This displeased Jonah terribly and he became very angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish!—because I knew that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment. So now, Lord, kill me instead, because I would rather die than live!” The Lord said, “Are you really so very angry?” Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made a shelter for himself there and sat down under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city. The Lord God appointed a little plant and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescue him from his misery. Now Jonah was very delighted about the little plant. So God sent a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up. When the sun began to shine, God sent a hot east wind. So the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life, and said, “I would rather die than live!” God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angry about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angry as I could possibly be!” The Lord said, “You were upset about this little plant, something for which you did not work, nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day. Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than 120,000 people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals.”

Jonah 4 (NET)

What are hindrances to faithful ministry—serving God and others with our whole hearts? In this story, God commissioned Jonah to preach to the Ninevites, who were an ungodly nation about to experience God’s judgment. Instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah initially rebelled against God and went in the opposite direction towards Tarshish (in Spain). It seems that the primary reason Jonah disobeyed God was because the Ninevites were a ruthless, terrorist state and the Jews’ enemies. The national interests of Israel, possibly racism, and a perverted view of justice without mercy ruled in Jonah’s heart more than simple obedience to God’s Word. While he was running from God, he entered a ship headed toward Tarshish, and God allowed a storm that threatened to destroy the ship and the lives on it. To save their lives, the sailors threw Jonah off the ship into the sea and the storm subsided. While Jonah was sinking to his death, God saved his life by allowing him to be swallowed by a large fish. While in the fish for three days, Jonah repented and then was vomited onto dry land. Soon after, God commissioned Jonah again to preach judgment to the Ninevites—declaring that in forty days God would judge the nation. Jonah preached to them, but not with the right heart. When the Ninevites repented and God relented from sending disaster, he became very upset with God because of his graciousness.

This is where we find Jonah in Chapter 4. After accusing God of being too gracious, he left the city and built a fort to watch from afar to see if God would change his mind and destroy them. Though Jonah had completed the letter of God’s command to preach judgment to the Ninevites, he had not completed the spirit of God’s command. Jonah declared judgment with no desire to help the Ninevites repent and come to a saving knowledge of Yahweh. Instead of being angry at their repentance, he should have been discipling the Ninevites and helping them mature in following the Lord. Instead, he rebuked the Lord for his mercy and asked God to take his life. Jonah was an immature prophet—double-minded in all his ways.

Jonah’s attitude and actions in this narrative were meant to warn Israel against the same (and us with them). At the beginning of Israel’s history, God promised to bless Abraham and that he and his descendants would be a blessing to the world. Israel’s job was to proclaim Yahweh to the nations. It was not to simply be an isolated worshiping community in the world. Therefore, when the Jews read the book of Jonah, and Jonah 4 specifically, it was meant to rebuke them. Not only had Jonah become self-centered and self-focused to the neglect of his commission, but so had the Israelites. Likewise, this commonly happens with the church who Christ has commissioned to be a blessing to the world (Matt 28:18-20). Instead of loving and witnessing to the world, often the church simply isolates itself, sits in judgment of the world, and/or is apathetic towards it. We lack the mercy—the compassion in action—that God has towards unbelievers. Consequently, as we consider Jonah, we can discern common hindrances to faithful ministry to the Lord and others.

Big Question: As found in Jonah 4, what are common hindrances to faithful ministry both to God and others?

A Hindrance To Faithful Ministry Is Uncontrolled Negative Emotions, Including Anger, Self-Pity, And A Hopeless Spirit

This displeased Jonah terribly and he became very angry... So now, Lord, kill me instead, because I would rather die than live!” … When the sun began to shine, God sent a hot east wind. So the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life, and said, “I would rather die than live!”

Jonah 4:1, 3, 8

When the text says that Jonah became “very angry” (v. 1), it literally has the sense of burning like a fire. Jonah was enraged that the Ninevites repented and that God forgave them. He even asked for the Lord to kill him because of it (v. 3). With Moses, he prayed to die because of the difficulty in ministering to unrepentant Israelites (Num 11:15). Elijah prayed to die for the same reason (1 Kgs 19:4). The Israelites were killing prophets and tried to kill him. However, in contrast, Jonah prayed to die because the Ninevites repented, which doesn’t make sense. Later in the narrative when God removed a plant that was providing him with shade from the sun, he declared that he wanted to die again (v. 8).

Here we see one of Jonah’s major hindrances to ministry and ours as well, uncontrolled negative emotions. He was angry at God because he didn’t agree with what God was doing. He was so angry he wanted to die—quit ministry and life. But Jonah also had a lot of self-pity. When the weather was extremely hot, he despaired of his life (v. 8). He was hopeless. Jonah’s emotions were unbalanced and out of control. They hindered his ability to faithfully serve God and others.

God’s Emotions

This is a common hindrance to any good work. God has given us emotions, as he is an emotional being. God is loving and at times angry. He gets grieved and even jealous. However, God’s emotions are always perfect—they are righteous and appropriate. We were made in his image, and therefore have emotions like him. However, our emotions are infected by sin and therefore are commonly self-focused, instead of God-focused and others-focused. That’s why the greatest commandments are to love God and others (Matt 22:36-40). God commands these because they are not natural to our sinful nature. We naturally love ourselves more than God and others (2 Tim 3:1-2). This is why we get mad at God if we don’t get our way or things don’t work out the way we would prefer. In addition, we get mad at others when they get in the way of our happiness or what we think is wise or best.

When things don’t happen the way we think they should, like Jonah, we often struggle with negative emotions, sometimes out-of-control emotions towards God, others, or ourselves. These negative emotions hinder ministry, as they are often self-focused. This is, in part, why Scripture commonly commands us to control our emotions. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything.” Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.” Mark 6:31 says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger.” We are called to control our emotions, as it’s a mark of spiritual maturity, even as uncontrolled emotions are a mark of immaturity. Anxiety and anger will lead us into sin if unchecked. Proverbs 25:28 says, “Like a city that is broken down and without a wall, so is a person who cannot control his temper.” Uncontrolled emotions don’t only lead to an ineffective and unfaithful ministry but also to destruction, personally and corporately.

With Jonah, his uncontrolled emotions were fueled by his wrong views about God and people. Therefore, God aimed to help him control his emotions and thoughts by asking him pointed questions like, “Are you really so very angry?” (v. 4), “Are you really so very angry about the little plant?” (v. 9), and “Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city?” (v. 11). Sometimes, the best thing we can do when a person is struggling with uncontrolled emotions is to calmly ask them questions and allow them to think about their out of balance responses. God also helped Jonah control his emotions by allowing him to go through a purposefully, manufactured trial to teach him about God’s love for creation, including children and animals, and show Jonah how unreasonable he was being.

Are we controlling our emotions? Or are anxiety, worry, anger, unforgiveness, and other negative emotions controlling us? Unchecked negative emotions will make us unstable and unsuitable for ministry (cf. 1 Tim 3:3, Tit 1:8). We see this throughout Jonah’s narrative. One moment Jonah was asking to be killed by being thrown into the ocean (Jonah 1); the next he was praying for God to save him from drowning (Jonah 2). Then he praised God for salvation and recommitted to him while in the fish (Jonah 2). One moment he was preaching to the Ninevites (Jonah 3); the next he was pouting and asking to die because God saved them (Jonah 4). One moment he was happy about a new plant that provided him with shade (Jonah 4); the next he was sad because it shriveled up and wanted to die again (Jonah 4). Jonah was a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (Jam 1:8). Many Christians are like this and, therefore, ineffective and unfaithful in serving God and others. Their emotions, and therefore their faith, are out of control and unpredictable.

Breastplate Of Righteousness

We may get a sense of the importance of guarding our hearts in Paul’s command to the Ephesians to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Many believe that it is, at least in part, a command to protect our thoughts and emotions (Eph 6:14). The breastplate protected the heart, lungs, loins, and other vital organs. Symbolically, these were commonly used to refer to one’s thoughts and emotions. The heart often referred to the mind, will, and emotions. The stomach is where a person gets butterflies when they are really excited. It’s a place affected by our emotions and therefore was commonly used symbolically to refer to them (cf. Phil 1:8 KJV). If Satan can get our emotions all over the place, he can distract us from God and his will and sometimes even destroy us and others. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life.” Our family, work, church relationships, and everything else are affected by our mind, will, and emotions.

Application Question: How should we control our negative emotions?

1. To control our negative emotions, we must bring them honestly before the Lord in prayer.

As seen with Jonah, God can handle our wrong emotions and help us work through them. We should never condemn God or become angry at him (cf. Job 1:22), but we should be honest with him about our struggles. This commonly happens in the Psalms, as the Psalmist pours out his fears, worries, negative circumstances, and wrong thoughts before the Lord and yet hopes in God’s saving grace.

2. To control our negative emotions, we must evaluate them biblically, often with the help of others.

We do this by considering them against Scripture’s teachings. We are all called to not be anxious, prideful, jealous, selfishly angry, or vengeful. We also evaluate our emotions by having honest conversations with people. Again, when God asked Jonah questions, it was meant to help him evaluate his thoughts and emotions (cf. Gen 3:9, 11, 4:6). Were they justified, righteous, and like God’s thoughts and emotions? Sometimes, it helps to have conversations with godly, wise believers and allow them to challenge and encourage us biblically.

3. To control our negative emotions, we should act in line with Scripture regardless of how we feel.

We should love an enemy by acting in a loving way towards them, even though we struggle with despising them in our hearts (Rom 12:18-21). We should pray and give thanks when we’re anxious, asking for peace and God’s sovereignty over a situation (Phil 4:6-7). Often when acting in accordance with righteousness instead of our negative emotions, our emotions soon follow. For example, when reading God’s Word, praying, or going to church, though we don’t feel like it, we soon find that doing so was good for us and we feel better. Likewise, by acting in a loving manner towards someone we previously despised or cared nothing about, we may soon find ourselves truly loving that person.

4. To control our negative emotions, we must live in the Spirit by practicing spiritual disciplines.

According to Galatians 5:22-23, “self-control” (including that of our thoughts and emotions) is a fruit of the Spirit grown through living “in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.” The works of the flesh are anger, jealousy, fits of rage, etc. (cf. Gal 5:19-20). However, when we live in the Spirit through prayer, worship, Bible study, obedience, and service, God will birth self-control in us. The problem is most of us visit the Spirit instead of making him our home. We are tourists or temporary residents at best, instead of citizens who live there. As we grow in spiritual disciplines, the Spirit of God empowers us to control our negative emotions and thoughts that hinder our ministry to God and others, as it did with Jonah. Paul said this to Timothy who apparently was timid and considering leaving the ministry, “For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 1:7). Certainly, this is true for us as well. God has given us a Spirit to empower us to do ministry and control our thoughts and emotions that might be hindering us. In fact, “self-control” in 2 Timothy 1:7 can also be translated as “sound mind” (KJV) or “sound judgment” (HCSB). Through God’s Spirit, we can have a sound mind to serve him and not live in fear, anger, depression, or anxiety.

By practicing all these things, we are not denying our emotions, but we are not letting them rule over us and hinder our worship and obedience to God. As mentioned, when we act in obedience to God, our emotions will often follow.

In this narrative, Jonah’s emotions were ruling him instead of God. He was double-minded and unstable in all his ways. His example of unfaithfulness was documented as a warning for Israel and us.

Application Question: How can negative emotions hinder our ministry to God and others? Why is it so important to always evaluate our emotions and thoughts biblically and submit them to God’s will? What negative emotions do you commonly struggle with, and how do you seek to control them biblically (2 Cor 10:4-5)?

A Hindrance To Faithful Ministry Is A Selective And Twisted View Of Scripture

He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish!—because I knew that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment.

Jonah 4:2

In verse 2, Jonah rebuked God for his kindness, as though he never brought justice. He paraphrased a familiar theological statement about God seen throughout the Old Testament. The first time it is mentioned is in Exodus 34:6-7, when God revealed his glory to Moses. It says,

The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

As one can see, Jonah only mentioned the section about God’s compassion and grace in verse 6, while leaving off the last part about God’s justice in verse 7. It says, “But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished.” Essentially, Jonah was saying, “I ran from your command because you’re so gracious and forgiving that you never hold anybody accountable!” What’s so ridiculous about Jonah’s accusation is that God had both judged him and forgiven him not too long ago. For running from God’s command, God sent a storm that almost killed Jonah and a group of innocent sailors. It was while Jonah was sinking into the sea that he prayed, and God saved him through a large fish. And it wasn’t until Jonah repented while in the fish that God had him spewed onto dry land (Jonah 2:9-10). The fish was both in a sense his lifeboat and his jail until he repented. It’s not that Jonah disliked God’s graciousness on sinners; it’s that he selfishly didn’t feel others should experience it, especially the enemies of the Jews and maybe Gentiles in general.

As we consider God being both just and merciful at the same time, we must recognize that this has always been perplexing for believers. Old Testament saints would often cry out, “Why do the wicked prosper, while the righteous suffer?” (Jer 12:1-2, Job 21:7, Ps 72:3, 13). This is perplexing when looking at the world. However, the confusion is somewhat taken away when we understand God’s patience—him being slow to anger. Second Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” God waits to bring justice, sometimes for an entire lifetime or several generations, because he is patient and desires that none will perish. Consequently, when looking at the world now, it will often be confusing. Why do the wicked prosper? Why do they get their own TV shows, have nice houses, and get away with so many crimes while the righteous often struggle? It’s because God is patient. He is patient with us and patient with others. In fact, we see God’s patience not only with the Ninevites in this narrative but also with Jonah. Initially, when Jonah ran, God’s justice and mercy came after him, seeking to change him more into God’s image. Then, in this narrative, Jonah selfishly complains, but God graciously and patiently teaches him. Because of God’s patience, there will at times be great and prolonged injustice in the world; and yet, because of his patience (and mercy), there will also be great salvation and revivals.

With that said, the major hindrance to worship and service that we see in this text is Jonah’s twisting of Scripture. His sinful misunderstanding of God caused him to falsely accuse God and perpetuated Jonah’s own anger. As mentioned, he selectively left off God’s justice from the same passage to focus only on God’s compassion and grace. We saw Satan do something similar when tempting Jesus in the wilderness (Matt 4). He misused Scripture to tempt Christ to disobey God. Likewise, a selective, twisted view of Scripture is a common hindrance to ministry. For some, God is a God that prospers and blesses but who does not judge. He is a God who heals but does not bring or allow sickness, as he did with Pharaoh and the Egyptians during the Exodus or with the Corinthians when they mistook the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11 (as some were sick, weak, and some even died). If we have a selective view of Scripture instead of a balanced view, we will worship a caricature of God (an unhealthy exaggeration of him)—a God of blessing but not a God of wrath, or a God of wrath and not a God of blessing. He is both. Those who only see a God of blessing are often undisciplined Christians with no fear of God’s discipline. They often get mad at God, like Jonah did, because he doesn’t do what they want. On the other hand, those who only see a God of wrath or justice, often have an unhealthy fear of God and tend to struggle with depression every time they fall into sin. They feel like God doesn’t love them and won’t forgive them. Satan can easily harm them with condemnation when they fall, which pushes them away from God and his people. In contrast, the Holy Spirit only brings conviction, which turns us away from sin and back to God and his people.

If we are going to be faithful ministers to God and others, we must have a balanced view of Scripture instead of a selective, twisted view. A wrong view will hurt us and others, as we share it with them. Satan is the one who twists Scripture to lead us away from God and his people to sin. We must be especially careful of becoming one of his mouthpieces, even if only into our own ears.

Application Question: How should we respond to the danger of a selective, twisted view of Scripture?

1. Because of the dangers of a selective, twisted view of Scripture, we must diligently study God’s Word because God will hold us accountable for our lack of knowledge and our acting upon it.

Second Timothy 2:15 (ESV) says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” Also, in Matthew 5:19, Christ said:

So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

2. Because of the dangers of a selective, twisted view of Scripture, ministers must teach the whole counsel of God and not just choose their favorite passages or doctrines.

In Acts 20:26-27, Paul said: “Therefore I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of you all. For I did not hold back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God.” Those who sit under half-truths of God’s Word are prone to deception and idolatry, as they can’t discern error mixed with truth. They will make caricatures of God that do not fit Scripture’s full counsel. By teaching the full counsel of Scripture, ministers raise up mature Christians who will be less vulnerable to deception and more able to minister to others (cf. Eph 4:11-15).

Jonah had a selective, twisted view of Scripture which hindered his ministry to the Ninevites and God. It will do the same for us.

How do we view God? Does it match what Scripture says, or is it a perversion that will hinder our worship of God and ministry to others? Is God overly harsh, overly merciful, or even apathetic? The God of Scripture is perfect, and we must know him correctly to properly worship and serve him.

Application Question: Why is a selective, twisted view of Scripture such a hindrance to worship and service? How do you view God? Do you tend more towards his grace or justice, and what are the consequences of your view of him? Have you seen church members with selective, twisted views of Scripture and how should it be remedied?

A Hindrance To Faithful Ministry Is An Idolatrous Focus On Comfort (And Wealth)

The Lord God appointed a little plant and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescue him from his misery. Now Jonah was very delighted about the little plant. So God sent a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up. When the sun began to shine, God sent a hot east wind. So the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life, and said, “I would rather die than live!” God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angry about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angry as I could possibly be!” The Lord said, “You were upset about this little plant, something for which you did not work, nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day. Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than 120,000 people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals.”

Jonah 4:6-11

While Jonah was outside the city waiting for God to judge it, God began to work on Jonah’s attitude and misplaced priorities. God called for a plant to quickly spring up and provide shade for Jonah’s head. This delighted Jonah since it was a hot and sunny day. Then, surprisingly, God sent a worm to destroy the plant and a hot east wind to blow. The sun and hot wind beat down on Jonah’s head, and he despaired of life, saying that he would rather die than live (v. 8). God used the gift of the plant and its removal to teach Jonah a lesson. God often does the same with us. He gives us a friend who is a tremendous comfort and encouragement, and then out of nowhere, he moves, or the relationship ends. He provides a job that meets all of our needs but then takes it away. With these blessings and the removal of them, God encourages us for a season but also reveals sinful attitudes in our hearts or idols that God would like to remove. This is how God uses all trials in our lives. They challenge us and test our faith, and if we submit to God in them, he reveals our weaknesses, helps us get rid of them, and equips us for more ministry (Jam 1:2-4).

After the plant dies and Jonah is in despair because of it, God asked him, “Are you really so very angry about the little plant?” (v. 9). Jonah confirms his desperation. It’s not so much that Jonah cared about the plant. It was more the loss of comfort the plant provided. Then, God demonstrated the folly of Jonah’s anger. He said if Jonah was angry over the loss of comfort from a random plant that died, should not God be more concerned about 120,000 people who don’t know right and wrong and the many animals in Nineveh as well? When God referred to the 120,000 people who didn’t know right from wrong, some believe he was referring to children. If so, Nineveh probably had around 600,000 people altogether in the city (and possibly its metro area). If this is correct, the logic behind the question was though the parents deserved judgment, how about their innocent children? Shouldn’t God have mercy on them? Others believe God is simply referring to people who lack spiritual discernment. In their culture, what was wrong was right, and what was right was wrong. Everything was backwards, as it is in many cultures today (cf. Rom 1:32). When God referred to the animals, he was probably demonstrating how even they had more value than the plants, as they were beings. The implication was, “Shouldn’t Jonah be more concerned about the potential destruction of innocent children and animals than the loss of comfort from a shriveled plant?”

This is a hindrance for many believers: God has given us all the Great Commission to go and preach the gospel to all nations (Matt 28:18-20). However, for many, their greatest hindrance is their comfort. It’s uncomfortable being around people who speak a different language and have different cultural expectations. It’s hard to buy food and clothes, eat, and navigate society. Consequently, they feel no compulsion to go to these places, and if they are already there, they want to leave quickly. But the souls of those people are more important than our comforts. Many can’t do ministry to the needy because they can’t leave the comforts of home, family, and country. Though Jonah seems tone-deaf and hardened in this narrative, he represents much of the evangelical church. Comfort and materialism are more important to us than souls and God’s mission.

Likewise, there was a man in Luke 9:57 who approached Christ and said, “I will follow you wherever you go.” The parallel passage in Matthew 8:19 tells us he was a scribe (or teacher of the law). He was a devoted follower of Yahweh who meticulously copied Scripture and taught at the synagogues. In many ways, he was the ideal potential disciple; however, he had a major flaw. In response to the man, Christ, who knew his heart, simply said, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (v. 58). Christ knew comfort and luxury were this man’s idols, which would hinder his desire to do the ministry. Essentially, Christ said to him, “Foxes have better homes than I do, and birds are more comfortable than me. Are you sure you want to be my disciple?” Likewise, we must recognize that the desire for comfort and luxuries can be a major hindrance to our ministry as well. It can keep us from doing God’s will, loving others, and serving them. When Abraham was called, he had no guarantee things would be more comfortable in Canaan after leaving his home in Mesopotamia. In fact, it wasn’t. There was a famine right when he got to the land (Gen 12). This caused him to leave the promised land and head to Egypt where he almost lost his wife to Pharaoh. His life in Mesopotamia and Egypt was more comfortable, but that wasn’t where God wanted Abraham to be. Canaan was. Likewise, we must be careful of our desires for comfort and luxuries. They are often hindrances to the work of ministry. In Luke 14:26-27, Christ said if we were going to be his disciples, we must hate our father, mother, wife, children, brother, sister, and even our own lives. We must be willing to take up our crosses—bearing all types of pain and discomfort—to be his disciples and do the ministries God calls us to.

Even though as disciples, we have all committed to take up our cross and offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord (Rom 12:1), including at times being inconvenienced and uncomfortable, we often jump off the cross and the altar. We are often shocked when following him leads us into a famine or removes our comfort. Like Abraham, we at times flee to Egypt, get mad at God, or doggedly cling to our comforts, rather than submit to God’s will. Often, God needs to rebuke us like Jonah and say, “Does your comfort matter more than the souls of all these people?”

We are not told how Jonah responded. The author leaves us with a cliff-hanger, which is probably meant to not only make us wonder about Jonah’s response but also look at our hearts. Do our comforts matter more to us than lost souls? Will we leave home, family, job, and comfort to reach people if God calls us to?

The good thing about this cliff-hanger is that if Jonah’s the author, which most believe, that implies he repented of his nationalistic pride which caused him to despise the Ninevites. He repented of his love of comfort more than the restoration of God’s creation. He repented, and so can we. God’s kingdom must be more important than our comfort and luxuries.

Application Question: Why are comfort and luxuries such hindrances to faithful ministry? How do you struggle with this temptation? How should we overcome it in order to fulfill God’s call on our lives?

Conclusion

The story of Jonah was meant to challenge the nation of Israel. They were called to be lights to the Gentiles, including those who hated and mistreated them as the Assyrians did. They were not called to simply have a holy huddle where they cared for themselves and looked down on others. They were called to reach out to the nations, so they could know Yahweh as well.

The church has the same mission, as it was given by Christ before he ascended into heaven. As mentioned, in Matthew 28:18-20, Christ said:

…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Will we complete our mission? What are our hindrances to faithfully completing it? Jonah ministered to the Ninevites, but he was not faithful. He might be called effective because of the great revival, but he was not faithful. He preached but didn’t even desire for them to repent. When they started changing, he didn’t stay to disciple them. He became mad at God for forgiving them and hoped that God would change his mind and judge them. His ministry was effective, but it was not faithful. It was not pleasing to God, and certainly, God couldn’t use Jonah as much as he would have liked until he got rid of the hindrances in his heart like pride, selfishness, anger, love of comfort, and nationalism.

What are hindrances to faithful ministry that we must be careful of?

1. A Hindrance to Faithful Ministry Is Uncontrolled Negative Emotions, Including Anger, Self-pity, and a Hopeless Spirit
2. A Hindrance to Faithful Ministry Is a Selective and Twisted View of Scripture
3. A Hindrance to Faithful Ministry Is an Idolatrous Focus on Comfort (and Wealth)

Application Question: What hindrance to faithful ministry stood out most and why? What are other hindrances to ministry? What hindrance (or hindrances) do you struggle with most and how is God calling you to work on them?

Prayer Prompts

• Pray for God to give us a sound mind through his Spirit and deliver us from uncontrolled thoughts and emotions—anger, self-pity, hopelessness, depression, lust, etc.—which hinder our ministry to God and others.
• Pray for God to teach us his Word and deliver us from unbiblical views about him, others, and ourselves.
• Pray for God to increase our love for him and others so we can do the work of evangelism and discipleship, and also pray that God will forgive us for not loving him and others as we should.
• Pray for God to teach us contentment and deliver us from the idols of wealth and comfort so we can serve him and others better.

Copyright © 2023 Gregory Brown

Unless otherwise noted, the primary Scriptures used are taken from the NET Bible ® copyright © 1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

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Writing is one of the best ways to learn. In class, we take notes and write papers, and all these methods are used to help us learn and retain the material. The same is true with the Word of God. Obviously, all of the authors of Scripture were writers. This helped them better learn the Scriptures and also enabled them to more effectively teach it. In studying God’s Word with the Bible Teacher’s Guide, take time to write so you can similarly grow both in your learning and teaching.

1. How would you summarize the main points of the text/chapter? Write a brief summary.
2. What stood out to you most in the reading? Did any of the contents trigger any memories or experiences? If so, please share them.
3. What follow–up questions do you have about the reading? Are there parts you do not fully agree with?
4. What applications did you take from the reading, and how do you plan to implement them in your life?
5. Write several goals: As a result of my time studying God’s Word, I aspire to . . .
6. What are some practical ways to pray as a result of studying the text? Spend some time in prayer.

Copyright © 2023 Gregory Brown

BTG Publishing all rights reserved.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

2 Timothy 2:2 (NET)

Paul’s words to Timothy still apply to us today. The church needs teachers who clearly and fearlessly teach the Word of God. With this in mind, The Bible Teacher’s Guide (BTG) series was created. This series includes both expositional and topical studies, with resources to help teachers lead small groups, pastors prepare sermons, and individuals increase their knowledge of God’s Word.

Each lesson is based around the hermeneutical principle that the original authors wrote in a similar manner as we do today—with the intention of being understood. Each paragraph and chapter of Scripture centers around one main thought, often called the Big Idea. After finding the Big Idea for each passage studied, students will discuss the Big Question, which will lead the small group (if applicable) through the entire text. Alongside the Big Question, note the added Observation, Interpretation, and Application Questions. The Observation Questions point out pivotal aspects of the text. The Interpretation Questions facilitate understanding through use of the context and other Scripture. The Application Questions lead to life principles coming out of the text. Not all questions will be used, but they have been given to help guide the teacher in preparing the lesson.

As the purpose of this guide is to make preparation easier for the teacher and study easier for the individual, many commentaries and sermons have been accessed in the development of each lesson. After meditating on the Scripture text and the lesson, the small group leader may wish to follow the suggested teaching outline:

1. Introduce the text and present the Big Question.
2. Allow several minutes for the members to discuss the question, search for the answers within the text, and listen to God speak to them through His Word.
3. Discuss the initial findings, then lead the group through the Observation, Interpretation, and Application Questions.

On the other hand, the leader may prefer to teach the lesson in part or in whole, and then give the Application Questions. He may also choose to use a “study group” method, where each member prepares beforehand and shares teaching responsibility (see Appendices 1 and 2). Some leaders may find it most effective to first read the main section of the lesson corporately, then to follow with a brief discussion of the topic and an Application Question.

Again, The Bible Teacher’s Guide can be used as a manual to follow in teaching, a resource to use in preparation for teaching or preaching, or simply as an expositional devotional to enrich your own study. I pray that the Lord may bless your study, preparation, and teaching, and that in all of it you will find the fruit of the Holy Spirit abounding in your own life and in the lives of those you instruct.

Copyright © 2023 Gregory Brown

BTG Publishing all rights reserved.

From Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. But now in his own time he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior. To Titus, my genuine son in a common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior!

Titus 1:1-4 (NET)

What are the priorities of a faithful minister? Our priorities are important because they demonstrate what our focuses are. As believers, our priorities should be very different than the world’s. Our different priorities lead us down very different paths to different outcomes, including eternal ones. As we consider our priorities, we should consider Paul’s priorities in Titus 1:1-4 in order for them to instruct ours. He calls himself “a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ” (v. 1). He was a faithful minister of God. Also, as with many modern letters or papers, in embryonic form he introduces some of his main priorities for the letter and his life in the first few sentences of it, which we’ll consider.

Intro To The Letter

However, first, we’ll give attention to the letter of Titus as a whole. In Titus, Paul writes a letter to his true son in the faith. Titus, apparently, came to Christ during one of Paul’s missionary journeys. Titus was a non-Jewish Greek. When there was a battle raging over whether Gentile believers had to become like Jews by becoming circumcised, Paul brought Titus to the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 as an example of a Gentile believer who was not circumcised. Galatians 2:3-5 says this:

Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek. Now this matter arose because of the false brothers with false pretenses who slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves. But we did not surrender to them even for a moment, in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

Titus later became Paul’s trouble-shooter. When there was immorality and false teaching happening in Corinth, Paul sent Titus there to minister to them (2 Cor 7:5-8). After Titus returned with good news of their repentance, Paul sent him back to help the Corinthians prepare an offering for suffering Christians in Jerusalem (2 Cor 8:6, 16-17). Like the Corinthians, the Cretans were a very difficult ministry. The church was probably planted by Jewish Cretans who heard the gospel at Pentecost, as they are mentioned in Acts 2:11. It says, “both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!” These believing Cretans eventually returned to their country and probably planted churches. Crete is an island southeast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea. It’s about 160 miles long and 35 miles wide.¹ At some point, most likely after Paul’s first imprisonment, he stopped there with Titus to evangelize the lost and encourage the believers.² Eventually, Paul left Titus in Crete to set things in order. Titus 1:5 says, “The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”

Purposes Of The Letter

In the letter, Paul has many purposes. (1) First, he wanted to warn Titus and the Cretans of the many false teachers in the church that needed to be silenced. Apparently, there were many Jewish teachers, teaching Jewish myths and obedience to the Mosaic law, probably including the need for Gentiles to be circumcised in order to be saved. He alludes to the teachers and their teachings throughout the letter. Titus 1:10-11 and 3:9 says,

For there are many rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections [also translated “circumcision party” in the ESV], who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.

But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, quarrels, and fights about the law, because they are useless and empty

(2) Secondly, in part because of these false teachers, Paul wanted Titus to set up elders in the Cretan churches (Tit 1:5-10). Titus 1:5 says, “The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.” Setting elders in each church would be crucial for building up the local believers and protecting them from false teaching and division (Tit 1:9, 3:10).

(3) Third, Paul emphasizes the importance of salvation throughout the letter, that believers are saved by grace through faith. In fact, the word “savior” is only used twelve times in the New Testament, and six of those are in Titus.³ Three times “savior” is used of God and three times of Jesus. ⁴ Paul wanted to emphasize to the Cretans that they were saved by God’s grace and not their works. This was probably to contradict the Jewish false teachers who were teaching salvation through obedience to the Old Testament law. Titus 3:4-7 is one of the clearest texts in all of Scripture on the believer’s salvation. It says,

But “when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.”

(4) Fourth, Paul emphasizes the need for sound doctrine throughout the letter, in part because of all the false teaching (1:4, 9, 13; 2:1, 2, 7, 8, 10; 3:15).⁵ He says this about a potential elder in Titus 1:9: “He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it.” Titus 2:1 and 7-8 say this:

But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching… In your teaching show integrity, dignity, and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, because he has nothing evil to say about us.

Daniel Akin, the President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said this, “Sound teaching may be the heart of Titus. The phrase occurs four times in the New Testament, all in the pastorals [1 and 2 Timothy, Titus], with two of those in Titus. Literally it is ‘healthy teaching.’”⁶ (5) Fifth, Paul emphasized that the Cretans were not saved simply from judgment but specifically to good works which are a fruit of sound teaching. Good works are mentioned six times throughout the book (1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:1, 8, 14). Titus 2:14 says this about Christ, “He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.” Titus 3:8 says, “The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works…” In this world, God is purifying for himself a people who are eager and devoted to doing what is good. Good works are not an end in themselves; it seems that the good works are meant to be evangelistic—drawing unbelievers to Christ (cf. Matt 5:16). In Titus 2:10, Paul told slaves to obey their masters “in order to bring credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything.” He also told wives to submit to their husbands “so that the message of God may not be discredited” (2:5). This is very similar to what Peter said in his letter. First Peter 2:12 says, “maintain good conduct among the non-Christians, so that though they now malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he appears.” No doubt, they will glorify God when he comes instead of crouching in fear because they accepted Christ because of the believers’ faith manifested in love around them (cf. Gal 5:6).

The need to perform good works was especially important for the Cretans to hear because they were known culturally for being an unruly and dishonest people. The Greeks developed the word “cretize” which was a synonym for lying.⁷ In fact, Paul quotes one of their philosophers, Epimenides, to emphasize their dishonest and unruly culture. Titus 1:12-13 says,

A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Such testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply that they may be healthy in the faith

In fact, Titus might have been discouraged working in this difficult context; therefore, Paul wrote to instruct and encourage him to be faithful in this ministry. Often, God places us in difficult contexts as well, but no doubt, God’s grace and his Word are available to us, so we can also be faithful.

As mentioned, in Titus 1:1-4, we see the priorities of a faithful minister. Paul, as an apostle of Christ and slave of God, shares his priorities as an example for Titus but also as an example for the Cretans who no doubt had many worldly priorities. For most, these priorities will not be new; however, we need constant reminders to reprioritize so we can do God’s work which is eternal instead of focusing on the temporary. One day, God will hold us accountable for our ministry and we will hear, “Well done good and faithful servant and be rewarded,” or we’ll be called lazy servants and experience loss of reward (cf. 1 Cor 3:12-15, Matt 25:14-30, 2 Tim 4:6-8). Therefore, as we study Paul’s priorities, we must allow God to instruct and correct ours.

Big Question: What are priorities of faithful ministers as demonstrated by Paul’s priorities in Titus 1:1-4?

A Priority Of Faithful Ministers Is Recognizing God’s Call On Their Lives And Submitting To It

From Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, … But now in his own time he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.

Titus 1:1, 3

At the beginning of the letter, Paul establishes his authority to write this letter both to Titus and to the Cretans who would hear this letter read in their local gatherings (cf. Titus 3:15). When Paul called himself a “slave of God,” it literally means a “bond-slave.” “One Greek scholar called it ‘the most abject, servile term in use among the Greeks for a slave.”⁸ A bond slave owned nothing, including the clothes on his back. The master owned everything. When Paul called himself a bond-slave, it demonstrated his humility both before God and others. He was a servant of God. However, the terminology was also an honorable term to a Jewish audience. Moses, Joshua, and the prophets were called servants of God (Josh 1:2, 24:29, Amos 3:7). Amos 3:7 says, “Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” In the Old Testament, the prophets saw themselves as owned by God and therefore representing him when they spoke and served. This title would have been a challenge to the Jewish false teachers who heard the letter read. Like the prophets in the Old Testament, Paul represented God, and therefore, they should listen to him.

However, Paul also called himself an apostle. This term just means “messenger” or “sent one.” It was used of any messenger, even a lowly one. However, in the New Testament, it is often used of special messengers, specifically the twelve disciples who Christ mentored and were official witnesses of his resurrection. They and their associates wrote the entire New Testament. Paul, though not an original apostle, saw Christ after his resurrection and was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15, Gal 1:16, 2:7-8). Paul ministered to Jews as well, but he was specifically called to preach to Gentiles, calling them to faith in Christ. Certainly, as the Jews in Crete would have recognized and respected the term “servant of God,” the Gentile Cretans would have especially recognized Paul’s call as an apostle to the Gentiles.

Therefore, a priority of faithful ministers is recognizing God’s call on their life and submitting to it. He is their master who they must seek to honor with their thoughts, attitudes, and actions. He is the one who commissions them for service whether that be to the people in their family, at work, or in a specific region or nation. First Corinthians 6:19-20 says,

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

Are we submitting our body, thoughts, actions, and overall life to God? This is something that often does not mark the immature in Christ. They may give God their Sundays but not their Mondays. They may give God their work but not their money. They may give God their morning quiet times but not their entertainment. There are some aspects of their lives that are off-limits. However, Paul, as a faithful minister, saw himself as the lowliest slave—one who owned nothing, not even the clothes on his back. Everything he had was God’s, and he was sent by God to do his work. John MacArthur’s comments are helpful in considering a faithful minister:

All effective, fruitful, and genuinely spiritual leaders in Christ’s church have a deep awareness that they are under divine authority. That awareness becomes the controlling reality of their lives. They do not seek to fulfill personal agendas, create personal fame, or build personal empires. They are content and feel honored for the privilege of being wholly subject to the Master who has chosen and sent them.⁹

Do we see every part of our lives as under “divine authority?” First Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” This is a priority of every faithful minister—recognizing their lives as under God’s authority and submitting to him.

Application Question: How do we discern God’s specific call on our lives?

In Acts 9, while Paul was on his way to put Christians in jail, Christ appeared to him and called him to be God’s servant and an apostle to the Gentiles. How do we discern God’s call on our lives—the unique ways we’ve been called to serve him?

Everybody has a general call. The general call is to obey God’s clear instructions in Scripture such as loving God and others, reading his Word, faithfully serving the church, and reaching out to the lost, etc. However, as we obey God’s general call, God often will make clear his specific call on our lives, including our gifts and the communities he may be calling us to serve. Mark 4:24-25 says:

… Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you. For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

As we are faithful to God’s general call, often he will make clear his specific call on our lives, even as he called Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Psalm 25:14 says, “The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, and he reveals his covenantal demands to them.” (1) Often, God will guide us by giving us the desire to serve in specific ways. Philippians 2:13 (NIV) says, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” God will give us desires to work with youth, serve in administration or leadership, mercy ministries, teaching, homemaking, etc. (2) God will then open doors to serve in those areas. (3) He equips us and makes us fruitful in those areas and (4) confirms our call through the encouragement of others. As he opens doors, equips, and confirms (sometimes in a different order), he will often increase our desire to serve in those areas. As we’re faithful with our general call as found in Scripture, God will often make known specific ways he has called us to serve.

Paul recognized God’s call on his life as an apostle and slave of God, and he submitted to it, as all faithful ministers seek to do. We must do the same. Therefore, we must ask ourselves, “Are we faithfully following God’s general call through studying and obeying Scripture?” Also, “How has God specifically gifted us and where and to whom is he calling us to serve to build his kingdom?”

Application Question: Are there specific areas in your life that you struggle with giving God full control over? How is God calling you to submit your will to his in this season? In what ways has God gifted you and called you to serve? Is there a specific person or people God has called you to focus on serving or potentially serving in the future?

A Priority Of Faithful Ministers Is Evangelizing Unbelievers

…to further the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. But now in his own time he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.

Titus 1:1-3

Interpretation Question: What does Paul mean when talking about “furthering the faith of God’s chosen ones?”

When Paul says, “furthering the faith of God’s chosen ones,” he is either referring to leading the elect to salvation or furthering their faith after they are saved. However, since his next words, “the knowledge of the truth,” seem to cover the second meaning, most likely, Paul is talking about leading the elect to salvation. This is similar to what he says in 2 Timothy 2:10: “So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God [also translated elect], that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.” We see something of this in Acts 13:48 when Paul preached the gospel to Jews and Gentiles in Antioch. It says, “When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and praise the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life believed.” “Appointed for eternal life” can also be translated “chosen for eternal life” (NLT) or “ordained for eternal life” (KJV). As Paul preached the gospel to the lost, the elect accepted Christ. That was God’s mission for Paul, and therefore, that was one of his priorities in ministry. This should be true of us as well, since we’ve all been called by Christ to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19).

The Paradox Of God’s Election

With all that said, election is a mystery that is difficult to understand and has caused great confusion and controversy amongst believers. “If God elects to salvation, why is there a need for a person to put his faith in Christ?” some would ask. However, Scripture clearly teaches both human responsibility and God’s sovereignty in salvation, including within Titus 1:1. When Paul says “faith,” he is referring to the human side of salvation. To be saved, we must put our faith in Christ. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Also, John 3:16 says, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” No one can be saved apart from putting their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Because of our sins and God’s righteous judgment, Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, so we could have eternal life. We cannot be saved by being raised in a Christian family, going to church, being baptized, serving the marginalized, or any other good work. We must believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior. Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

But here lies the mystery of salvation, we are saved by putting our faith in Christ, but we are also saved by God’s sovereign choice. In verse 1, after saying “furthering the faith” which reflects human responsibility, Paul says “of God’s chosen ones” or “of God’s elect” (ESV) which reflects God’s sovereign choice. When did God choose us? Verse 2 tells us that God promised to save us “before the ages began.” Likewise, Ephesians 1:4-5 says,

For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love. He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will

This is a tremendous mystery. Again, Scripture teaches both human responsibility, our need to put our faith in Christ to be saved, and God’s sovereignty, his divine right to choose before time those who will be saved before time. Some teach that God simply knew who would accept him before time, and therefore he chose based on that knowledge (cf. Rom 8:29, Matt 7:23); however, that is not really a choice at all. That’s merely a confirmation. In describing God’s election of Jacob over Esau to be the heir of promise, Paul said this in Romans 9:10-16:

Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our ancestor Isaac—even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election would stand, not by works but by his calling)—it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,” just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.

God’s election of Jacob over Esau had nothing to do with anything they would do in the future. It had everything to do with God’s sovereign right to show mercy on sinful people, even before they were born and before they had done anything good or bad.

Someone described election this way: Before a person is saved, he stands and looks at a door that says, “Whosoever wants to come, may come.” Then, after that person walks through the door and looks back, the other side of the door says, “Elect, chosen before time.” It truly is a mystery, but that’s what Scripture teaches. It may be difficult to understand for us, but we can be sure, it makes perfect sense to God.

When coming to Scripture, if we believe it is truly inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16), though written by humans, we should expect paradoxes, things that won’t make perfect sense to us. If someone infinite inspired Scripture, then there should be difficult things for finite people to grasp. And that’s true when it comes to understanding many things in the Bible such as the Trinity—God being three and yet one—Christ’s incarnation—his being 100% human and 100% deity—and the mystery of human responsibility and God’s sovereignty both in salvation and all things. Ephesians 1:11 says God “accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will.” For many, they have seen these types of mysteries as proof of the Divine origin of Scripture. Humans don’t intentionally write these types of mysteries. We write to be understood, accepted, and convincing. When we look at Greek gods, they make perfect sense because they are just like humans. They become angry, lie, war, and lust. They are sinful just like humans. They make perfect sense. But, the God of the Bible, the one who became a poor man, died for the sins of the world, and then resurrected so we can have eternal life, does not make sense. It’s paradoxical which is what we would expect if Scripture was truly inspired by an infinite being. Therefore, paradoxes like human responsibility and God’s sovereignty in salvation, though difficult to understand, should give us confidence that Scripture is ultimately Divine in origin.

God’s Promise Before Time

In addition, as we consider salvation, we should have confidence in God’s completing our salvation because he promised it before time. Again, in verse 2, Paul said, “in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began.” God was not taken off guard by Satan tricking Eve nor by Adam following his wife into sin. God planned for the salvation of a remnant, including those who put their trust in him, even before he created the world; therefore, nothing can stop the salvation of the elect. They are eternally secure. Paul said this in considering the surety of the salvation of God’s elect in Romans 8:33-39:

Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore, since God cannot break his promises, we should have ultimate confidence in God’s saving and keeping the elect. They are eternally secure because God cannot lie or break his promises, which he made before time.

Hindrance To Evangelism

With all that said, some people struggle with election because they see it as a hindrance to preaching the gospel. They say, “Why preach the gospel if people are already chosen for salvation? Won’t they ultimately be saved anyways?” However, that is not how Paul viewed election and that’s not how we should view it either. The God who chose some to salvation also chose the means of their salvation, and it is their hearing of the gospel. Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.” Likewise, Romans 10:14 says: “… And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?” The elect must hear and respond to the gospel to be saved. Therefore, election, instead of hindering evangelism, should encourage it. Election should give us confidence when we preach the gospel to hard hearts because some will respond. Again, in considering election, Paul said this in 2 Timothy 2:10: “So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God [also translated elect], that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.” And this is what he is emphasizing in Titus 1:1 when he says he was called to “further the faith of God’s chosen ones.” Election should then inspire us to evangelize and not hinder it, because God has promised some will respond.

Again, one of Paul’s priorities as a faithful minister of God was to evangelize—to share the gospel with all, so God can save the elect. Who are the elect? The elect are those who respond to the gospel with faith. Evangelizing must be our priority as well if we are going to be faithful ministers of God.

Are we still sharing the gospel with others?

Application Question: What is your experience with evangelism? Is there a person or persons whose salvation you are praying for and hoping for an opportunity to share your faith with? How can a person grow in being more faithful in the area of evangelism? What is the doctrine of election? What is the most difficult part about it? What are different views about it? In what way(s) is it comforting or encouraging, if any?

A Priority Of Faithful Ministers Is Educating And Encouraging Believers

and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began.

Titus 1:1b-2

Interpretation Question: What does Paul mean when talking about “the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness, in hope of eternal life?”

Knowing Truth And Living Godly

Not only was Paul concerned with the lost being saved, he also was concerned with educating and encouraging believers. Again, Titus 1:1-2 says his goal was to “further the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness.” This is very similar to the Great Commission where Christ calls us to “make disciples” and to teach them to obey “everything” he had commanded (Matt 28:19-20). Likewise, Paul spent time with these new believers and young church plants to teach truths about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, salvation, creation, and the end times. In most of Paul’s letters, he taught the believers doctrine and corrected false doctrine. However, the doctrine was not just to help them be orthodox but also to help them with orthopraxy, living out the faith. He taught them truths, so they could learn how to pray, conquer sin, raise their children in the Lord, serve their spouses, be godly workers, persevere through trials, be good citizens, and make disciples. He taught them the “knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,” and so must we.

Like Paul, God has not only called us to minister to the lost but to the church. Later in Titus 2:1-10, Paul will specifically call Titus to teach the older men to be sound in faith, the older women to teach the younger how to oversee their homes and serve their husbands, the younger men to be self-controlled, and the slaves to obey their masters. In addition, Paul called Titus to not only teach people but be an example by his godly life (2:7). We are also called to teach God’s Word and live out our faith within the body of Christ. We should share God’s truth with our believing family members, peers, youth, and those senior to us. We all, as God’s ministers, must be invested in educating the body of Christ, so it can become holy and fruitful.

Certainly, God has given the church especially gifted members, such as pastors and teachers, for the purpose of educating the saints by teaching them Scripture (Eph 4:11-15). However, it’s something we all must strategically participate in. This certainly happens as members mentor and come alongside one another, invest in children and youth education, but also in worship, which is the singing of Scripture, and small groups where we read, explain, and discuss Scripture. We all must seek to equip the saints by teaching the truth, meaning God’s Word. Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Encouraging Hope

Furthermore, Paul did not only evangelize through sharing the gospel and educate the saints with doctrine that led to holiness, but he also encouraged believers to “hope” in eternal life (v. 2). Hope is another word for faith; however, it is faith in something future. There is a sense in which we have eternal life as soon as we put our faith in Christ. Christ said this in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life—that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.” Eternal life is not just living forever, because everybody will live forever in one of two places. Eternal life is a quality of life with God, which we now have as believers. However, the full measure of eternal life will not be realized until we have resurrected bodies and therefore are free from sin and every hindrance to living with and experiencing God moment by moment. This will ultimately happen at Christ’s second coming. Later, Paul calls this the believers’ “blessed hope,” or it can be translated “happy hope.” Titus 2:13 says, “as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Christ is our God and Savior, and we should wait with hope for his coming.

Application Question: What happens when believers have little hope in their coming eternal life?

1. Believers who do not live with this hope typically become toppled by their trials, living as though this life and our current happiness are all that matter.

For example, Paul said the hope of eternal glory helped him to not despair as he lived with a physical body that was wearing out. Second Corinthians 4:16-18 says,

Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

2. In addition, believers who don’t have hope in eternal life typically become worldly believers, consumed with worldly comforts, materialism, success, and sin.

In Luke 12:45-48, Christ gave a parable where a servant starts to think his master has delayed his coming and therefore starts to overeat, get drunk, and beat up the other servants. The master then returns and disciplines him. To lose hope in Christ’s coming and the eternal life he brings leads to sin and worldliness. On the contrary, hoping in Christ’s coming and our eternal life leads us to holiness. In 1 John 3:2-3, John said this:

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Therefore, part of God’s mission for Paul and every faithful minister is not only to biblically educate believers but also to encourage them to maintain hope in Christ and their ultimate salvation.

Application Question: How do we maintain our hope in eternity and encourage others to do the same?

1. We maintain our hope in eternity by being careful of temporal treasures and even sin which dampen our spiritual fervor.

In Matthew 6:19-21, Christ said this:

Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Earthly treasures often become idols in our hearts which dampen our desire for eternal things. Therefore, we must be wise and careful with them. Sometimes that means getting rid of them like Christ told the rich man (Matt 19:21). At other times, it means being disciplined with our use of them so they don’t consume us (1 Cor 7:30-31). This must be true of many things like social media, entertainment, hobbies, electronics, and even relationships.

In 1 John 2:15-17, John said it this way:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.

2. We maintain our hope in eternity by fellowshipping with other believers who are hoping in the Lord as well.

Hebrews 10:25 says, “not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.” By being faithful in church, small group, and other fellowship opportunities, serving, and being challenged by other believers, it kindles our hope in Christ’s coming. If our relationship with the church is weak, our hope in eternity, where we’ll dwell with and serve with other believers forever, will be weak as well.

3. We maintain our hope in eternity by practicing spiritual disciplines which help us focus on eternal things and not temporal things.

Colossians 3:1-4 says,

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him.

We keep our mind on things above by disciplining ourselves spiritually, including living in God’s Word, prayer, worship, and serving our king. Along with focusing on right things, we must stay away from wrong things such as ungodly entertainment or unhealthy relationships. If our spiritual disciplines are weak, again our hope in eternity will be weak as well.

If we are going to be faithful ministers like Paul, we must seek to educate and encourage the church. Christ gave his life for the church and now lives to make intercession for her in the heavens (Heb 7:25) and daily washes her through the ministry of the Word (Eph 5:25-26). He places her in God’s hand and his own to protect her eternally (John 10:28-30). We must likewise be extremely committed to educating, encouraging, and serving the saints.

Are we investing into our spiritual education and that of the saints? We cannot help others grow spiritually if we are not growing as well. As we grow in the knowledge of God’s Word, the more encouraged we become. Psalm 19:8 says, “The Lord’s precepts are fair and make one joyful. The Lord’s commands are pure and give insight for life.” The more encouraged we are, the better we can encourage others. Faithful ministers are committed to educating and encouraging saints.

Application Question: How has God used other saints to make a strong impact on you through educating and encouraging your faith? What are some strategic ways to encourage saints, especially those who are discouraged? Why is hoping in eternity so important? What are your major hindrances to hoping in eternity?

A Priority Of Faithful Ministers Is Depending On And Partnering With Believers

To Titus, my genuine son in a common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior!

Titus 1:4

In verse 4, Paul mentions Titus who was his “genuine son in a common faith.” When calling him a genuine son, this possibly refers to Paul’s leading Titus to Christ, to Paul’s discipling him, or both. Paul also called Timothy his “genuine child” in 1 Timothy 1:4. As mentioned, Titus was a trouble-shooter for Paul. When the church of Corinth was plagued by immorality and false doctrine, Paul sent Titus to help correct them (2 Cor 7:5-8). And when the church of Corinth needed to support the struggling saints in Jerusalem, Paul sent Titus to prepare the offering (2 Cor 8:6, 16-17). In 2 Corinthians 8:23, Paul called Titus his “partner and fellow worker.” At the writing of Titus, Titus was ministering to a difficult people in Crete, who were also plagued by false teachers and immorality. Titus was someone Paul could trust and someone who could get the job done.

However, Paul did not just partner with Titus but with many other Christian workers. Though Paul was exceptionally gifted and possibly the greatest apostle, he was no lone ranger. He knew his weaknesses and therefore depended on God and the body of Christ. He constantly asked the churches for prayer, depended on them for financial support in certain ministries, and partnered with them for missions.

At the end of most of his letters, he sent greetings to many of his friends and co-workers in the faith, and he often had other fellow workers with him, like Titus, Luke, Timothy, Demas, and others. When Paul gave the conclusion to the book of Romans, he greeted thirty-three believers by name and many others who were unnamed.¹⁰ He loved the body of Christ and partnered with them to do the work of ministry.

John MacArthur’s comments are helpful when considering our need to invest in and partner with the body:

Throughout history, the most powerful and effective leaders in the church have been involved in developing partners and fellow workers who extend and perpetuate the ministry of Jesus Christ. Although Paul was the most highly gifted of the apostles, he never ministered alone, never attempted to carry on a single-handed ministry. Until his death, he was intimately associated with an amazingly large network of preachers, teachers, and other leaders in the church with whom he was a partner in service. He extended himself through others, knowing that the Lord did not call him to function alone. He realized the importance of delegating responsibility and of preparing others to carry on the ministry.¹¹

Even Christ spent his life and ministry developing relationships with others, pouring into them, and at times receiving from them (Lk 8:3, Matt 26:38). Certainly, for some, this will be more difficult because of temperament, personality, and gifting. An introvert must stretch him or herself to meet with people, be transparent with them, seek prayer, and serve them. Likewise, an extrovert must stretch himself to be alone to excel in prayer to God and time in his Word. God has called us to do both as we serve him.

How are we loving the body of Christ and partnering with her to do the work of ministry? First Corinthians 12:20 and verse 27 say:

So now there are many members, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot, “I do not need you.” … Now you are Christ’s body, and each of you is a member of it.

1 Corinthians 12:20, 27

While faithful ministers depend on the body, just like the hand depends on the eye, unfaithful members tend to be independent. They have no one to confess their sins to and ask for prayer. Whereas Paul had a strong network of believers to partner with and depend on, they have few or none. When they do serve, they often try to do things alone and in their own strength and commonly fail or burn themselves out.

Consider what Paul said to the Philippians while he was in prison awaiting a possible death sentence: “for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:19). Not only was Paul dependent on God’s Spirit but also the prayers of that small congregation. In fact, it can be translated “your prayers and the consequent supply of the Spirit.”¹² This means Paul believed God’s Spirit worked on his behalf as the Philippians prayed. Therefore, he was dependent on their prayers for deliverance. Paul believed that the prayers of that small church plant could conquer the plans of Rome. He depended upon the body because he knew God’s grace came through the body for healing, refreshment, deliverance, and fruitfulness.

Consequently, this means that those who don’t depend on the body spiritually impoverish themselves. There is a lack of power to conquer sin, persevere in trials, and reconcile relationships. Again, while faithful ministers depend on and partner with the body, unfaithful ministers often don’t rely on the body at all. Their pride and independence keep them from confessing their sins to anybody, seeking their help, and partnering with them for ministry. Therefore, they lack much of God’s grace.

Are we depending on and partnering with the body? Paul partnered with Titus to minister to the Corinthians and later the Cretans. He also considered Titus family, his genuine son in the faith who he was knit to and dependent on.

Again, there are no lone rangers in ministry, at least not effective ones. How is God calling you to depend more on the body of Christ—to stretch yourself to love and build them up and also depend on them for ministry? Who is your mother, father, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters in the faith?

Application Question: Why is depending on and partnering with other believers so important for ministry and the Christian life in general? Who are your spiritual parents, siblings, and children? How is God calling you to grow in dependence and partnership with the body of Christ?

A Priority Of Faithful Ministers Is Praying For Believers

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior!

Titus 1:4b

Finally, after addressing Titus, Paul greets him with “grace and peace” from God and Christ. However, this was no trivial greeting; it was Paul’s earnest prayer that God would bless Titus in every way. Grace refers to God’s unmerited favor. No doubt, Paul desired for Titus to have favor over his health, his relationship with God, and the difficult community he ministered to. He also desired God’s peace for him. This referred to peace in his relationships, both with God and others, but also peace of mind and in his circumstances. This surely summarized all the prayers that Paul offered up for Titus and his ministry to the Cretans. He wanted God to bless Titus’ ministry in selecting elders, rebuking false teachers, winning the lost, and equipping the saints for good works.

This was true of most, if not all, of Paul’s letters. He commonly prayed for grace and peace over those he wrote to and also shared his other prayers for them. Paul prayed for the Ephesians to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know God more, to know themselves as God’s inheritance, and to know the power of God working within them (Eph 1:15-19). He prayed for them to be strengthened in the inner man, to know the depths of Christ’s love, and for them to be filled with the fullness of God (Eph 3:12-20). With the Colossians, he prayed for them to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, to bear fruit in every good work, and to be strengthened with all power to persevere through their trials (Col 1:9-14). With the Thessalonians, he prayed for them to excel in loving one another (1 Thess 3:12). Paul faithfully prayed for the churches and the people within them. In Ephesians 6:18, he taught the Ephesians to be watchful and to make intercession for all saints, including those they did not know personally.

Our Savior, Jesus, prays for his saints, as he sits at the right hand of God (Heb 7:25), and as his ministers, we must constantly do the same for our local church and the universal church. We should pray for our spiritual leaders and that Christ would wash his church with his Word and make her a pure and blameless bride who blesses communities and nations (Eph 5:25-27).

Are we faithfully praying for God’s church? Faithful ministers prioritize interceding for God’s saints (cf. Acts 6:3-4). Unfaithful ministers or those young in the faith tend to be consumed with themselves in prayer instead of God and others, which shows their focus or priority. Even the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to focus on God’s glory and his kingdom before praying for our daily bread, which includes praying for others (cf. “our” daily bread).

Application Question: What are common distractions to prayer? What are disciplines that will help us more faithfully pray for our local church and its members, as well as the universal church? How is God calling you to grow in your prayer life in general and specifically in praying for others?

Conclusion

What are priorities of faithful ministers? We can discern these by considering Paul’s introduction to his letter to Titus. In it, he shares his personal priorities as a minister but also some of his priorities in writing the letter to Titus and the Cretans. Again, for most, these are not new, but we often need to renew our focus on them—reprioritize them in our lives—to minister to God and others in the most effective way.

1. A Priority of Faithful Ministers Is Recognizing God’s Call on Their Lives and Submitting to It
2. A Priority of Faithful Ministers Is Evangelizing Unbelievers
3. A Priority of Faithful Ministers Is Educating and Encouraging Believers
4. A Priority of Faithful Ministers Is Depending on and Partnering with Believers
5. A Priority of Faithful Ministers Is Praying for Believers

Application Question: What stood out most in the study and why? How is God calling you to apply this study to your life?

Prayer Prompts

• Pray for God to continually reveal his clear calling (personally and corporately) including where to serve, who to serve, and how to serve for his glory. Pray that God would give his people supernatural wisdom, grace, and gifts and put them in strategic places to be a blessing.
• Pray for God to enable us to love the lost, to reach out to them, and share the gospel with them. Pray for believers around the world to excel in evangelism.
• Pray for the lost in our community and the world that God would draw them to himself, deliver them from spiritual blindness, and that they would repent and believe the gospel.
• Pray for God to spiritually educate and encourage the saints in our local church and the universal church through his Word, prayer, fellowship, worship, and service. Pray that God would deliver his body from all discouragements and lies of the enemy.
• Pray for a spirit of unity and interdependence in God’s church that they may love one another, serve one another, and reach the world together. Pray against all pride, conflict, and division that would hinder the work of God.
• Pray for God to give his saints grace to excel in prayer for one another and the world.

Copyright © 2023 Gregory Brown

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