Acts 20:35 I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Paul is speaking to the elders of the church of Ephesus. Paul is reminding them of the […]
Matthew 21:26 But if we shall say, Of Men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
The chief priests and the elders came to Jesus and asked HIM where HE derived HIS authority. Jesus replied that HE would answer their question if they first answered a question for HIM. Jesus asked them where the baptism of John came from, heaven or of man. The priests and elders gathered together and argued among themselves that they could not say from heaven least Jesus revealed that they knew the truth and they did not obey. They also realized that they could not say that it was from man because the people felt that John the Baptist was from God and it was the people who gave them power.
Titus 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
Paul left Titus in Crete. He left Titus there for the purpose of establishing elders to the church in every city. One of the problems in Crete was that the Cretians were known to be liars, own ferocious beasts, and to be gluttons. The Cretians also liked to teach things for the sake of money. Titus was to look for elders who held fast to the faithful word of God, the elders where to not to be lovers of money, and not given to wine. Titus was to establish elders who were faithful to their wife and who had raised faithful children.
Thus, it was clear that the elders of the church have already proved to everyone around them that they were different and that they were not yielding to the things of the world. The elders were in the world but not of the world. These individuals were clearly individuals who had proven that they were different and that over time they had proven that they deserved to be in a position of authority in the church.
In this verse, Titus is being commanded by Paul to rebuke the inhabitants of Crete sharply for their wickedness. Paul understood that until individuals realized that they were sinners and corrupt, they would not in a position where they could hear the truth of the gospel of Christ and be established in the faith. Paul understood the sins that the Cretians were quick to yield to and he desired that Titus attack the problem head on. Titus was not to beat around the bush but to inform the people of their cancer. By dealing with the disease, Titus then would be in the position to teach the people the cure.
Mankind is naturally sinful. However, you are to be an example to the world as an individual who is set apart from the world, an individual who is different. You desire the world to know that you are different and also, you need to live your life so that even those in the church understand that you have gone the extra step and have put away from your life those sins that so easily beset those of the world. You are to be different; you are to live your life for HIM. You are to allow HIM to direct your life so that HE is glorified and so that HE is magnified through you.
Because you have demonstrated victory over sin, you are now in the position that you are able to confront sin. Why would the world listen to you as you confront them in your sin if they can see that you also are entangled with the things of this world? If the world sees that you commit even what you consider a small sin, they wonder - if it is obvious to them that you are committing such a trivial sin - what other sins are you hiding. Your life must be lived in such a way as to demonstrate to the world that they can listen to you because you are different; your life is the example that they do not have to live the way they do. They do not have to be slaves to sin but that they can be servants of God.
Your walk talks, and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder then your talk talks. Ensure that your life demonstrates to the world that you are different. If you life tells others that you are different, then they will be more receptive to your confronting their sins and be more wiling to receive Christ into their lives. If you are no different then them, what hope do you have to offer them. Instead, allow God to make a difference in your life so that the world will know that you are an individual of faith.
