Discerning The Lord's Body

 In our instructions about observing communion we are strictly warned that when we partake of the Lord's supper, we must be sure to "discern the body" or we will bring God's judgment on ourselves. Well, how exactly do we "discern the body?"

Sound Doctrine For Living

 To have the word of God is not enough. We must learn sound doctrine and then put it into action in our lives. The word of God is meant to change us from the inside out.

Order In The Church #2

 The elders that are appointed in the churches must be irreproachable in their knowledge and handling of sound doctrine. Their core service is to instruct people in sound doctrine in preaching, teaching and counseling. But they also must "rebuke those who contradict" sound doctrine.

The meaning of this charge to rebuke is deeper than it might appear on the surface.

Order In The Church #1

 What would you do if it was your job to find qualified pastors for local churches? What would you look for? What questions would you ask? How would you figure out what was really going on?

Titus was pretty much given that job in Crete. He was supposed to oversee the appointment of elders in every town. But he is given good instructions in what constituted "highly qualified" candidates. If everyone followed these instructions there would be less trouble in churches.

An Encouraging Word

We all need an encouraging word no and then... Maybe now more than ever. Titus was assigned to ministry in a very difficult place - the island of Crete. Imagine how happy he was to receive a letter from his mentor - the apostle Paul. And Paul was careful to strike an encouraging tone right from the start.

We should be encouraged too.

 

Killing Jesus

 When people decide to reject Jesus' Authority, they are choosing some things they may not be aware of. They are actually choosing to kill Jesus. It is never enough for a person to "just say no" to Jesus, because his message - in fact his existence - is very disruptive to people who want to enjoy their autonomy and to keep on sinning. Consequently, they need to kill Jesus... to wipe him out so they can forget all about him.

RSVP Heaven

 When Jesus was invited to a formal dinner at the home of a leading Pharisee He had lessons to share with both the guests and the host.

Heaven is like the dinner in Jesus' parable. Some people are foolish enough to make excuses to not attend. Others realize that they have been rescued from a place of despair.