There is no lead-in to this ministry by Brother Kong on Titus. The first words on the tape are these: Titus was a young man in comparison with Paul—a young man, but one raised up by God as a vessel fit for the Master’s use.
I do believe that our Master is looking for such fit vessels today. So we would like to see, in him and through that letter to him, what the preparations are: how God prepares a vessel, what God does in such a vessel, and what God gets out of such a vessel.
This evening, I would like to go over the life of Titus with you as a kind of foundation. God willing, beginning tomorrow, we will go into Paul’s letter to Titus.
Can anyone tell me in which chapter the name Titus is mentioned in the book of Acts? Anybody volunteer? It is too late to look into your Bible now.
His name is not mentioned in the book of Acts. It is very strange, because we know Titus was, I trust, a fellow laborer of Paul; yet his name is never mentioned in the book of Acts. But we know he was there.
Why? Because the first mention of Titus is found in Galatians 2. You remember that Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem because of a controversy.
Some brothers came from Jerusalem to Antioch and began to teach the brothers and sisters that having believed in the Lord Jesus was not enough. They said that they had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses; then they would be complete.
There was much argument among the brothers and sisters. Paul, Barnabas, and others felt that God never required Gentiles to keep the law. Even the Jews could not keep the law, and circumcision was a sign for the Jews, not for the Gentiles.
To settle the question, Paul and Barnabas were sent by the church in Antioch to Jerusalem, where the problem had originated, to resolve it with the apostles and elders there. When they went to Jerusalem, Paul says in Galatians 2:1 that he took Titus with him.
That is the first mention of Titus. In Paul’s letter to Titus, he addresses him as his son according to the common faith. Evidently, Titus was a native of Antioch and came to the Lord through the ministry of the apostle Paul.
He was a young man saved under Paul’s ministry, a native of Antioch, and a Gentile. Unlike Timothy, who had a Gentile father and a Jewish mother, Titus was wholly Gentile.
When Paul went to Jerusalem to settle this important matter, he took Titus with him as a kind of test case. Why, among all the young people in Antioch, should Paul take this young man with him? There must have been some reason.
Titus and Timothy were very different. If you read the Word of God carefully, you find that Timothy, by temperament, was timid—shy, introspective, intense, emotional, ascetic, and sensitive.
But Titus seems to have been a different kind of person. By temperament, he was more even-tempered. He was not easily stirred up or quickly discouraged. He had a sober and sound mind, and there seems to have been a steadiness in his character.
Because of this, Paul took him with him—not only because of his temperament, but most likely because of his character.
Titus was raised in the church in Antioch. If we read the book of Acts, we find that the church in Antioch was not started by any apostles.
Because of persecution in Jerusalem, the saints began to scatter. Some of those who were Cypriots and Cyrenians—that is, not Jews—came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks, the Gentiles in that city.
The power of the Lord was with them, and many came to the Lord. That was how the church in Antioch began. The news went back to Jerusalem, so the church there sent Barnabas to Antioch—not to bring the church under its control, but in fellowship.
Barnabas came to see what the Lord had done. Being a good man, when he saw what the Lord had done, he was very happy. He was not jealous at all. He encouraged them to go on with the Lord.
The Lord added more to the church in Antioch. But Barnabas discovered that the work was too great for him, so he went to Tarsus to seek Saul and brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were with the saints there, and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
This young man was saved through the instrumentality of Paul and raised in the church in Antioch. The church there had a good spiritual atmosphere, so he received a very good spiritual education.
In Acts 13, there were five prophets and teachers ministering in the church at Antioch. That was the environment in which this young man was brought up. Evidently, he showed much progress among the brothers and sisters, especially in the area of character.
When you read Paul’s letters to Timothy, it seems that the emphasis is more upon gifts—how Timothy’s gift was developed and encouraged. But when you read the letter to Titus, you find that the emphasis is mainly in the area of character.
This young man had developed a good Christian character. Because of that solid Christian character developing in him, Paul took him to Jerusalem to be a specimen of the saving grace of the Lord Jesus.
Titus went with Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem. Yet another strange thing happened: he was not mentioned in the book of Acts, and we do not hear him say a word.
As a young man, perhaps if he had been taken to Jerusalem as a test case, he might have wanted to speak his mind, offer his opinion, or argue a little. But we hear nothing.
He was there as exhibit number one, and yet he was silent. He allowed his seniors to argue and talk, while he simply stood there and let people see. That is character.
By the grace of God, this young man had developed a good Christian character—solid. Paul could depend upon him. He was neither intimidated by the great apostles nor drawn into arguments.
He stood firm as a living specimen of the pure grace of God, without the intervention of the law. I believe that this young man was chosen by God because of the character developed in him.
We do not know what happened to this young man after he returned to Antioch. Nothing is mentioned. The second time he is mentioned is in 2 Corinthians.
Paul had problems with the church in Corinth. He had been with them for a year and a half, but after he left, others came in and began to cause factions and parties among the believers. Some began to criticize Paul and cast doubt upon his apostleship.
Paul loved the Corinthian believers very much because he had begotten them through the gospel. He wrote them a strong letter—1 Corinthians.
After writing that letter, Paul considered revisiting them. In fact, he thought of visiting them twice, on his journey back and forth from Asia to Macedonia. But he was not sure how he would be received in Corinth.
He did not want to go to Corinth again and suffer pain because they had not repented and would not listen to him. He did not know what had happened after he wrote the first letter or what their reaction had been.
Because of this, he sent Titus to Corinth. It was a very difficult situation, but Paul had faith in this young man. He sent Titus to try to help solve the problems there.
Paul arranged with Titus that they would meet in Troas on a certain date. Paul would then decide whether to go straight to Corinth or avoid Corinth. So Titus went, and Paul came to Troas.
But Titus was not there. Although God had opened a door for the gospel to Paul in Troas, Paul had no peace because he did not see Titus. He was so concerned about the situation in Corinth that he could not even preach the gospel there.
So Paul went on to Macedonia without going to Corinth. In this small incident, you can see something of Titus again.
Titus must have been a very punctual person who usually kept his word. If he had arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, Paul expected him to be there, because that was the kind of young man he was. When Paul could not find him, he knew something must be wrong.
Evidently, Titus was delayed by the situation in Corinth. It was probably almost solved, but not quite. He had to remain there in order to bring good news to Paul. But thank God, he met Paul in Macedonia, and Paul’s heart was comforted.
Here was a young man entrusted with a very difficult job, and he did it so well. He must have been patient, but not passive—level-headed, not easily stirred up, and not impulsive.
If that had not been the case, he could not have dealt with the situation in Corinth. It was a difficult situation, yet he did it well. There was character in that young man.
Paul decided to send him back again. As you read 2 Corinthians, you find Paul calling him, “my brother, Titus.” He never used that expression with Timothy.
This shows a difference in the relationship between Paul and Titus, and Paul and Timothy. Paul’s relationship with Timothy was very intimate. Timothy was his son in the gospel, and Paul could send him there or ask him to come here. There was a close relationship between them.
But Paul’s relationship with Titus was somewhat different. Though Titus was his son according to the faith, Paul calls him, “my brother.” Later, in 2 Corinthians, Paul calls him his companion and fellow laborer.
Paul’s dealings with Timothy were intimate, but his dealings with Titus were more businesslike. Paul did not simply command Titus to return and complete the collection for the relief of the poor in Judea. He entreated Titus to go back and finish the unfinished business.
Titus himself was very anxious to return because he had such faith in the Corinthian believers. He was level-headed, but not cold. To have a cool mind is one thing, but to be cold is another.
Titus was not an isolated person with no warmth. He had love, zeal, and warmth for the Corinthian believers. He loved them in spite of what they were.
This gives another indication of Titus’s character. A young man who had been successful in his mission and was anxious to return might have acted independently. But not Titus.
Though he had zeal and a heart to return, he waited until Paul besought him and told him to go. He never acted independently. He learned to work together and to put himself under authority, as it were.
Because of this, the authority of God was manifested in this young man. This is another aspect of his character.
The third time Titus is mentioned is, of course, in Paul’s letter to Titus. Probably Titus visited Paul when Paul was in prison in Rome. After Paul’s release from Roman imprisonment, it seems that Titus began to travel with him.
They came to the island of Crete. It seems there were a number of believers scattered throughout the island, and Paul began to put the house of God there in order. But he did not have time, because he had to press on and visit other places.
The work was unfinished, so Paul left Titus in Crete with the charge to finish the unfinished business: to put the house of God in order and appoint elders in every city.
Again, the situation in Crete was most difficult. According to the Authorized Version, the Cretans, by their national character, were always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. Their own prophet said so.
There were many problems because of their natural character. To be changed by the saving grace of God from such poor character into Christian character proves the power of the gospel. But it takes time.
Evidently, the changes came slowly, and Paul did not have time to finish the work. So he left Titus behind to finish it. Whenever Paul had a hard job to do, it seems he sent Titus.
Paul had such confidence in this young man because God had done something in him, especially in the area of character. If God could do it in this young man, God could do it in others too.
Only those in whom God has done what He desires to do can be used by God to help other people. So Paul, in his wisdom, left Titus there to finish the work.
The last mention of Titus is in 2 Timothy. Paul was again in prison in Rome. Perhaps I should go back a little.
In the letter to Titus, Paul tells him that, as soon as Artemas or Tychicus came to Crete, Titus should hurry to Nicopolis, where Paul had decided to winter.
Evidently, after Crete Paul traveled around, perhaps visiting Ephesus and other places, until he came to Nicopolis. He wanted Titus to come there and be with him. This may indicate that the work in Crete was still unfinished and that someone else had to be sent to continue it.
There are different views because we do not have accurate historical records. Some think Paul was arrested by the Roman Empire while wintering in Nicopolis and brought to Rome. Others think he wintered there, traveled toward Rome, and was arrested during the Neronic persecution.
But, anyway, most likely Titus came to Nicopolis to be with Paul. The final mention of Titus is in 2 Timothy, written very near the time of Paul’s martyrdom.
In 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul tells Timothy to use diligence to come quickly:
For Demas forsook me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica;
Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
Demas left Paul because he loved the world, but this does not apply to the others. Paul sent his companions to various places because there were needs in different places. Crescens was sent to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia.
Where was Dalmatia? Some think Dalmatia was the same as Illyricum. In Romans 15, Paul says:
So that from Jerusalem, and round about even unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
Dalmatia was north of Macedonia. Paul had called Titus to Nicopolis and then sent him to Dalmatia. There must have been another need arising there.
Throughout the life of Titus, as we can gather from Scripture, this young man was used by God in a special way. In modern words, we might call him a troubleshooter. Wherever there was trouble, he was sent to solve the problem, and he seems to have done a good job.
In the final analysis, what we see in this young man, whom God could use so much, is this matter of character.
Brothers and sisters, one thing that is tremendously important and most basic for anyone whom God can use is character.
It is true that vision is very important. If we do not have vision, we have no direction. We have no direction for ourselves, and we cannot lead other people. Vision is greatly needed among God’s people today.
But side by side with vision is character. Some people may have vision, but if a certain Christian character is not developed in that person, then even with vision very little can be done.
May I be brave enough to say that not only will very little be done, but much damage may come through such a person. If you have no vision, perhaps the damage is not so great. But if you have vision and do not have the character to go with it, the church will really suffer.
In this young man, one thing can be seen very clearly: character. I cannot emphasize this matter strongly enough.
What is character? We all have character. Like the Cretans, we have our characteristics—not only individually, but nationally. We have individual character and even national traits.
Some natural characters appear good, while others appear bad. But whether they are good or bad, they all come from Adam, and they must be transformed.
Character is never born; character is developed. You are born with a life, and with that life comes a nature. If you follow that nature and practice according to it, it develops into character.
Before we know the Lord, in a sense we all have character. Some character is good and some is bad. We are born with the Adamic life, and that nature expresses itself in many different ways.
Some expressions are sinful, wicked, and evil. Others may appear good, pleasant, and pleasing. But these are natural characteristics, and in the sight of God there is no spiritual value in them.
We often say that someone has a very good character: he is naturally gentle, considerate, or sweet. We think everyone will love such a person. But when you really come before God, it is nothing. It has no spiritual value whatsoever.
That which is of the flesh is flesh. We may find it easier to see this if our character is bad than if it is good. If it is good, we think that good must be of God.
We substitute it, and it may take longer for us to be delivered because we do not see the need. We depend on it and bring it into the work of God, thinking that God will be served that way.
But strictly speaking, no. Whatever comes from the old life and the old nature, developing into the old character, is rejected by God. God has no use for such character, whether it is good or bad, because the source is wrong.
It cannot serve God’s purpose. But thank God, after we believe in the Lord Jesus, He puts a new life in us, and with this new life comes a new nature.
In 2 Peter 1, we read:
Seeing that His divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that called us by His own glory and virtue;
whereby He hath granted unto us His precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Here we find that by His divine power, He has given us all things that relate to life and godliness. Everything relating to life and godliness—that is, character like God—has already been given to us through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.
By these precious promises, we have been made partakers of His divine nature. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, He puts a new life in us: Christ’s life. With Christ’s life comes Christ’s nature.
With this nature, all the potential for being like God and having the character of Christ is within our reach, because the life is there and the nature is there.
What is needed is that we be diligent in developing that life according to its nature. Peter says, “Using therewith all diligence,” and what follows is the development of character.
Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge;
and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness;
and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love.
For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
First, God puts a new life in us. With this new life is a new nature, with all the potential already there. What we need to do is use diligence and let this life and nature increase and develop within us.
On our part, we need diligence. How are we going to develop it? If, after believing in the Lord Jesus, we remain careless and do not pay attention to the new life and new nature within us, we will continue to walk according to the flesh.
If we allow old habits to take over and do not diligently cultivate a new character, then we will still be living and walking according to the flesh. There will be no transformation.
How are we to apply this diligence? As a matter of fact, this is the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit in us is basically to develop Christ’s character in us.
Thank God, He has given us the Holy Spirit. In every believer, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The indwelling Holy Spirit—God Himself—dwells in us.
Why does He dwell in us? Why does He make His home in us? He abides in us. He makes His home in us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
We may grieve the Holy Spirit. We may even quench Him. But we will never be able to drive Him away. He comes to stay.
On the day you believe in the Lord Jesus, He not only quickens your spirit and makes it new, but He comes and dwells in your new spirit. The Holy Spirit and your spirit bear witness together that you are children of God.
The chief work of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us is to develop Christ’s character. He shows Christ to us so that we may see Christ with unveiled face and be transformed from glory to glory according to His image.
That is the work of the Holy Spirit: to transform us and develop Christ’s character in us by showing us Christ. In 2 Corinthians 3, whenever our hearts turn to the Lord, we behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled face and are transformed by the Holy Spirit.
This is where our diligence must be applied. We must diligently turn our hearts toward the Lord. We must diligently behold the glory of the Lord.
As we do, the Holy Spirit transforms us and develops the nature of Christ in us until it characterizes us.
If we want to be used by the Lord, whatever the capacity may be, this is something to which we must apply ourselves: be diligent. Be diligent in looking to the Lord, and let the Holy Spirit transform us.
The reason we are not transformed, and why the new character is not developed, is that we do not see the Lord. We see ourselves, so we walk in the old way.
How important it is that our hearts diligently turn to the Lord and remain toward the Lord. When we do that, the Holy Spirit will finish the work.
The measure in which that character is developed will be the measure of the effectiveness of your being used by the Lord.
Thank God, in Titus we see character being developed. He could be used by God as a troubleshooter to help many people, especially people in difficult situations. He could bring them to see the Lord, and in seeing the Lord, to have their problems solved.
As we come to the matter of leadership training, it is not simply a matter of finding methods or techniques. Those may help, and we need to know about them. But the basic thing is the development of character.
Paul left Titus in Crete. In Titus 1:5, we read:
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that were wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.
The commission Titus received from Paul was one thing: to set the house of God in order. That was the commission.
Brothers and sisters, God really has only one work to do. In one sense, God has many works; but in another sense, God has only one work.
Our Lord Jesus said, “My Father worketh even until now, and I work.” He also said that we would do the works that He did.
When we come to God’s work, especially in terms of our time, it can be described as the building of the house of God.
Abraham, in his time, looked for a city which hath foundations. God was working to build a city with foundations. That was the work of God for which Abraham looked.
But when you come to the New Testament, you find that in our time the work of God can be described as building the house of God, which is the church. That is the work of God.
In Old Testament times, Abraham looked for the city with foundations. Among the Israelites, God worked to build them into a peculiar people unto Himself. In the New Testament, He gathers people from all nations, tribes, and peoples unto the name of the Lord Jesus to be the house of God.
Eventually, at the very end, there is the New Jerusalem—the consummation of all God’s work. From the city with foundations that Abraham looked for, through the commonwealth of Israel and the church of God, all God’s works are consummated in one thing: the New Jerusalem.
It may appear differently in different ages, but in New Testament times the work is the building of the house of God. That is God’s work.
God’s work includes many things: evangelism, preaching the gospel, and bringing people in so that there will be materials for the building of God’s house.
But after people are brought in, they need to be built together into God’s house. It is not enough merely to bring people in and allow them to remain as heaps of people. They must be built together into the house of God.
The house of God is an organic body. It is not something randomly put together. You need all the materials, but then you have to build them.
In Crete, many people had been brought in—not only in one city, but in many cities throughout the island. The work then was to build the house of God and set everything in order.
The work Titus was commissioned to do was to set the house of God in order. That was the real work.
But to set the house of God in order is not a technical or mechanical matter. If it were technical or mechanical, Paul could have done it in a few days while he was there.
He could have gathered the people, appointed elders and deacons, put everything in order, and left. But evidently Paul could not do that. He began to set the house in order and found that it was in disorder, but he could not proceed in a technical or mechanical way.
To set the house in order, there must be life and character. That is something you cannot rush. You are dealing with character.
It will not work if you simply gather people, appoint offices, and say, “Now that is it.” You cannot do that. Even the apostle did not do that, and neither can you.
That is why Paul had to leave Titus behind to finish the unfinished work. The unfinished work may have appeared to be appointing elders, but actually it was the development of character.
Even Titus did not finish the work, and Paul had to send someone else to continue it. You can see that it is not a mechanical or technical thing. It is spiritual. It is a matter of life—the growth of life, which is character.
That is the most important thing for the house of God to find its order. The order of the house of God is developed from within, out of life, not something imposed from the outside.
To put it simply, the commission Titus received was to set the house of God in order. In a sense, that is our commission.
We are with brothers and sisters in different places. Whether we are engaged in God’s work as workers, or whether we are serving as leading brothers or leading sisters, whatever our capacity may be, we are all engaged in the work of setting the house of God in order.
The purpose is that God may dwell in that house in peace, feel at home, and find rest. That is the work in which we are all engaged.
Titus was a young worker, but when we come to this matter of setting the house in order, we are all engaged in the same work—one way or another, in different capacities.
That is why I feel the letter to Titus is so important. In the instructions Paul gave to that young worker, he shows us the areas in which, and the way in which, we may set the house of God in order.
God willing, we would like to touch upon four areas in this letter. I will mention them tonight, and, God willing, we will begin tomorrow.
In the letter to Titus, we find that setting the house of God in order requires:
These four things are emphasized and reemphasized throughout the letter. The reverse of these four things caused all the chaos and disorder in the churches in Crete.
May the Lord help us as we go on, that we may see the importance of these things clearly in the Word of God. I hope this will help us fulfill our commission before the Lord.
Our heavenly Father, as we lay these matters before our brothers and sisters here, we do feel, on the one hand, who is competent? Yet, on the other hand, we know that our confidence is of God.
If it is Thy will that we should be involved in the building of Thy house, if it is Thy will that Thy house should be set in order—and it is—then we look to Thee for Thy grace, Thy mercy, and Thy working in us.
May we be able to be used of Thee to help our brothers and sisters in such a way that Thy church may truly be Thy home, a place of rest for Thyself.
Lord, this is our desire. We look to Thee to help us as we go on. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.