The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, 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. For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. - Titus 1:5-10
Introduction – Staving Off Chaos
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. – Titus 1:5
It seems the news is full of leaders; talented, gifted, movers and shakers who can really take an organization from here to there. But now they are in short supply. Not because they can’t motivate us; not because they don’t understand the dynamics of groups; not because they don’t have the stamina; but because they self-destruct along the way, taking the very people they want to lead into the pit with them. We saw this recently in Mark Hurd, brought as CEO of Hewlett Packard after the integrity crisis; called a “white knight” for his strong ethical values; who then reportedly falsified expense reports to cover up payments to a contractor with whom he had a relationship. What should have been a strong quarter was overshadowed by the news of his personal failure and threw the company into uncertainty and doubt.
Here is Paul’s problem at the start of Titus.
Churches are sprouting up all over. Over every hill and behind every tree there seems to be a new church. Lots of those churches are small, and enthusiastic, and full of new followers of Jesus. Because they are small, and enthusiastic, and new followers, they are prone to mistakes; they are prone to enthusiastically following some minor doctrine or heresy right off a cliff; they are prone to listen with great gullibility to the plausible words of outside voices.
At once, this is both the success of the gospel, and brink of failure for the gospel. Paul knows this: so much excitement, so much danger, and he can’t be there. How frustrating! When Helen and I were parents for the first time, with Shannon, there is a period when babies are basically harmless. You wrap them up, you carry them around, they gurgle, cry, laugh, poop and eat. You can put them down somewhere and they stay put. But there comes a point where you just can’t leave them alone. I remember sitting in the kitchen and we had this long hallway and I’d hear ba-ba-ba hee-hee-hee echoing and I knew that I had about 30 seconds to get to her before she’d be somewhere where she could do some damage. Then we learned the power of doors. That stopped her for a little while. Then it was those handle things you put over door knobs.
That’s kind of how Paul felt, except that he had dozens of toddler churches, all running around going ba-ba-ba hee-hee-hee, all growing healthy, like crazy, but all in imminent danger of getting hurt. Just about the time he finished changing the last set of diapers the first one had done it again.
So what has to happen? The churches need to grow up. Paul is gone. Titus is babysitting. But that can’t last forever. At some point you leave them on their own. Then what happens? It could be chaos.
Paul says, “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished…”
And how are you going to straighten out the chaos of a zillion little toddler churches, Paul? That word straighten out is the word a doctor could have used when setting a broken bone. Straighten out ...
“and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”
The solution is leaders.
Paul isn’t looking for the left-overs to lead the church. He is looking for the best of the best. Mark Hurd, ex-CEO of HP might make the cut at Oracle, but he wouldn’t make the cut at church. Why? He doesn’t have the family resume. Look at verse 6. Steve Jobs, might make the cut at Apple and Pixar, but he wouldn’t make the cut at church. Why? He doesn’t have the work resume.
When Paul says “I left you in Crete to appoint elders in every town” --that word elder has two common meanings at the time that this letter was written. The first, and most common meaning, in the Greek was (this is going to knock your socks off, drum roll please) “old man” (like we would use the term seniors) It was a term of respect, referring to their wisdom. The second meaning was that of community leaders. The elders, acting as the heads and representatives for their extended families, would get together at the city gates each day so that they could drink tea and make smart-alec remarks at all of the people coming and going. But it also served as an informal city government, where disputes were heard and judged, where problems were discussed and where decisions were made.
So when Paul says “I left you in Crete to appoint elders” it wasn’t with the idea of “creating” elders, but rather, selecting from among the wise, experienced leaders who already existed. They weren’t newbies. He was telling Titus: start with those who are already recognized leaders, who are already respected, whose opinion is already listened to, whose voice already helps people move from the way it is now to the way it needs to be, and choose the best of the best from among them.
I remember at family camp, there was an exercise to take a bunch of raw materials
So what is a leader? Let me give you my definition: A leader influences people to move from where they are to where they need to be. Leaders (1) recognize that we need to move, they (2) realize that it is unacceptable to remain where we are, they (3) envision what a better future would look like, they (4) plot a course on how to get us there and (5) they push, pull, encourage and whine until we get there.
Not all of us have the same sphere of influence, but we all have influence. Don’t believe me? Can a fast food cashier turn my drive-through dining experience into purgatory on wheels? Now that’s influence! Whether you are the CEO of a corporation or the CEO of your home, you have influence. Whether you are a director or a district supervisor or a donut maker. You have influence. Mom. Nursery worker. Receptionist. Mechanic. Burger flipper. Team Lead..
God has placed each of you in a place of influence. Each word--each action--is an influence. Leaders know this and use this deliberately. Christian leaders know this and use it in a God direction.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16
So Paul puts a test out for Titus: how do you know which of these experienced, recognized, respected leaders, should be influencing your church?
More than that, though, Paul says: this is the growth path for everyone in the Christian community. When you sit down at a job for a 1:1 with your boss and you look across the desk and your boss says: “Tim, you are having a significant impact on your co-workers and our customers. We want you to have a long and productive future with us. Let’s chart out a growth plan for you.” And then your boss lays out steps or key milestones that you and he will work on together.
Well here are God’s steps to take experienced, recognized leaders to the next level:
Level 1: Family. Lead your family.
Level 2: Work. Lead your job.
Level 3: Church. Lead your church.
Each level represents a sphere of influence; a sphere of leadership and followership. It is also the training ground for the way God will use you next.
Level 1 Leadership: Family
What’s on your family résumé? Paul said:
An elder [the head of a family; the leader in the community] must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. – Titus 1:6
God is the one who created families. He set the parameters and the boundaries and the purpose for families. Slowly, I have begun to realize that families are training grounds, not just for children, but for the parents. There I am known. There I am loved. There I am provoked. There I am challenged. There I am forgiven.
Society and our own selfishness have served to pull our families apart. The haven of safety has become the war zone. Many of us are first-hand witnesses to this painful devastation.
Your family is your resume as a leader. Your family is your greatest testimony. The way you lead there says a lot about how you will lead elsewhere.
- Do you keep your promises? Can people trust you? Watch how you treat the most important promise of your life: your promise to your wife. Are your eyes wandering? How about your heart? Have you ever said, ‘If only I’d known you before…’
- Do you teach well? Watch how your children believe.
- Do you lead well? Do those who are closest to you follow?
There is no proceeding to the next level of leadership until you pass this level. Too many people try to launch to real leadership in work, the community or church before this is solid. The results can be disastrous, because your family is your best, built-in support group.
Let me ask you: would you turn down a promotion? Why or why not? Would you turn down a ministry at church? Why or why not? Is growing your healthy family important enough to say ‘No’ to these other great opportunities so that you are solid leader where it counts the most? It is no shame to stop in your path and concentrate on family.
The Bible says:
If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? – 1 Timothy 3:5
Level 2 Leadership: Lead Your Job.
Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, 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. – Titus 1:7-8
In the past month, my family entertained numerous plumbers, carpenters and handy-men at my house to repair two different upstairs bathtub leaks.
This past Tuesday and Wednesday, I flew to Portland to meet with two new hired engineers who will be working with me closely for a new project.
All of us are leaders, because we direct other people, whether in a job setting or not. Paul says that the overseer—the word is used for a foreman on a job—has been entrusted with work—God’s work. In each of the settings where we work, God checks how we lead, more than what we lead. The next level of leadership is less about competence and more about character. How to care about the people? How to overcome with irrepressible good attitude? How be calm in the middle of a storm? How to handle delays, missed opportunities and best timing?
If I am looking for a leader, I want to know how they handle control and supervision in another setting. More responsibility is a larger stage—a larger arena—for our character flaws, like pride, to show clearly.
Robert Joss, dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business said: “Too many people today think leading is exclusively about their own performance. Even some of those who become CEOs, usually highly intelligent people who worked hard to get where they are, turn into self-aggrandizing individuals once they hit the executive suite.”
Look at good leaders.
- We aren’t building our kingdom. Not overbearing. No kingdom building. No control freaks. No power thrill-seekers.
- We aren’t quick-tempered; anger is not manipulation or intimidation technique.
- We aren’t given to drunkenness. Stress management by deliberately induced loss of self-control. No accountability.
- We aren’t using physical force or the threat of it to get your way.
- We aren’t using our position to redirect profit to our pockets.
- We share our home with others. (“hospitable”)
- We value the good. (“loves what is good”) Is doing the right thing sort of like a diet, where you do it, but look longingly over your shoulder at the ice cream and carbs you are giving up? Or are you a connoisseur of the good, one who savors doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason?
- We master our desires (“self-control”); can you do what is important? Can I sideline what I want for what is really important?
- We don’t bend our standards based on external pressures. (“upright”)
- We don’t compromise our special mission (“holy”). Holy literally means set apart for service: to God.
- We train so our efforts are effective (“disciplined”).
Level 2 Leadership says: Leadership is not about you. Leaders begin to stink then the job becomes about you.
Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric said:
“The day you become a leader, it becomes about them. Your job is to walk around with a can of water in one hand and a fertilizer in the other hand. Think of your team as seeds and try to build a garden. Its about building these people.”
You are not good enough to do the job that God has for you. You are not strong enough, smart enough; you don’t have the endurance or the experience. God does. And he lends it to you in the form of the people God puts around you. Are they your team, or your foot stool?
How does your work resume look?
Level 3 Leadership: Church
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. – Titus 1:9
Some simple reminders come from Robert Fulgham's popular poem, “All I really need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” Let me read a portion to you.
Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.
These are the things I learned. Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
We learned these simple things in kindergarten yet we have trouble doing them. Sometimes the toughest things in life are not the quadratic equation, or tax shelters, or even the 14th remote lost behind the couch: sometimes the toughest things in life are doing what we already know to do. Sometimes being a leader is doing the things that you know need to get done but nobody else has the guts or the stick-to-itiveness to actually do it.
Pastor Henry talked about what a deacon-a servant of the church-looks like. It isn’t glamorous, but the path of leadership is the path of taking up the towel to serve. In the book of Acts, there was a church fight brewing along racial and ethnic lines over how the food was being distributed. So men of faith waded into the middle of this to serve tables. These brilliant, faith-filled men, like Stephen, whose sermon to the most hostile audience imaginable earned a place in the Bible; Like Philip who could smell a pre-Christian a mile away. These are the men who came in. Now here is the rest of the story. Acts, chapter 6, verse 7.
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
It did not spread because of dynamic teaching, although that was there. It did not spread because of earnest prayer, though that was there also. It was there because the deacons healed a rift in the church by filling it with their own service.
For Paul, Level 1 Leadership was the family; Level 2 Leadership was the work place; Level 3 Leadership, simultaneously the most challenging, frustrating and rewarding, is found in the church
In particular, in the church, leaders must say what they believe like they really believe it. Wouldn’t it be sad, if in the church, the most exciting message, the very words of God, were made boring and insipid? Wouldn’t it be sad, if all the great communicators and speakers of our age were false prophets, cynics and comedians?
God is looking for people who will lay down their own agendas and take up his; lay down their own message and take up his; in the church, because the local church, frail and stumbling as it is, is the hope of the world. Paul said,
…Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. - Ephesians 5:25
Paul said,
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 3:10
You are the Weed and Feed of the church. Weed out the bad teaching, Feed the faithful. Bind up the wounds of the broken hearted. Speak peace to troubled lives. Replace error with truth.
Conclusion – Growing Garden in the Weeds
For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. – Titus 1:10
Why was Paul worried so worried about good leaders? Why did he send back Titus to straighten these things out? Because there are many weeds. Given space in my garden; any untended patch, will inevitably attract a weed. God says: the best way to fight weeds is not with Round-Up! You fight by planting healthy, good plants! When we first moved to El Dorado Hills, we were having our landscaping done in the back yard and Randy Gove came over, was helping us design it, and asked whether we wanted to put down weed barrier cloth. And I said: “My wife will plant it so full of healthy plants, there won’t be any room for the weeds to grow.” Now, ten years later, it is true.
How many times, tragically, have we seen a leader hang on too long? Trying to maintain control, he grasps firmly the steering wheel of his life, while relationships fall apart, health deteriorates and vision fails, but he still has that steering wheel!
Is that you? There can only be one leader. You can forge your own path; until it dwindles down to a dirt path and it is only you and your steering wheel. Jesus forged a path back to God, paying every cost for the rebellious, but he can’t take you there if you won’t give up control. You will never take the next step in leadership unless you first learn to follow yourself, from one who says, “Take my yoke upon you and I will give you rest.”
My family life growing up was far from ideal. I have a brother, a half-sister, a step-sister, three step brothers. Many of you are living witnesses to the pain of a generation of broken families. I will not lament. But God help me, I will replace a broken generation with a generation of peace, in my family. Will you join me?
Never have our communities, our state and nation cried out more for leaders of vision and integrity than today. I will not lament. But I will lift a new generation of men and women whose sight extends beyond the votes of the next election, to the one who weights the hearts of kings, presidents and governors in the scales of justice. Will you join me?
When the dominant ethic of the cubicle is “What can I get away with?” I will not lament. But I will join a generation of leaders whose CEO is not in the corner office, but on the throne of heaven; whose work ethic does not conform but transforms; led by our rabbi who came not to be served, but to serve. Will you join me?
When the churches struggle and church leaders fall and the faithful are weary, I will not lament. Instead I will join those called together to spend all heart, mind, soul and strength for the kingdom of he who withheld nothing so that we should not perish, but have eternal life.
Leadership is the influence you have to move people from where they are to where they need to be. Will you use the place God has given you to move people in a God direction?
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