Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.
The messengers of the churches were two men selected[1] by the churches to travel with Titus as he collected the offerings from the various churches for the saints in Jerusalem. Paul wanted to “provide for things honest.”[2] He wanted witnesses to see that the money collected was handled honestly and to give testimony of the same.
But what about them? Should the question be raised about who they were and whether they were trustworthy, Paul’s answer, provided in anticipation and as a preventative, was
- They were appointed by the churches
- They were the glory of Christ
Paul was so confident in God’s leading through the local church that he saw no conflict saying that those sent out of the local church to do the work of the ministry are “the glory of Christ.”
I suppose this reflects on the messengers’ character because the churches would not have sent them if they had a reputation of poor character. But that is not the emphasis. I imagine Paul was familiar enough with the individual churches to trust their selections would be the highest character. But again, this does not seem to be the focus. The focus is Christ. He operates in and through local churches. Paul had such confidence in God’s plan through the church that he called their appointments “the glory of Christ.”
No church is perfect, and no messenger sent out of a church is perfect. But it is the perfect plan of God to send those messengers out of the local churches. And it is His glory reflected in them through His plan.
[1] It is the same Greek word as apostles. They were not apostles in the same sense as those chosen of Christ. But they were chosen by the churches. That carries great weight in the eyes of Apostle Paul.
[2] Romans 12:17 (KJV)
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
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