In his introductory words to the young pastor, Titus, Paul introduces himself as “a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.” By referring to himself as a bondservant, he was confessing his unwavering service to God. When I picture a servant, I imagine one who gives himself completely and willingly over to the will of another in order to accomplish the task at hand. Paul was truly an example of one who had devoted his life to accomplishing the purposes of God. He also describes himself as an apostle. An apostle is defined as one who delivers a message for another. In Paul’s case he was proclaiming the wonderful message of the gospel to all who would hear and receive. God had called him to preach this message on His behalf which gave him the authority to speak in the name of God. So, Paul willingly submitted himself as a servant of God to spread the truth of the gospel as an apostle. With this authority given to him by God, Paul was concerned about continuing the spread of the gospel to the next generation. Much like Timothy, Titus was also a young pastor who had been left on the island of Crete to provide leadership to the churches. Paul writes to Titus as “a true son in our common faith” (1:4). From the very first words of this letter, we can surmise that Paul had a sincere love for Titus and desired to see him effectively minister the truth to all in Crete. I think these first few verses are a great challenge to the church to invest time and much effort into future leaders. Paul knew he would not live forever, but he was assuring the continuation of his ministry by developing young leaders in the faith. Let us not ignore the youth, but raise them up to be communicators of truth and the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are a spiritually mature leader, invest time in the youth. If you are young leader in the faith, seek wisdom from those who have experience in ministry. By doing this, we can be assured that the next generation will hear and have the opportunity to receive the truth.
Dear God, use me to carry the truth to the next generation!
