This Bible talk was preached at WPC Belconnen’s Sunday evening service on December 12, 2021. This talk, which is the second on the series on Paul’s letter to Titus, expounds Titus 2:1-10.
Paul wrote this letter to Titus while he was making his way to the town of Nicopolis – on the west coast of central Greece. We don’t know how the Gospel was first preached to the island of Crete – but it seems likely that Paul went there, preached the Gospel and left behind small house churches. At the time Paul writes this letter, he instructs Titus to appoint elders or leaders of these churches and to instruct and equip these young churches before Titus was to leave Crete to join Paul in Nicopolis. In today’s passage, after Paul charges Titus with ‘teaching what accords with sound doctrine’, Paul describes the fruit of godliness this teaching is to produce in the hearts and lives of the Christians on Crete. As disciples of Jesus, we too are both called and empowered to grow in godliness. As we follow and look to our Saviour, we are to seek to live in a way that glorifies God and bears witness to Jesus.