Titus, a disciple of Paul, has been assigned to oversee the churches on the Island of Crete. That reminds me of my dad’s stories. He didn’t talk much about his years serving in the Navy with the exception of the his time on the Island of Crete. It made a lasting impression apparently, and must be a quite a place to spend time. I wonder if he experienced the modern day effect of Titus’ work there? Are there still churches that proclaim the gospel messages and are focused as Titus was on Making Disciples? I wonder if Titus enjoyed Crete as much as my dad did?

Let’s take a closer look at Paul’s message to Titus.

Paul begins with the command to Titus, to start by teaching sound doctrine. What is sound doctrine? Well according to gotquestions.org “Doctrine is the worldview by which we govern our lives. If our doctrine is based soundly upon Scripture, we can know we are walking in the path God designed for us.” It is God’s set of principles that guide our daily life. The doctrine of Salvation explains in detail that Jesus is the one and only way to God the Father and it is gained by a faith relationship with Him. The doctrine of eschatology explains that God has a plan for all of His creation. The events yet to come have been written about so we are prepared for what is yet coming. And so on through the doctrine of sin, the Bible, God the Father, Jesus the son, the Holy Spirt, and so on.

Sound doctrine is the guide and foundation for a Christian.

Then from God to Paul to Titus… to his people and to us an effective, practical plan is rolled out. He says start with the older men.

Let the older men teach the younger men to be a respectable leader. One that points people toward Christ.

Let the older women teach the younger women to be a productive blessing. One that nurtures and loves people as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Likewise he says teach the “slaves” (we can think of them as employees) to be an essential asset. One that honors God in all that they do.

Why is all this important? Because Jesus’ mission was to rescue all sinners. It was His love and grace that presented an open invitation for all to come and follow Him. Everyone who has chosen to follow is part of that work. We, as His body, are either helping or hindering the work of God by our words and actions.

Do you realize that?

Do you realize that the simple plan that God gave Paul to give to Titus to give to the older men to teach the younger men and the older women to teach the younger women to do likewise was meant for us. It was meant for each one to live out their faith while we wait for Jesus to return.

I wonder how the churches of Crete responded? Did they smile and nod while they went about their days, doing their work in the way that they wanted? Did they walk away and leave His work for someone else to do, because they were too busy? Did they come up with a “better” plan that would appoint others to take care of this work and wash their hands of the responsibility? Did they start out strong and let discouragement creep in somewhere along the way? — This is what I personally have struggled with. Or have they stayed faithful to the cause of Christ, continuing to find that “younger” one to teach, to teach someone younger?

We are either helping or hindering the cause of Christ. We are either living in obedience to God waiting for Him to return or we are tied to this world living for ourselves and ignoring the spiritual altogether. As always, it is a choice. God gave us a simple and effective plan, how are we keeping the plan in motion for Him?