My People
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My People
My People
People spend money and time trying to find out where their from, who they are related to. Who their people are. Paul shows us in Titus that we find our people through the proclamation of the word and perseverance through sanctification. My people are Gods people.
This week focusing on unity in Christ. . The purpose of this letter was to build and unite the church for the purpose of making disciples in Crete and beyond. Paul referred to the believers there in another nation, of another culture and ethnicity as “our people” in the closing of his letter. When we are successful in Gods mission our people grow both in depth/intimacy with God and each other as well as numerically, we are intended to reproduce and multiply.
This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone. But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning. For you know that such a person has gone astray and is sinning; he is self-condemned.
When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me in Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there. Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey, so that they will lack nothing.
Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. All those who are with me send you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you.
Conflict v 8-11
Conflict v 8-11
unity
Jesus taught the gospel, then instructed those who accepted it to abide, through works (), prayed for it (), then did His work to make it possible.
I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me. I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.
17:20-23
The link between abiding and unity.
8 ho logos pistol - the logos(word) is trustworthy
contrast 1:13 this testimony is true (haute he martyria Westin alethes) - this witness is true
the truth of the gospel, true knowledge as expressed in 3:1-7 results in powerful works, holiness. Starts with grace, through faith for a purpose.
Good Works - Kalon Ergon
Kalon: In origin καλός is to be grouped with the Sanskrit kalja “sound,” “powerful,” “vigorous,” “excellent.” A linguistic relation has been indicated to the Old German hoele, which means a “hero” or “strong man.” This sense is to be found, e.g., in Homer’s καλός τε μέγας τε. We are thus led to the basic sense of καλός a. “organically healthy,” “fit,” “useful,” “serviceable.”
Grundmann, W., & Bertram, G. (1964–). καλός. G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 3, p. 536). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Ergon: They both denote action or active zeal in contrast to idleness (ἀεργία [ἀργία]), or useful activity in contrast to useless busy-ness
Bertram, G. (1964–). ἔργον, ἐργάζομαι, ἐργάτης, ἐργασία, ἐνεργής, ἐνἑργεια, ἐνεργέω, ἐνέργημα, εὐεργεσία, εὐεργετἑω, εὐεργέτης. G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 2, p. 635). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
heroic actions/zeal
refer back to verse 5, ergon/works do not save us, but are the response of our salvation.
Respond not just with obedient actions but with all of who you are and all of who you are being made to be.
9 starts with works of the flesh, then builds to people who are characterized by them. These people are inside the church claiming relationship and position of leadership. Pride at its fullest. They have rejected God and are attempting to overthrow Him in His own family.
avoid foolish debates - nothing comes from this. What is profitable? What is worth arguing for?
“uselessness of controversy relates to its ineffectiveness in changing others.”
10-11 Reject a divisive person after warning, self - condemned. Consider the heart of Paul (acts 26, facing Jews in Jerusalem as well earlier in acts) Paul desired everyone to come to faith so to reject someone would break his heart, it would feel like a defeat/failure in carrying out the great commission and promise. That one fell away, remained in the darkness and is fighting for darkness and division.
Doctrine and application matter because people matter. Truth leads to godliness so the antithesis leads to godlessness. Not only has this person gone astray which is a loss for the community but they are trying to lead others astray, if this isn’t dealt with we will lose more souls. But if it is dealt with the way God tells us to the result may be miraculous, more lives may be changed than if we hadn’t had a problem at all.
Great opportunities often require overcoming great obstacles. Adversity makes you stronger; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
It is widely reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated among the Gentiles —a man is living with his father’s wife. And you are inflated with pride, instead of filled with grief so that he who has committed this act might be removed from your congregation. For though I am absent in body but present in spirit, I have already decided about the one who has done this thing as though I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus with my spirit and with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast or with the yeast of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves.
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And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or faint when you are reproved by Him, for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives. Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline—which all receive —then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead.
we do this with grief humility self-examination evidence and a broken heart.
We do this with grief humility, self-examination, evidence and a broken heart.
“Every instruction about doctrine, every warning about heresy, and every encouragement to holiness and good works is effective only as it is realized in the lives of real people” - Walter Liefeld
Doctrine and application matter because people matter. Truth leads to godliness so the antithesis leads to godlessness. Not only has this person gone astray which is a loss for the community but they are trying to lead others astray, if this isn’t dealt with we will lose more souls. But if it is dealt with the way God tells us to the result may be miraculous, more lives may be changed than if we hadn’t had a problem at all.
Great opportunities often require overcoming great obstacles. Adversity makes you stronger; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
; Ananias & Sapphira; Simon the Magician
Urgency v 12
Urgency v 12
Expectation of completing this task in timely manner. Get to work, be ready to move on to the next place and task. Do not be complacent!
Expectation of completing this task in timely manner. Get to work, be ready to move on to the next place and task. Do not be complacent!
Example of Paul throughout Acts.
We need to work at the mission of the gospel with a sense of urgency with the goal of not just reaching our town but the world, not just planting and growing our church but growing the kingdom because our time is limited and souls are at stake.
Generosity v13-14
Generosity v13-14
Be mission minded, not just where I’m sending you but where others are working. Give support to others. It’s easy to focus on ourselves. Individual: I’ll tithe once I have everything I need. Once I’m sustainable I’ll help others. Corporate: We’re a church plant we need help. Paul knows that part of healthy growth is an outward focus. A healthy church gives to sustain their work of ministry and to the work of other ministries abroad as well.
example my own tithing.
Our people - unity in the Gospel. They were of another ethnicity, nationality, but our first identity as Christians is being God’s people.
Good works for pressing needs
works bring fruit, fruit cannot be produced without work.
For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. Do everything without grumbling and arguing,
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Our people produce good works, people need to get saved before you encourage them to do good works, or they will think their works save them. also even their works bring about unity. False doctrine and false works create division, where as true doctrine combined with good works bring unity.
Close
Unity is a gift from God, but this gift came/comes at a price. The Son came to earth and put on human flesh, humbled himself, and suffered in our place. We must humble ourselves, struggle against the flesh in us and in our church community, and put the mission first. The result is the peace and fulfillment we can only receive from God, our greatest Joy! As we enter this advent season let’s be expectant of the blessing and the struggle that comes with being Gods people. Let’s be active in serving and rescuing our people!