{"id":1931,"date":"2017-06-06T01:33:02","date_gmt":"2017-06-06T01:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takingeverythoughtcaptivetoobeychrist.wordpress.com\/?p=1931"},"modified":"2017-06-06T01:33:02","modified_gmt":"2017-06-06T01:33:02","slug":"gospel-formed-citizenship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/gospel-formed-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Gospel Formed Citizenship"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” + Titus 3v1-3<\/em><\/p>\n

Our text begins with the Apostle Paul communicating to Titus that he is to \u201cremind\u201d<\/em> the Christians in Crete. This small phrase could seem insignificant to us. But it is not. The fact that Paul commands Titus to \u201cremind them\u201d<\/em> means first, that they have already heard and already what it is that they are to be reminded of. This is, after all, what a reminder is; being told again something you already know, so you don’t forget. So Paul is saying, \u201cLook, I know that they\u2019ve already heard the gospel before. And I know that they have already heard how they are supposed to live. But Titus, you keep reminding them.\u201d<\/em> This is the Christian life: a life of remembering and being reminded.<\/p>\n

There are two fundamental areas in which we need consistent reminders. The first is in what we believe; the second is in how we are to live. Those are the two consistent themes in Paul\u2019s letter to Titus. The book of Titus keeps restating and intertwining those two things \u2013 what we believe \u2013 the gospel of Jesus Christ \u2013and how we are to live.<\/p>\n

Why do you think the Lord organized and structured His church to meet to together every week, sing songs that proclaim the same truths, pray for the same things over and over, hear a message preached from the same book, and take the same Lord\u2019s Supper every single week for our entire lives!? It is because we need to be reminded of these things \u2013 what we believe, and how we are to live.<\/p>\n

We need these reminders because we are forgetful beings. You are reminded of that when you\u2019re running late for work and you can\u2019t remember where you set your keys. It\u2019s easy for us to forget things. Our forgetfulness reminds us that we are not God. God never forgets things, except for our sin. Not only is it easy for us to forget things, but it is even easier for us to forget things that we are not reminded of. Paul\u2019s command to remind and be reminded is there for us to make it more difficult for us to forget the gospel and forget the ways in which we are to live. The command to remind, and the reminding nature built in to the weekly gathering of the Church is nothing less than a command of grace. The Lord has built grace bumpers into our lives with the principle of reminders.<\/p>\n

It is also even easier for us to forget the trustworthy Word that has been given to us when we are in the world. Now, that of course, is not wrong of us (being in the world). We are indeed in the world. We cannot retreat away from it. In fact, that is exactly where we are to go with the gospel message. However, by being in the world, we are constantly being bombarded with anti-biblical worldviews, and anti-gospel messages. Some are obvious and easy to defend against. Others are much more subtle and far more difficult to detect. This is why we need constant reminders of what we believe and how we are to live. The more that we are reminded of these things, the easier it is to discern false thoughts and worldviews that come our way. And the less that we are reminded of these things, the easier it is for us to subtly begin to believe things that are not true.<\/p>\n

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If you ever get tired of the local gathering or constant gospel preaching \u2013 stop it! You need it. There will come a time when your life comes crashing down and Satan will seem to be laughing in your face \u2013 what will you do if you have not been constantly reminded of the things we have been taught? Jesus loves you enough to pester you with constant reminders. Do not neglect this means of grace. This is the principle of Christian reminders.<\/p>\n

Not only do we need reminders to prepare us for the onslaught of worldliness around us, we also need reminders to combat the sinfulness of our own hearts. Many times we don\u2019t need to step outside our front door to forget the things we\u2019ve been taught. Many times it is lies and small deceitfulness that comes from our own fleshly desires. We need these reminders to protect us from ourselves as well. Our greatest enemy is often our own sin within us.<\/p>\n

So Paul begins with this principle, and then he moves into more specific commands for the Christian life. All of these commands in verses 1-2 are related to how we interact with other people. The first group of people that Paul speaks to in verse 1 are \u201crulers and authorities.\u201d<\/em> In other words, government officials. The text says, \u201cRemind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient\u2026\u201d<\/em> The way in which a Christian citizen relates to the government that is over him or her, is a testimony to gospel change and gospel fueled Christian living. There are several aspects of the Christian life in which submission is required. The Church submits to Christ, The Church and individuals submit to Scripture, wives are to submit to their husbands, children are to obey their parents, employees to bosses, and citizens to their authorities. The way that the Christian practices submission in the Christian life is a testimony to a submission to Christ. John MacArthur says, \u201cSubmission to the authority of Scripture demands submission to human authorities as part of a Christian\u2019s testimony.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

When we come to this text it is appropriate and necessary to ask what it means and what it looks like to submit to the government that we are under as Americans. Submission to authority is non-negotiable for the Christian \u2013 but what exactly does that mean for us Americans? A text like this can be a hard one for myself \u2013 someone who believes in limited government and individual liberty. As Americans we live in a constitutional republic \u2013 it is a very unique society. There has not been many other countries throughout history that have been close to the type of government that we have here. Does this command to be submissive to rulers and authorities mean that we are supposed to withdraw from politics and withdraw from contending for good laws and repeal of bad ones? Does this mean we just go along with whatever the Supreme Court rules? I believe I can confidently say \u201cNo, it doesn\u2019t mean that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The way our government is structured, our congressmen and senators work for us. We vote them in and we vote them out. Of course there are certain positions in the federal government that we don\u2019t get to vote on, such as the Supreme Court and the president\u2019s cabinet members. But the point is that our government expects and encourages us, as citizens, to vote and be politically active and let our voices be heard through different legal and respectful means such as the free press, the freedom to petition, and so on. So in our system, our representatives are motivated to properly represent us in the House or in the Senate, or else they may get the boot. So whether or not you agree with this form of government, this is what we\u2019re living under (If you live in the U.S.).<\/p>\n

Christians have different convictions on what the level of government or political participation is to be for the Christian. Some abstain from politics altogether, some run for office themselves. But whatever your convictions on political participation are, it is crystal clear that we are to be submissive to our rulers and authorities. So I say all that to say that for those of us who are very interested and involved in the political world, we can still fully obey this command to be submissive to our authorities while at the same time speaking out and working to prevent or repeal certain bad legislation. In our governmental structure, for the Christian, political involvement and submission to authorities are not opposed to one another. However, the level of political involvement and freedom that we are allowed in the United States may not be allowed or legal in another country. So submission to authorities may look differently for the Christian depending on the laws of whatever country that Christian lives in.<\/p>\n

So in America where we are very free to speak our minds and participate in government, where exactly does the rubber meet the road when it comes to submission to authorities for the Christian? It obviously comes in first obeying the law. Even if there is a law or regulation that we disagree with, we submit to our authorities by obeying and adhering to it regardless. Even if you think you can drive 60 m.p.h. on a certain road, but the sign says 40 m.p.h., we submit by driving 40 m.p.h.. Along these lines, we also submit by paying our taxes, no matter what our beliefs on them may be. Even if we are heavily overtaxed and our tax dollars are wasted, we submit by paying our taxes.<\/p>\n

Submission to authorities also comes in to play with how we treat government officials. A Christian should be respectful of those in government, regardless of how much we might disagree with them, and regardless of whether we voted for them or not. We are called to respect them because God has put them there. We respect God by respecting authority. This doesn\u2019t mean that we are not allowed to call out a government official when they do something wrong or immoral \u2013 as Americans, in our system, of course. In other countries that could get you jailed. But we can rightly call out evils done by government officials without being slanderous or un-submissive. So there is a lot of unique differences to this command in relation to being an American than a citizen of another country. We also have the responsibility to be submissive to our authorities by being submissive to the command to pray for those in authority over us.<\/p>\n

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Paul continues, “to be ready for every good work\u2026\u201d<\/em> There is a particular uniqueness to this command. The command is not simply to do good works. If the command is merely to do good works, we could easily only obey that command when it is easy or convenient for us. If the command is simply to do good works, we could easily think, \u201cWell, I will get around to doing good works. I\u2019ll do some here, and I\u2019ll do some there.\u201d<\/em> But that is not the command, is it? The text says to \u201cbe ready for every good work.\u201d<\/em> What a difference that makes!<\/p>\n

If we are to \u201cbe ready\u201d<\/em> for every good work, as the text says, this means that we are vigilantly watching and waiting for every opportunity to do good. Good works are a priority for the Christian. A Christian is to be prepared to do every good work that God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in.<\/p>\n

And we are to be ready for \u201cevery\u201d<\/em> good work. Not just some of them. Not just the ones that we want to do. Not just the ones that are easy and comfortable. But every one that presents itself, we must be ready to do.<\/p>\n

If we are to \u201cbe ready\u201d<\/em> \u2013 then that means that opportunities will come. You will have opportunities for good works. So be ready for them. They\u2019re coming. They may come at inconvenient times. They may come when we don\u2019t feel like doing them. If we are to be ready, then we don\u2019t have the option of picking and choosing when we want to do good. This means that in God\u2019s sovereignty, according to his divine will, He will send us opportunities. Who then are we to say, \u201cNo, I reject this opportunity that you have given me, God?\u201d<\/em> Let us embrace God\u2019s will and honor His sovereignty in participating in every opportunity God gives us to do good. And when we do that, it will be hard, at times. It will be inconvenient at times. It will force us to get out of our comfort zone, at times. But it will bring great glory to God.<\/p>\n

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For a Christian there should be less wondering when God will send us some good thing to do, and more looking around and being ready to do the good opportunities that are already present in our lives. I\u2019m sure if we were ready, watching and waiting for opportunities, we would see much more than we are currently aware of.<\/p>\n

Our text continues in verse 2 as it says that we are to \u201cspeak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling\u2026\u201d<\/em> Many portions of Scripture warn against the dangers of the tongue. The tongue is a thing to be bridled for the Christian. Probably second to the mind, the tongue is one of the easiest places that we can fall into sin as Christians. It is easy to slip into gossip or slander and allow our tongues to run wild. A loose tongue can do more damage than a fox with a burning tail in a wheat field. One bad moment of the tongue or one bad moment of quarreling can do so much damage that it has the potential to ruin a relationship. One reason that the unbridled tongue is so dangerous is because it is a way that we can let loose our anger toward someone without being able to physically see it\u2019s damaging effects. Physical fights are not as easy to get into because we can see the damage we do to someone, but a war of words is a cowards fight because he is not visibly confronted with the damage that he does. But the damage that a tongue can do can many times be far greater than that of the fist.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard that popular saying, \u201csticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.\u201d<\/em> We all know that saying is completely false. Words are some of the most powerful things in all creation. After all is was by His Word that God spoke the earth into existence. It\u2019s by His word that Jesus told a lame man to get up and walk. It\u2019s by His Word that Jesus raises dead men to life. That\u2019s powerful.<\/p>\n

As Christians we must take our cue from the Lord Jesus Christ as He bridled his tongue and stood silent before His accusers, as a sheep before its shearers is silent. At any moment, Jesus could\u2019ve rained down fire from heaven to destroy his enemies, simply by saying the word. He could\u2019ve called down legions of angels to rescue Him by simply saying the word. But alas, He bridled His tongue, for us.<\/p>\n

If we look at the rest of verse 2, which says that we are to \u201cbe gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people\u2026\u201d<\/em> we see that these commands correspond a great deal with the previous two, to speak evil of no one and to avoid quarreling. A gentle answer turns away wrath. Instead of speaking evil and quarreling we are to be gentle and courteous toward all people. A gentle demeanor and a character of courtesy combats the temptation to speak evil and to start quarrels.<\/p>\n

The power to do these things is found in the power of the Spirit which is given to all who are in Christ Jesus. If you recall the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, you might recall that gentleness is among the manifestations of fruit of the Spirit. Through the Spirit\u2019s work in us, we bear the fruit of gentleness which enables us to bridle our tongue and avoid quarreling. If you can\u2019t find it within yourself to do hold your tongue and to be gentle with unbelievers who are opposed to you; you\u2019re right! You won\u2019t find that ability within yourself. That\u2019s why gentleness is a manifestation of the Spirit\u2019s work within us. He\u2019s the one that enables us to obey these commands.<\/p>\n

The Greek for the phrase \u201cperfect courtesy\u201d<\/em> literally means, \u201cmeekness or gentleness.\u201d<\/em> So for the Christian, instead of gearing up for combat of the tongue, we are to have a gentle and meek spirit about us, as evidence of the Spirit\u2019s work within us. So how do we avoid quarreling? By being gentle with people. And the flip side to that is that if we\u2019re speaking evil of someone, we\u2019re not showing perfect courtesy toward all.<\/p>\n

If we are to summarize the first two verses of chapter 3, we could say that we are to do good works to unbelievers. These verses shows us how are to treat and act toward outsiders to the faith. From the government to individuals. Essentially, the gospel forms us into model citizens.<\/p>\n

But why? Why are we called to do good to unbelievers? If anyone was asking this question, Paul anticipated it as he wrote verse 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemind them to submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For (or because) we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.\u201d<\/em> Paul uses some very strong language here to describe who and what we once were before our conversion. This of course does not mean that we all did every single one of these things, but rater this accurately summarizes the life and heart of the unbeliever and our lives before our conversion to Christ.<\/p>\n

Our text calls us to a profound understanding of human depravity as we relate to unbelievers. I\u2019m sure Paul had his own pre-conversion self in mind as he was writing this. Paul used to breathe out murderous threats toward Christians, now he is writing Scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit. How do you think Paul was able to preach the gospel in the face of his persecutors as he was beaten and in and out of chains? By remembering that he was once just like them \u2013 no worse than they who were beating him. The only difference between him and his persecutors was the grace of God. And likewise, the only difference between us and a terrorist is indeed the grace of God. Maybe not in the way that our sin manifests itself \u2013 but in regards to our sinful nature.<\/p>\n

The short answer to why we are called to do good works to unbelievers is because we were once like them. We may not have ever been an atheist, or we may have never practiced homosexuality, or we may never have been a Muslim; but in our nature, we, before Christ saved us. Sin manifests itself in different ways in different people, but we were all born into the same sin nature because of Adam\u2019s sin. This is why Jesus said in John 3 that you must be born again!<\/p>\n

Now, you may not like being compared to a Muslim or an atheist. You may think that though you were a sinner, you weren\u2019t that bad. It is true that from a human perspective there are certainly better or worse people. For example, everyone knows that Ghandi was a much more humane person than Hitler was. But from an even truer spiritual perspective there are no better or worse people. Hitler and Ghandi are on the same level, ultimately. Scripture gives us two options: you are either in Christ, or in danger of the wrath of God. So that means that unless they came to Christ before death, both Ghandi and Hitler are in hell.<\/p>\n

Apart from Christ we are not good-natured or kind-hearted people. We may do some good and charitable things. But those things are tainted by our nature of sin. Good works by an unbeliever are not done in faith. In our nature apart from Christ our wills are chained to our slave master, sin. We\u2019re spiritually dead as Ephesians 2 describes us. We are utterly depraved. And without the resurrecting, life-altering, nature-changing power of God, we will remain so.<\/p>\n

So Paul is saying, be kind, be gentle, do good works, and have patience with unbelievers, because you were once like them, and yet someone preached the gospel to you and God saved you. So God can still save and change them. Keep proclaiming the gospel to them and keep modeling gospel change in your words and actions toward them. If we truly believe that God can save anyone then we must keep doing good works to our enemies. We must hold to the supernatural power of the gospel that says the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that can save such evil people like us. Let us not belittle the power of God to save by refusing to do good to unbelievers. Do we believe that God can save anyone? And really, we shouldn\u2019t be asking that question, we should be saying, \u201cI know that God can save anyone because God saved me!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

C.S. Lewis was an atheist who opposed Christianity, then Christ saved him and he became a leading writer for Christian thought and is still read today by many. We\u2019ve mentioned Paul himself \u2013 he once persecuted Christians, then Christ saved him and he became a persecuted missionary himself and wrote much of the New Testament. Matthew was an evil tax collector for the Roman Empire, then Christ saved him and he wrote the gospel of Matthew. The thief on the cross spent his entire life hurting people, then Christ saved him and he is in paradise at this very moment. St. Augustine lived a life of sexual promiscuity, then Christ saved him and he became a massive figure in Church history. John Newton was a captain of a ship in the slave trade industry, then Christ saved him and became he became a leading figure for the abolition movement and wrote the beloved hymn, \u201cAmazing Grace.\u201d<\/em> \u201cAmazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.\u201d<\/em> He didn\u2019t say, \u201cthat saved a nice guy like me.\u201d<\/em> He said, \u201cthat saved a wretch like me.\u201d<\/em> John Newton understood the depravity of his sin nature before he met Christ: wretched. The grace and power that saved these men is the same grace and power that saves us. The better we understand this, the better we will be at doing good works to unbelievers.<\/p>\n

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So we are to do good works to unbelievers because we were once like them. If we find ourselves caught up in the political heat of the moment it can be easy to forget what it was that Christ has saved us from, and begin to feel like unbelievers are our enemies. They are not our enemies. We were once just like them, in the same state as they were, headed for the same condemnation, but someone, somewhere, loved us enough to preach the gospel to us despite our opposition to them, or to God, and God radically changed us. We were headed down the same path of destruction, but we\u2019ve been shown the way to life, and so we should see unbelievers as our old selves and be filled with compassion enough for them to proclaim the way of life to them and plead for them to come with us. They don\u2019t realized the destruction that they are headed for, but we do!<\/p>\n

If we awoke in the middle of the night by the strong smell of smoke and looked out the window to see our neighbor\u2019s house up in flames, we would leap out of our beds and do everything we could to wake them from their slumber and plead with them to escape the flames! Even more so are the lost in danger of the flames of hell! Do we care enough to plead with them?<\/p>\n

There is another reason that we are to do good to unbelievers. Our good works to our enemies gives a picture of the nature of God in the gospel. God decided, out of his great love for us, and with great zeal for his own glory, to step down into our world. He was ready for this good work toward man. God came to us, unbelievers, in Christ, in the midst of our depravity and our malice. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners! Isn\u2019t that amazing? That should give us chills \u2013 Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. He didn\u2019t wait till we cleaned ourselves up or got our lives together. He come to us in our mess to save us. Christ went right into the slave trade to save John Newton from it.<\/p>\n

As Christ came to us in our sin to save us, we go to our lost neighbors, in the midst of their opposition to God and do good works to them \u2013 just as Christ came and did the ultimate good work for us in our sin. No matter how much they may be opposed to us or to God. Mankind was diabolically opposed to God when Christ came to do good to mankind and walk the earth in gentleness. We show that we have experienced the gospel by doing good to those who stand in direct opposition to everything we believe, regardless of how they treat us.<\/p>\n

We talked earlier about the necessity of being reminded of the gospel and being reminded of how we are to live. While we don\u2019t want to dwell on our sinful past, Paul seems to think that there is some merit to remembering the wretchedness of our past \u2013 and remembering it as means of remembering the grace of God in our lives. As Christians, if we forget the grace of God and how kind, patient, and gentle God has been to us, we should be able to look back upon our lives and see the muck and the mire of our sin that Christ has pulled us from and cleansed us from. And remembering this \u2013 in a healthy way \u2013 is another means of being able to look upon unbelievers and have our hearts stirred with compassion for them and a strong desire to see the Lord rescue them from their sins, as He has done for us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Christ we can go from passing our days in malice to living a purposeful life of being ready for every good work. In Christ we can go from being hated by others and hating one another to being gentle and showing perfect courtesy toward all people. Only Jesus can do this in us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":2044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[205,274,285,515,557,562,567,678,679,698,699,927,1014,1056,1104,1257],"class_list":{"0":"post-1931","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-theology","8":"tag-bible","9":"tag-christ","10":"tag-citizenship","11":"tag-formed","12":"tag-god","13":"tag-gospel","14":"tag-grace","15":"tag-jenkins","16":"tag-jesus","17":"tag-josh","18":"tag-joshua","19":"tag-paul","20":"tag-rags","21":"tag-riches","22":"tag-scirpture","23":"tag-titus","24":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/img_0602.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2186,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/four-marks-of-gospel-centered-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":1931,"position":0},"title":"Four Marks of a Gospel-Centered Church","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "theology"","block_context":{"text":"theology","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/theology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1355,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-false-fascinations-of-jewish-myths\/","url_meta":{"origin":1931,"position":1},"title":"The False Fascinations of Jewish Myths","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"April 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cTherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.\u201d + Titus 1v13b-14 In the context of this passage, Paul is writing to Titus who Paul has left in Crete in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/04\/the-darkness.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2175,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/protecting-gospel-purity-in-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":1931,"position":2},"title":"Protecting Gospel Purity in the Church","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"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. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Preaching"","block_context":{"text":"Preaching","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/preaching\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/great-ocean-walk-couple_gor_r_1374425_1150x863.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/great-ocean-walk-couple_gor_r_1374425_1150x863.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/great-ocean-walk-couple_gor_r_1374425_1150x863.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/great-ocean-walk-couple_gor_r_1374425_1150x863.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/great-ocean-walk-couple_gor_r_1374425_1150x863.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1348,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-most-dangerous-false-teacher\/","url_meta":{"origin":1931,"position":3},"title":"The Most Dangerous False Teacher","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"April 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"My church is currently going through book of Titus in our Sunday worship service. I recently had the responsibility to preach two sermons on Titus 1v10-16. Titus 1v10-16 deals with the problem of false teachers and the pastor\u2019s responsibility to rebuke them. Without a doubt false doctrine can cause catastrophic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Preaching"","block_context":{"text":"Preaching","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/preaching\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1444,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/gospel-driven-womahood\/","url_meta":{"origin":1931,"position":4},"title":"Gospel-Driven Womahood","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"May 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"bible\"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/tag\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/daisy1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1712,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-gospel-at-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":1931,"position":5},"title":"The Gospel at Work","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"May 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. + Titus 2v9-10 The first obvious word that we notice in our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"bible\"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/tag\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/work-and-cancer-jeremy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/work-and-cancer-jeremy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/work-and-cancer-jeremy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/work-and-cancer-jeremy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/work-and-cancer-jeremy-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/work-and-cancer-jeremy-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}