To Be Continued...

“When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.”

(Titus 3:12-15 ESV)

Sometimes our greatest inspirations and challenges come from the most unlikely sources.  For me, Titus 3:12-15 has served as a beautiful picture of what a God-centered, Gospel-centered ministry should look like.  It has everything: Nobodies who are Somebodies to God’s Kingdom, ministry planning, a call for a congregation to step up and serve, and the love and affection that exists among God’s people.  Truly, this text is a diamond in the rough. 

Paul has some requests and concerns about continuing ministry at Crete.  He wants Timothy to join him for the winter at Nicopolis, but he doesn’t want him to leave Crete until spiritual reinforcements arrive in the form of Artemas and Tychicus.  He has a word for Cretan believers: When Zenas the lawyer and Apollos pass through (they delivered the letter to Titus), see to it that they are taken care of.  They will need food, a place to stay, clothing, and money as they continue their journey of taking the gospel to other peoples.  This challenge must be met by the believers of Crete who have just been instructed that their belief must transform their behavior, that their doctrine must ignite good deeds.  It was an opportunity to practice what Paul and Titus had preached. 

There are some very important questions for church and ministries to consider.  Questions that can indicate the spiritual health or weakness of a ministry.

·         Is your ministry centered on one person?  If the work of Crete centered on Titus, they were in trouble because he was going to Nicopolis for the winter and he would eventually end up in Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10).  If the work at Crete was built upon Titus, it would fail.  Too often we see that disaster occurs when a ministry or a church is built around the personality and charisma of ONE person.  In such cases, continuity of ministry is impossible because the entire ministry is built around the abilities, gifts and personality of a single individual.  Here is a lesson for church leaders: If we don’t prepare our churches to continue and minister in our absence, then our presence among them has been futile!  We have not made disciples; we have made cheerleaders who watch the game rather than participate in it.

·         Is there room for people like Artemas and Zenas in your ministry?  These men are never mentioned anywhere else in scripture.  They are not in a Top 100 Bible Heroes list.  Yet, these men are faithful to the work of God, and they are beneficial to the people of God.

·         In our ministry, do we challenge people to be contributors or do we call people to be consumers?  Paul instructed Titus to challenge the Cretan believers to step up and meet the needs of Zenas and Apollos.  Their devotion and determination to minister to these brethren would give evidence of their salvation; because the new produces a zeal for good works (Titus 2:14).  Sadly, many churches have a phobia when it comes to challenging members.  We are afraid to challenge our members in the several areas: giving money (yes, I said it), working in the local church (Sunday school, Children’s church, nursery, building maintenance, etc.), ministering (visiting the sick, discipling younger believers, evangelizing their  neighbors, co-workers, friends and family members), or giving up their precious time to serve the Lord.  Rather than challenging people to contribute, we sit back and call people to consume.  We see the result of the Church as Consumption mindset all around us: 80% of the work in a local church is done by 20% of the people.  What would happen if only 20% of our body functioned?  Would we be healthy, energetic and active?  No, we’d probably be in a deep coma awaiting the coroner to pronounce us dead.  Such is the case with the body of Christ.  Get rid of the consumer mindset: “What can I get out of my church?”  Replace it with the mindset of a contributor: How can I be faithful to and serve my church?