THANK GOD FOR FAITHFUL PEOPLE |
|
We now come to the end of the Epistle of Titus. Paul’s “your truly” of his letter to Titus contains a list of names of special friends, as well as parting instructions to Titus and the churches. These friends were men that were being used of God and were faithful servants with him in the Gospel ministry.
As we saw in our last study, in verses 9-11, Paul spoke of those who were unfaithful. He called them “hereticks” in verse 10. Now he speaks of those that were faithful servants and ministers of Jesus Christ.
In my opinion, one of the greatest compliments that could be paid a person is that they are faithful Christians and servants of the Lord. The Bible says of Moses in Hebrews 3:5 that he “verily was faithful in all his house.” That is a great testimony for any Christian.
Paul spoke of himself as a faithful servant in 1 Timothy 1:12: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.”
One of the expectations of Christians and servants of God is that they be faithful. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” One of the goals of our spiritual life ought to be that one day we will hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (cp. Matt 25:23).
King Joao V of Portugal (1689-1750) paid almost a quarter of a billion dollars for the two words "Rei Fidelissimo" (Most Faithful King). The exact sum spent was 234 million dollars and the year was 1741. In exchange for this fantastic sum the king won the right to display these two words in his title. This breathtaking extravagance exhausted all the wealth Portugal had extracted from Brazil up to that time. And when the Most Faithful King died, there was not enough money in the treasury to bury him decently. A public collection was necessary to defray the cost of the royal burial.
The title or testimony of faithfulness cannot be purchased. It is a testimony that is earned and achieved by the kind of life and service you give to the Lord. Again, it ought to be our goal to be found faithful.
In chapter one Paul specifically spoke to ministers. In chapter 2 his focus was on members. As he closes his letter his words are addressed to each. Let’s notice these closing words by first thinking about:
1. FAITHFUL MINISTERS
In verses 12 & 13 Paul mentions four particular ministers, Artemas, Tychicus, Zenas and Apollos. These men were all faithful ministers of the gospel and co-laborers with Paul in the ministry. Let’s look at these four men and see them as:
A) Faithful Men Sent By Paul
Paul speaks of sending “Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus.” Paul is talking about replacements for Titus. Seeing that Paul strongly stressed faithfulness on the part of Titus, it stands to reason that those who he would send to replace Titus would be considered by Paul as faithful men.
It reminds us that God uses faithful people to do His work. Paul would have never considered someone who was not faithful as a replacement for Titus. He knew that God only uses faithful people. If you want God to use you, faithfulness is a prerequisite.
Now, lets look at these two men that Paul was considering as a replacement for Titus. First, there is Artemas. We know nothing about Artemas. His name is most likely a shortened form of the name Artemidoros, means “gift of Artemis.” This suggests that his parents worshipped the Greek goddess Artemas. Here is a faithful minister of gospel that had been saved from a pagan background. He is a testimony of God’s saving power and the new life and Lord that salvation produces.
Many a faithful minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ can testify to a transformation of life by the saving power of Jesus Christ. Some of the greatest preachers I have ever known were rogues before God saved them. However, when they met Jesus He changed their life and now they are preaching the Gospel.
John Newton is a good example of the saving power of the gospel. Newton was a rough, dirty sailor with a foul mouth. He served as a captain of slave-ship and his life was marked by sin and degradation. But then He met the Savior and his life was changed. He became a faithful minister of Jesus Christ. His ministry still touches the lives of Christians Sunday after Sunday. I doubt there is a Sunday without his great hymn Amazing Grace being sung somewhere around the world.
Artemas remind us that God can take unlikely candidates and make them into faithful servants. I don’t care what your past was like; God can take you, make something of your life, and use you for His honor and glory.
The second possible replacement that Paul mentioned is Tychicus. He is mentioned five times in the New Testament. His name means “fortunate” and he was a faithful companion of Paul, as well as a faithful minister. He was with Paul on his missionary journey from Corinth to Asia Minor. He is referred to by Paul as “a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord” (Eph 6:21). In Colossians 4:7 Paul speaks of him not only as a “beloved brother, and a faithful minister,” but also as a “fellowservant in the Lord.” He had been sent to Ephesus as a replacement for Timothy.
Paul’s often reference to him as a “faithful minister” speaks of someone who was dependable and committed to God’s work. Whatever his role in God’s work, he was one who was dependable, trustworthy, and faithful. God uses people who take the work of God seriously. They make God’s work a priority and take serious their responsibilities.
As Christians, whatever our place of service, it deserves and demands our commitment. Thank God for Sunday School teachers that are faithful. Thank God for youth workers, choir members, deacons, soulwinners that are committed to their place and work. That is the kind of people God uses and the kind of people that God expects.
In verse 12 Paul mentions that he will spend the winter at “Nicopolis” and he wants Titus do everything he can to join him. He says to Titus, “be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis.” In the meantime, he is praying about whom to send as a replacement. Whoever, it will be someone who is faithful.
The second two men that Paul mentions are:
B) Faithful Men Sent To Paul
Artemas and Tychichus were men that Paul was considering sending as replacements for Titus. In verse 13 he says to Titus, “Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently.” He now talks about two men that he wants sent to him.
The first that he mentions is “Zenas the lawyer.” As Artemas, we know nothing about Zenas. His name is an abbreviation of Zenadorus which means “gift of Zeus.” This suggests that he had been saved from a pagan background as Artemas. The only thing we really know about him is that he was a lawyer.
I think about a couple of fellows that were walking through a cemetery and came upon a gravestone that read, “Here lies so and so. A good man and a lawyer.” One said to the other, “Well, look here. Two men buried in the same grave.”
A lawyer named Strange died, and his friend asked the tombstone maker to inscribe on his tombstone, "Here lies Strange, an honest man, and a lawyer." The inscriber insisted that such an inscription would be confusing, for passersby would tend to think that three men were buried under the stone. However he suggested an alternative: He would inscribe, "Here lies a man who was both honest and a lawyer." That way, whenever anyone walked by the tombstone and read it, they would be certain to remark: "That's Strange!"
Lawyers are not necessarily a class with a good reputation. A young by asked his father one day, “Dad, does a lawyer ever tell the truth?” The father thought for a moment and said, “Yes, son, sometimes a lawyer will do anything to win a case.”
In the case of Zenas we have a Christian lawyer. Zenas reminds us that God uses people from all walks of life. God can take professional people and use them for His honor and glory. I have met professional people that had a wonderful testimony and witness for Jesus Christ. I praise God for Christian doctors, bankers, lawyers and professional people who are not ashamed of Christ and are witnesses for him.
Zenas also reminds us that no matter what field of employment you are in or what your occupation may be, you can have a Christian testimony, even lawyers. Amen! It matters not what you do, if you are a Christian, you should have a Christian testimony.
The second man that
Paul tells Titus to bring with him is “Apollos.” He is found on
several occasions in the Bible. In Acts 18:24 we read, “And a
certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and
mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew was a great minister and preacher of the Word. When the Bible speaks of him as “and eloquent man” it means that he was a fluent communicator. We would call him an orator. He was “mighty in the scriptures.” He was a great student of God’s Word and very skillful in the communication of the Word.
Apollos reminds that a Christian should be a student of the Bible. As Christians we ought to have a love for the Bible and take time to read and study the Bible. It is sad that Christians by and large have so little knowledge of the Bible.
I think about a list of answers I once came across from students that took a Bible knowledge test:
· The first book of the Bible is Guinessis in which Adam and Eve were created from an apple · Noah's wife was Joan of Ark · Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night · Samson played the Philistines with the axe of the apostles · Moses went to the top of Mt. Cyanide to get the 10 Commandments · The seventh commandment is, "thou shalt not admit adultery" · Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol · Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines · The people who followed Jesus were called the 12 decibels · The epistles were the wives of the apostles · One of the opossums was St. Matthew · Paul preached acrimony, which is another name for marriage · David fought the Finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times · A Christian should have only one wife. This is called monotony
I am not so sure adults would do much better. Like Apollos, every Christian should desire to be a student of the Bible. It is God’s Word. It reveals His plan and purpose for you life. It gives you spiritual guidelines for how to live as a Christian and is the source for all spiritual growth and strength. Therefore, we all should be students, and as Apollos, “mighty in the scriptures.”
Let me say just a word about Paul’s instructions to Titus concerning Zenas and Apollos. In verse 13 he speaks of how “that nothing be wanting unto them.” He is talking about how they were to be cared for so that they lacked nothing. I will not take the time here to enlarge upon this matter, but Paul’s words are a reminder that the Church is to be mindful of the needs of those who preach the Gospel and generous in meeting those needs.
Artemas, Tychichus, Zenas and Apollos; these are four men that were faithful ministers of the Lord Jesus. What a great group of examples for each of us.
Secondly, Paul not speaks about faithful ministers, but he talks about:
2. FAITHFUL MEMBERS
Paul says in verse 14, “And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.” The “ours” speaks of the members of the Church. Paul speaks of members as being:
A) Faithful Workers
Members are “maintain good works.” Maintaining has the idea of faithfulness. Christians are to be workers and they are to be faithful workers.
When Paul speaks of learning to maintain good works, he is talking about how Christians are to learn and come to the understanding that serving God and being a Christian worker is part of the Christian life. Some have the idea that the pastor and church staff are to do the work. They have a work, but they are not the only ones that are to be working. Every Christian is to be a worker.
In fact, Paul speaks of “necessary uses.” He is talking about pressing needs that exist and how Christians are to learn to assist in these pressing needs. The idea is that the needs are so great it is beyond the pastor’s ability to meet those needs. Therefore, members assist and are involved in the meeting of these needs.
When it comes to the work of God everyone is needed. The work is so great that it is impossible for one person (pastor) to meet those needs. Every Christian is to use their spiritual gifts and abilities in God’s work so such needs are met.
Are you a worker? Paul’s words to Titus indicate that every Christian is come to the understanding they are to be workers. I am to work, you are to work and we are to be faithful workers.
Someone has written, “Last Sunday, I voted to close the church. Not intentionally, not maliciously, perhaps, but carelessly, thoughtlessly, lazily, indifferently, I voted. I voted to close its doors that its witness and its testimony might be stopped. I voted to close the open Bible on its pulpit—the Bible that has been given to us by years of struggle, and by the blood of martyrs who died that we might have it to read. For, you see, I could have gone and I should have gone, but I didn't. I stayed away from church last Sunday.”
You could say that if you do not work, you are also casting a vote a close the Church. There are faithful workers, but also Paul speaks of:
B) Fruitful Workers
In verse 14 he speaks of members “that they be not unfruitful.” Faithfulness leads to fruitfulness. Jesus said in John 15:8, “Herein is my Father glorifed, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” Fruitfulness is to characterize the life of the Christian.
I once came across what is called the Christian’s Garden: First, plant five rows of peas: Preparedness, Promptness, Perseverance, Politeness, and Prayer. Next to them plant three rows of squash: Squash Gossip, Squash Criticism, and Squash Indifference. Then five rows of lettuce: Let us be Faithful, Let us be Unselfish, Let us be Loyal, Let us be Truthful, Let us Love One Another. And no garden is complete without turnips: Turn up for Church, Turn up with a Smile, Turn up with Determination.
Some Christian lives are more like a desert than a garden. As Christians we are to live fruitful lives and produce spiritual fruit. The spiritual fruit Paul primarily had in mind is the lives of others. Winning people to Jesus is bearing fruit. Ministering to others and helping them is bearing fruit. Being used of God to help others grow in the Lord is bearing spiritual fruit.
Are you faithful? Are you faithful to God’s work?
Are you fruitful? Is your Christian life bearing spiritual fruit.
Paul closes his letter with verse 15, “All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that loves us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.” He is saying, everyone that is with me, we salute you that are faithful.
Can you be saluted for being faithful? |