Avoiding Distractions in Ministry (2)

How to Avoid Distractions to Service and Ministry

9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

Main Point: Paul warns Titus to avoid useless and worthless conversations and to admonish those who start them.

Propositional Statement: We must not allow ourselves to be distracted from service and ministry by worthless and pointless debates and issues.

Transitional Sentence: Paul gives Titus two commands for dealing with these types of distractions within the church.

Introduction:

Illustration:

Our world is becoming increasingly filled with distractions. Information is moving faster than ever before. It is louder and more intense than ever before. There are a lot of things in this world that vies for our attention. Much research has been done in terms of marketing that specifically targets consumers and grabs their attention. Sports, entertainment, and work can also be distractions to a person. One of the biggest distractions for people are cell-phones. Consider some of these compiled facts I found from an article online:

1) The average smartphone owner unlocks their phone 150 times a day.

2) Users spend on average 2 hours and 51 minutes a day on their smartphones.

3) 58% of smartphone users don’t go for 1 hour without checking their phones.

4) 40% check their phones in the middle of the night.

5) 80% of smartphone users check their phone within 1 hour of waking up or going to sleep.

6) In 2021, people check their smartphones on average 58 times per day.

BRIEFLY SUMMARIZE AND REVIEW TITUS

Titus 3:8 ESV

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

We have been learning through this series in Titus that grace enables the believer to perform good works. We learned last Sunday that Paul explained this principal to Titus. If you recall, Paul laid out before Titus that the same grace God provided for him in his salvation and redemption was the same grace He gave to him to perform good works.

We have now come near the end of Paul’s letter to Titus. He has said a lot in just a few chapters. Titus, was to effectively lead the churches he was in charge of by raising up the right kind of men with the right kind of qualifications to pastor their church. We are near the end now and Paul has almost said all that he needed to say. There is one last issue he needs to address to Titus. Titus needed to deal with distractions to the good works mentioned previously. He comes back to

OVERVIEW OF THE PASSAGE

We are introduced to this passage with the conjunction “but.” This word connects what Paul is about to say to the previous verse about grace and good works. It not only connects the two statements together but it also contrasts them as well. On the one hand grace enabled Titus to be focused and busy doing works that are good and pleasing to God. This is about being focused on the service and ministry God has placed him in. On the other hand Titus needed to deal with the problems that would distract him from accomplishing that very task. Paul understood that if Titus was distracted, then ministry would stop, good works would not be done, and problems would occur.

Before we begin to look at what the distractions are and how to deal with them, notice with me how Paul describes these distractions in verse 9. First, these distractions are classified as being useless. There is really no positive advantage to them. They serve no purpose when compared to ministry. They also can be very damaging to a church as we saw back in chapter one and we will soon see. The second is that they are worthless. There is nothing of value in these things. They merely distract a person and church from fulfilling the purpose God has for them. They are lacking any real fruit for the believer. They are useless.

As we begin to look into these issues, keep the uselessness and worthlessness of these types of conversations in mind. What Paul is about to lay out before Titus, he describes as being both worthless and useless. There is no positive advantage to allowing such things to take root in the church. They are nothing more than mere distractions to prevent the believer and church from gracefully ministering to each other and the world around us.

Let us now look at the two commands Paul gives to Titus on how to prevent useless and worthless issues from distracting from the ministry. As a church, we would be wise to follow the advice Paul gives to Titus concerning distractions and idle talk.

Avoid All Irrelevant Discussions

Illustration:

Several years ago, our family took an impromptu trip to Washington D.C. My wife does a very good job of planning stuff out so that we can make use of our time. On the way back we decided to go to Gettysburg for their 150th Anniversary. We had everything planned out. We knew what time to leave the hotel so we could spend the day there. It was only an hour or so away. We left the hotel with optimism that we would have a full and enjoyable day at Gettysburg. That was not to be. We were about 45 minutes on our way to Gettysburg when traffic came to a standstill on the interstate. We were stopped and nothing was moving. I remember thinking, “ok, a little set back but we should only lose an hour or so.” Six hours later we arrived in Gettysburg. We were stuck in traffic for hours. It was June so it was hot out. Our kids were young, so they were getting antsy. My patience was being tested. When we arrived around 3, no one was in the mood to see much. We were planning an all-day trip there and I think we only spent 2 or 3 hours. If I would have known the problem before we left the hotel then we would have avoided the deadlock on the interstate and we would have gone an alternative route and the day would have been salvaged.

One of the easiest ways to be distracted from doing the good works God desires us to do is when we become so consumed with topics that are fun to debate and listen to but are ultimately fruitless. While there are certainly good discussions we should have as believers, there are also many discussions that we do have that we probably shouldn’t. These types of discussions take the focus away from service and ministry and instead places the focus within. Eventually these discussions that were once fun become divisive. A third of the church may align with one person on their stance, another third aligns with the other person, and the remaining third just sits back and watches the whole thing unfold and the next thing you know the church has divided itself. This division thus creates strife and eventually everyone is so busy arguing and disputing with one another that nothing is getting done in the church to reach a lost world or to build each other up. Soon the rift becomes so great that the church begins to dwindle down one by one until there are only a handful left. Think about the testimony such a church brings before the community God has placed them in. If you walked into a church where the tension was so great that even as a visitor you could sense it, would you want to come another Sunday?

Paul admonishes Titus to avoid such discussions in his ministry. The word for avoid has the very idea of doing your absolute best to avoid by any means necessary these types of conversations. The word means to “go around so as to avoid.” Titus was to literally go our of his way not to get sucked into such worthless conversations.

Think of it as if you are walking down your home street and your neighbor just poured some fresh concrete for his driveway. You saw all the work from earlier in the day, the concrete trucks were out, people were troweling away, and they even put up some caution tape to warn you not to walk in the new concrete. Most people would be courteous enough to avoid messing up all the hard work they did and not walk on it. Perhaps you would even cross the street to avoid it. That’s the idea Paul is telling Titus. In essence, he is saying” Titus, you know these types of conversations are not good and serve no real purpose. So why even play into them? Instead, don’t give them any attention at all.”

So, what specifically does Paul tell Titus to steer clear from? Paul mentions four specific issues or types of conversations Titus was to avoid.

Foolish Disputes

The first type of conversation Titus was to steer clear of are foolish disputes. Like today, people back in Titus’ day liked to get into disputes that are about nothing. The word literally means “a foolish or stupid investigation in a controversial matter.” It’s a dispute that lacks any real substance and to be honest is a waste of a person’s time. There is a lot of talking going on and a lot of debate back and forth, but in the end no real fruit develops out of it. It has taken away the church’s focus and purpose.

We have this in our churches today, don’t we? What about the politics? We like to talk about how good or bad a candidate is over the other. We like to talk about what policies we support or don’t support. We say good things about one side of the aisle and bad things about the other side. We uplift and almost deify a candidate over the other without knowing anything about them personally. Remember, politicians are very good about producing the perfect image we all want to see or hear. While I see no problem with discussing these things outside of the church to a certain degree, but they have no place within the church because they distract God’s people from doing the good works they are here to do. Let’s face it, no matter how much we complain about who is running the country or how it is being ran, we must remember that it is God who placed that person or government in that place. Sometimes we think we know better than God. Can we ultimately do anything?

Politics is an easy example, but what about “God talk?” Foolish disputes even occur around the table of theology. We like to think that we can solve issues today that people have been arguing and debating for thousands of years. We think we bring something new to the table when we are just bringing up the same old talking points that have been brought up in the past. For example, does God choose me in salvation or do I choose Him? We will never come to an agreement and meanwhile nothing is getting done in our ministry because of it.

Brookdale should be a church that goes out of its way to avoid these types of foolish disputes so that we can focus all of our energy and attention on serving Jesus by loving others and doing ministry.

Genealogies

Another issue Titus was not to get himself pulled into was genealogies. This may be a little difficult for us to understand in our culture but for a middle eastern culture genealogies are very important and are looked upon as a level of stature. Pride was found in who you descended from. Again, Titus was to avoid these because they are counter-productive to doing ministry.

As a believer, we should be thankful for godly parents and grandparents who were faithful to Christ and modeled that faithfulness in the home, but that is not what this is about. This is about the Jewish believer basing their stature in the church on who they are descended from.

There is to be no room for that in the church because we all have one thing in common… that when each one of us realizes that we are a sinner and that we are guilty before God and that we have no other choice but to accept the free offer of salvation from God and paid for by the blood of Jesus, that something miraculous happens. We are adopted into the family of God and He considers us sons and daughters.

Galatians 3:26 ESV

for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Contentions

This could be in reference to two parties at odds with one another and it could also mean that it is the “nature” of a person. What I mean is that some people like to fight or to find conversations to argue about just for the sake of arguing. When they don’t have these conversations, it messes with them. They don’t know what to do with themselves. They thrive off the arguments they can generate. It’s the purpose they believe God has called them to.

Again, Titus was to avoid this at all costs. He wasn’t to be drawn into these types of arguments. He wasn’t to play their game. It is sort of like a child who is misbehaving to get their parents attention. Paul is telling Titus don’t allow yourself to be trapped by those whose only purpose in life is making someone else miserable.

It doesn’t matter what the issue is. There is always an issue for someone looking for a “fight.” It has been theological at times. A contentious person knows the issues that are out there and that can easily stir the pot.

Illustration:

This can be seen in our world when believers become militant about issues and expect others to hold to the same convictions as them. Perhaps you have heard another believer say when news comes out about a certain businesses’ practices. A CEO of a major corporation decides that their company is going to follow and support a particular issue that the believer disagrees with. In response to that the believer then issues the edict that “I will never shop at that store again! I cannot support them because they are against Christian principles and if I shop there then I am participating in their sin.” First of all, there is no verse in the bible that says that. In fact, 1 Corinthians and Romans talks about these matters of conscience and how if your conscience is good then it is not sin. Second, it isn’t just enough to hold this as their own personal conviction, but they spread it around to other believers within the church. Soon there are two sides, one who says shopping at the store is immoral and the other who says “I am going to shop there because I spend twice as much going somewhere else.” This is an example of how contentions can emerge in the church. It happens all the time.

Strivings about the Law

Lastly, Paul warned Titus to avoid the conversations and issues that are legalistic in nature. There were certain people that Titus had to deal with that were adamant about keeping portions of the Law down to the littlest detail. Striving, fighting, disputes and quarrels arose between believers. A person’s spirituality was not measured by what Christ has done for them and who they are in Him, instead it was being measured by what they did or did not do according to the Law. Titus was to avoid this because in the end it leads to war between the parties involved. It would split the church and do harm to the reputation of Christ.

Illustration:

One day I was standing in line to enter a business. While I was in line, I overheard a couple of gentlemen discussing a person who was employed at that business. They knew this lady well and they were discussing how she tried to go to a church but was prevented by members from entering because she wasn’t wearing a dress. These two men were beside themselves that such a thing could happen. In fact the comment “I remembered that happening in the 60’s and 70’s but not today” was said by one of them. I remember thinking to myself as I sat there listening, this church messed up in a couple of ways. First, this woman had the chance to hear the gospel message and could have come to salvation through their ministry but was prevented and probably left with a poor taste for who Jesus really is. Second, what a terrible testimony for the church itself.

What a distraction issues like this can be for the church and its purpose! If Brookdale’s desire is to have a fruitful and productive ministry, then we have to do as Paul told Titus to do. We must solely focus on the purpose of the ministry God has for us here in Moorhead and we must do everything possible to avoid these types of conversations. May our conversations instead bring a sweet sound to our Savior. May they be drenched in brotherly love for one another. May they be selfless in nature. May they be productive. May they be something of value in both this life and the next life.

Correct the Divisive Person

After commanding Titus to avoid the useless and worthless discussions that easily distracts a believer from doing ministry, he now turns his attention to the people who are responsible for such issues. Titus was not to feed the fire concerning the conversations that were going on, but he was to deal with those who are responsible and prevent the issues from developing further. Paul characterizes this person in four very specific ways:

This person is divisive

The first characteristic is their divisive nature. They look to divide the body of believers up and ultimately cause division. Paul is telling Titus to warn or admonish this divisive person not just once, but twice. If after the second time there is no repentant heart, then he is to reject him. The theme for all the book of title has been grace and how it enables us to serve and minister. In this instance, with individuals like this divisive person, Titus is to extend the hand of grace in hopes of bringing this person back into a correct perspective.

This person is warped

The second characteristic of these individuals is that they are self-deceived. The word “Warped” here means “to turn aside from what is considered morally proper.” The person who does this is doing so purposefully. In their thinking, what they are doing is good and proper. Their mind is so distorted that it does not align with the mind of Christ. In other words, they are thinking that the foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law are actually beneficial for the church. They foolishly believe that all the idle talk is beneficial to the ministry. They are set in their ways. It is their way, and their way is good. They fail to see how it distracts and is counter-productive to the good works we are to do.

This person is sinning

The third characteristic with a warped mind is that eventually it will sin. Paul doesn’t “beat around the bush” and this characteristic. He is not saying, “Well, their intentions are good or maybe they just interpreted things differently.” No, he is saying this type of person is sinning, plain and simple. He doesn’t leave it up to interpretation nor does he water it down. It calls it what it is…sin.

Because these individuals are under the impression that they are doing what is good and right, they do not see the damage they are doing. The word sin here means “to miss the mark”. They are throwing the arrows at the good works target and one by one they keep missing it. Instead of bringing glory and honor to God, they are sinning against Him. And by creating these issues, they are ultimately causing others to sin as well.

If I am about to bring an issue up in the church that fits into one of these categories, I strongly need to look within myself and ask “Is what I am about to say going to cause my brother or sister in Christ to fall into sin?” If it is, then I that is a surefire sign that this topic is not worth mentioning or making an issue about.

This person is self-condemned

If this person is a believer and is the cause of such issues within the church, then this would not be a condemnation apart from Christ. For the bible is very clear that once we accept the free gift of salvation offered by God in behalf of His son, there is nothing that can cause us to fall out of favor with Him.

John 6:37-40

John 6:37–40 ESV

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 10:25–30 ESV

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

So it is not that this person’s salvation is at stake, rather that by his or her own ungodly behavior, this factious believer brings judgment upon himself in the form of being disqualified from the good works we are intended to do. This person becomes “unfit” to do the work of ministry.

Titus 1:10–16 ESV

For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 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. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Now, Paul is commanding Titus to confront these individuals. The worst thing a pastor, deacon, or leader within the church can do is to allow these worthless and useless issues to continue. Leaders need to be diligent in their awareness that these issues are out there. They were out there for Titus and they are out there for Brookdale. Leaders need to be watchful and cut them off before they gain any root. Leaders in the church cannot be timid or afraid to confront such issues. The life of the church is at stake! But they also need to be gracious and allow the opportunity for grace to work in that persons life.

Believers also need to be aware that these issues exist and they need to be easily persuaded into them. Be diligent and as shrewd as snakes but as innocent as doves.

There are actual people who enjoy the useless and worthless arguments that distract. These certain individuals thrive off such arguments. They can’t wait to discuss the next big irrelevant topic and see how many people they are able to side with them over a matter. They feel it is their lot in life to bring such topics up for discussion and when there is nothing to talk about, they feel like something is wrong and out of place. These individuals believe that what they are doing is good and pleasing to God, when in fact they are the opposite.

In verses 10-11 we are given two solutions for dealing with a divisive person. First, Titus is to admonish them, not just once but twice. Titus is to give this person a chance to realize the error of his or her way and repent of it. If they repent, then he echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:15 and we have “won” them back. Keeping with grace, Titus is to extend grace to the one who has been causing factious issues. Second, if the person continues to have an unrepentant heart and continues to cause issues within the church, then Titus is to reject the person through church discipline with hopes of restoration.

Conclusion:

God takes His church very seriously. He expects it to be busy doing the work He has for it and that work is good! Here at Brookdale, we must strive to be doing ministry and to be doing it well. Each one of us must be focused and determined on fulfilling that commitment by loving those whom God brings into this building and around our homes. We must be busy and we must be busy serving.

The worthless and useless conversations, debates, and arguments that have the potential to distract from that purpose should be avoided at all costs. We must do our due diligence to keep these things out of this body. We want to preserve our testimony within the community and not have Brookdale be known as that one church who argues about nonsensical things and who cannot get along. Reaching the lost and making disciples is why you and I are here. That is our purpose, and we do that through the vessel of the church. We want our community to see Brookdale as a place where selfish needs are sacrificed for the love and unity of the church and that the God whom we worship is the great Giver of grace to all who seek it.

Consider how much time is wasted by pursuing these types of conversations and issues. What would the church of Christ look in America if we spent more time loving others and actually ministering to them? We wonder why the church has lost its influence among our cities. Could it be because the focus, purpose, and mission has been sacrificed to these types of conversations? Could it be that the church would rather argue and debate issues that mean nothing and are worthless rather than do ministry?

Consider the characteristics Paul gives concerning these individuals. If God were to put a label on our chests that best describe who you are, would any of these characterize you? If so, then I strongly urge to repent and focus more on things that matter and are of value and be busy doing works that are good and pleasing to God.