But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
-Titus 2:1 (ESV)
There is nothing that comes naturally to us in this new life. Our rebirth as children of God leads us to enter into a new life with a blank slate. We are to put off the old man who has lived within us for so long, so that we may put on the new man who is to be developed and nurtured within us as new creations in Christ.
Sometimes it works. At other times, it just doesn’t work. We fail when we fail to rely upon the Holy Spirit. We tend to not mature as steadily when we focus more on what we will get out of it or gain from it rather than simply submitting to the will of the Spirit. We lose out when we lose sight of the unveiled mysteries that God has revealed to us through His Word and by His Holy Spirit.
Paul admonishes Titus to teach what is “sound doctrine.” In doing so, he shares with Titus how to lead multiple generations in ministry. He offers a strategy for incorporating the people by empowering his people to teach one another in the Christian life.
Titus is to “exhort and rebuke with all authority”(Titus 2:15 ESV). He, as the pastor and spiritual leader of the church, is to lead, guide, direct and provide the means for the older men to minister and mentor the younger men as well as the older women to do the same for the younger women. In essence, according to Paul’s instructions to Titus, everyone has a role to play within the ministry of the church, ministering to each other in unity.
Read Titus 2 in its entirety. Read through it, then study it. See what God asks of us as believers when it comes to ministering to one another. Pray over it. Subject yourself to pastoral authority for the good of all concerned. Do not simply go along to get along. Give of yourself, sharing your experiences and lessons learned. Let God use you to minister to your brothers and sisters so that the entire body of Christ will be strengthened in “sound doctrine.”
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