Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org
Men's Leadership Support Group Meeting notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/mensupport/20061013.m.htm

MEN'S LEADERSHIP SUPPORT GROUP
Part XII: Functioning Effectively As A Leader In A Deteriorating Culture
C. Affirming Correct Personal Roles Beginning In Our Own Lives
(Titus 2:1-10)
  1. Introduction
    1. In a decadent culture, marital roles of husbands and wives, family roles of parents and children not to mention employer-employee relationships all deteriorate in sin to the harm of society.
    2. The antidote is for godly leaders to affirm correct cultural roles beginning in their own lives, and then, in widening circles of contact, to spread out to impact the Church and society as Titus 2:1-10 implies:
  2. Affirming Correct Personal Roles Beginning In Our Own Lives, Titus 2:1-10.
    1. Paul urged Titus to teach truths that reflect healthy doctrine in his pastoral ministry to the Church, 2:1.
    2. In particular, Paul urged Titus to exalt the proper roles in believers' relationships one with another, which roles were to be patterned after correct family roles even in business, Titus 2:1-10:
      1. Titus was to tell the men in the Church to be temperate, respectable, self-controlled and sound in belief and love, and steadfastness, Titus 2:1-2 ESV.
      2. Titus was to tell older women in the Church to be respectable in their conduct, that they not slander or practice substance abuse in their lives, Titus 2:3-4a.
      3. Titus was to tell older women to instruct the younger, childbearing women to uphold their roles in their homes by being emotionally attached to their husbands (philandros) and children ( philoteknos) versus "playing the field" in relationships (Moulton & Milligan, Voc. of the Grk. N. T., p. 668); he was to tell them to be self-controlled, morally pure, keepers of the home, kind and submissive to their husbands so that God's Word would not be maligned by unbelievers, Tit. 2:4b-5.
      4. Titus was to tell younger men to be self-controlled versus the uncontrolled deceit, abusiveness and decadent patterns of their culture, Titus 2:6 with 1:12.
      5. Titus was to tell employees (such as slaves) to heed their overseers in all things on the job [the exception being that they not heed them in doing what is sinful, cf. Acts 5:29], Titus 2:9a. They were to strive to be pleasing to their overseers, not to talk back to them disrespectfully, not to steal on the job, but show reliability in their work, Titus 2:9b-10.
    3. However, Titus was himself to example this teaching well and courageously, Tit. 2:7a-8 with 2:2b,c:
      1. In every way possible in his own life, Titus was to example what he taught others, Titus 2:7a.
      2. Thus, his teaching on the roles of family and business in the Church was to be without the taint of sin against God's Word and with all seriousness in his own life, which example could stand up under scrutinizing criticism of objectors Timothy might face even in the Church, Titus 2:7b-8!
      3. Besides this, Titus was to exemplify temperance, respectful conduct, self-control and soundness of doctrine and love even in facing criticism for his Biblical stands and deeds, Titus 2:7-8; 2:2b,c.
Lesson: In edifying response to a decadent culture, a godly leader is to affirm by his OWN LIFE and TEACHING in the CHURCH the correct roles for men, older women, younger women and younger men, not to mention business roles. He must thus uphold the qualities of temperance, respectability, self-control, soundness in doctrine and love, steadfastness, allegiance to proper marital, family and business relationships, respect for others and reliability in the workplace and at home. He must stand firm for what is upright regardless of criticism for doing so even from others in the Church. In this way, in ever widening circles of contact, he impacts first his immediate associates and then through them in widening circles of contact, eventually his culture and ultimately the world (cf. Psalm 128).

Application: May we leaders who wish to see our decadent culture changed for God's glory recall the task begins in US -- with our OWN lives that affect our marriages, then our families and extended families, Church family and business contacts, and that in our SPEECH and LIFE. In time, THAT impact WIDENS to affect our culture and then the world, but we MUST start with OURSELVES!