One Last Thing…

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Let’s think back through Titus for a moment.

Believers have received salvation through Jesus, which leads us to a life of sanctification and service.

We know that church leaders must have character and conviction, setting an example of godliness that flows from the gospel.

We must be willing to confront false teachings and correct those who are impure.

Leaders must set the pace in pursuing Christlikeness with the older generation providing a mature example. Younger believers should learn from their instruction and example.

God’s grace has to be our great instructor, teaching us how to live, where to focus, what to learn, and reminding us that Jesus is our Lord.

As we wrestle with grace, we become ready for any good work because we’ve been washed and renewed by God.

And finally, we must require gospel faithfulness while resisting pointless discussions and rebuking divisive people.

This brings us to our final message — we must share genuine affection, bearing one another’s burdens and seeking ways to do good. 

Let’s read together Titus 3:12-15 as we get ready to finish our series this morning.

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Share Genuine Affection (v.12, 15)

Summary: Paul plans to send a replacement for Titus so he can join him in Nicopolis and closes his letter with greetings and a blessing of grace for the faithful believers in Crete.

Interpretation:

Paul begins to wrap up his letter in v.12, and he lets Titus know that he is sending “Artemas or Tychicus.” When they arrive, Titus is to do his best “to come to” Paul “at Nicopolis” because he’s spending “the winter there.”

First, who are these people — Artemas and Tychicus? Not much is known about Artemas, though it seems likely he is the one who stays in Crete because Tychicus eventually ends up in Ephesus (2 Tim.4:12).

Ultimately, Paul wants Titus to be free so that he can join him in Nicopolis, a city in northwestern Greece that could have particularly harsh winters. Whenever his relief comes, Paul says “do your best to come.” He uses a word that means “hurry” or “come in a rush.” He eagerly wants Titus’ companionship, and though we do not know exactly why he needs him to come so quickly, we can make a decent educated guess given context clues from Paul’s writings.

He is likely eager to discuss upcoming ministry opportunities, as Paul was constantly forward-thinking in his mission endeavors.

He probably wants a report as to how the churches in the Crete area are faring. Paul had a genuine affection for the people he had ministered to, and he wanted to know how they were doing spiritually.

He has genuine affection for Titus, his “true child in a common faith” (Titus 1:4a). Further, fellowship is a constant theme in Paul’s letters, so it is safe to assume he simply looks forward to seeing his dear friend.

Paul’s affection for the church as a whole is seen in the concluding verse — “All…send greetings to you. Greet those who love us… Grace be with you all” (v.15). What a warm goodby?! He reminds the entire church that he is praying for them, ending the letter right where he began, by asking for God’s grace to carry them along.

His address to the entire church emphasizes the entire believing community, reminding them that their unity should lead to sharing life and living together. This type of communal fellowship was a foundational cornerstone for the early church. Note the following verses:

Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

and again,

Acts 2:44 ESV

And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

So here’s how Paul encourages them:

He notes the shared affections of the believers who are currently with Paul. They send their greetings to the church in Crete.

He asks particularly that those in Crete who are faithful to Christ and have a shared affection for Paul and his co-laborers, those who are genuine in the faith, to be greeted.

Finally, he prays for a blessing of grace to be upon them.

This last blessing truly highlights how important grace is to Paul. It’s his final blessing and prayer. Why grace? It is foundational for the faithful believer, bringing the hope of salvation. It’s necessary because it is a great tutor for us. It’s vitally important, supplying us with all that we need as we journey this life of faith. For every sin and temptation that would lead us to stray from Christ, there is grace to constrain us and restore us when our faith falters.

Illustration:

On May 4th, Gomer Williams will be here to share with our congregation. I, along with the vast majority of you, will look forward to that day for at least a few reasons:

We long to hear what God is doing through Mango Tree Ministries. We know the stories of how God is using Gomer and our small band of brothers in West Africa, working through the power of the Word of God, to bring many in a dark place to a true knowledge of Jesus the Savior.

We love our brother. We count him as one of our own, just as he counts us as his people. There is a genuine affection for him because of the relationship that God has given us with him. It’s deeper than simply supporting someone on the mission field because we believe in their ministry. Sure, that’s present, but it goes beyond that. He is a brother…family.

Application:

Fellowship and encouragement must be high on our priority list. We should actively seek opportunities to encourage and strengthen one another in faith. This can mean checking in on fellow believers, gathering for prayer and discussion, or simply being present for one another. Do you have a relationship like this in the body of Christ? If so, great…make sure you are using it! But, if not, we have several Bible study classes on Sunday mornings that meet before service from 9:15-10:15 that would be a great place to start. And, if you’re ready for a little deeper fellowship and life-sharing, we have several Life Groups that actively meet and do life together.

These groups are wonderful opportunities to deepen our love for one another. Maybe you’ve been visiting and you enjoy the time together in worship on Sunday mornings, but you still feel a little like you’re on the outside looking in. That next step is finding a Bible study class on Sunday morning. It’s going to give you that opportunity to put some names to some faces and to be more than a recognizable visitor. It may be a little daunting at first, but let me set your heart at ease. This is a loving church, and you’ll find other Jesus followers in these classes that will welcome you and who want nothing more than to grow in Christ beside you. As you grow together with other believers, we will naturally share genuine affection with each other.

Bear One Another’s Burdens (v.13)

Summary:

Paul instructs the church to generously provide for Zenas, a likely Roman legal expert, and Apollos, a skilled preacher and co-laborer in the gospel, as they travel to share the faith, emphasizing the church’s role in supporting ministry through abundant hospitality.

Interpretation:

Paul says that “Zenas the lawyer and Apollos” are “on their way” (v.13.) We don’t know much about Zenas. He’s a lawyer, which probably means he is well-versed as a legal expert in Roman law. He would’ve functioned as an advisor for a provincial governor, giving him counsel on finer matters of the law. There’s an outside chance that he was a Jewish lawyer, similar to a scribe, who would’ve been an expert in OT law, but scholars seem to lean more toward the Roman law side of things. Otherwise, Zenas is unknown in the NT.

Apollos, on the other, was a trusted companion and co-laborer of Paul. He’s probably most known for his work in Corinth where there was division in the church, not because of Apollos, but because people were people-ing and some claimed to follow Paul, others Apollos, and the “super-spiritual” who said “Jesus.” Our first introduction to Apollos is Acts where we learn he is eloquent and well-versed in Scripture. However, Priscilla and Aquila pull him aside to firmly cement the finer points of the gospel in his ministry. After that, Paul sees him as a faithful co-worker because of their shared commitment to the gospel.

These two brothers are doing what many in the early church would do — traveling to share the gospel. So, the church is encouraged and instructed to “speed them on their way; see that they lack nothing.” He’s telling them to send them off properly, making sure their needs are met, providing them with supplies and provisions for their trip. And, it should be an abundant provision, making sure every need is squared away. This type of hospitality was vital to NT ministry, but we’ve lost a bit of this personal touch today. Paul reminds us — the church should be known for their abundant provision, and believers should be known for their willingness to bear one another’s burdens, especially for the sake of the gospel.

Application:

How are you supporting gospel needs and helping to bear the burden of those who faithfully labor in gospel ministry? Struggling to know exactly how you can be involved?

Start with prayer. Pray intentionally for:

Our ministers and their ministries. If you don’t know, maybe you’re a visitor —

My name’s Eli, and I’m the lead pastor.

Matthew is our worship and administrative pastor, leading us in worship and making sure the ship runs smoothly.

Sarah oversees our children’s ministries, from birth to 5th grade.

Kyle is our student pastor who pours into our our teenagers, and encourages and disciples their parents as they do the difficult work of raising teenagers.

Pray for the ministries we support.

Gomer Williams and Mango Tree Ministry.

Faith Christian School.

The Florida Baptist Children’s Homes.

The Pregnancy Resource Center.

The Baptist Center.

The Florida Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board through the Maguire and Annie Armstrong offerings. We’ve consistently raised our giving goals…and MET THEM…the past few years.

African Bible College and Dr. Jeremiah Pitts.

Mtn2Sea Ministries.

Breaking Ground Ministries, which, BTW, will be here to share with the congregation in a few weeks when we are in Guatemala.

And we regularly support the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, where 100% of what we give goes directly to the mission field. We have given more to this offering the past two years than we ever have before, setting personal bests both years.

Start giving a regular tithe to the Lord. When you regularly give, it supports all the ministries of the church and gives you a vested interest in making disciples, from the nursery to the grave.

Look for opportunities for offerings that go above and beyond the tithe.

I mentioned earlier the Maguire, Armstrong, and Lottie Moon offerings. They’re wonderful opportunities to further the kingdom. Every penny of the Armstrong and Moon offerings goes to missionaries and their ministries on the field.

Sponsor a house, food distribution, or even a team member for Guatemala.

Personally support a missionary. You can see all of the ministries we support on the website, and we can direct you to a number of others.

Support the Gideon ministry.

Finally, serve. Get your hands dirty in the ministry. Don’t know where to start? See me or Sarah or Kyle or Matthew, and we can point you in the right direction. Just show up and be willing to do whatever is needed. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Jump in and join the gospel cause.

Do Good To Others (v.14)

Summary:

The gospel should produce more good works in believers than mere morality does in unbelievers, and the church must intentionally teach, model, and practice good deeds to meet urgent needs and bear fruitful lives.

Interpretation:

Thomas Goodwin said:

“It were the greatest dishonor to Christian religion if it should produce less, or not eminently more, of good works than moral principles in heathen have done.” - T. Goodwin

What he means is that the natural fruit of the gospel should produce more good deeds in a believer than mere morality produces in an unbeliever. So, Paul again emphasizes that the church should “learn to devote themselves to good works” helping “cases of urgent need.” This prevents us from being “unfruitful” (v.14).

Here is how the flow of good deeds works itself out in Titus:

False teachers are unfit for good works (1:16), so Paul gives the qualifications for the elders — the ones who are primarily responsible for teaching the word and equipping the church to do the work of the ministry.

Qualified elders, like Titus, must model good works (2:7).

After all, Christ redeemed the church to create a people who are zealous for good works (2:14).

So, the church must be ready to do good deeds (3:1).

And, they must be ready and devoted to good works for the benefit of all (3:8).

So in conclusion, Paul says, “let our people learn to devote themselves to good works…” (3:14).

Learning to do good is all a part of the discipleship process. One commentator recommends the “Tell, Show, Do” model.

Tell people what good works are, why they matter, and what options there are.

Show them how to do good works through examples and demonstrations. Work beside them.

Share the good works together, allowing them to do works as part of the learning process.

This model falls in line with Paul’s earlier instructions about setting an example for others to follow. Remember how the mature generation models growth in Christ?

Titus 2:2 ESV

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

And, he instructs the women…

Titus 2:3 ESV

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,

Learning to do good works must be intentionally taught in the discipleship process. We must teach sound doctrine, model sound living, and provide opportunities to for it to be lived out. The goal of this is two-fold:

Help cases of urgent need.

Not be unfruitful.

Briefly, what Paul is saying is that the church, because it is devoted to living out the faith, will have the opportunity to serve the community and, in that service, will come across people, either in the congregation or the community as a whole, that have legitimate needs. These are things that are necessary and essential, but lacking. And, stirred by the impact the gospel has had in our own lives, we will naturally bear the good fruit of loving well and alleviating the suffering of those felt needs.

This brings me back to a question that haunts me from time to time, a question I heard a few different pastors and college and seminary professors ask:

“What difference would there be in your community if your church was removed tomorrow?”

Illustration:

We recently shared an illustration about two trees, one named “Grace” and the other named “Works.” At the end of the day, it seems logical to say the purpose of the tree is to bear fruit…good fruit. Remember that Grace bore much fruit because her roots were deep and healthy. Works only focused on doing the right stuff but lacked health because her roots were shallow.

The best thing for the tree named “Works” would be for the farmer to tend to her, prune her, water and fertilize her so that her fruit becomes as tasty as Grace’s fruit. You could say that the gardener is teaching his tree how to bear good fruit. This is the goal of the tree, and it’s our goal as followers of Jesus.

Jesus reminded us in John 15.

John 15:8 ESV

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

The gospel works the same way. While moral principles may lead to some good works, a believer who has been transformed by Christ and discipled in the faith, should naturally produce even more good works—just like a well-tended tree, overflowing with fruit. This is why Paul urges the church to be devoted to good works, ensuring their lives are fruitful and impactful.

Experience

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy for believers to get caught up in surface-level faith—attending church, saying the right things, and doing good works without truly anchoring themselves in God’s grace. Paul’s letter to Titus reminds us that everything in the Christian life—faith, good works, and sound doctrine—must flow from the foundation of grace.

So, stay engaged, remembering that God saves us to sanctify us, calling us to serve. Remember the importance of character. Especially in the in the body of Christ, we should all be setting an example for each other while simultaneously learning from each other. We must stand firm on God’s Word, staying rooted in His truth and being willing to confront false teachings that detract from the work of Jesus. We must love one another. We must let God’s grace be our great teacher. Grace is more than just a greeter at the gates of glory, it is our guide that guarantees our safe arrival. Be ready to do good particularly for the sake of the gospel, especially for those who are in need. And, through genuine love and affection for the body, guard against divisions for the furtherance of the kingdom of God.

Faith isn’t passive—it’s active. It changes how we live, how we love, and how we serve. If grace is our foundation, then our lives will naturally reflect Christ in everything we do.