Titus and Philemon: Responsibility and Reconciliation

Paul reads Titus and Philemon aloud and shows how sound doctrine forms trustworthy leaders while grace pushes us toward real reconciliation that costs something. We connect elder integrity in Crete with a five-step path to peacemaking between Philemon and Onesimus.

• letters to Titus and Philemon read in full
• why Crete needs strong elders with integrity
• qualifications that protect churches from false teaching
• grace that trains us toward self-control and good works
• avoiding useless controversies and divisive people
• aligning life with the gospel to guard credibility
• Onesimus becomes family, not property, in Christ
• Paul’s model for reconciliation: inclusion, affirmation, substitution, expectation, inspection
• practical next steps for making peace and restoring trust

Go to outloudbible.com/resources to download the Timothy and Titus Echo Discipleship Guide
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Chapters

• 0:22 Setting Up the Pastoral Letters
• 1:47 Discipleship Guide and Live Readings
• 4:03 Why Titus in Crete Matters
• 5:05 Reading Titus: Elders and Sound Doctrine
• 8:40 Grace That Trains and Good Works
• 11:32 Life That Matches the Message
• 12:47 Philemon: A Case for Reconciliation
• 15:33 Reading Philemon: From Slave to Brother
• 17:55 Five Steps Toward Real Reconciliation

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:11

Welcome back to the Out Loud Bible Project Podcast. This is Mike. We're reading a section of the New Testament with letters that Paul wrote to specific people. Timothy, Titus, we're also going to read Philemon. And these are letters, unlike his other letters to churches, that were in general for a network of churches and a larger body of believers and can apply to our churches today and the body of Christ today as well. These letters are to specific people addressing specific issues that they had in their ministry or in their church. And Paul's just trying to give them some wisdom, some advice that applies specifically to them, as well as, you know, Paul can't help himself but to paint some broad strokes of epic truths that are that apply to all of time as well. And so we we kind of see him switch between this is very specific. Even last time when we read, hey, by the way, while I'm thinking of it, uh you should probably drink some wine now and then not just the water that your tummy gets upset, you know, drink some wine. Okay, back to theology. Like it's it's it's just kind of a funny mix sometimes of very specific instructions and then very broad teachings and doctrines and uh kind of everything in between. But Paul's primary concern here is to establish these leaders to be able to live worthy of the calling that they've received, to build the kingdom according to the calling that God has put on their life. If you've not already done so, this is a really good time to go to outloudbible.com, go to the resources page, and download the Timothy and Titus Echo Discipleship Guide. It takes these three letters, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus, and helps guide us from not just hearing it, but actually doing it, taking some action steps. And it's intended to be able to do it with someone. Just like Paul was the mentor of these young men, uh, we should also have someone to mentor us. And we should also disciple someone else as we follow Christ to invite someone who's maybe not as far down the road as we are to follow with us. And these echo discipleship guides offer a really great way to do that. Very easy and uh doesn't take a whole lot of time, but has a lot of impact. So outloudbible.com slash resources or go to the resources tab. You can find one for Timothy and Titus as we're discussing them here in these section of episodes here. Also, I this was not the timing that I was uh necessarily planning on, but uh, I find it really interesting and encouraging that we're going through 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus here in the same time that uh we're doing this very reading for a couple of churches this fall. Uh 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus, all in a live, out loud Bible experience for churches to hear this section of Paul's letters and his teachings here in one really large context and let it land with the weight that the Word of God is intended to have. Um, and so really great with uh with musical interludes and underscoring to really capture the emotion and the urgency of Paul's letters here. If this sounds like something that would really benefit your church, whether it's the Timothy and Titus live experience or another book of the Bible, uh something that you've maybe heard on this podcast, and you're like, oh man, I want to hear that all in one fell swoop. Hey, uh reach out through the website, outloudbible.com. These outloud Bible experiences are free for churches. And uh we'll come to you. Let's make it happen. Uh reach out through the website, let us know what you're thinking. Um, and we would love to find a program that really serves your church the best, where you're at, what you need to hear. Let me know. I'd love to love to meet you and talk more about that. But today we're gonna continue in these letters from Paul to these uh specific friends of his. Today we're gonna read Titus and Philemon. Two books in one episode. Cross it off your list. It's gonna be great. Uh Titus is another leader that Paul is sending to the island of Crete because the church there has gone a little bit off the rails. And he's like, hi, Titus, I need you to go combat the false teaching that is starting to spread among the churches in Crete. They're a rough crowd, all right? You gotta armor up, you gotta fight the fight, you gotta contend for the faith in this setting, but you can do it by the power of Jesus. I'm with you, I'm I'm gonna equip you. I can't be with you in person, but you can do this with the Holy Spirit, all right? That's the tone behind Titus and some really good teachings there. And Paul makes some really beautiful statements about the doctrine of truth and the the book the faith that we have in Christ Jesus as well. Look forward to that. And then after that, I'll read Paul's letter to Philemon. It's just one chapter. And tell you what, I'll briefly introduce that when we get there. For now, let's start into Paul's letter to Titus from Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that's in keeping with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before time began. But now, in his own time, he's made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior. To Titus, my genuine son in a common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion, for the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God's work, not arrogant, not prone to anger, nor a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain. Instead, he must be hospitable, devoted to what's good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it's been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it. For there are many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught. A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. Well, such testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply so that they may be healthy in the faith, and don't pay attention to Jewish myths and commands of people who reject the truth. All is pure to those who are pure, but to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing's pure. But both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but with their deeds they deny him, since they're detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed. But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. Older women, likewise, are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, fulfilling their duties at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be discredited. Encourage younger men, likewise, to be self-controlled, showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching, show integrity, dignity, and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss because he has nothing evil to say about us. Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to do what is wanted and not talk back, not pilfering, but showing all good faith in order to bring credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, and it trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us, to set us free from every kind of lawlessness, and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good. So communicate these things with a sort of exhortation or rebuke that carries full authority. Don't let anyone look down on you. Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work. They must not slander anyone, but be peaceable, gentle, showing complete courtesy to all people. For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done, but on the basis of His mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. And so since we've been justified by His grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life. This saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people, but avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, quarrels, and fights about the law because they're useless and empty. Reject a divisive person after one or two warnings. You know that such a person is twisted by sin, and is conscious of it himself. When I send Artemis or Tychus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I've decided to spend the winter there. Make every effort to help Xenas, the lawyer, and Apollos on their way. Make sure they have what they need. Here's another way that our people can learn to engage in good works to meet pressing needs, and so not be unfruitful. Everyone with me greets you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. And that is Paul's letter to Titus. Now, Titus had a very specific mission when it came to building the kingdom, and it was to appoint new elders among the churches that were newly forming there so that they would have someone with solid biblical truth and teaching and a life of integrity to match. That was very important to Paul, and of course, very important for the church on the whole, and so he gave Titus that task. But you don't have to be Titus in charge of establishing pastors. You don't even have to be a pastor to meet this level of integrity that's expected of those who represent Christ. Because really all the pastors are doing are trying to equip the members of a church to be able to do the work of representing Christ in the world. Our job is to live a life that is worthy of the message. That the message of Christ and the message that our lives give just by the way we live it should be aligned. Paul mentioned multiple times to not discredit the gospel by the way that we live our lives. That's a call to us as well. We should be open to God pointing out the areas of our lives that do not line up with his mercy, with his grace, and with his call on our lives. Now that's not the thinking out loud thought for the day because we have another letter to read. Let's jump over to Philemon. This is a letter that Paul wrote to a man named Philemon. Now he was not a pastor, he was just a churchgoer, he is a church member, but he had a very specific situation that needed some reconciliation, and Paul wanted to help facilitate this peace and this reconciliation. Philemon had a household servant named Onesimus. Philemon was a believer, Onesimus was not, and apparently Onesimus left Philemon, abandoned him, and while he was out, became a Christian and ran into Paul. Paul hears the story of what happened, and Paul realizes, you know what, you should probably go back to your master. Now we can't read this with 21st century goggles on. We have to know that this culture and this time, slavery was a different arrangement than we might be familiar with in, I don't know, 20th century America. That is very condemnable. Uh but in this culture and in this time, slavery was much more like a household servant position, uh, paid, taken care of, and uh it was not necessarily the abomination that we've seen it perverted to in other places. And so Paul is not here to necessarily say, hey, you need to free your slave, you should not have this slave anymore. Paul's primary concern is, okay, as believers, we need to get on the same page as believers, and we need to model and pursue reconciliation so that anyone outside of the church who looks at us sees a different way of living. This is not going to be a normal relationship between some household slave and the household master. This is going to look different because you're believers. As such, Paul models here a model of reconciliation that even today, it doesn't matter if you have a household servant or not, that's not the point. We need to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we may find ourselves as a Paul who facilitates this among some conflict that we see, or we may be an onesimus who offends someone. We may be a Philemon who has been offended. Whatever the case may be, whatever seat we sit in in this situation, there are steps that we need to take to find reconciliation. And Paul lays this out pretty well. So let's read this short letter from Paul to Philemon. From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy, our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and co-laborer. I can't tell you how much that word tripped me up trying to record this. Col collaborer? Collab collaborator? Co co-laborer. Okay, got it. Anyway. To Aphia, our sister, to Archipis, our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your house. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ. I've had great joy and encouragement because of your love, for the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what's proper, I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love. I, Paul, an old man and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus, I'm appealing to you concerning my child, whose spiritual father I've become during my imprisonment, that is, Onesimus, who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you and me. I've sent him, who is my very heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel. However, without your consent, I didn't want to do anything so that your good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness. For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a little while, so that you would have him back eternally, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He's especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking and in the Lord. Therefore, if you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would accept me. Now if he's defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he owes to me. I, Paul, have written this letter with my own hand. I will repay it. I could also mention that you owe me your very self. Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Since I was confident that you would obey, I wrote to you, because I knew that you would do even more than what I'm asking you to do. And at the same time also prepare a place for me to stay, for I hope that through your prayers I'll be given back to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you. Mark, Aristarchus, Demos, and Luke, my co-laborers, greet you too. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. And that's Philemon. I told you it's a short little letter. I really like this letter because Paul lays out a great format for reconciliation. First, remember he included the friends of Philemon in this letter. He addressed all these other people in this church, saying, Hey, I'm going to include others in this process. And then he affirms, Philemon, hey, I pray that you'll you'll be active in sharing your faith, that you'll have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. That uh Paul affirms, hey, I've seen a lot of great things in your life, and I'm very excited about that. I want to encourage that. And then he makes his ask just to be open to the reconciliation process. And then to kind of sweeten the deal, so to speak, Paul says, Hey, I will, I will offer whatever's been lost in this. If you feel like you're owed anything, I'll I'm gonna step in and be a substitute for that. I'll take care of that. And then in verse 21, Paul says, I'm confident that you'll do the right thing. That I think you're gonna even do above and beyond. He's setting an expectation. And then in verse 22, Paul says, Hey, prepare a room. I'm gonna come visit you, in a sense of I'm gonna come inspect this to make sure that it's going like we agreed on. So there we have five steps surrounding this reconciliation process: inclusion of others, affirmation, substitution, expectation, and inspection. If you find yourself in Paul's position where you see others that need to be reconciled and you just can't stand the conflict between them, then you can follow this model and have the hard conversations. Maybe you find yourself in Onesimus' seat, offended against someone abandoned you, and you find it hard to bring them back into your life. Maybe you're like Philemon who went astray and you were the offending party, but now you've come around, maybe through the help of someone like Paul, to see, you know what, I gotta go back and reconcile. Are we willing to have the tough conversations and take the tough action steps in order to bring about peace, not for our own sake, but for the sake of the gospel? To show that Jesus is the great peacemaker and reconciler? That's the thinking out loud thought for the day.