Establishing Biblical Church Leadership

(Titus 1)
I. INTRODUCTION
General Opening
-We begin a new book today and it is the Pastoral Epistle of Paul to Titus
-A letter of instruction from the Apostle Paul for Titus (v. 4), a young pastor, he is Greek (non-Jew) and he helped
Paul in several missions outreaches (Corinth, Dalmatia, Philippi GQ)
-In this letter he is tasked to oversee the young Christian churches in the island of Crete, east of the Mediterranean
in Greece (v. 5); about twice the area of Cebu Island
-Often remembered with Timothy as among Paul’s faithful “sons in the faith”

Why is this book important for us today?

-there is only one pastor in the PM service
-we are not all church leaders

-PONDER: we will not appreciate this book if we look at the church as simply another organization
-with a few people calling the shots, and making programs, and plans and the rest of us simply following behind
-BUT, church is not like any human organization, it is the BODY OF CHRIST a community/family of men and
women, young and old, rich and poor, Filipino, Japanese, New Zealander (all nationality) who have one thing in
common
-a realization by grace of their utter sinfulness, and the reality of eternal judgment because of their sins, of
their powerlessness to save themselves, and so they placed their trust in JESUS who is the only one who
can save them from their dire situation, reconcile them to God and grant them eternal life
-this is church a community of saved sinners all following hard after the Savior
-yes we have pastors and leaders and elders and deacons but like everyone else they are also saved sinners
delegated by the Savior with added tasks of shepherding other saved sinners so that together they will
follow hard after our One Savior
-PONDER: I opened with this so that we will not make the mistake of thinking that church is only for the leaders and
the full-time workers and the pastors WE are the church
-in the next three weeks, as we go through TITUS, we will be challenged to examine our community
-BEC. Titus will give a glimpse of how a local congregation should look like in different areas:

Outline of the Book (Broad strokes)

Titus 1: Leadership, Dealing with false teachers (cf. 3:10-11)
Titus 2: Teaching (What and How), Discipleship, Christian Living
Titus 3: Community Testimony, Good Works and Gospel-centeredness

Historical Background
-Paul (3rd Missionary Journey from Ephesus) back to Jerusalem (arrested by the Jews; Acts 19-23)Caesarea
He was tried and Paul appealed to Caesar in Rome (Acts 25:11-12) house arrest in Rome for 2 years (1st
time; cf. Acts 28:30; 2 Timothy 4:16-17) released for a timewe see from the epistles (Titus and 1 Timothy;
go beyond the book of Acts) that Paul went on to a 4th Missionary Journey included CRETE (Setting)
Paul left Titus to this island to continue the work, oversee the growth, deal with the issues of the church as
he continued his missionary journey

Outline of the passage

-so, Titus is in Crete and he receives Paul’s letter with instructions on how he should oversee the Cretan church
-(Read v. 5) The letter begins with a command to set up Biblical church leadership in Crete because of the lack of
godly elders and the proliferation of false teachers How should Titus do this? How should we ensure Biblical
church leadership in DCBC?
1. Acknowledge God’s Leading (vv. 1-4)
2. Appoint Godly Elders (vv. 5-9)
3. Admonish Deceivers (vv. 10-16)
II. BODY
A. Acknowledge God’s Leading (vv. 1-4)
POINT: Recognize that our ministry belongs to God. He is sovereign over it and ordains its fate for His glory! Thus,
we must begin with Him, seek direction from Him and aim for Him as we establish Biblical church leadership
PROOF: Look at how Paul acknowledged God:  a very rich greeting (vv. 1-4) Paul understands that ministry is
wholly from the Lord, for the Lord, empowered by the Lord to help the Lord’s people grow 3 questions
1. From and for whom is this ministry? (v. 1 read part)
a. Servant (Gk. Slave) of God
b. Apostle (Gk. representative, sent-out one) of Jesus Christ
Point: His ministry, and by extension Titus’ ministry—every ministry—is given by the Lord and so must be
dedicated back to the LORD, for His glory NOT for any particular individual or local church or personal
ambition. It is for the Lord.

2. For what is this ministry? (vv. 1-3)… read vv. 1-2

a. For the sake of the faith of God’s elect
-that is, he ministers, so that God’s people will believe and will grow in their faith
b. For the sake of their knowledge of the truth
-Faith is born & strengthened By grounding them in the knowledge of God’s truth Scripture
-leading to godliness, greater devotion to God again God is glorified
c. In hope of eternal life
-that is, Paul ministers that together with him, God’s people will also fix their eyes on eternity
-Which is not a human invention(read v 2 con’t) promised by God (who never lies) from ages past
-Which we know(read v. 3) When the Gospel is preached we know and believe Jesus we see
eternity this glorifies God!
Point: This ministry is for the faith of God’s people, to ground them in the knowledge of the truth, in the
hope of eternal life for the glory of God

3. By what is this ministry? (v. 4)

-What power fuels this ministry? We get an answer in Paul’s greeting to Titus. He said… (read v. 4)
-this ministry is dependent on the grace and peace of God the Father and Christ Jesus, our Savior

Point: even the purpose of his ministry, and the power behind the ministry is full of recognition and
acknowledgment of God the Father, of Jesus our Savior
-It’s from this vantage point that Paul wants Titus to begin overseeing the church in Crete
-from God’s perspective, submissive to God’s desires, dependent on God’s strength, for the good
of God’s people for His glory

Practice: This is the same place where we should begin as we fulfill our ministry individually and
corporately as a church
-We should be always asking: What does God want for DCBC? How will God be most glorified in
DCBC? In our church events and programs? In our meetings? In our conversations?
-When we choose leaders, we ask: Who will singularly focus on the Lord’s renown? Who would be
like John the Baptist who said, “I must be less and Jesus must be more and more?”  if we find
these people, we must choose them to lead us

RESTATE: So, we see that before Paul lays down commands to help Titus oversee the church in Crete, he calls him
to acknowledge God’s leading, that is to remember that the things he is about to do MUST be for God,
empowered by God and aiming for God’s glory!
-This must be our attitude not just in establishing church leadership but in every step of our Christian faith!
 PONDER: Friends, do you ask those questions as you make life decisions? What does God want? How will He be
glorified? Do you ask them in the face of challenges? What does God want? How will He be glorified?  As
we lead the church? Or everyday when we open our eyes What does God want? How will He be glorified?
TRANSITION: We don’t just acknowledge God’s leading…in a more practical sense, to establish Biblical church
leadership we need to…

B. Appoint Godly Elders (vv. 5-9)

POINT: There are three areas by which to judge the godliness of elders—their family life, community conduct and
Biblical foundations. We need to test candidates on these grounds to ensure Biblical leadership in the church.
PROOF:
(v. 5) As we have said earlier, Paul left Titus to Crete to oversee the churches there. We read two commands:
1. Put what remained into order the unfinished work mainly refers to the organization of the young
churches in Crete
PROBLEM: How do we know that they are new? strongest evidence is the omission of the
requirement of not being new converts for church elders that is present in 2 Timothy?

2. Appoint elders in every town

Word Study: Elder- individuals charged with spiritual oversight and leadership of a local church
(Acts 14:23; 20:17; 1 Tim. 5:17)
:used interchangeably with overseer (v.7 and 1 Tim 3:2-7) [RSB]
- overseer emphasizes the duty of watching over the congregation (Hebrews 13:17) [CSB]
:overseer, pastor, elder, bishop all refer to the same office in the NT shepherds of God’s flock
:SO the qualification of elders in Titus is also a qualification for pastors/overseers of the church
:let us examine them…

(vv. 6-9) At first glance, vv. 6-9 seem to be just a random list of qualities for godly elders, but they can actually
be grouped into three: And this list mirrors another one in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 (read 3 groups first)

1. Godliness at home (v. 6) (begin with appoint elders…)

a. Above reproach: does not mean "without sin" but refers to having a good standing in the
community to both Christians and non-Christians, not having any scandalous image [RSB]

b. Husband of one wife: literally one-woman-man, that is a prohibition from marital infidelity
PROBLEM: Are single men prohibited from taking on the position of overseers? No! Because
Barnabas and Paul himself are single during their ministries (1 Cor 7:8; 9:5-6) [RSB]

c. His children are believers: “Children are believers” is better rendered as, children who are faithful,
that is referring to children who submit to the authority of their father because the focus here is
on the father's management of his family as in 1 Tim 3:4.

PROBLEM: Why should it be translated “children who are faithful?”

-It seems uncharacteristic for the Lord to impose the requirement of salvation when no man can
guarantee the salvation of anyone! ONLY GOD CAN SAVE PEOPLE!
-The focus seems to be the father's ability to govern his household, whether his children are
believers or not
-Of course, we so desire that by the mercy of God his children will believe through their constant
exposure to the Gospel.

d. His children are not charged with debauchery or insubordination

-his children are not out of control, or considered a lost cause (unsavedness)
-they know how to submit, are not defiant against duly-appointed authorities (parents)

Why this qualification?

 -1 Timothy 3:4-5 gives us a good insight how can a man manage the church if he cannot even manage
his home as head of the family?

PRACTICE: I know of churches that would interview the children of candidate elders/pastors separately to
find out how their fathers manage their homes helps the congregation decide!

-if you are children of pastors, elders, overseers, it may be hard at times because your parents are
divided between your family and the church if anything, rebellion just to get their attention is never
a good course open the channels of conversation, let them know if you’re pressured, share your
thoughts and emotions so that you can understand one another better

PROBLEM: egalitarianism and complementarianism

2. Christ-likeness in conduct (vv. 7-8)

a. Above reproach- we see it here again, and the elder is interchanged with overseer (steward,
caretaker of God’s flock)
-this seems to be a guidepost, or even a blanket characteristic that summarizes all the other
qualities enumerated in each section good standing, not scandalous (church, community)

Negative qualities
b. Not arrogant:  
-always overvaluing oneself and looking to oneself much higher than one ought to
-wants to prove himself as superior than others

c. Not quick tempered

-magagalitin, inclined or prone to anger
-no reign over his emotions in anger

d. Not a drunkard
-drunkenness (1 Tim 3:3) clearly a sin
-being drunk causes one to lose all restraints quarrelsome, w/o self-control

PROBLEM: Is drinking alcohol wrong? drunkenness is wrong (Eph 5:18), but drinking per se is
not prohibited provided that: i.) it does not lead to addiction (1 Cor 6:12), ii.) It does not cause
others to stumble (1 Cor 8:13) and esp for leaders; iii.) It does not cause us to be seen as
reproachful (not in good standing, scandalous, disapproved) among believers and unbelievers

e. Not violent
-striker, brawler
-no reign over his actions in anger

f. Not greedy for gain

-idolatry or love of money (v.11; 1 Tim 6:5, 10)
-fond of dishonest gain

Positive qualities
g. Hospitable
-lover of strangers, opening their homes to people; friendly to foreigners or to non-Christians,
accommodating because we want them to believe

h. Lover of good
-friend of what is good, "loving what is intrinsically good; lover of what God loves" [Biblehub];
Practice: prayer, fellowship, Bible study, worship
 i. Self-controlled
-sound mind, temperate, modest,
- "acting in God's definition of balance"
- "a man who does not command himself, but rather is commanded by God”  lives out the Word

j. Upright
-just, rendering to each his due according to God’s standard of justice

k. Holy
- devout, having a right relationship with God, one beloved by God, observes God’s moral decrees

l. Disciplined
-sober-minded, “mastered from within,” has self-restraint

PRACTICE:
i. Who will pass this high standard? No one on their own strength! That is why we need to remember
grace. We continue to rely on God’s strength and transforming grace as we strive to grow in Christ-
likeness.

ii. Yes, this is a list by which to test candidates for church leadership, but it should also be a list reflecting
what we aspire to becomeif you put this list side-by-side with the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23),
you can see striking similarities summarized in the word Christ-likeness every believer must
aspire for that
-don’t make the mistake of thinking: hindi na lang ako mag-leleader para masmababa ang
requirement sa akinRemember 1 Cor 11:1 an overseer/pastor/elder commands the
Corinthian believers to imitate him as he imitates Christ

iii. As a church, we should be intentional in preparing people for leadership, mentoring them, investing
our lives on them 2 Timothy 2:2 Biblical church leaders don’t grow overnight

iv. As for the rest of us, this is a question to challenge you: “When was the last time you prayed for your
pastor, elders, church leaders?”
-the truth is, we are better at complaining but unwilling to prioritize church life
-we are quick to judge our leaders in their failures but not actively take part in the community life
-not all of us are church leaders but we can help our leaders grow in Christ-likeness by journeying
with them, encouraging them with our lives and supporting them
-they may not often share it but pastoral work, ministry work is often a lonely and difficult job so
let us be ever praying and encouraging of our church leaders

3. Knowledge of Scripture (v. 9)

-hold firm: cleave to (like a husband to his wife) have a very strong bond to what?
-to the trustworthy word, to clear Biblical teachings passed on by the Lord, to the apostles to us
Ponder: not all new things are good! “The old, beaten road is the surest and safest path.”
-Old, tried and tested teachings are often the correct ones rather than novel or modern ideas
-Picture: INC that Jesus is only a man, JW- Jesus is a lower God Arianism (condemned in 325 AD in
the council of Nicaea as heresy/unbiblical) over 1600 years ago!
-beauty of studying church history!

What will he do with this knowledge?

a. Give instruction in sound doctrine
-teach sound doctrine he must be able to teach!
-PROBLEM: Doctrine-often looked down as divisive or too academic or theoretical and not worthy of
our time and focus, a secondary aspect of the Christian life
 -BUT doctrines are the summaries and the expressions of Biblical truths!
-Doctrines are not first written and then proofs are drawn from the Bible. NO!
-Church fathers pored over Scripture and slowly noticed themes and truths that go together which
when grouped are what we call doctrines Christology (Christ); Ecclesiology (church);
Pneumatology (Holy Spirit)
-DBC discipleship manual: “As we believe, so shall we live!”
Picture: What you believe about human sinfulness (Hamartiology) will affect how you
evangelize! What you believe about the Spirit (Pneumatology) can affect how you practice
Spiritual gifts. What you believe about God’s character (Theology) affects your attitude
towards work, study, enemies, ministry etc. (2 Cor 10:15; Rom 12:2)

b. Rebuke those who contradict it

-Rebuke: expose false teachings/teachers and to refute them with the truth of Scripture
-elders and pastors need knowledge of the Word so that they can spot errors because often false
teachings present themselves as Biblical truths, but upon closer inspection are actually errors
-Picture: even ordinary believers, if they are believers will know if something’s amiss in the
teachings because of the testimony of the Holy Spirit in them Ceddie (Baptismal regeneration)
-demands much knowledge, prayer, courage, gentleness hope for repentance and change
-BUT if they refuse, this carries the weight of stopping them from further teaching/leading or even in
extreme cases, excommunicating them for the sake of the truth of God’s Word

PRACTICE: Election ng elders, deacons by December keep and use this list to guide you!

RESTATE: Remember these three qualifications to help us establish Biblical church leadership family life,
community conduct and Biblical foundations.

C. Admonish Deceivers (vv. 10-16)

POINT: This is a continuation of the call to rebuke false teachers with emphasis not only on calling out and
refuting what is wrong BUT also helping them repent and trust Jesus
PROOF:
(v.10) Lays down the reason behind the command to organize Biblical church leadership in Crete
-there are many insubordinate (not submissive to leaders)
-empty talkers (fruitless discussions)
-deceivers
-circumcision party (Judaizers) believe that before you can become a Christian, you need to first
subject yourself to Jewish laws, particularly circumcision
(v. 11) What do we do with them?
-silenced: muzzle or stop the mouth prevent from continuing to teach
-WHY? (continue reading)
1. They upset whole families overthrow/overturn the faith, corrupt the faith of people
2. They peddle the Word of God pinagkakaperahan nila ang ministry
3. They teach what they ought not to error
(v. 12) They prove what one Cretan prophet spoke about their people
-liars
-evil beasts
-lazy gluttons
(v. 13) What do we do with them?  Repetition for emphasis
-rebuke them sharply (severely, with much weight, curtly)
-earlier rebuke carried the idea of revealing their falsehoods and refuting them
-here, the fuller picture of rebuke is in mind not just reveal and refute falsehoods but also to correct
them for the good of the people involved and the church as a whole
-What result does Paul desire? (vv. 13-14)
-they may be sound in the faith: they may become believers!!!
 -not devote themselves to Jewish myths leave behind traditions, Judaizers’ teachings
-leave deceivers and their commands that could lead them astray
PONDER: When we deal with false teachings or teachers, do we include as motive the salvation and even
transformation of the false teachers? Provided of course that they respond in repentance.
-may we always have this fuller view of REBUKE whenever we exercise it not just to show that they are
wrong but to help them move to what is right

PICTURE: INC who texted me after Oplan UPCAT debating with me about the deity of Jesus; nakaka-trigger (me
sa demonyo, mga bulag kayo, nalilihis ang landas, mali mali ang logic)
-I shouldn’t match his arrogance and condescension God allowed me to grieve for his being led astray
-help him see the truth, not just prove him wrong

PROBLEM: How do we know where to draw the line of a repentant false teacher and one who is not? Who must
be welcomed back to the fold and who must be rejected?
-vv. 15-16 is the answer (read) if they are really repentant, if they really turned from falsehood and
embraced the truths of Jesus (purified) it will show in their lives (fruit) believers
-but if they do not, we do not see transformation in their lives, when rebuked they retaliate instead of asking
for forgiveness, they continue and defend the false teachings their profession is just that, a profession
of faith without substance they show that they do not really know God, they are not believers!

PRACTICE: Let us pray for wisdom and discernment so that the truth of the Word of God will never be subverted
here in our church.
-Let us pray for courage and boldness to confront what we know is not in line with clear Biblical teaching, but
always do it with gentleness…
-Let us be like the Bereans and test everything taught, test the teachers to see if these things are so!

III. CONCLUSION

How can we establish Biblical leadership in the church?

A. Acknowledge God’s leading
-This is His ministry so we depend on Him, follow Him and aim for Him

B. Appoint Godly Elders

-Godly at home, Christ-like in Conduct and Knowledgeable in Scripture

C. Admonish Deceivers
-not just expose and refute but also aim to restore, save and transform

Personal Rebuke
-Do we, as DCBC, meet the standard? Do we practice it?
-I am rebuked when I studied Titus because I saw how much we failed in practice to go back to the Bible in many
areas of our church life
-instructions on church leadership is very clear in this book, but it did not immediately occur to me to consult
it when choosing elders and church leaders
-I’ve been suggesting mentorship as a good model for discipleship, not knowing that it’s here in the Titus 2
-We want to start a church plant in Marilao, and I really felt clueless what to do but if I read Titus, the
instructions are clear!
-Again! May we remember that God did not leave us in the dark. He left us with His Word that is truly God-breathe,
useful in teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness
-At least if anything, if we have questions about Biblical Church leadership again, we can run to Titus 1 and apply its
truths!
Challenge: Let our journey through Titus cause us to examine how much we reflect as DCBC what a Biblical church
looks like. And may we be passionate in working to conform more into God’s design for His Body!