There is not much information about the missionary work on
the island Crete in the Acts of the Apostles.
Acts 27 gives us a very brief
indication of a visit to Crete, but no real information. But from Paul’s letter to Titus we learn
that Paul and Titus had been involved in missionary activity here, which had led
to church planting on the island of Crete. When Paul departed from there he left
Titus behind to continue the work,
appointing elders (1:5), before coming back to him in Nicopolis[1]
(3:12).
Paul wanted Titus to complete the work of organising a
biblical leadership there before coming back. And so, in this first chapter we
read firstly about (i) 1:5-9 what
sort of qualifications such an elder should have, and in (ii)
1:10-16 something about the
necessity of having such an eldership in place.
1. Qualified elders for the church in Crete
5 This is why I left
you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint
elders in every town as I directed you- 6 if anyone is above reproach, the
husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge
of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God's steward, must be
above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or
violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled,
upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as
taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also
to rebuke those who contradict it.
A careful reading of Titus 1 helps us to see that the church
in Crete needed a biblical model of leadership, a credible role model for the Cretan church and society. Crete, like
the rest of the world needed urgent
spiritual revival and reformation. Their self- assessment was less than
flattering. This society had grown
seriously backwards. “One of the Cretans,
a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy
gluttons."(v.12) Imagine living in a society like that? I wonder what Paul would have said
about Namibia? They were religious, influenced by Jewish mysticism(1:10), but it was not a religion that drove
men and women to a God honouring holiness (see the assessment of v.16).
At any rate – a society becomes that which it worships. If a society worships idols, false gods, that
worship will govern the culture of that society. If a society worships the true
God, that worship will deeply influence and pervade its culture. [2]
Western culture with its permissive values has continued to flourish for a while on the
residual moral principles taught by Christianity, on what the Christian philosopher Henry Van Til (nephew of Cornelius van Til) called,
“borrowed capital”[3]. But Western Christianity is down and out and a
re-evangelisation and reformation of Europe is desperately needed. I want you
to see God’s answer through the apostle Paul.
Paul’s answer to the reformation of a society, following the
proclamation of the gospel begins with the church and within that church the
appointment and presence of a biblical eldership. The Reformation
of the church begins with its leadership. Believe me, the devil knows this and
he will resist and oppose every effort to undermine this principle. I speak
from experience, but more than that, I speak with biblical authority on this matter.
Biblical eldership is needed
to institute biblical reform that leads to a process whereby the church is continually reformed
according to the Word of God. A healthy church is one that is led by a healthy
eldership, producing healthy sheep. Such a church is salt and light to its community. It affects its community and it exports itself. That is how the
16th century Reformation exported itself. Look at the list of
formidable men and elders that led the reforms in many churches! Satan, who is never slow to respond has led
many counter reformations and has used false
shepherds and elders to sow destruction.
What are the marks of a
biblical elder? Paul gives Titus a list which is very similar to that in 1 Timothy 3. We can
summarise the characteristics of a
biblical elder in three categories
(a) He knows God’s Word well. He is a teacher of God’s word, promoting
sound teaching, refuting false teaching. He is a
discipler.
(b) He provides a good example in his domestic life
(c) He
displays sound personal character.
a.1:5,9: Elders (note the plural!) maintain the
standard of God’s Word through sound teaching and by refuting of false doctrine.
Clearly it is not enough to see people converted. People need to be discipled. That is what the
Great Commission in Matthew 28: 18-20
requires. Doing evangelistic ministry without discipleship is like giving birth
to babies without feeding them. After people are led to Christ, and assembled
into the church, the elders make sure that the flock of God is well taught and
defended in the context of a corrupt culture. Everyday our people have
questions on how to live a godly life in the context of many challenges. Elders
must be prepared to give them biblically
sound answers. By their sound, diligent and perseverant teaching, the life of the member is changed
and thereby society is changed by the gospel, one person at a time.
The gift of the pastor elder is a substantial gift to the
church. In Ephesians 4 Paul tells us that Jesus manifests His rule
and His care over the church through the
gift of pastor- teachers. They promote
godliness in the church, helping people to grow in grace and maturity. Thus elders create clarity out of doctrinal chaos.
They produce mature disciples that are not
affected by every wind of doctrine blowing their way.
b. 1: 6-8 Elders
must have a sound domestic life: Cretans in their church and society (the two affect one
another) were
affected by vices listed in vv.
10-12 … lying, evil, lazy. So
what is the solution? Appoint elders. Through them teach and disciple the
church by means of God’s Word… and
through their own example that taught Word is strengthened.
This is what elders are
to be like: they are to be above reproach, the
husband of one wife, having children who believe, not open to the charge of
debauchery or insubordination. Elders set the spiritual standard in the church. And for this they need
to practise what they preach in their own homes. If they
do not do this in their homes, how will they lead the household (the home) of
God (cf. 1 Tim 3:5)? Elders
need to be (v.6) faithful husbands, characterized
by marital and sexual fidelity. Elders need to be faithful parents, whose children are respectful of them. “His children are believers” ( Greek: tekna exōn pista), which could also be translated as ‘faithful’.”
Whatever the case is, it's clear that they are children who are “not open to the charge of debauchery or
insubordination”. While they are under the roof of their father they are
submissive and respectful.
Elders’ homes are models of peaceful, godly homes in a
chaotic society.
c. 1:7,8 – the elders
character: not arrogant, not quick tempered, not
a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for
gain; hospitable, a lover of good, self- controlled, upright, holy and
disciplined. The character of an elder is described in
terms of what he is not (5 negatives) and what he is (6 positives).In these
matters the elder is to be above reproach or blameless (second time this is mentioned). What does it mean to be above reproach? It certainly cannot mean ‘sinlessly perfect’, for
in that case we could have no elders. It means to be a person of integrity with
respect to these areas that Paul lists. Here is a man who is not generally known as
arrogant or quick tempered or a drunkard… etc. He is generally hospitable, he loves
what is good, he is self- controlled,
upright, holy and disciplined.
Through this man’s behaviour and his household’s example, God is
giving the church a living example of His truth lived out. Such people who
live well are a gift of God’s grace to us. They teach us that this can be done.
Therefore, understanding this we need to pray for our elders.
I can assure you that there is no elder who does not feel the heat of the spotlight
of passages like I Timothy 3 or Titus 1.
Now, just for perspective, the elders life is
the normal life that God requires of every man
and woman and family in the church. It’s just that it has to start
somewhere. The goal is to get the entire
congregation looking like this! So don’t just look at your elders. Look at
yourself. Every Christian family ought
to be a model
and an agent of reformation for this broken world in
which God has placed you as salt and light.
Elders take the lead
in presenting virtuous character in a chaotic society.
2. So, why are such
Elders are needed for the church in Crete and the world?
The answer is contained in the the text below ...
10 For there are many
who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the
circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole
families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 One of
the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil
beasts, lazy gluttons." 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them
sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish
myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure,
all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but
both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know
God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit
for any good work.
This might as well be a statement of our world and society.
This is a reflection of Namibian society. How will our society be cured from
its many ills?
1. The primary answer is the preaching of the Gospel. Thank God that the grace of God has appeared to this
end (cf. 2:11)
2. But it is also clear that the preaching of the gospel which leads to
conversion is not the end. It is the
beginning.
3. This beginning leads to people being assembled into a body called the church.
In this church there are leaders and role-models called elders. Elders lead the transformation and
reformation process of the church and society.
4. What are Elders for? Elders are for
conveying God’s truth and confronting error. Look again at v.9. “He must
hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give
instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” Elders are God’s role models of domestic and personal
integrity. They lead by example. They
lead the charge against the rot and the chaos. They bring stability into the
community.
And so Paul wants Titus to find these kind of elders for the Cretan church, and by doing so
he wants a seed for true Reformation planted in the the church. If that is what elders are for, will you not
pray for your elders? Realize how vital they are to the health of your congregation. A congregation will not rise above the spiritual levels of the elders of
this church, and so pray that our elders (present and future) remain a
growing people in Christ so that the church and society may truly benefit from their godly example.
[1] located
in the western part of the modern state of Greece
[2] Christianity
and Culture : Lectures given at the Pensacola Theological Institute, July
23-27, 2001, Lecture I: What is Culture? By Dr. John M. Frame Professor of
Systematic Theology and Philosophy Reformed
Theological Seminary, Orlando, FL
[3] From
a paper given by me at the Sola 5 conference, Livingstone, ZAMBIA (2011), “ The Historical Outworking Of The Cultural Mandate Expounded And
Illustrated In Western Civilization “
