PART 3
We are going
to continue with Pauls letter. This young Greek has been left on the island and
he has work to do on behalf on Paul. He was a good Christian. Why do you think
Paul sent Titus with the letter to the Corinthians? Why did he select him?
One of the
other reasons was because Titus was
Greek. And Corinth was in Acacia which
is Greek. So he needed someone who could carry in heart in the context.
Many lessons to learn from that.
He reminds
Titus that he is writing as a servant and as an apostle
Ch1:4
My true
child: If you’ve been around me for a while you may have heard me speak on this
verse “ Timothy my true son in the Lord” One
of the things the modern church has lost is the intimacy of raising leaders.
It has become almost fashionable to base your church on a commercial model. So
even when you into the church in the United States the terminology they use is the
same as a business. He is the “president of the youth group”. I appointed him
etc.
We don’t
know where Paul found Titus but he is able to say to him my true child. The
Greek word is “teknon” i.e It’s the same word you would use to refer to your
child. It’s not some leader that I put
an advert in some Christian magazine and I got him. One of our worship
leaders was “headhunted”. Have we forgotten our Bibles?
Paul produced sons. Paul meets Titus
and sees that God’s spirit is upon him. If I can train him and do the role of a
father to him, provide security, affirmation, belief my resources become yours
then I can birth a spiritual child. Its intimate. Ask a mother who births a child. Isn’t child
birth an incredible thing?? You see the mother when she is handed the baby for
the first time – I this is mine! It’s a part of me. This is the language that
Paul uses
.
Sadly, in many churches most leaders
are just mangers or slaves of the leader. They get given tasks, get measured and held accountable. But not many sons. Paul says you are an
heir to my property. It means all that I own will be his one day.
I have put
this in bold letters in my notes. This
is probably one of our greatest call at present – Yours to count on!!!!
There are so many areas we can go plant churches but we don’t have sons. WE
need to raise and release them. We need
to model life for them and we need to birth these spiritual children in our
churches. Secure, sharing in our inheritance, sharing at the table.
This is the biggest call I believe as
we go forward.
Many years
before in Dihlabeng church we taught on mentoring and discipleship. And we told
everybody find someone to disciple you and you to disciple someone. AS a leader
for us to say someone and say I can help you. For those in leadership if you don’t have five people you are
investing you won’t see those trees being born.
Titus has
been travelling in an apostolic team, seen signs and wonders, churches being
born and suddenly the day comes when Paul says tomorrow we sail but Titus I
want you to stay and finish the work that we have started. Then he gets this
letter from Paul – My true child. I’m sure he just got a letter on a scroll. He
must have felt so good. I belong to
someone. I’m not an orphan or a missionary sent by some organisation.
If you want
to see God’s heart on this see the Transfiguration. Here is Jesus in his true
identity. And then come s those beautiful words: This is my beloved son whom I love, listen to Him. Paul is following a Godly pattern.
Let me say
something to you in India because you have a history here. Your sons and daughters are not slaves. You are there for their success
to make sure that their life is better than your life. There is nothing better.
Your heart swells when they do well.
Grace and peace –
The context of leadership in church
is warfare. It’s like fighting a war like darkness against light.To succeed in what he had to do he
had to have the grace of God. Paul is writing Grace and peace to you – without
it you will not succeed. Paul trusted in
that more than his own presence with Titus. We know what Grace is.
When I was a young believer and joined a
Newfrontiers church you only heard this word Grace all the time. I didn’t know
what it meant. But one through teaching
I understand it’s that favour of God that we are given that we don’t deserve
and can’t earn. Its just God coming and giving his favour to a situation. Titus for you to overcome all you need is
the grace of God or you will be in trouble. Ministry is like that. Sometimes
I feel like Peter stepping on out onto water. I call this the panic zone because
unless God is in it I am going down. Church planting is like that. We want
God’s favour and grace upon us.
We are in a supernatural battle
therefore we need supernatural favour. The devil wanted to sift Peter but Jesus protected him. The grace of God kept him. How many times
we have been protected by the grace of God!
Band of
brothers is a TV series I like – It’s about a Platoon of GI soldiers who come to rescue
Europe from the Nazi’s. The captain is a paratrooper dropped behind enemy
lines. This captain and his soldiers are going into a battle situation where
the odds of survival are very low. They are in a bad state. These two
commanders one leaving and one arriving. They meet and the guy leaving says
Captain do you realize that when you are up there you will be totally surrounded.
Captain Winters replies, Sir we are
paratroopers. WE are meant to be surrounded.
“I am a church planter. Its meant to be
tough. I am taken ground from the enemy. I am working with broken people
who think sexual immorality is ok. We
need to rediscover that passion that comes from working with the grace of God.
Paul knows that Titus has got to be robust.
Jesus tells
the story that he is the good shepherd and not a hired hand. So when the wolves
come you won’t run away. We need to get
to the point where we see struggles as blessings where they teach us things and
put strength into us.
This is a prophetic moment
now
Verse 5 – this
is why I left you in Crete … These words
spoke to me more from this whole book. If
we are to fulfill our mandate to plant new testament church across the world we
will have to leave people behind in difficult situations.
Donna wrote
I booked a ticket to Burundi. I have been warned by my government, leaders and friends
that I should not go there because they are on the brink of civil war. But God
has told me to go. What do you think? What can I say? We had to send her off
and pray. The pictures start coming. She is doing an apostolic work.
As we go
forward and we leave from here we will have to send people and leave them in areas.
If we have to do that then we need to
build a culture of being left. There are many church planters in this room so I
don’t need to explain how lonely it is.
It is not
easy to be left. If you like write sent.
Its starts with sending and then leaving.
Those who are sent are usually in a very dynamic church situation. You send
your best and they have to leave fabulous community. You are used to having
people around you. The sounds are different. The smells. All you have is some
promises that we are praying for you. You have been left to finish a work. Loneliness
is a massive enemy. When we went Clarence the loneliness being in the country.
Its costly. The family ask why do you want to go there? We will disown you.
My longing
is that we will be an apostolic people group where we all are caught up in
mission.
The Moravians
in the 1800s – qualified people felt called to go to the slaves that were being
forcibly taken out of Africa. So they sold themselves as slaves in order to
reach the slaves. After a week or two you can’t buy yourself out. This was for life!!! The early missionaries
that came to countries like yours packed their belongings in coffins.
If we are to
be a people group that follow God, we will leave people behind. Paul like Jesus
entrusted this task to the young Greek.
What is my definition of being left?
Mums and
dads. Leaders, sending your best. Your loved ones. The mark of an Apostle is
that they open up new things and then entrust it to others. They open something up get the basic foundation in place and then get
a Titus to take it forward.
How do you succeed if you are one of
those left ones?
This is so
important. I wish I knew this earlier.
1.You want a clear calling from God. You
must have your own calling. You may ask people to do something but ask them to
seek God as well.
2.Promises that confirm that you need
to be there and why you are there. There will be days when you will wake up and think, what
have I done? Why did I leave that church, why did I leave that business, why
did I leave my family? When they ask are you sure you heard God correctly. You
should be able to say, because God said not because Steve or Franco etc.
That is what
its meant to be an apostolic people sent by God not by Head office.
3 Courage – we need to teach on courage.
Caleb and Joshua. Men of courage. Esther women of courage. You need courage to
do the work of God you need to press through and deal with some things.
4. Biblical conviction. Simon Petit one of
our leaders and great friend. I was talking to him about doing something. He asked
me whether I had biblical/scriptural confirmation as to whether I should do it.
In front of my Bible I have written. This is from UK and Master Builders. You will
change wells into springs.
When things get
though you can go back to scripture. Scripture has a way of lift us up. Comfort
means to fortify. Terry Vigo taught me this. I’ll send you a Comforter – he
is not a cuddly blanket. That is the work of the spirit. He reminds you that you
have some muscle. And if you don’t have He has real muscle to carry you and
fortify you. That is what Scripture does.
Bill Hyble teaches all leaders to
have life verses. Find verses that you know your life is founded on. These pile ons that you have in
India. Big concrete /steel that is put into the ground. Your life verses as
like that concrete footing. When you feel wobbly you go back to them and find
comfort. For me Ps 84 is my one.
5. Prayer support and encouragement. If
you have to survive being left you want prayer support and encouragement. I
spoke about encouragement yesterday. We
need to become excellent at encouraging others. Just going up and saying “Donald
you did so well today” You are doing so well up North. Not flattery. I’ll give
you an example – “Franco you look good with a beard!!!”. Encouragement!! When I
was at Gateway on Friday I told them don’t forget your son and daughter from
here. Pankaj and Tressa.
6. You need friends- Those who believe
with you. Those who understand why you laid so much down. If you are a friend
to someone else don’t forget them.
Our first Christmas
on our own. We had just planted out in November. This box arrived a big one.
The whole church in Cape Town has bought presents for us. You need friends that
will keep you.
We will see
how Titus looked after Paul.
7. Spiritual Discipline – In the last
session I said Many church leaders are lazy. I’m sorry. This is what I most
wanted to refer to. You have to spend time with the One who sent you. Sometimes
when you don’t have the words you just have to sit quietly before the Lord and
allow Him to minister to you. You may not know what to pray for. But you keep your disciple. Sometime I
sit and pray, sometimes I just sit. It is like that. Sometimes it’s so hard.
8. Building skills – We have to build
well. Paul left Titus because he could finish what he had started. Don’t be sloppy with the church. Treat it
as though it is the most beautiful thing you have. If you know how, then
ask for help.
Many years
ago I was in Kenya with Simon Petit. He did a teaching on Apostolic
foundations. If you want to build a house you need a plan. And before that you
need a good foundation and he went on to explain what the foundation of a NT church
looks like. He went through 14. Know what you are building. When you start building
you know what the finished product will look like. When you build the church in your heart and mind you should know what
it should look like.
I need to
end here for now.
IF you know
you have been slightly beaten up or damaged by being left to build a church
plant and you know you are carrying things in your heart that are very sore.
Your life/heart has been damaged by the process, please lift your hand ( eyes
closed everyone!). I would love to minister to you and pray Paul’s pray over to
you. Grace and peace from God and Father and Christ Jesus. Father please keep
us as we go from city to city and village to village. That we will be good at being
left – robust and strong. You will never leave us not forsake us. Amen.
(to be
continued… Part4)
