Tag Archives: Spiritual Growth

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Memorize Scripture: Titus 1:5-6

The letter to Titus is a very brief letter, and because of this, Paul wastes no time in getting to the point. His purpose in writing is to instruct Titus on several key points of his ministry on Crete, beginning with appointing elders.

You can see this week’s passage in Titus 1:5-6:

Titus 1:5-6

After a greeting that is typical for Paul, he jumps straight into his reasons for writing Titus. The first and foremost reason is so that Titus can continue the work that Paul began and appoint elders in the churches there.

The letter to Titus can be broken into three sections: Godliness when it comes to church leaders, godliness when it comes to church life, and godliness in the life of the individual believer. Paul begins with the leadership.

He states that this is one of the prime purposes for which he left Titus behind. This suggests that Paul was there himself, working to build the church on Crete. Paul was, in fact, on the island of Crete at one point, according to Acts 27:7-8. But these events don’t necessarily fit that timeline too well. An additional visit, after Paul was released from prison in Rome, however, is likely.

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Memorize Scripture: Titus 1:1-4

Paul begins his letter to Titus in much the same way he begins all of his letters, with a greeting that borders on doxology. As in his greeting in 1 Timothy as well as 2 Timothy, there is some deep theology here if we have eyes to see it.

You can see the greeting in this epistle in Titus 1:1-4:

Titus 1:1-4

Even though beginning his letters with a greeting is typical Pauline fashion, the greeting to Titus differs in several ways from his greetings in 1 and 2 Timothy. Only here in Titus and in Romans does Paul give extensive details about his apostleship. It seems that most of the rest of his letters were written to churches and people who knew and accepted his apostleship as valid. But the church Titus worked with and the Roman church were newer Christians, and Paul was new to them. He writes this to establish his authority.

First off, Paul introduces himself, and states that he is a slave to God. Most of the time, he states he is a slave to Christ Jesus, so the difference here is noteworthy. This speaks to Paul’s high view of Christ, equating him with God. And Paul is his slave, a servant, even a bondservant. Paul knows that he is not writing this from his own purpose. He is simply a tool in the hands of God, to be used however needed.

Next Paul states his purpose. In most of his other letters, he gives his authority as an apostle, but he has already indicated that with his description of himself. He moves on to his purpose. He understands God to have called him to ministry in order to bring faith to God’s elect, those who have accepted the gospel message of salvation by grace through faith. Paul’s mission is to instruct them in the faith.

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Memorize Scripture: Introduction To Titus

Titus is the final letter in the collection called the Pastoral Epistles of Paul. Similar in design and purpose to the two letters to Timothy, Titus is a letter written to a young man in ministry who needed some encouragement and guidance as he struggled to be the leader of a church that faced some unique issues and problems.

The Isle of Crete

The letter is named for the recipient, a young man named Titus, who is mentioned in the New Testament more than a dozen times, mostly in 2 Corinthians, who was serving on the island of Crete.

Author Of Titus

The author of this letter is Paul, and is stated so at the very beginning of the letter. This fact is virtually uncontested, and has been held throughout the centuries.

Date and Occasion

When Paul wrote Titus, he was either in Nicopolis, or on his way there. He planned to spend the winter there (Titus 3:12), and sent this letter to Titus during that same time frame. Titus had been left in Crete to lead the church that Paul had started there. This would place the letter somewhere around AD 62-64, after Paul had been released from his first imprisonment (Acts 28:30), but before his second imprisonment when he wrote 2 Timothy.

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How Wilderness Uses Solitude To Seek God

One of the foundational spiritual disciplines I practice regularly is the discipline of solitude. Every few weeks, I find a place to get away from the office, away from the phones, and text messages and social media, and just focus on listening to God speak into my life.

Mountains Shrouded in Clouds

I bring my Bible, my journal, a legal pad and a book or two, along with some snack food and drinks, and I just take in what God has to say to me.

Solitude has been one of the biggest impacts for my spiritual life in recent years, as I establish a habit of practicing it regularly. And the biggest and best opportunity for this comes each year when I attend CIY Wilderness.

Wilderness is a retreat designed for ministers, specifically youth ministers, to get away and spend some time caring for their own spiritual nourishment. Ministry tends to be a place where people give and give, but if there is no replenishment, then the giving will soon come to a halt. Wilderness seeks to help with that.

Each year I go, greatly anticipating some incredible solitude, just me and God, in the mountains of Colorado. And each year, I come home renewed and restored, ready to tackle the challenges that ministry brings.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:21-22

Paul wraps up his letter to Timothy with some final greetings and a final word of encouragement. Before he sends the letter, he gives Timothy one final plea to come quickly.

This final passage is found in 2 Timothy 4:21-22:

2 Timothy 4:20-21

In the previous verses, Paul sent a couple of quick greetings, and updates on some coworkers. In this passage, he lists a few final people who send their greetings to Timothy and the church in Ephesus.

First, however, he encourages Timothy to come quickly to him in Rome. Winter is approaching, and Paul’s life is coming to an end, and he would like to see his son in the faith once more.

From late fall to mid spring, November to March, Mediterranean travel came to a halt. That implies that Paul is writing this probably in late spring or early summer, giving time for the letter to travel to Ephesus and Timothy to return before the weather prevented him from doing so. Missing that window of opportunity meant that Timothy wouldn’t make it until the next spring. Paul didn’t expect to make it that long. According to tradition, Paul was executed in AD 68. That places this letter in the year or two before.

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Taking Advantage Of Divine Appointments

Several years ago, I stumbled across the idea of divine appointments. I found the thought intriguing, and have worked it into my spiritual journaling to some extent ever since. But recently, the idea has been on my mind more, and I’m wondering how I can use this concept more effectively in my life.

Airport Waiting Room

The whole concept of a divine appointment is based around the idea that God brings people into my life on a regular basis for a moment, and for a reason.

Let me give you an example.

A few days ago, I visited a local restaurant. My waitress apparently knew that I was a minister, even though I’ve never met her before. In the process of waiting on us, she shared a few struggles she was facing in her life, tearing up as she did so. She was really having a hard time. With problems with her boyfriend, her kids, and her finances, she was facing some tough times.

As we paid our check, she asked if we would pray for her over the coming days. Of course, we said yes.

Most of the time, these kinds of interactions come into our lives for a brief moment and then out again. We normally don’t think much about them beyond the moment itself.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:19-20

In typical Pauline fashion, Paul finishes his letter to Timothy with some personal greetings. He lists a few more names, and gives one final appeal for Timothy to come to Rome quickly, which we will look at next week.

You can see this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 4:19-20:

2 Timothy 4:19-20

Paul’s letters almost always contain a closing section full of personal greetings. Some are quite short, such as this one. Others are longer, like the list found in Romans 16. But Paul usually does his best to greet and encourage those who are serving in churches where he directs a letter. This second letter to Timothy is no different.

Priscilla and Aquila

Paul first mentions two old friends. He asks Timothy to give a special greeting to his coworkers Priscilla and Aquila. It is interesting to note that these two are somewhere near where Timothy is, perhaps Ephesus. Paul first met these two as tent-makers in Corinth after they had been expelled from Rome by Claudius (Acts 18:1-3). From there, they travel with Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-26), where the church meets in their home (1 Corinthians 16:19). But when Paul writes Romans, they are in Rome, serving another church in their own home (Romans 16:3-4).

What brought them back to Ephesus is unknown. Perhaps it was for similar reasons to the first time they left Rome. Or, since prominent Jewish businessmen traveled a lot in the ancient world, this may have led to several locations. We simply do not know, and can only speculate. Whatever the case, they started or served churches wherever they went, spreading the gospel across the world.