“In the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior” – Titus 1:3b
Paul knew a Christian who is not committed to the things of Christ was a contradiction. Paul also knew that a minister who was not committed to certain core values necessary for effectively overseeing a church was also a contradiction. Therefore, Paul informs Titus on some very important core values to be committed to.
1. Be Committed to the Authority of God.
2. Be Committed to the Plan of God – Evangelism, Edification and Encouragement.
3. Be Committed to the Truth of God – God’s eternal message found in the Scriptures.
And now for the fourth great commitment –
4. Be Committed to the Tool of God – “Proclamation”
If we are going to be committed to the truth of God, then how in the world are we going to use it? Besides applying it to our lives, God wants us to “proclaim” His truth to others. This is God’s means of giving out the truth. Proclamation is the one tool we do not want to set aside for more sophisticated and conventional avenues.
The word “proclamation” comes from the Greek word, “kerugma” which was used of a message that a herald would give on behalf of a ruler under whom he served. In the New Testament, the word is often translated “preaching.” When used as preaching in the N.T., it is always used of the “public proclamation” of God’s Word, which as Paul already pointed out, is the saving truth that leads people to Christ for salvation, and the sanctifying truth that builds Christians up in their faith and strengthens them for godly living.
Elsewhere Paul made this statement:
4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power – 1 Cor. 2:4-5 NIV
Obviously if our faith rests in the wisdom of men, then ultimately someone will come along who appears to have more wisdom than the one whose wisdom we have trusted in previously. And then our faith is shattered by what appears to be greater wisdom. So ultimately, assurance of the truth of God comes from the objective testimony of God the Holy Spirit. No testimony is stronger than the testimony of God himself and he gives testimony to the truth of his word.
A young man once lost his job, and growing somewhat desperate about his plight, went to see an old preacher that he knew. As he poured out his heart to the preacher he angrily declared "I’ve begged and begged God to say something to help me, preacher. Why doesn’t God answer?"
The old preacher, who was sitting across the room, spoke a reply so quiet the young man was unable to make it out. The young man stepped across the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The preacher repeated himself, again in a soft tone. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair. "Sorry," he said. "I still didn’t hear you." With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we will move closer to hear him."
Perhaps, the reason why we tend to believe that the bible is not relevant enough is because we are not hearing from God as we should. And the reasons for that is because we have been trying to listen to Him from a distance – using other mediums or tools that are not in God’s tool bag.
I’m 52 years old – thank you very much! Perhaps, considered by some old fashion. It is my unshakable belief that no matter what era we find ourselves living in, no matter what country, culture or context, nothing is to replace the proclamation of the Word of God. It is the means and the tool that God uses to bring people to salvation.
Now of course, I am not saying that one-on-one witnessing is to be avoided. No, this too is an important and necessary type of proclamation, but engaged in privately. And this type or proclamation should be done and ought to be done by the majority of Christians, because not every one is called to “kerugma” the Word publicly like a pastor or evangelist. But everyone is called to be a witness and share Jesus “as we go” (Matt. 28:19).
But too often – and this is where things can get a little touchy – we tend to let more of our electronics and high tech sophistications to be the medium by which the gospel is communicated.
Now hear me out – there is good in doing so. When used in a right way, more people can be reached with the Word – such as the use of television, internet and satellites. When used in the wrong way, people will tend to leave church more entertained by the “tools” used by man than with the content of the message. We do not want people to walk out of our church doors saying, “Whoa! That was so good. Did you check out the lights, the costumes, the sound, the program?”
After a while, these same people find themselves in a church where only the pastor and his bible are up on stage preaching a message, with no power point, no lights, or multi-media, and those listening are thinking, “Where’s the action? Where’s the entertainment? You mean, I have to sit here and listen to the Word proclaim for 30-40 minutes? No way. I’m going back to that other church where the service is exciting and entertaining.”
Note: Now let me say this: We who are serving in small churches would be out of our minds if we thought that big churches were not useful to God. If we thought that only our small churches were the “real” effective churches that God uses, then we need to get a grip on reality. God uses in big ways big churches. We need them. The world needs them although the world does not know it.
Here’s why: Big churches do put on an entertaining program during its services. If you as a pastor in a small church have not attended a church service in a big church, then you should do so soon. It will humble you and explain in many respects why such churches are big. It will show to you what people are being attractive to and it will also show you how the dynamics of ministry in a big church changes from that of a small church.
It is my personal belief that the entertaining program of a big church is a “hook” that God uses to bring people to the services. There are scores of people who will not attend church because in their minds – and there are scores of other reasons – but in their minds it is boring and simply a waste of effort to come to. But unsaved people will be challenged to attend a mega church service that’s entertaining, especially if they are personally invited by a friend or family member who already has been to a mega church service.
Once the people are present – brought in by the “hook” of entertainment and thought provoking programming, then the leadership has the awesome and wonderful responsibility to “kerugma” the gospel. The proclamation begins as soon as the people who are arriving to church come out of their cars. They are already being greeted by the greeters – who by the way are not waiting in the building, but are outside in the parking lot or out front of the building a few feet from the entrance. That kind of warm personal reception is communicating something positive and significant that God will use later on during the message.
Once they are greeted usually with a warm embrace and given a bulletin, then they are escorted to their seats. The environment is cool – thanks to air con. There is usually soft music playing in the background, power point slides with upcoming announcements are being shown on the screen. The excitement of being in a place where masses amount of people are filling in is heart throbbing.
And then shortly thereafter the program itself begins and 90 minutes ends quickly.
Now here is my point and in my mind it is very important to understand how God uses both big and small churches. In a small church, the Sunday service is the primary means by which the saints are edified (Eph. 4:11-16). The proclamation of the Word is the main meal on the menu. Pastors can go deep into the Scriptures. The people who are there want to be there because of a strong desire to know God through His Word. Most of the people are growing disciples of Christ.
But in a big church, the main weekend services are not used primarily as a means to edify the saints. Instead, the weekend services are a means to “hook” people into coming and watch this – finding out more of what is available during the week to assist them in their growth walk with God, and/or to lead them to Christ. Now the program will serve as a means to proclaim the gospel, but real growth that calls for personal sacrifice, denying oneself, taking up your cross and following Jesus is not the primary message at a weekend service in a big church. Instead, it is a “hello, we’re happy to meet you and this is who we are and what we have during the week.”
So for the big church – now stick with me here – the nuts and bolts of discipleship occur during the week within their small groups or midweek services.
God uses big churches to often times “hook” people into coming to church who normally would not even set foot in a house of God. And God uses small churches to personally equip those who have come to Christ and disciple them in more particular and personal ways. Both are vitally needed. It is a shame if small church pastors look at mega churches and see them as a threat. Nothing is further from the truth. Big churches are often times God resources to expand the ways of the kingdom. Big churches are like a storm that rains upon a town and saturates water all over the place, and small churches are the sunlight that breaks through the clouds and warms up those who are willing to come out and stand in the sunlight.
But whether big or small, one thing must never be ejected from a church: The kerugma of the Word! The proclamation of the Word is the means by which people are saved and also the means by which the saints are edified. This holds true for both personal and public proclamation.
Notice in Titus 1:3, Paul said that he had been “entrusted” with the proclamation of the gospel. God gave to Paul a mission and entrusted him to carry it out exactly as God intended. To entrust someone with something is to trust that person.
Interestingly, the Greek word is “pisteuo” which is the exact word often used of sinners placing their belief or trust in Christ for salvation (cf. John 4:41). So in the same way we “entrust” our eternal souls to Jesus for salvation, God “entrust” us with the proclamation of His Word. What trust! What confidence God has in us! Are we living up to it?
Now the “entrusting” aspect is to motivate us emotionally. God has confidence in us to carry out His assignment. But there is another form of motivation listed by Paul and that is “the commandment of God.”
This is to appeal not to Paul’s emotions but to his mind and will. You see, there will be times when one does not feel like staying up late at night preparing for proclamation. There will be lots of demands on a pastor’s time to draw him away from preparation time. There will be unforeseen obstacles along the way and before he knows it, the day of the week is already Saturday and the time is late. He does not feel like finishing that sermon. He would rather take out an old one, make some slight changes so that no one will recognize that he had preach it before, and go with that. But a man of God who is committed to the proclamation of the Word will nevertheless finish his message even if he has to stay up all night. Why? Because he is under the “commandment of God."
I like this passage by Paul in Galatians 1: 15But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.
In other words, if God was pleased and motivated to reveal His Son to us, then how much more should I be pleased and motivated to “proclaim” Him to the nations? If God thought it was so important to reveal His Son, then just how important is it to me to proclaim Him? I have been both entrusted with the proclamation of the gospel and commanded by God to delivered it in the manner He has appointed.
Elsewhere Paul said, “I have become its (the church) servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness” (Col. 1:25). And then he adds, “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (vv. 28-29). Paul says, “I am under God’s command to proclaim Christ and that’s why I labor so hard.”
To Timothy he said, “And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles” (1 Tim. 2:7). Paul knew his purpose in life. He was called to “herald” the gospel and be a teacher of the true faith. What a calling!
One more passage on the thrust of this command: “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel . . .I am simply discharging the trust committed to me” (1 Cor. 9:16-17). The word “woe” means judgment. Paul says, “If I renege on the assignment of proclaiming the gospel, then “woe is me!”
Interestingly Paul uses a phrase we are not often accustomed to reading from the pen of Paul. He said, “God our Savior” (cf. 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Titus 2:10; 3:4). Now we often read the phrase, “Jesus our Savior,” or “God our Father.” But why the change here?
I think Paul wants something to be very clear in the minds of his readers, and that is, “God is not reluctant to save sinners.” The salvation of sinners is not merely the desire of the second Person of the Trinity. It is also God the Father’s desire as well. After all, don’t we remember reading, “For God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son; that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)? God loves to save sinners (see Luke 15:7, 10, 20-24), and God is sorrowful when they are lost (see Luke 19:21-24).
Therefore, God is very interested in saving sinners since the plan originated with Him and was executed by the Son, and empowered by the Spirit. The whole Godhead is interested in saving sinners.
Are we also interested enough to be committed to the one tool that God never wants us to give up on – i.e. the proclamation of the message?
