Titus

Summary
Paul writes instructions to Titus for ordering the church on Crete.
Appoint elders who have integrity and can successfully oppose false teachers.
Teach everyone to be self-controlled and respectful in their roles as slaves, wives, old or young, man or woman.
Put away the old life of hatred, reviling rebellion.
God saved us by His mercy, not by our works.
Avoid divisive dissension, disagreements over minutae, and dividers.
Devote believers to useful good works.


How this is about Jesus
We want to make Jesus look good to others.  In church jargon we call this glorifying God.
The center of this short letter comes at 2:11 after a long list of reminding Titus what to teach Cretan Christians about how to behave.  Verse 10: "so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior."  We want to be like Jesus and make Him look good.  Since He IS good, when we are good we reflect His radiance for a dark world to see.


Application
The ongoing presence of false teaching seeking to enter the church, and sin within believers leaves much work for church leaders like Titus to do!
Churches need leaders to dispel the confusion that false teaching and sinful divisiveness brings.