Everyday Missions (Titus 3)

We’re going to start with a quick video from Camp this week...

VIDEO

As many of you know, we sent a team of 14, including myself, on a short term mission trip to Costa Rica with Praying Pelican Missions. We will share more in the second service, but wanted to take this opportunity to thank you once again for your incredible prayer and financial support. This truly wouldn’t have been possible without your generousity and steadfast prayers.

As a group, we shared many new experiences (plane rides and oceans, howler monkeys and iguanas, food and dance).

The day after we arrived, we were blessed to participate in our partner church’s Sunday service. Several of us got to introduce ourselves to the children of the community as we led Sunday School activities.

Pastor Emanuel & Pastora Maricel welcomed us not only into their church, Iglesia Casa Del Nuevo Pacto, but also their community with open arms. In addition to being an important part of their local community, Pastora also utilizes some of the church space to teach sewing skills to local single mothers so they are able to provide for their families. The average income is $5k/year, unimaginable by even the most sparce US standards.

We enjoyed great food and fellowship, and slowed our pace to be fully present with each other and serving this beautiful community.

We were able to do home visits and bless 10 families with prayers and groceries. For those who know Spencer Mashek, Doug and Lois’ son, he offered one of my highlights during the trip. As he presented the food to several of the families, his maturity and humble nature and his gift fo eloquent words. How he has matured over the years, and especially as a youth leader, I was so proud of how how he represented Christ to those in need.

We did children’s VBS, sharing the Creation Story, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Armor of God through games, teaching, and crafts. We also got to hang out with several of them for a fun, rain soaked game of soccer on Wednesday. Several members also did some physical labor and helped build a wall and prepare some new bathroom facilities to receive a coat of paint.

We had daily devotional and reflection time, greeted traffic with an Hola and a wave each day and a couple beach excursions through the week. The downpour rain prevented towels from drying between use, washed out one of our shower stalls, made for a few muddy stops along the way.

Overall, the trip was an important way to bond with each other and with the church members. It reminded us how blessed we are even with the basic needs met. We saw God very present on several occassions, including the Pastor sharing his testemony, praying with the family of a man in a coma from a tragic accident and realizing that we were there to support his wife and oldest daughter and mother as much as him, and supporting a young man as his Catholic family invited us into their home to speak against witchcraft being done to try controlling his mother, the joy in the kiddos’ faces throughout the week, and even a special party on Wednesday as our activities concluded.

And now, we’ll begin the remainder of this teaching with a word of prayer…

Father God, this is your message, and your beautiful truth. We thank you that while not all of us is called to engage in a mission trip, we are called to everyday missions in our families and communities and employers. Your call on each of us in how we serve and lean in is clear to us in this scripture today. We ask for fresh revelation through this time for each of us today. We thank you for those who were fortunate enough to make the trip, that you do a mighty work in and through us and these faithful followers who were with us in spirit. For those whom we served, we pray that grace and peace and your mercy overflows in an outpouring of encouragement and renewed strength! Thank you for this incredible church community and how we come as humble servants to glorify You.

I come today as your humble messenger and ask that this message be entirely Yours. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen!

Now, let’s turn our attention to the book of Titus, where Paul instructs Titus to rescue Crete from corrupt leaders and lead the Church to represent a new humanity. He defines how to be ideal citizens, transformed through Holy love. He describes a Spirit-empowered faithfulness and truth, and a call to devote their lives to doing good. Let’s jump into the text to unpack this a little further. Apologies in advance as I may challenge some of you to reassess how you show up in your daily missions work.

1. Good Works: Submission and Servants’ Hearts!

Titus 3:1-2 (NIV) Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

What does it mean to subject ourselves to leadership?

How challenging is it for us to avoid slandering others or choosing gentle grace over strife?

That song this morning, In the Garden…he walks with me…How incredible God was at modeling this peace and gentleness.

Titus 3:3 (NIV) At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

Here, Paul is acknowledging that we are all created equally in the eyes of God, and that we are surrounded by temptation and sin.

Envy is something cannot escape but for the glory of God. Our media and world try to illuminate this to steal, kill and destroy us.

2. Good Works: It’s Not About Us!

Titus 3:4-5a (NIV) But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Paul acknolwedges that gap between us and perfect presence, bowing before the throne. God’s great mercy abundantly covers us in this time of weakness.

In that house with the family whose primary breadwinner would likely never wake up, consumed by the reality of the daunting road before them.

3. Good Works: Share Our Hope!

Titus 3:5b-7 (NIV) He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Justification and salvation are His alone to grant, and we have access to this ONLY because of Jesus. Jesus revealed himself to Paul and his changed forever. Paul believed in this eternal life after that encounter, which is why he committed the rest of his life on earth to proclaiming this truth.

Titus 3:8 (NIV) This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

How do we do good? We are also His and as such, we are heirs of HIs Kingdom! We are called to share that hope with others. This is everyday missions work. In our homes, to our neighbors, with our co-workers and communities…we are called to share this every day that we breath on this earth. I think of Camp this past week, and God reminded me that how we LIVE for God is even more critical than finding the right words to model his love for us.

If anyone doesn’t have that relationship today, I urge you to not wait but call out and ask Jesus into your heart and your life so that you can have that same promise of heaven. We all think we have time to make that decision latery, but I have seen lives cut far too short in earthl terms. We always have elders at the end of every service, and they’d be happy to pray with you and answer any questions you have about this personal relationship with Jesus.

4. Good Works: What Not To Do!

Titus 3:9-11 (NIV) But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

What good does it do to argue?

And what do we do when someone isn’t listening or is causing division? God is clear of his expectation of us in this passage. We must release them to God’s care and distance ourself from those who can bring us into sin and judgment.

5. Good Works: Simple Truth!

Titus 3:14 (NIV) Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.

“Works of righteousness are the fruit of salvation, and the root must come before the fruit. The Lord saves His people out of clear, unmixed, undiluted mercy and grace, and for no other reason.” CH Spurgeon

Paul's missionary strategy - wisely participate in culture but embrace what's good, and devote to common good through eternal promise

I pray that you will continue to do these good works in your everyday activities. We are able to brightly shine His truth into a dark world.