Tag: christ

Teach the Truth (Titus 1:1)

This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. 3 And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.

Titus 1:1-3 NLT
A teacher in a classroom

Let’s see if we can complete verse one today… to catch up on previous posts, have a look at – A Slave of God and Sent One.

We have seen that Paul introduces himself as both a slave of God and an apostle, who has been sent to proclaim faith to the chosen people of God. His mission goes beyond proclamation however, and also involves teaching.

This letter is from Paul, a slave of #God and an apostle of #Jesus #Christ. I have been sent to proclaim #faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. Titus 1:1 NLT #Bible

Part of Paul’s ministry was to teach people the truth about God, and to show them how to live godly lives. If we teach in any form, then this should be our ambition also.

Teaching the truth should be obvious, and yet we see countless examples of those who would teach something else entirely. Teaching falsehood can happen for a number of reasons, and not all of them malicious. Some teach out of ignorance, other pass on falsities they themselves have heard, and still others teach what they think will most benefit themselves.

I have no doubt that I have taught an untruth in my time… not through the means of personal gain, but instead because I misunderstood something in God’s Word and passed it along. Here and now, let me sincerely apologise for this, and please know that I endeavour to teach the full truth of God, and not my own version of it.

We who teach must live to higher standards, as James advises us, but must also be lifelong learners. No one reads the Bible once and has it all down and understood. It can take years of study to just get to the point of asking the right questions, and there are no shortcuts.

If you teach, take it seriously. A teacher must also always be a student of the Bible.

If you teach, take it seriously. A teacher must also always be a student of the Bible.

What do we teach? We teach the way to live godly lives. This is key. If our teaching does not inspire our audience to want to, and succeed in, living a holy life, then we need to consider our approach carefully. Our teaching may get applause, it may attract criticism, or it may lead to genuine repentance and the fruit of a changed life. Above all else, our teaching should draw people to God and it should instruct them on replacing sinful ways with godly behaviour.

What does godly behaviour look like? How do we spot a godly life over an ungodly one? Again, Paul helps us here with many of the points he will make in this letter. He will go on to tell us what our lives should look like, and things we should avoid. This is in the context of appointing deacons/elders in the church, but as I said before, even if we desire no such role or ministry, we can still strive for the  same standards.

That brings us to the end of verse one, and I hope you do not think I’m going too slowly here. These are important words which set up the entirety of the letter, and I do not want you to miss even one bit of it. Having said that, perhaps we’ll try to get through both verses two and three next time!

Thanks for reading.

Sent One (Titus 1:1)

This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. 3 And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.

Titus 1:1-3 NLT
A sign sending you the right way

In yesterday’s post – A Slave of God – we thought about Paul’s opening words in the letter of Titus. Today we continue on that same line.

Paul identifies himself not only as a slave of God, but also as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is an apostle? There are a few different definitions actually, and the one most commonly used is to describe the group who first took the Christian message into the world. These were mainly the disciples of Christ, and of course, Paul himself. Many of them had seen the Risen Lord.

One definition I once heard is that apostle means “Sent One.” I like that, and it has always stuck with me. Hence the name of today’s post I suppose!

If Paul is indeed a “sent one,” then what has he been sent to do? The NLT translation makes it abundantly clear. He has been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen.

In many respects, all who minister in God’s Word are called to do this. Whether you write a blog, pastor a church or teach a small group, you are proclaiming faith to God’s people. A proclamation is a public announcement of some kind, and in this case, an announcement of the Good News of Jesus.

Sometimes when I sit and write a blog post, it is not easy. I read the Scripture, think about what God might want me to say and often tie myself in knots. Proclaiming faith is not complicated however, and nor should it be. It is not something that only top theologians can do, nor do you need a doctorate or ordination. I’m not against such things I hasten to add, but let us not disqualify ourselves from stating the simple truth of the Gospel to the world that desperately needs it.

If “apostle” means “sent one,” then where is God sending you? #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

I cannot gloss over the little note that Paul adds. He is proclaiming faith to those God has chosen. This touches on the theology of sovereignty, and makes us ask if it is God’s choice, does that remove our own freedom? You often hear people talk of “free will,” but you will not find that phrase in the Bible itself. While there are choices we can make, we must ask ourselves what really drives them. Without straying into philosophy here, what makes you decide to choose option A over B? If you lived a different life, experienced different things or happened to be born in another part of the world, would you still choose A over B? Hard to say…

The point is, when we are trapped in sin, we cannot choose God. As fallen and sinful creatures, there is nothing in us that wants anything of God. In order for us to be saved, He must choose us. Indeed, God did so before the foundation of the world. If we follow Christ, then we are the elect, and God has adopted us into His family. We can claim no credit for this, but instead rejoice in the truth that God did it all for us.

Is God sending you to proclaim faith to His people? That may not mean you boarding a plane and travelling to some far off land, as God’s chosen people might be just around the corner. If God sends you, then proclaim faith in your words and deeds. Do not say the words and fail to live the life.

Proclaim faith with your words and deeds. Do not preach the words and fail to live the life #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

Still more to come on Titus 1:1 another day! God bless you

A Slave of God (Titus 1:1)

This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. 3 And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.

Titus 1:1-3 NLT
Chains

Over the last couple of months, I have been thinking about the letter of Titus, and primarily focussing on the first chapter.

This letter is one of the pastoral epistles, and is written by Paul to a man named Titus. I need give you little more introduction than that, as I think the text itself is largely self-explanatory.

Paul, as is his custom, gives his name and then a brief description of himself. The first thing he says is “a slave of God.” It is all too easy to just skim over these words and move into the “meat” of the letter, yet we often miss important things if we do so.

This word “slave” is often translated as “servant” as it is more acceptable to our modern ears. Slavery, historically, was a dreadful thing and people treated as commodities in most cases. Paul is a servant indeed, but I wonder how he would feel about swapping out the word “slave” for “servant?” I suspect Paul might prefer the former. I would wager that Paul would be a glad slave of God.

If I had to be a slave, then I would gladly be the slave of our gracious God.

If I had to be a slave, then I would gladly be the slave of our gracious God. #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

As a slave, we live entirely to please our master. We surrender everything that we have, our freedoms, our privileges, our belongings, and all that we are, to the one in charge over us. To be enslaved to a sinful human master is terrifying and dreadful, but when we come under the Lordship of the unendingly good God of the Bible, there is little distinction between slavery and servanthood.

What price can be put on a human life? Slaves are purchased for but a few coins, as no amount of money can equate to the cost of a person’s freedom. God had indeed purchased us, but not in earthly currency, but in the shed blood of His Own Son – Jesus Christ.

God is without sin, and therefore neither under its curse nor liable for its penalty. He is perfect and holy. We cannot begin to fathom this, in our limited human state, tainted by sins effects. His purity exceeds ours by unimaginable degrees. I say all of this to remind us that if God is indeed that holy, then we cannot comprehend the cost of giving up His Son on our behalf. The price He paid for us is beyond reasonable, and is only explained by the magnitude of His love.

When we look at it like this, surrendering our lives to Him seems absolutely nothing in comparison. It makes me a willing slave, if that is not a contradiction.

What do slaves of God actually do? Earthly slaves prepare meals, clean house or clothes, and run errands for their master. Slaves to God are not required cook or clean, not for their Master at least, so what do they actually do?

This letter, at least in part, will help us answer that question. Paul gives instructions about what an elder or deacon should be like, and even if we are not called to such an office, we can still conduct ourselves in like manner.

Slaves of God put their Master’s needs ahead of their own #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

In conclusion, slaves of God put their Master’s  needs and wants ahead of their own. Slaves do not gossip when their Master wants them to encourage. Slaves do not steal pens from work or surf the web all day, but instead work hard to please their Master and use their pay to give to the work of the Gospel. Slaves do not watch things they shouldn’t on TV, nor should they give in to the temptation of temper, bad language, pride or selfishness. Instead, they serve the Lord with gladness, devoting themselves to prayer and Bible study, and living a life distinctly different to the rest of the world.

Do we do this perfectly? I certainly do not! And I’m humbled by my own words. If you do, then let me know your secret…

Still, we strive on, pressing towards holiness in the strength of God, and we rely on Jesus to change us one day at a time into His likeness.

Slaves have no choice, and for the Christian truly transformed by encountering Jesus, they have little choice either. We cannot comprehend the depths of the Good News without surrendering all we have and are to our wonderful Father.

More on Titus in the days to come, and hopefully we’ll get to the end of verse one! Have a blessed day!

Live the Love Life

In yesterday’s post – God is good – I shared how God had reminded me of His goodness, and that I was encouraging us all to keep this in mind as we enter into 2023. Keeping a conscious focus on God’s goodness will do wonders in our lives, and – I believe – will diffuse worry, amp up our prayer lives and enhance our joy. If God is in charge, and He is good, and He loves us deeply, then we can stand up against anything this world throws at us.

Another thing that God has reminded me of over the last few days is to be loving. In a way, it is kind of a shame that God had to bring this to my attention! Surely I should already be living and acting in a loving manner, right? Well yes, I do try… but in many respects I am quite an introvert and so effervescent acts of love and kindness do not always spring forth naturally from me. That is no excuse though, and I (and perhaps you too?) need to desire and discipline ourselves to act lovingly towards others.

A pair of feet walking… To signify walking in love.

Live the Love Life

The Bible reminds us that:

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of #love, just as #Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to #God. Eph 5:1-2 #Bible

God is not asking us to do anything He is not first doing Himself. We are to follow His example, learning from the way He loves us and applying it in our own lives. Jesus loved us by sacrifice. He gave up His own life and comfort so that you and I might go free. While, in most cases, you will not be expected to give up your life unto death, living the love life will require some kind of sacrifice. This is “dying to self…” and means that sometimes we go without so that others can go ahead of us.

Note the verse above instructs us to walk in love. This command is not a one-time thing. We do not love once, and tick the box. Instead it is something we do day-by-day, step-by-step. Walking in love rarely requires some grand gesture. It is often the frequent but smaller acts that really count.  Bringing your spouse a hot drink, picking up the litter/garbage from the street on your daily walk, leaving a room in a better state than you entered it, or a simple note or text message of encouragement are all examples.

Put on love

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, #kindness, humility, gentleness and #patience Col 3:12 #Bible #Jesus

More wisdom from Paul here, and words I cannot hope to add to.

Notice once again that Paul points out that we are dearly loved children. God is not expecting us to give out what we have not first received. We love because we have been loved by God.

Compassion, humility, kindness, patience etc are all reminiscent of the Fruit of the Spirit, and are all subsets of love. If we want to know what love looks like, then it looks like these fruits. 1 Corinthians 13 is the famous passage on love, and clearly shows that love is… not rude, patient, kind, does not envy and so on. If you see these characteristics in your life, then you can be assured that you are living in a loving way.

Paul tells us to “put on love.” This is a definite action – a choice we make. This is the conscious choice I need to make each day and even each hour. A shirt won’t jump on my body all by itself, and so, similarly, neither will love. I must put it on intentionally.

Let each of us clothe ourselves with love and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let our love so shine forth in our homes, places of work, communities and churches that no one can doubt who we serve. Let us live love life for all to see.

Going for Godliness #SundaySuggestion

This year begins on a Sunday so I am kicking off the year with a Sunday Suggestion.

One of the most popular posts of last year was – Go for a Goal – which was another Sunday Suggestion. I could launch 2023 with a similar theme, but I am sure you will hear enough about New Years’ Resolutions in the coming days. Instead, let me ask you – how ought you to live your life as a Christian in 2023?

Peter, in his second letter, talks of the end of all things. He says this:

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

2 Peter 3:11 NIV

Peter instructs that as all things will end one day, we ought to live our lives in holy and godly ways.

These words are in reference to the end of the world or the last days, and we could spend much time discussing if we are indeed in the last of the latter times. We certainly see many signs that Jesus warned us of, and yet every generation believed itself to be the final one. Two things are for sure; 1) we are closer to the end than we were yesterday, and 2) life is short and last days or not, each of us could find ourselves standing before the Lord a lot sooner than we ever thought possible.

Given this, it is all the more vital that you and I live holy and godly lives. My suggestion for you today, and for this entire year, is to go for godliness.

What is godliness, and how do we go for it?

What is #godliness? How can we be #holy? #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

Godliness and holiness are close cousins. To be holy is to be set apart for a specific purpose – namely, to serve God. Godliness is to be like God in character, and to think and act in accordance with His will.

This is not easy for us to achieve, and impossible in our own strength. Only through constant study of God’s Word and fellowship with Him and His Spirit can we ever hope to act in a godly manner. Our born-again heart might be new, but we wrestle with our sinful nature and conquer it through prayer and the renewing of our minds.

Going for godliness is to put God first in your life, and to prioritise Christian practices over the things of this temporary world. Watching TV  is not wrong, nor is any of your hobbies, but if they replace your fellowship with Christ, then you will never be able to live as you ought.

It is not something you can do overnight, and in fact, will take effort each and every day of 2023. You do not go it alone, as you have the continual comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of believers who travel  with you.

Decide today to made 2023 the most godly year of your life to date. Put God first, and live in accordance with the Scriptures and in line with the Gospel. Pray for me as I do the same, and let us each look forward to the coming of our Lord – sooner or later.

God bless you this year!

God’s Glory or Your Comfort? – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

This was one of my most read Pearls of Wisdom from this year.

I hope you enjoy reading it again tody

Pearls of Wisdom God’s number one goal is NOT to make you comfortable Some Christian TV channels are great, but not all of their content lines up with Scripture. You do have to be discerning. If you tune in to the wrong show or preacher, you might be misled into thinking that God’s number one…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/01/19/gods-glory-or-your-comfort/

Poor Little Fig Tree – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

On Tuesday, I wrote a post entitled Anything, which looked at the awesome power of prayer. Yesterday, I shared a post called – A Fig Tree – which picked up that theme, and was written by the excellent blogger Bruce Cooper. Some comments on these posts highlighted to me that many do not fully understand…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/06/23/poor-little-fig-tree/

This Sunday at Church: Give a book on the Incarnation or the Birth of Christ (RB)

Another excellent idea here, sharing this one with you today. Enjoy!

This Sunday at Church I want to encourage you to do the following: Give a book on the Incarnation or the Birth of Christ. This idea isn’t just only …

This Sunday at Church: Give a book on the Incarnation or the Birth of Christ

Christmas- Celebrating The King Who Brings Healing

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,    because the Lord has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the …

Christmas- Celebrating The King Who Brings Healing

One Way – Andy Brown (RB)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (ESV) We take another little break from the ATBOB series to think about something I feel is important for us to discuss. The other evening, I caught an episode of…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2018/05/24/one-way/

Prayer and Sovereignty – Andy Brown

If God is sovereign, then what is the purpose of prayer? Why do we pray at all?

Today I share an article I wrote a few years ago, trying to address this very subject.



A couple of years ago, I was challenged about my view of God’s Sovereignty. I once believe that He did not control all things, but rather had delegated some control (for want of a better term) to humankind. Yet, a careful look at the Bible made me question this view, and ultimately dismiss it. God…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2020/07/14/prayer-and-sovereignty/

Serving Christians (Psalm 100 #2) – Andy Brown

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!2     Serve the Lord with gladness!    Come into his presence with singing!3 Know that the Lord, he is God!    It is he who made us, and we are his;[a]    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,    and his…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2021/05/20/serving-christians-psalm-100-2/