“…but he [Elder/Overseer] must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 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.” Titus 1:8-9 [ESV] -> me: The message yesterday on the Fruit of the Spirit sermon continues to stick in my mind as I contemplate the passage today here in Titus 1. A couple of things I learned when studying these verses today. I consider myself a hospitable person but hospitable here means ‘real devotion to the welfare of others’ not just opening up your home. This area is going to require more focus for me moving forward. “A lover of good”; the word good here pertains to persons as well as things. The next set of attributes and instructions are also found in 1 Timothy 3 but 2 words appear here in Titus that do not appear there – 1) upright and 2) holy. Doing some deeper reading, there were things about the society and culture in Crete (where Paul sent Titus to ‘fix things up’) than in Ephesus. This begs that the qualities both here and 1 Timothy about the attributes of elders/overseers is not just these listed but that there are positive attributes (or ways of operating) in each culture that should be evaluated. For us it might be that elders/overseers should not do anything that would support an accusation of racism, etc. At the end of the day, God’s glory and honor are paramount. As an overseer or elder, I must walk a line that first and foremost glorifies God, shows love to others, shepherds the flock, and protects the church.
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