Titus and Elders

I have a Bible-reading plan that my Associate Pastor fondly refers to as the A.D.D. Bible-reading plan. Most of our church is going straight through the Bible, about 4 chapters a day. The plan I'm on gives you a gospel reading, an epistle reading, a history reading, and a prophet/wisdom reading. You are in four different places each day. Needless to say, some people's brains could not take this kind of randomness, mine thrives off of it, I can actually remember what I read.

Anyhow, the book of Titus deals with an interesting issue in the leadership of the church, eldership.

Titus was left in Crete to appoint elders in every church, who could lead and teach by example and doctrine. The reason was this: "There are many (church members) who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach...Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith."

Now this is said to Titus in context of elders (1:5-9 is on elders, 1:10-16 on dealing with false teachers). The reason given for elders is found in 1:9, "He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." Meaning, what Paul was just talking about above, about rebuking people who upset the faith of many, will be done by elders in the body. Working with churches where I live, we see a lot of unspiritual people ruining congregations by their own manipulations and designs, and a lot of churches are torn apart because the deacons allow this to go on right under their noses. At the church I attend, the elders have silenced enough useless criticism to preserve a greater deal of unity than I have witnessed in a church before. Spiritual men leading the church is the greatest defense against divisive people that there is.

Now if SBC churches would just realize it is their heritage and go back to it, we'd have maybe that illusive "revival" we are always chasing after...