Titus 1:7 (KJV) Men of the Highest Quality

Titus 1:7 (KJV)

For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

I’m not going to get to it too soon, but I would like to take the time to consider deeply each of the qualifications found here and in the letter to Timothy. The difference I see between the two is that Paul was teaching the qualifications from the point of introspection in the letter to Timothy, a self-examination, if you will. Paul was telling Titus the sort of men he should be looking for.

They would be stewards of God.

Men of the highest quality ought to be sought out for this work.

• It’s not business. 
• It’s not a humanitarian effort. 
• It’s not even religion.

Almighty God chooses to use men as ministers of His Word and in His churches. As God is holy, pure, and undefiled, those who are the stewards of His Word must be of exceptional quality.

Not that man is perfect as God is.

But these men ought to bear evidence of the greatest degree of sanctification.

It’s not a matter of calling out everyone who is willing. It’s a matter of discerning those in whom God has so worked that they are uniquely prepared, probably even before they were saved.

Oh, the harm that has been done to souls and the cause of Christ by carelessly[1] ordaining men into the ministry!

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[1] And, in some cases, cavalierly.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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Titus 1:7 (KJV) Men of the Highest Quality

2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV) Preach the Word!

2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV)

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

I notice the phrase, “the time will come.”

Interesting.

I would have thought he would say, “the time has come.”

There was a lot of false doctrine in the days of Paul and Timothy. Paul battled with the Jews, who would not endure sound doctrine.

• Paul struggled with the Judaizers, who would not endure sound doctrine
• Paul addressed the philosophers of Athens who would not endure sound doctrine.

In later centuries the Catholics came and would not endure sound doctrine.

• Protestantism has never endured sound doctrine.
• In our current time, almost anything goes in church – except sound doctrine.

From the time of Timothy straight through to today, the answer to those who will not endure sound doctrine is precisely the same. 

Believe the Bible, then “preach the Word.”

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV) Preach the Word!

2 Timothy 3:9-10 (KJV) Everyone Knows

2 Timothy 3:9-10 (KJV)

But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

Note the contrast between verse nine, Jannes and Jambres

• Withstanding Moses
• Resisting the truth
• Corrupt minds
• Reprobate of the faith

And verse ten Apostle Paul

• Doctrine
• Manner of life
• Purpose
• Faith
• Longsuffering
• Charity
• Patience
• Persecution[1]

I am reminded of
Proverbs 15:3 (KJV)
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

The Lord is not the only one who sees. The folly of the evil is manifest to all men and the life of the just is fully known.

Perhaps most importantly is the obvious end of each. The result of evil foolishness is never good. But the fruit of a life lived for the Lord, though often difficult, will be rewarded of the Lord.

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[1] Verse 11

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

2 Timothy 3:9-10 (KJV) Everyone Knows

2 Timothy 2:7 (KJV) Understand All Things

2 Timothy 2:7 (KJV)

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

There is in this passage a threefold line of progression in our understanding of “all things.”

First, there is the teacher
“What I say.” Paul was the teacher. What he was

teaching, was God’s Word. There must first be a Word from God, the Bible, and then one to teach it. While it is possible to learn the Word of God without a teacher, God gave us teachers and preachers on purpose. It is foolish to neglect them.

Second, there is consideration
It’s more than just reading the Bible. It’s more than just sitting in a room where the Bible is taught and preached. Understanding does not come by osmosis. We must meditate. We must study. We must consider.

Thirdly, there is the Lord
In the final analysis, no one understands unless the Lord gives them understanding. This is not an academic pursuit.[1] This is spiritual. This is holy. This is God, or else it is false.

Listen, read, consider. Then, pray the Lord gives you “understanding in all things.”

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[1] Turning Bible colleges into institutions of academia might be partly to blame for this.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

2 Timothy 2:7 (KJV) Understand All Things

2 Timothy 1:11 (KJV) All That

2 Timothy 1:11 (KJV)

Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

Paul said his calling was threefold

• A preacher
• An apostle and
• A teacher

One might add to the final one, “of the Gentiles.”

No wonder just about everyone in the ministry looks to him as their model.

A preacher
One who proclaims and cries out the Word of God.

An apostle
One of the twelve who made the foundation of the church. 

A teacher
One who explains the Word of God line by line.

There is no reason any Christian isn’t all these still today. The position of the apostle was a singular one. There were only twelve of them. They were men especially appointed and trained by the Lord. The word of God says that they become the foundation of the church.[1] And yet the word “apostle” means a sent one. A missionary is, in a sense, an apostle in that he is sent out to be a church planter or, at the very least, a strong supporter of a local church. A pastor is appointed by the Lord and his local church to lead, preach the Word, and carefully teach the same. 

Why wouldn’t every Christian desire to support the local church God places them in, proclaim the Word of God to those they meet, and teach the Word of God to their children or in ministries they are offered at their church?

Every Christian may be all that Paul said he was still today. It’s a matter of surrender and submission.

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[1] Ephesians 2:20 (KJV)
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

2 Timothy 1:11 (KJV) All That

1 Timothy 6:3-5 (KJV) What These Wholesome Words Teach Us

1 Timothy 6:3-5 (KJV)

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Those wholesome words are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, which I take to be more than the “red letter” verses, but every Word of God.

• Only they are wholesome
• They are all wholesome
• They are only wholesome and nothing else

We all know people who would disagree. 

• Some of them have no experience with the Word of God and the faith. 
• Some have grown up in the Word of God and faith and have walked away from it. 

According to the Bible, those wholesome words of which we speak,

• They are proud 
• They know nothing
• They ask questions only to cause strife
• Their opinions are “evil surmisings” 
• They have corrupt minds 
• They are destitute of the truth
• They have rejected godliness with contentment

We are to withdraw from them.[1]

The wholesome Words of God tell us to withdraw from them. 

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[1] Of course, this does not mean we do not love them. We long for them to come to or to be restored to the Lord and to the faith.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Timothy 6:3-5 (KJV) What These Wholesome Words Teach Us