Titus 3:12-15
~19 min read
💭 Consider this: How have you been using your spiritual gifts in the church? How do you view and encourage people serving in ministries other than your own?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for this morning's message is taken from Titus 3:12-15, which will conclude the book of Titus.
In the preceding verses, Paul spoke about false teachers who had crept into the homes and churches, subverting the people, turning their lives upside down. Instead of learning and gravitating toward those false teachers, the believers should learn from and follow the other faithful believers.
The names mentioned in this passage were the co-labourers of Paul. God had blessed Paul with many faithful co-labourers, and he mentioned their names from time to time throughout his epistles. No pastor or minister—no matter how effective, efficient, capable, gifted, or talented he is—can serve in all the ministries of the church and accomplish all the things in the church. Even if you have someone who can do them, it is not a healthy church. A spiritually healthy church must and will have faithful co-labourers who will actively involve themselves in the different ministries.
This is what we want to learn from this passage. The title of our message is ”We Need Faithful Men”. It does not mean that we do not need faithful women. The word "men" is used as a generic term to refer to women as well. If we want Bethel to be spiritually healthy, then we must have faithful men and women.
At this point in time, the Apostle Paul was in a city named Nicopolis, and it was wintertime. Nicopolis means "a city of victory". Whenever the Roman emperor conquered a particular city, he would claim victory over that city, so it was not surprising that he would name this city, which he had conquered, Nicopolis. Apparently, it was believed that Paul was arrested in this city and later sent to Rome for his last imprisonment. But before that, he wanted Titus to come and visit him personally, most likely to give him further instructions on how he should continue to lead the churches in Crete. Remember, he had left Titus at Crete to set things in order. But if Titus were to come and visit him in Nicopolis, then there would be no one to lead those churches. Therefore, Paul decided to send two brethren to replace him, to minister to those churches in his absence. Obviously, he could not just send anyone. These were faithful men. These were faithful co-labourers of Paul, and their names were Artemas and Tychicus.
I. Faithful Co-Labourers
Let us begin with verse 12: "When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter." (Titus 3:12) The Bible does not give us any details about Artemas, but we can safely say that Paul was confident in his godliness and leadership qualities. Most certainly, he would not send someone who was not equipped or unqualified.
As for Tychicus, he was mentioned a number of times in the New Testament. He had accompanied Paul on his missionary journey from Corinth to Asia Minor. You can read about him in Acts 20:4, Ephesians 6:21, and Colossians 4:7, where Paul called him "a beloved brother, and a faithful minister, and fellowservant in the Lord." (Colossians 4:7) Those were wonderful descriptions of a co-labourer.
The Bible did not record for us that Tychicus ever served as a pastor, teacher, or preacher, yet he was sent all over the place—to Colossae, to Ephesus, and here Paul sent him to Crete. Apparently, some theologians believe that Tychicus had one very special spiritual gift, and that was the gift of service. He was a reliable messenger. They believed that he was the one whom Paul sent to deliver the letters to the churches. That was why he was sent everywhere.
Have you ever had this mentality? Though you may not say it out loud, but, in your mind, you classify the different ministries of the church according to their level of importance. In other words, you see certain ministries of the church as extremely important, certain ministries as not so important, or even not important at all. For example, you may think that the worship-leading ministry is more important than the music ministry. Or you may think that the deacons' ministry is more important than the ushers’ ministry.
That is a very worldly and carnal mindset. In God's eyes, every ministry is important. He is the one who has given every believer at least one spiritual gift to serve Him. Some have multiple spiritual gifts. The one who has been given one spiritual gift is equally responsible for that particular spiritual gift, no matter what it is, just as the one who has multiple spiritual gifts. So if it is your gift to serve the Lord in playing the piano, or in hospitality, or in administration, formatting the bulletins or the camp booklets, or logistics, or maintenance, and so forth, you must exercise that gift. Be like Tychicus. He was a reliable messenger, and his ministry was so important that the Bible recorded it for us—not just once, but four times.
Verse 13: "Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them." (Titus 3:13) Before Titus came to visit him in Nicopolis, Paul wanted him to bring along two other faithful co-labourers with him. Their names were Zenas and Apollos. Zenas was a Roman name, and in those days, it was common for Jews to adopt Roman names. Again, we do not have any information about Zenas, except for the fact that he was identified as a lawyer. We do not know for sure if that meant he was a Roman lawyer by profession or if he was an expert on the Mosaic Law. One thing we can say is that he was a faithful co-labourer—so much so that Paul said, "Bring Zenas [with you.]" (Titus 3:13)
But as for Apollos, we have much information about him, especially in the book of Acts. So we will spend some time to consider this man, Apollos. He met Paul at the start of the third missionary journey. Maybe you can turn with me to Acts 18:24-28. We will consider this passage—Acts 18:24-28. I hope all of us will be able to learn from the godly example of Apollos. Verse 24 of Acts 18 says: "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus." (Acts 18:24)
Firstly, he was described as mighty in the Scriptures. Alexandria was located in Egypt. In the ancient world, it was the centre of scholarship and science. In our modern times, it would be Oxford in England or Harvard in the United States. In Alexandria, there was a huge population of Jews, so even though Apollos was born outside Israel, he grew up in a Jewish environment. Like all the other Jewish boys, he was taught the Old Testament from young. The Bible tells us that he was an eloquent man, which means he was very articulate. He was a man of words, not just any words, but “mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). "Mighty" means powerful, so his eloquence had to do with the power of the Holy Scriptures.
Today, there are many people who are very eloquent and can articulate very well—especially those politicians, right? Politicians have to be very knowledgeable in politics in order to make good policies. At the same time, they must also be able to speak well, so some of them make good politicians. In the spiritual realm, as believers, we should be knowledgeable in the Bible. Some will be blessed by God with the spiritual gift to preach and teach, and these people would be good teachers and preachers. We need men and women like Apollos, able to speak eloquently—and eloquence, not just in words, but in the words of the Holy Scriptures. Mighty in the Scriptures, able to articulate God's Word in such a way that people will be able to understand and apply it to their lives. This is a spiritual gift that only God alone can give.
Secondly, he was instructed in the way of the Lord. Verse 25 says: "This man was instructed in the way of the Lord" (Acts 18:25). The "way of the Lord" was an Old Testament term meaning being instructed in the things of God. For example, in Genesis 18:19, God said of Abraham: "For I know him, that [Abraham] will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord" (Genesis 18:19a). So God said of Abraham, ‘I know this man, I know Abraham; he will teach his children and his servants so that all of them will keep My instructions, My commandments.’
In Judges 2:22, God said that He had given Israel judges. For what purpose? God said: for a purpose: "That through them”—the judges—”I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not." (Judges 2:22) In other words, God gave judges to the nation of Israel to test them—to see whether or not they were faithful to follow His instructions, His commandments like their forefathers. So the "way of the Lord" refers to God's instructions and commandments.
So here was Apollos—not only mighty in the Scriptures, not only eloquent, but he was also obedient to God's commandments.
Thirdly, he was fervent in the spirit. Look at the second part of verse 25: "And being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John." (Acts 18:25) Apollos was fervent in the spirit, and he preached diligently, but he had limited knowledge.
Remember, he was mighty in the Scriptures, but that was a reference to the Old Testament. He was taught from young the Old Testament Scriptures, but as far as the New Testament was concerned, he did not have a full understanding. He knew only the baptism of John. If you remember, John the Baptist was preaching about repentance in the wilderness, baptising the people and preparing them for the Messiah's coming. So Apollos knew only the baptism of John, which was a reference to the Messiah’s coming. He knew and believed that Jesus was the Messiah. How do we know? Because John the Baptist had testified that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
So here was Apollos, who knew and believed that Jesus was the Messiah, even though he did not have a full understanding of the Word of God. Nonetheless, he preached very fervently. Maybe he did not understand the significance of Christ’s second coming or all the events of the end times. However, with his limited knowledge, he was still very fervent. His limited knowledge did not stop him from preaching about the Messiah. He went about and preached that Jesus was the Messiah.
Dear friend, what can we learn from here? The believer’s fervency is not only when he has come to a full and complete understanding of the Bible. That day will never come as long as we are still alive. We will always be learning—whether we are pastors, preachers, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, or ordinary lay Christians. The believer’s fervency comes from his true, genuine faith. He cannot help it but to share from his heart what he truly believes in. If he believes that Jesus is the only Saviour of the world, he cannot help but share it. If he believes that Jesus is the only one who is able to save lost souls from eternal damnation, he cannot help but share it. He does not wait until he comes to a full and complete understanding of the Bible and then say, ‘Well, now I’m ready to be fervent.’ Fervency does not work that way.
Someone describes fervency like a fire that was ignited in the heart when the person first believed Jesus Christ for salvation. That fire was already ignited, and to keep that fervency, to keep the fire burning, he has to constantly read the Bible, study the Holy Scriptures—that will be the fuel to keep this fire burning.
Oftentimes, you notice that the new believer who has just come to know the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who is very fervent. The moment he hears the gospel message and believes in it, he runs home, and he wants to tell his grandparents, his parents, his loved ones that only Jesus saves. He cannot help it because that is a true, genuine faith, and fervency in the spirit comes from what he truly believes in his heart. And what did Apollos do? Look at verse 26: "And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly"—or more completely (Acts 18:26)
Aquila and Priscilla were a couple who were tentmakers. At one point, Paul worked together with them as a tentmaker to financially support himself because he was preaching primarily to unbelievers. The church was not established yet, so he did not want to receive support from the people—that would be seen as putting a price tag on the gospel. He wanted the people to hear the gospel freely, so he worked as a tentmaker, in a temporal sense, until the church was established, and then they were able to support him, and he gave up his tentmaking job.
Here were Aquila and Priscilla, who were with the Apostle Paul, who knew the Scriptures very well. They heard Apollos preaching, and they were thinking to themselves, ‘This man is truly called by God. This man truly has the gift of preaching.’ Although his message was accurate, he needed to be more equipped with the knowledge of God's Word, so they took him under their wings. Most likely, they took him home. Apparently, they started a church in their home, so they would teach him in the church, which was their home. They equipped him with this full understanding of the truth about the Messiah.
Now, this is another lesson we can learn about being fervent in the spirit. Someone who is fervent in the spirit is willing to learn because he wants to serve; he wants to glorify God, and whoever is able to teach him how he can glorify his Lord, he wants to learn from that person.
Take a moment and think of Apollos. He was taught the Holy Scriptures—the Old Testament—from a very young age. He was mighty in the Old Testament. He grew up in Alexandria, the center of scholarship and science, and here was this Jewish couple who were just tentmakers, and yet he was willing to learn from them. Now, this tells us a lot about Apollos, right? There was this willingness in his heart to learn; there was this humility. So to all those who are fervent in the spirit, who want to serve and glorify God, we pray that God will humble us and that we will also be willing to learn.
Verse 27: "And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace." (Acts 18:27) Allow me to briefly explain this. To be disposed means to purpose in his heart. So Apollos was determined in his heart to go to Achaia, most likely Corinth, because that was the capital of Achaia. The brethren at Ephesus wrote to the brethren at Corinth (because the church was already established, Paul was the one who established the church at Corinth). They wrote to them to welcome him, to receive him, and when he arrived at Corinth, Apollos helped the Corinthians in their spiritual growth.
Apollos not only had great influence in the Corinthian church amongst the Corinthians but also with the unbelieving Jews. Now this eloquent preacher was able to convince the unbelieving Jews that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. So through the lessons he had learned from Aquila and Priscilla, he was now better prepared to answer the questions of the unbelieving Jews.
Finally, verse 28 tells us: "For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ." (Acts 18:28) This means he preached boldly, publicly declaring through the Holy Scriptures, ‘Let me show you the Old Testament, where it speaks about the Messiah, and let me tell you that this Messiah is the Lord Jesus Christ.’ And many of the Jews were convinced that Jesus Christ was indeed that promised Messiah.
In fact, Apollos made such a great impact in the Corinthian church, in the lives of the Corinthians, that later on there were divisions in the church. There were factions. It was not his fault—it was the Corinthians who looked to men rather than to God. So in 1 Corinthians 3:4, some of the Corinthians said, ‘I belong to Paul; he was the one who built the church.’ Others said, ‘I belong to Apollos, the eloquent preacher.’ And then Paul said: ‘Are ye not carnal? Are ye not worldly? Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? We are just ministers whom God has called to preach to you. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.’ (1 Corinthians 3:4-6)
You know, it is so amazing that the Bible is so consistent. The one who wrote the book of Acts was Luke, the doctor. When he wrote this book, some theologians even called it ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit.’ Most of the time, it will be known as ‘The Acts of the Apostles,’ but in reality, it was the Holy Spirit who brought the increase. In his book, he recorded that Paul was the one who established the church. Apollos went there in chapter 18, and then he helped in their spiritual growth, and God was the one who brought the increase.
Paul was the one who wrote First Corinthians, and he said exactly the same thing: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:6). Two different authors—both were in line, both said the same thing. That is how amazing the Bible is.
Dear friend, this was only possible because this man Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures. He was blessed with the spiritual gift of preaching. He was an eloquent man. He was faithful in the way of the Lord. He was obedient, and he was also fervent in the spirit. If you and I have all these essential things in our lives—we know the Bible well, we are mighty in the Holy Scriptures, we are blessed with spiritual gifts, we are obedient to follow God's instructions and commandments, and we are fervent in the spirit—no matter who we are, whether we are church leaders, or church members, or parents, or individuals, by the grace of God, we will make an impact in the lives of the people around us. Just like Apollos, he made such a great impact in the lives of the Corinthians, including the unbelieving Jews.
Since both Zenas and Apollos were faithful co-labourers, Paul wanted Titus to help them on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting or lacking unto them. Make sure that you provide for them, help them, so that they will be able to travel safely. Verse 14: "And let our’s”—meaning our people—”also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful" (Titus 3:14). You know, sometimes people ask, ‘Why doesn't the church have classes like discipleship?’ And they speak of discipleship as if there are certain steps—’Step 1, 2, 3, 4—so just follow these steps, and you will be discipled.’
Of course, there are some methods and steps that are very effective. But do you know the best form of discipleship? It is by observation and then following the right people. Like Paul says, ‘Follow me, as I follow Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Now, this is the best form of discipleship: follow the way I serve, follow the way I worship, follow the way I desire to glorify God. So, whether as church leaders or parents, we teach our people ‘follow’. Paul says, ‘Let our people also learn from all these faithful co-labourers, whether it be Artemas, Tichicus, Zenas, Apollos, and many more, that they may “maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.” (Titus 3:14b)
You know, a tree that does not produce fruit is useless; it is just taking up the place. A believer who is blessed by God with spiritual gifts is expected to produce spiritual fruit. It is not whether or not he will produce—it is how much he produces, whether it be threefold, tenfold, or a hundredfold (Mark 4:20). The more obedient he is, the more fruit he will produce. But if he is barren and unfruitful, and there are no fruits manifested out of his life—no services—he is useless, no matter what he says or professes. Faith has to be lived out, not just by what we say. When we truly believe, there will be this fervency in the spirit. And this fervency in the spirit, we cannot help it but, it will cause us to open our mouth to glorify God. It will cause us to serve and worship Him.
II. Loving Believers
Finally, verse 15: "All that are with me salute [you].” Salute means to greet. “Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen" (Titus 3:15). In other words, all the believers who were with Paul in Nicopolis send their greetings to Titus in Crete. At the same time, Paul said, ‘Send my greetings to all those believers who are with you in Crete.’ But take note of the phrase, "Greet them that love us in the faith." These were the believers who loved the Apostle Paul and supported his ministry.
Now, at the same time, it also implies that Paul knew in his heart that there were others who did not love him nor support his ministry. Remember, there were troublemakers in the church. There were false teachers who had crept into the church, subverting the believers, turning their lives upside down. Most certainly, these people did not love the Apostle Paul nor support his ministry. But he knew that there were those who loved him, and he said, "Greet them that love us in the faith." (Titus 3:15)
Throughout my years of ministry, I've come to realise that there will always be people who are not supportive of me or my ministry. Sometimes they can be quite critical of what I do. I'm not perfect; I do make mistakes. If I do make mistakes, I repent and change my ways, but I always try to do my best. Maybe you do share the same sentiments. No matter how hard you try, no matter how well you do, no matter how active you are, no matter how much love you send out—whether by words or in actions—there will always be people who will oppose you, who will be against you. These people do not love you. What should be our response?
My first encouragement to you is this: accept this reality that not everyone is on the same page, not everyone sees eye to eye, not everyone is supportive of our ministry, not everyone will approve of us, not everyone will accept us, not everyone will love us. Outwardly, they may call us pastors, preachers, Sunday school teachers, but in reality, they do not accept us. I believe you may have also experienced this in the secular world, in your workplaces. There will always be people who will not accept your position as a manager or even be willing to work alongside you as a colleague. Now, we do not harbour animosities, grudges, or hatred in our hearts for such people, but we accept the reality that there will always be some people we will not be able to minister to. There will be some people we are not able to minister to.
My second encouragement to you is to remember that we are serving the Lord. In the final analysis, we want to be approved of Him, so our conscience has to be very clear. We do our best, ultimately, to please Him, not to please men.
My third encouragement to you is to take comfort that there will be some people who are supportive and appreciative of us, and they truly understand and love us. These are the people who will inspire, motivate, and cheer us along this seemingly lonely path as we serve to glorify God—this seemingly challenging path as we serve the Lord. These are the people who will cause us to press on and not give up.
But whether it be those who are for us or against us, we all need the grace of God. That is the reason why, like Paul, we should pray for everyone, regardless of who they are, that God's “grace be with you all. Amen.” (Titus 3:15) We pray for those who may not love or support us because they need the grace of God. We pray for those who love and support us because they also need the grace of God. We pray for everyone that God's grace be with them.
May Bethel BP Church be blessed by God with many such co-labourers like Artemas, Tychicus, Zenas, and Apollos—people who are faithful, people who are reliable, people who love God, people who know the Bible, people who obey His commandments, and people who are fervent in the spirit to serve and glorify Him. May the Lord also bless us with people who love and support those who serve fervently.
This is how Bethel BP Church ought to function—as a church, as a beacon of light in this dark and sinful world. We cannot do this on our own strength; only God alone can. So may the grace of God be with us all. Amen.
Let us pray.
Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for this opportunity to study through the book of Titus and even to come to the concluding part of this book. As this book comes to a conclusion, Thou hast taught us that we need faithful men and women. Indeed, this is the only way the church would flourish—by Thy grace and mercy.
Faithful men who love Thee, knows and believe in Thee, who are gifted by Thee with spiritual gifts and abilities, who obey Thy Word and are fervent in the spirit—people like Artemas, Tychicus, Zenas, Apollos, and so forth.
O Lord, grant to us many such faithful co-labourers and also others who will understand the work of the ministry, the difficulties that we face in the ministry—that they will pray, love, and support those who serve the Lord, that the church will be united as one. We praise and thank Thee for the unity that we have had and enjoyed thus far; it is all by Thy grace. We cannot do this but unless Thou be gracious, so may Thy grace be with us all.
We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF TITUSThe Commitment Of A Faithful ServantThe Commitment Of A Faithful ServantTitus 1:1
The Hope Of Eternal LifeThe Hope Of Eternal LifeTitus 1:2-4
Why Do We Need Godly Leaders?Why Do We Need Godly Leaders?Titus 1:5-9
How To Deal With Church Troublemakers?How To Deal With Church Troublemakers?Titus 1:10-14
The Product Of Who We AreThe Product Of Who We AreTitus 1:15-16
What Legacy Are You Leaving Behind?What Legacy Are You Leaving Behind?Titus 2:1-3
How Should Young People Live?How Should Young People Live?Titus 2:4-8
How Can You Witness For God More Effectively At Work?How Can You Witness For God More Effectively At Work?Titus 2:9-10
The Wonderful Grace Of GodThe Wonderful Grace Of GodTitus 2:11-15
How Can You Witness For God More Effectively As Good Citizens?How Can You Witness For God More Effectively As Good Citizens?Titus 3:1-3
Remember How We Were SavedRemember How We Were SavedTitus 3:4-8
Divisiveness Calls For Strong ActionDivisiveness Calls For Strong ActionTitus 3:9-11
We Need Faithful MenWe Need Faithful MenTitus 3:12-15
Message 6: To Fight the Good Fight of Faith is to Hold Fast the Faithful WordMessage 6: To Fight the Good Fight of Faith is to Hold Fast the Faithful WordTitus 1:9-11
