Titus 1:4

Paul calls Titus his ‘true son’. Titus probably became a Christian when he first heard Paul teach about Jesus. So, Paul felt that he was like a Christian father to Titus. However, they both belonged to same Christian family. So, God was the Father of both Paul and Titus.

Paul gave the usual greeting. *Grace is a gift that God gives. We do not deserve it and we cannot earn it. ‘*Grace’ means that God the Father is kind and generous to his children. God helps and protects people. God’s *grace comes to people by means of Jesus. He gives his people everything that they need for their Christian life.

‘Peace’. In the *Hebrew language this word is ‘shalom’. It is a traditional blessing in the *Old Testament (Numbers 6:24-26), and among *Jewish people today. ‘Peace’ is not just the opposite of war or noise. Peace means that God gives a person a calm spirit. This affects every part of a person’s life and relationships. Nobody can have God’s peace without his *grace.

The work that Titus had to do

v5 I left you on the island called Crete. We had not finished our work there. So I want you to put everything in order. You should appoint *elders in every town as I told you to. v6 An *elder must be a good man. Nobody should be able to blame him for doing anything wrong. He should have only one wife. His children should be loyal to God. They should not behave in a bad way but they should obey. v7 A leader is a manager for God. The leader must be a good man. Nobody should be able to blame him for doing anything wrong. He must not please himself. He must not have a bad temper. He must not drink too much alcohol. He must not fight. He must not be greedy to get more money. v8 Instead, a church leader should enjoy having guests in his home. He must love everything that is good. He must be sensible. He must behave in the right way. He must be holy. He must be able to control himself. v9 He must firmly believe the true message that we taught. Then he can encourage people as he teaches the truth. And he can answer the people who oppose the truth.