Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
And isn’t that the awful truth Friends? Bruh Paul’s writing to one of his young protégés, Titus about the church at Crete, which had already been established, but undergoing internal problems, needing proper organization for it to function effectively. This Bruh Paul attempts to do in his letter. He explains the qualifications of elders and bishops. ‘A bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate.’ (vs.7-8) Yes Friends, leaders in Christ’s church need high spiritual qualifications. We can’t be hypocritical; preaching one thing and practicing another. And Bruh Paul forcefully points that out to Titus. ‘For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.’ (vs.10-11) Oh Friends, it hasn’t changed that much these days. Money still brings out the worst in us. We still have church leaders who preach and practice two entirely different things, thereby bringing the church into sad disrepute, turning off genuine believers, and making possible believers leery and wary about committing themselves. Bruh Paul was warning especially about false teachers like the Jews who were trying to impose teachings of circumcision on the Crete Christians, saying they needed it to be saved. Nonsense! Bruh Paul strongly advised; ‘Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.’ (vs.13) People, we need to do the same today; rebuke those who preach and/or practice false doctrine, and suitably educate those that have come under their evil spell. And Bruh Paul hit the nail on the head when he declared, ‘They profess that they know God.’ But remember Jesus said; ‘Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat.7:20-21) Yes people, we truly know others by their works, by their behaviour, more than by their words. Jesus even went on to say at the end, many of those who claim to have prophesied, healed and done wonderful works in his name, ‘And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’ (Mat.7:23) So although many of our church leaders, and us, ‘profess to know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient.’ And wickedness in the church is really rampant to day. In all religions. Too many are subverting its good and honourable intentions, and a lot of it is hushed and covered up, but we all know victims of ungodly behaviour by those whom we look up to. John stated: ‘He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandment is a liar, and the truth is not in him…He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.’ (1 John 2:4,6) Too many of us though Friends, don’t live by that rule. We end up more like Bruh Paul wrote to his other protégé, Timothy. ‘Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim.3:4-5) Yes Friends, from such we should turn away, for they are, ‘Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ (2.Tim.3:7) How sad that they turn out to be also ‘unto every good work reprobate.’ Yes, their good works are disqualified. ‘And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.’ (Acts 1:28) And you can read all those reprobate things in vs.29-32. Oh Friends, please be careful that we don’t fall into that trap of false godliness, else our worthwhile lives and deeds would have all been wasted. Much LOVE!…practice what you preach…as Jesus did.
And isn’t that the awful truth Friends? Bruh Paul’s writing to one of his young protégés, Titus about the church at Crete, which had already been established, but undergoing internal problems, needing proper organization for it to function effectively. This Bruh Paul attempts to do in his letter. He explains the qualifications of elders and bishops. ‘A bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate.’ (vs.7-8) Yes Friends, leaders in Christ’s church need high spiritual qualifications. We can’t be hypocritical; preaching one thing and practicing another. And Bruh Paul forcefully points that out to Titus. ‘For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.’ (vs.10-11) Oh Friends, it hasn’t changed that much these days. Money still brings out the worst in us. We still have church leaders who preach and practice two entirely different things, thereby bringing the church into sad disrepute, turning off genuine believers, and making possible believers leery and wary about committing themselves. Bruh Paul was warning especially about false teachers like the Jews who were trying to impose teachings of circumcision on the Crete Christians, saying they needed it to be saved. Nonsense! Bruh Paul strongly advised; ‘Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.’ (vs.13) People, we need to do the same today; rebuke those who preach and/or practice false doctrine, and suitably educate those that have come under their evil spell. And Bruh Paul hit the nail on the head when he declared, ‘They profess that they know God.’ But remember Jesus said; ‘Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat.7:20-21) Yes people, we truly know others by their works, by their behaviour, more than by their words. Jesus even went on to say at the end, many of those who claim to have prophesied, healed and done wonderful works in his name, ‘And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’ (Mat.7:23) So although many of our church leaders, and us, ‘profess to know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient.’ And wickedness in the church is really rampant to day. In all religions. Too many are subverting its good and honourable intentions, and a lot of it is hushed and covered up, but we all know victims of ungodly behaviour by those whom we look up to. John stated: ‘He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandment is a liar, and the truth is not in him…He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.’ (1 John 2:4,6) Too many of us though Friends, don’t live by that rule. We end up more like Bruh Paul wrote to his other protégé, Timothy. ‘Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim.3:4-5) Yes Friends, from such we should turn away, for they are, ‘Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ (2.Tim.3:7) How sad that they turn out to be also ‘unto every good work reprobate.’ Yes, their good works are disqualified. ‘And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.’ (Acts 1:28) And you can read all those reprobate things in vs.29-32. Oh Friends, please be careful that we don’t fall into that trap of false godliness, else our worthwhile lives and deeds would have all been wasted. Much LOVE!…practice what you preach…as Jesus did.
SCRIP-BITS 