The Attributes of God:

God’s Purpose for Us Titus 2:11-15 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.”                   We often struggle to understand and know God’s will. It is estimated that the average adult makes 33,000 to 35,000 decisions every day regarding what to do, what we will say, where we will go, and the list goes on. Often our life changes on the decisions we make that at the time seem unimportant. Yet these decisions set in motion a chain of events that radically shift the direction of our lives.  While we carefully consider a few of the significant decisions we make, most decisions are just a reaction rather than a carefully thought-out response.  This confronts us with the question, how do we live in light of God’s will when we do not know what decisions will change our lives and what will be irrelevant?                   In this passage, Paul gives

The Qualities of a Leader Titus 1:5-9 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you.”                   What do we look for today in our leaders? We look for leaders who possess specific qualifications.  These qualifications are usually centered upon certain skill sets they have to get things accomplished, run the organization successfully, and organize programs.  We judge our leaders by their performance. Are they successful in growing the church?  The larger the church, the more we admire them.  We want leaders who are dynamic speakers and can hold our attention with their eloquence and preach positive messages that make us feel good.                    As Paul writes to Titus, Paul sets forth a different standard. Titus had been sent to Crete to help the newly established churches gain organizational and spiritual footing. For a church to grow, it needed to have the correct type of leadership. Howeve

The Basis of Our Hope Titus 1:1-4 “In the hope of eternal life, which   God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His words, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior.”                   In his introduction, Paul reminds us of several important truths that serve to determine our identity and destiny and provide the foundation for our hope in Christ.  Paul begins by describing himself as a bondservant of God.  Throughout his letters, the designation of a bond-servant of God was Paul’s most common description of himself.  The word “bond-servant” refers to one who was a slave who was owned by someone else and whose entire livelihood and purpose was determined by their master.  For Paul, being a follower of Christ meant that we belonged to God, for “we are bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 7:20).  For Paul, everything we have in life, including our physical

The Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture. 2 Timothy3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”                   How do we determine what is true in a world of confusion and spiritual ambiguity?  Today, there are many conflicting beliefs, not just about public policy but about truth itself.  When it comes to morality and ethics, from abortion to sexuality to social issues, there are many different views held by people. As a result, we are in the midst of a civil war.  It is not a war of bullets and weapons but a conflict of our understanding of right and wrong and the basis by which we determine what is morally true. The differences in our country go far beyond political ideology but go to the very foundation of our views of morality.  In a world of conflicting opinions, how do we know what is right and wrong?