THE GOSPEL-CENTERED CHURCH The Book of Titus Table of Contents 2. Introduction 4. Overview: Titus 6. Overview: Bible Project Poster 7. Primer: A Lay Elder Job Description 10. Primer: Discipling in the Church 13. Introduction to Titus Sermon Outline 15. Small Group Guide Week 4 17. Small Group Guide Week 5 19. Small Group Guide Week 6 1 USING THE SMALL GROUP GUIDE Introduction To kick off 2021, Faith Fellowship Church will study the book of Titus together as a part of our continued focus on being a healthy church. Beginning January 3, Pastor David will begin preaching through the book, while our small groups will further investigate its message and meaning by utilizing our small group rhythms. Using the Small Group Guide The Small Group Guides for each week are divided into four sections: interact with the passage, open it up, discussion questions, and next steps for the week. These sections are designed to help us engage each section of Titus in personal study and small group discussion. Before your small group meets, interact with the Scripture for the week according to the H.E.A.R. method of Bible study: • Highlight: Read and observe everything in the passage. • Explain: Based on your reading, discover what the passage means in its context. • Apply: Understand how the meaning of the passage affects your life. • Respond in Prayer: Pray God’s word back to him, asking to believe, share, and put the Bible into practice in your life and relationships. Feel free to interact with the Scripture at any time throughout the week. Some may find it helpful to work through the Scripture in sections—such as two or three blocks of 15 to 20 minutes each, while others may want to study the whole passage in one, hour-long sitting. Whichever approach you choose to take, be sure to interact with the Scripture and think through the discussion questions before your small group meets. In small groups, we’ll discuss what we learned from the Scripture the previous week as well as our answers to the discussion questions together. To maximize our study of God’s Word and the impact it can have on our lives, we encourage everyone to think through all the discussion questions in the Small Group Guide, but small group leaders may choose to focus on some questions more than others. In addition to the weekly sections, we also encourage you and your small group to take full advantage of the following resources on Titus. D-Group Guides Discipleship Group (D-group) is a time to apply the gospel to our hearts and grow deeper in the gospel through community. The overall goal of D-group is to foster discipleship relationships that help 2 each person grow to become more like Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). D-Group occurs on the fourth week of the month. Additional Resources As we study these books, our discipleship team has provided a list of recommended Titus resources to equip you to go deeper into these rich portion of Scripture. These are available on our website at faithfellowshipfortbend.com/titus. Book Overview On the following pages is an overview of the books of Titus that provide basic background information for the book such as the author, setting, key themes as well as an outline. These were taken from the ESV Study Bible and the Bible Project and are key to understanding and interpreting the books. Primers You will also find articles that will help you better understand the theological and practical themes of the book of Titus. We encourage you to take time to walk through these resources to prepare for the series. We will also have other handouts and resources as the study progresses. Spotify Playlist Songs are like sermons that you don’t forget. We have curated a playlist called “Songs for Titus” that reflect the themes of the book. These are also the songs that we will be singing during the worship service for this series. We encourage you to listen to these songs for your own edification and better corporate worship. You can find the playlist posted to Spotify (@faith fellowship church) or on our website at faithfellowshipfortbend.com/titus Meeting with God Class If you have spent anytime at church, you might have heard about how you should have a “quiet time with God.” Is this important and if so, how should we go about meeting with God? Even if this is a regular practice for you, could you teach a younger Christian how to have a regular meeting time with God? The purpose of this core class is to give you a Biblical understanding of why we should meet with God on a daily basis and to equip you with practical tools that we hope will help you do just that. For more information on the class, go to faithfellowshipfortbend.com/titus 3 OVERVIEW The Book of Titus Author, Date, and Recipient The apostle Paul wrote this letter to his coworker Titus. The letter was probably written in the mid-60s A.D. between Paul’s first imprisonment (Acts 28) and his second imprisonment, which is not mentioned in Acts. Theme The letter’s theme is the unbreakable link between faith and practice, belief and behavior. This truth is the basis for Paul’s criticism of false teaching, his instruction in Christian living, and standards he sets for church leaders. Purpose Paul had recently completed a journey to Crete. He had left Titus there to teach the new church (see Acts 14:21–23). False teachers were already a problem in the church (Titus 1:10–16), and the letter focuses primarily on that issue. The description of elders (1:5–9) and of proper Christian living (2:1–10; 3:1–3) appear to be worded for intentional contrast with these false teachers. The content of the false teaching is not fully explained (as in 1 Timothy). There appears to be a significant Jewish element to the teaching. The opponents come from “the circumcision party” (Titus 1:10). They are interested in “Jewish myths” (1:14) and perhaps ritual purity (1:15). Paul’s primary concern, however, is with the practical effect of the false teaching. They taught ritual purity, but they lived in a way that proved they did not know God (1:16). This false teaching would have been welcome in Crete, which was known in the ancient world for immorality. But Paul expected the gospel to produce real godliness in everyday life, even in Crete. In dealing with the false teaching, Paul also provides Titus with a portrait of a healthy church. He describes proper leadership (1:5–9), proper handling of error (1:10–16; 3:9–11), proper Christian living (especially important for new believers in an immoral setting; 2:1–10; 3:1–2), and the gospel as the source of godliness (2:11–14; 3:3–7). 4 Key Themes • Gospel Shaped Leaders: It is vitally important to have godly men serving as elders/pastors (1:5–9). • Resistance of Gospel Deniers: It is important to deal clearly and firmly with doctrinal and moral error in the church (1:10–16; 3:9–11). • Gospel-Saturated Doctrine: The gospel produces godliness in the lives of believers. There is no legitimate separation between belief and behavior (1:1; 2:1, 11–14; 3:4–7). • Gospel-Centered Living: The gospel is the basis for Christian ethics (2:11–14; 3:3–7). • One’s deeds will either prove or disprove one’s claim to know God (1:16). • True Christian living will draw others to the gospel (2:5, 8, 10). • Good works have an important place in the lives of believers (2:1–10, 14; 3:1–2, 8, 14). Outline I. Opening (1:1–4) II. The Occasion: The Need for Proper Leadership (1:5–9) III. The Problem: False Teachers (1:10–16) IV. Christian Living in Contrast to the False Teachers (2:1–3:8) A. Proper living by age and gender groupings (2:1-10) B. Gospel basis (2:11-14) c. Summary command (2:15) C. Proper living, particularly regarding to outsiders (3:1-2) D. Gospel basis (3:3-7) E. Summary command (3:8) V. The Problem Restated: False Teachers (3:9–11) VI. Closing Encouragement (3:12–15) 5 OVERVIEW Bible Project Poster 6 PRIMER A Job Description for Lay Elders What is a lay elder’s job description? What are they supposed to do? Attend meetings? Approve budgets? Distribute the Lord’s Supper? Consider this short article from our friends at 9Marks on a job description for lay elders. Shepherd God’s Flock Here’s the short answer from the apostle Peter: “I exhort the elders among you: shepherd God’s flock” (1 Pet. 5:2; see also Jn. 21:15-16 and Acts 20:28). Elders serve the Good Shepherd by providing his local flocks with spiritual oversight. Elders feed, lead, protect, and nurture church members like shepherds do with sheep. Let’s get even more specific. While shepherding is a powerful metaphor for framing an elder’s job description, a new elder needs concrete instructions. He needs an answer to his question, “Now what do I do?” Fortunately, God’s Word lists very specific duties that help elders put the shepherding imagery to work. Four Primary Duties Here are four duties that are central to the elder’s job description.