE WHAT KIND OF MAN THIS WAS.
HE HAD A LONGING DESIRE TO BE WITH THE SAINTS AT PHILIPPI.
HE WAS DISTRESSED BECAUSE THE PHILIPPIANS HAD HEARD HE WAS SICK.
APPARENTLY, EPAPHRODITUS WOULD RATHER WORK WHILE HE WAS ILL AND HAVE NO ONE KNOW IT, SO NO ONE WOULD FEEL BAD ABOUT IT.
THIS MAN ALMOST WORKED HIMSELF TO DEATH IN GATHERING THE FINANCIAL HELP THAT WAS BEING ASSEMBLED FOR THE POOR.
VERSE 30 SAYS THAT “HE DREW NEAR TO DEATH, VENTURING HIS LIFE THAT HE MIGHT FILL UP WHAT WAS LACKING” IN THE PHILIPPIANS’ SUPPORT OF PAUL.
TODAY THIS MAN MIGHT BE CALLED A “FUND-RAISER”, BUT THERE NEVER WAS A FUND-RAISER WITH THE HEART OF EPAPHRODITUS.
THESE FELLOW-LABORERS, TITUS AND EPAPHRODITUS WERE A REAL HELP TO PAUL.
IT COULD WELL BE THAT THEY DID WORK THEMSELVES TO DEATH.
EPAPHRODITUS MAY HAVE NEVER REALLY RECOVERED FROM HIS SICKNESS.
TITUS MAY HAVE BEEN PHYSICALLY PERSECUTED AS PAUL WAS AND MAYBE HE WAS MURDERED.
THE JEWS TRIED THAT WITH PAUL AND GOD PROTECTED HIM, BUT MAYBE GOD DIDN’T PROTECT TITUS.
MAYBE THAT’S WHY WE DON’T HEAR OF HIM ANYMORE AFTER THIS PART IN CORINTHIANS..
I DON’T KNOW IF I COULD BE A TITUS.
I THINK GOD WOULD LIKE ME TO BE A TITUS AND AN EPAPHRODITUS.
I THINK THESE MEN ARE EXAMPLES OF WHAT CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE. THERE WAS A WOMAN NAMED DORCAS WHO DEVOTED HER TIME TO HELPING THE CHRISTIANS TOO.
THESE PEOPLE DID NOT LEAD EASY LIVES.
I THINK GOD WANTS US TO BE LIKE THEM.
I DON’T KNOW IF GOD WOULD WANT US TO SUFFER LIKE THEY DID.
I DON’T KNOW IF HE WOULD ALLOW ME TO SUFFER THE SAME KIND OF LIFE THEY DID.
WORKING WHILE SICK
BEING PERSECUTED.
I THINK GOD WANTS US TO HAVE THE SAME ATTITUDE, THOUGH, THAT THEY HAD.
GOD WANTS ME TO FORGET MYSELF.
HE WANTS ME TO BE FREE ENOUGH OF MYSELF THAT I COULD CARE FOR HIS PEOPLE THE WAY THAT TITUS DID.
THIS IS HARD.
WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT.
MAYBE GOD WILL HELP US BE LIKE TITUS IN SOME WAY.
THERE ARE A LOT OF CHRISTIANS THAT NEED WHAT WE HAVE.
I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT MONEY OR GOODS.
I AM TALKING ABOUT FAITH.
WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN GOD.
MANY CHRISTIANS DON’T HAVE MUCH TRUST IN GOD..
MANY CHRISTIANS ARE LIVING BAD LIVES.
THEY BELIEVE WRONG DOCTRINES.
MANY CHRISTIANS ARE AS BAD AS THE CORINTHIANS.
THIS IS HURTING THE CHURCH CHRIST LOVES.
MANY CHRISTIANS ARE CONFUSED. THEY DON’T KNOW SOME IMPORTANT TRUTHS IN THE BIBLE.
IT IS CAUSING THEM TROUBLE IN THEIR LIVES.
THEY NEED SOMEONE TO HELP THEM. THEY NEED A PERSONAL TEACHER.
SOMEONE WHO CAN GO TO THEIR HOUSE AND TALK ONCE A WEEK.
OR MAYBE SOMEONE WHO CAN MEET WITH THEM FOR COFFEE AND DISCUSS PROBLEM AREAS.
THIS KIND OF WORK CANNOT BE DONE BEFORE AND AFTER THE SERVICE HERE IN THIS BUILDING.
THE WHOLE CHURCH IS VERY NEEDY. IT NEEDS MORE PEOPLE LIKE TITUS.
WE SHOULD PRAY ABOUT WHAT OUR PART CAN BE IN HELPING.
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