Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Promote Right Teaching
Benson Babu
Long Island MTC, NY
1 But as for you, teach what is consistent with
sound doctrine.
The unspoken gospel
In the passage above Paul exhorts Titus to instruct his congregation to “promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching,” What does this mean? In essence, Paul is emphasizing to Titus the fundamental relationship between words and actions. The sentence above implies that “right living” is what enhances or supports teaching of the gospel to the group of believers under Titus’ pastoral care. Paul continues to go into detail to describe the conduct both men and women are to maintain in the church and outside. For a moment, one can ask why would this be of great importance to Paul. We don’t see this being presented in some of the other epistles where he expounds on the mysteries of the gospel or where he exposes false doctrines or provides answers to troubling concepts of the Christian faith. We may not know for sure why this is the case, but one thing we can infer from this is that Paul sees the power of actions in everyday life to convince or dissuade someone from learning more about the gospel.
We often wonder where we may have the most influence in showing others the way of the cross. The truth we have a great impact on the people we spend the closest time with. For many of us that is our home and family. Unfortunately, and all too often, the contrast between our faith and actions are what turn off many children or even parents from actively pursuing the way of the cross. Hypocrisy and a failure to even try to emulate the works and character of God, raise questions such as “What’s the point in being a Christian?” and “…you say all these things about being good and worshipping God, but that’s not what I see when you are at home or how you treat so-and-so?” In fact, this very duplicity is what turns many people off more than you think and is one of the most profound arguments used against Christianity by atheists and skeptics and a vital question asked by many seekers of truth and understanding. The power of harmony in the home is capable of leading people to Christ. It is wrong to assume that just because an entire family goes to church or engages in spiritual activities, that the entire family has a living active relationship with God. It’s what occurs inside the home and the actions associated with which demonstrate whether or not a family is truly in sync with God.
Paul encourages Titus to actively teach this in the church, which is the central place for disseminating the truths of the Word of God. The church must become a beacon of communicating the Word of God. However, he follows up to say, “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. “ However, it’s not only essential to communicate the truth. It is expected that those who are in leadership are living out this truth. At home, it’s important for the respective authority figures act out the values taught because according to the Paul that is what validates the truths taught.
It’s important to share Christ openly whenever you have the opportunity and explain to the seeking world the essence of our faith. But the truth is that we continue speaking even when our mouths are closed; our actions are able to speak a million times over our voices. The more cognizant we are of that, the better we are able to share the good news of Christian faith. And sometimes, the greatest change can be created in your own home because often that’s where we spend most our day and night.
The unspoken gospel
In the passage above Paul exhorts Titus to instruct his congregation to “promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching,” What does this mean? In essence, Paul is emphasizing to Titus the fundamental relationship between words and actions. The sentence above implies that “right living” is what enhances or supports teaching of the gospel to the group of believers under Titus’ pastoral care. Paul continues to go into detail to describe the conduct both men and women are to maintain in the church and outside. For a moment, one can ask why would this be of great importance to Paul. We don’t see this being presented in some of the other epistles where he expounds on the mysteries of the gospel or where he exposes false doctrines or provides answers to troubling concepts of the Christian faith. We may not know for sure why this is the case, but one thing we can infer from this is that Paul sees the power of actions in everyday life to convince or dissuade someone from learning more about the gospel.
We often wonder where we may have the most influence in showing others the way of the cross. The truth we have a great impact on the people we spend the closest time with. For many of us that is our home and family. Unfortunately, and all too often, the contrast between our faith and actions are what turn off many children or even parents from actively pursuing the way of the cross. Hypocrisy and a failure to even try to emulate the works and character of God, raise questions such as “What’s the point in being a Christian?” and “…you say all these things about being good and worshipping God, but that’s not what I see when you are at home or how you treat so-and-so?” In fact, this very duplicity is what turns many people off more than you think and is one of the most profound arguments used against Christianity by atheists and skeptics and a vital question asked by many seekers of truth and understanding. The power of harmony in the home is capable of leading people to Christ. It is wrong to assume that just because an entire family goes to church or engages in spiritual activities, that the entire family has a living active relationship with God. It’s what occurs inside the home and the actions associated with which demonstrate whether or not a family is truly in sync with God.
Paul encourages Titus to actively teach this in the church, which is the central place for disseminating the truths of the Word of God. The church must become a beacon of communicating the Word of God. However, he follows up to say, “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. “ However, it’s not only essential to communicate the truth. It is expected that those who are in leadership are living out this truth. At home, it’s important for the respective authority figures act out the values taught because according to the Paul that is what validates the truths taught.
It’s important to share Christ openly whenever you have the opportunity and explain to the seeking world the essence of our faith. But the truth is that we continue speaking even when our mouths are closed; our actions are able to speak a million times over our voices. The more cognizant we are of that, the better we are able to share the good news of Christian faith. And sometimes, the greatest change can be created in your own home because often that’s where we spend most our day and night.
PRAYER
Jesus, help us to
realize that we continue speaking even when our mouths are closed. Let our
unspoken words reflect you just as much as our spoken ones. Amen.
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.
. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.