An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled,upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

It is a high honor to lead in God’s church.  Imagine what that actually means: to be the one chosen to guide His people, to listen to His voice, to work with His called pastors, and to speak words as close to God’s words as is humanly possible.  It’s a high honor, to be chosen for that, yet it is also a great responsibility.  This is why so few seek it.

to Titus, Paul writes a list, not complete but representative, of the responsibilities of being a leader, and “elder”, in His church.  We read this list and gulp, and then shy away from leadership.  Yet looking over the list, shouldn’t this be the list of qualities for which every church member strives?  Is any of us free from the expectation that we will be blameless?  Can any of us freely be overbearing, quick-tempered, drunk, violent, or seeking dishonest gain?

Though this list is a bit overwhelming, it should really reflect the qualities of every church member, or at least be the bar for which we all reach.  How are you doing?  Which part of this list scares you the most?  That might be a good one to start working on.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Pneuma, the Greek word for breath, wind, and spirit.  From the very beginning where the Pneuma hovered over the pre-creation waters to the Pneuma that God gave to Adam to bring the lifeless shape of clay to life.  It is God’s Spirit, His Pneuma, that is at work again and again throughout the scriptures.

And according to this verse, it is that very Pneuma that God used to give us the scriptures themselves.  “All scripture is God Breathed…”, is Of God’s Spirit.  It is an attractive image, God breathing His scriptures into existence, God giving His Spirit to the authors.  This rich imagery is thick with meaning.

One of the greatest verses on the use of scripture, this passage tells us that scripture is useful for four things…

“Teaching” – this one almost goes without saying.  We use the bible to teach in our sermons, bible studies, and personal devotions.  We are “People of the Book”.

“Rebuking” – this one is rarely used today, at least in the way its supposed to be used.  The meaning here is that out of love for another person who is living in opposition to the scriptures, they are used to convict the person of their disobedience.  Today, our rebuke usually means public shaming and is done not out of love but out of self-aggrandizement.

“Correcting” – similar to rebuking, this is the next step after a loving rebuke.  After the Rebuke shows them their folly, the scriptures shows them what is the correct behavior.

“training in righteousness” – for those no disobeying but simply immature in their faith, the scriptures can be used to train someone in the way of righteousness.  This is more continual than teaching and implies a regiment of practice and learning.

These are some of the most common uses of scripture.  Which do you feel you would benefit from most today?  How might you make that happen?