Pastor Ben starts a new series as we study through the book of Titus starting with Titus 1:1-4. Main Idea: God’s people are called to obedient, godly living, which comes through right knowledge of God. -What was going on in Crete? What do we know? 1 - Greater faith comes through the Knowledge of The Truth. (v. 1) We ought always to remember that at the center of our faith is an infinite God Who has entrusted to us an infallible Word. From salvation until heaven, true faith will always be ______________ and growing. 1 Cor. 15:3-4. 2 Pt. 1:19. Heb. 5:11-6:1 2 - Greater Faith and Knowledge of God Produces Godliness. (v. 1) -As Christians grow in the faith and knowledge of God, this will _______________ godliness in them. -The point here is twofold: 1 - Galatians 5 2 - Hebrews 5 3 - Godliness is grounded in the Eternal Plan of God, and He never Lies. (v. 2) Romans 8:17 Rm. 10:13; 2 Tim. 1:1; 1 Jn. 2:25. -By God’s grace, I learn to measure God not by my ______________ in this world, rather, I measure the experiences of this world in light of the truths of God and the promises He makes. 4 - All of this Comes through the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which is the Content of our Preaching and our Shared Faith. (v. 3-4) -By _________________ the revealed Word of God with the preaching of that Word, Paul is shedding light on his own role, but more importantly, the role and task of the Church: -What is common among us is ____________ _____________. He is our knowledge, He is our godliness, He is our hope of eternal life, He is God Who never lies, He existed before the ages of time began, He made the promise to save, He was incarnated as man at the proper time, and now He commissions His church to proclaim this wonderful Word. Now What? - Is my Faith Increasing?

Pastor Ben continues our new series as we study through the book of Titus in Titus 1:5. Main Idea: God is clear in His Word concerning His design and order for His Church. -The Doctrine of the Sufficiency of Scripture: We believe the Bible is ______________, it is Clear, Necessary, Inerrant (w/o error), Infallible (incapable of being wrong), and Sufficient (all we need). 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 2 Peter 1:3 Titus 1:5 1 - What is a Church Out of Order? -What was going on in Crete? Lack of ______________ church leaders (1:5-9) False teachers and false teaching (1:10-16; 3:9-11) Lack of right discipleship (2:1-3:8) Men (2:2, 6-8) Women (2:3-5) Employees (2:9-10) -So, what is the anecdote for a Church out of order? 1 - 2 - 2 - What is a Church in Order? — (Baptist ecclesiology) -Right Doctrine/Teaching. -What’s the Purpose: Right teaching keeps us face-to-face with God. It keeps us tethered to the Truth, through which comes a growing faith and a secure hope of eternal life (Titus 1:1-3). Right Ordinances. Baptism. Communion. What's the Purpose: The ordinances are commanded by the Lord Jesus (Mt. 28; Lk. 22:19). Baptism and Communion are physical and spiritual acts of the Church that keep us near the ____________. Right Leadership. Elders. Deacons. What's the Purpose: Right leadership ______________ the church, builds it up, and cares for it. Right leadership oversees that she is healthy, thriving, and cared for. Right Membership. Regenerate/ Meaningful church membership. Heb. 10:24-25; 13:17 What's the Purpose: Membership gives us protection, identity, place, and meaning. It is the soil in which our spiritual roots are to grow and find nourishment. Christianity demands membership in the church. There is no such thing biblically as “Church at home,” or “church apart from a Church.” Right Discipleship. Men, women, children, families. What's the Purpose: Right discipleship grows our _____________, helps us to mature from spiritual infants into spiritual adults. Through discipleship, the Kingdom of God grows and expands into the lives of God’s people. Right Mission. Evangelism. Church Planting. What's the Purpose: Jesus set about bringing the Kingdom of God through preaching the good news. The church is called to this same work. We are the body of Christ; we live out His mission. We make Jesus known to the world by sharing the gospel and starting Kingdom outposts called local churches. Now What? - Striving to Be a Church in Order. 1 - As individuals, we must ask… Am I submitting to God’s design by placing myself under qualified leadership in Christ’s Church? Have I been obedient to the ordinances? Am I being guarded through church membership and faithful discipleship? Am I burdened by the mission that Jesus has given to His church? 2 - As a Church, we must ask… Do we have a right structure of leadership in place? Are we teaching sound doctrine? Are we practicing the ordinances in accordance with Jesus’ commands? Are we practicing biblical Church membership? Are we effectively discipling our people? Are we going with the gospel of Jesus to the world?

Pastor Ben continues our new series as we study through the book of Titus. Main Idea: The New Testament Church is the gathered people of God, formed by His Spirit for His purposes. 1 - The Nature of the New Testament Church. Ekklesia: “The ____________ out ones of God.” Invisible - 2 Timothy 2:19; Hebrews 12:23 Visible - Matthew 13:24-30 Local - Romans 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Philemon 1:2 Universal - Ephesians 5:25; 3:10 Metaphors for the Church in Scripture. The Church as _______________ (Mt. 12:49-50; 2 Cor. 6:18; Eph. 3:4; 1 Tim. 5:1-2) The Church as Branches of the Vine ( Jn 15:5; Rm. 11:17-24) The Church as the new Temple (1 Pt. 2:5; Heb. 3:6) The Church as the Bulwark of Truth (1 Tim. 3:15) The Church as the full ____________ of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-27) The Church as the distinguished Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23, 4:15-16; Col. 2:19) 2 - The Purposes of the New Testament Church. -Ministry to God: ______________. Ephesians 1:12 Ephesians 5:16-19 -Ministry to Believers: _________________. Colossians 1:27-29 Ephesians 4:12-13 1 Corinthians 11:1 Heb. 10:23-25. -Ministry to the World: Evangelism Matthew 28:18-20 Acts 1:6-9 Luke 4:40, 6:35-36. Now What? - Are we Pursuing God’s Organized, Purposeful Design?

Pastor Ben continues our new series as we study through the book of Titus. Main Idea: A healthy Church does things God's way.

Pastor Ben continues our series on the book of Titus as we study through Titus 1:5-9. Main Idea: God gives His Church qualified, godly men to watchover and guard His people through the Word of God. Titus 1:5 1 - What are Elders? -These three terms are used interchangeably. 1 - “Elder” — occurs ______ times in the NT. (Ex. 3:18; 12:21; Ezra 5:5; 6:7, 14; Deut. 19:12; 21:3) The Biblical Elder is recognized as an authoritative ____________ leader of the community. There were Presbuteroi (Elders) in the churches of Jerusalem (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23’ 16:4; 21:18), the church in Galatia (Acts 14:23), the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:17; 1 Tim. 5:17, 19), the church at Crete (Titus 1:5), the churches of Asia Minor (1 Peter 5:1), and other Jewish assemblies (James 5:14). 2 - “Overseer” — Occurs 5 times in the NT. This title emphasizes _____________. Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2-7; Titus 1:7-9; 1 Peter 2:25. 3 - “Pastor” —Occurs only once in the NT (Eph. 4:11) Shepherd-Teacher. 2 - What do Elders mean in Crete? -Why do Elders matter in Crete? - What was going on in Crete? (1:10-11, 16; 3:10). -What do these qualifications reveal about the men who can serve? — Paul intends for us to understand these qualifications in 2 ways. First, they are authoritative qualifications for any man, at any time, who would serve as an Elder. Second, they are meant to contrast true Shepherds from false ones. 3 - What kind of Men must Elders Be? -In a phrase, Elders must be “Godly Men.” — Paul gives 18 qualifications listed here for Titus (v. 6-9). What Elders must Not be. -Paul lists several negatives: An Elder will not be _______________/Arrogant. An Elder must not be Quick-Tempered or Easily Angered An Elder will not be a Drunk or Violent/literally, one who strikes. An Elder, Paul says, is not Greedy; not controlled by money. From 1 Tim. 3:6, An Elder must not be a Recent Convert to Christianity. What Elders Must be. 1 - Godly in their homes. -An Elder must be Committed to his wife: -An Elder must be a Godly Father: The Bible regards the home as the ____________ ____________ for Christian leaders. A man who cannot lead his home cannot lead the church. 2 - Godly in their lives. - -An Elder must be Above Reproach (v.6): Paul lists this quality _________. An Elder will be Hospitable: A lover of Good: An Elder will be Self-controlled and Disciplined as a way of life: An Elder will be Upright and Holy: 1 Jn. 3:7; Psalm 1 In 1 Tim. 3:6, Paul adds that he must be Well-thought of by outsiders. 3 - Courageous for the Truth. -An Elder must hold fast/be firmly committed to the Word of God. 1 - So that they may _____________ Sound Doctrine. The primary task of the Elder. 2 - So that they are equipped to ____________ and Correct those who oppose sound doctrine (v. 9). 2 Pt. 2:1. Now What? - Following God’s good Design. -Healthy Churches ____________ they have Qualified men in Spiritual Leadership. Healthy leadership blesses a people. -Healthy Churches Work to have a Biblical Leadership Structure. Biblical structures lead to healthy church function. -Healthy Churches _________ and Submit to Godly, Qualified Leadership. When churches get structure right, and submit to it, God blesses it.

Pastor Ben continues our series on the book of Titus as we study through Titus 1:5-9. Main Idea: God gives His Church qualified, godly men to watchover and guard His people through the Word of God. Having heard what the Bible says about what Elders are, and who they are to be...it is important for us to know: What do Elders do? -The picture we get from Titus, and the rest of the NT, is that Elders provide Godly leadership in local Churches in ____________ ways. 1 - Teacher: 1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17; 2 Tim. 4:2; Titus 1:9; Eph. 4:11. Preaching involves the __________ of God, which ____________ on Jesus, and it never truly makes sense until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and ears to see and hear it. 2 - Elders Shepherd (Pastor): Acts 20:28-29; 1 Pt. 5:1-4 3 - Prayer: Acts 6:1-4, 1 Tim. 6:12 4 - Leadership: -The job is too big for any __________ man to do alone; much less, effectively. Titus 1:6; 1 Tim. 3:4-5. __________________ is to be willingly given among Elders and to Elders, but never demanded (Heb. 13:17; 1 Pt. 5:3). 1 - Elder leadership pursues the justice and uprightness of God. Elders value what God values. 2 - Elder leadership means rightly using God given authority. 3 - Elder leadership means _____________ the truth of God; calling the people to God’s vision for their lives. 5 - Equipping - Elders are to be actively equipping the people of God. And the Bible gives 2 specific areas: 1 - The next _____________ of Elders to minister alongside them and to plant new churches. 2 Tim 2:2 2 - The people of the Church for the work of the Ministry. Eph. 4:11 Now What? - Following God’s good Design. -Healthy Churches Ensure they have Qualified men in Spiritual Leadership. -Healthy Churches Work to have a Biblical Leadership Structure. Biblical structures lead to __________ church function. -Healthy Churches Follow and Submit to Godly, Qualified Leadership. When churches get structure right, and submit to it, God blesses it.

Pastor Ben continues our series on the book of Titus as we study through Acts 6; 1 Tim. 3; Titus 1:5. Main Idea: New Testament Deacons serve the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, aiding the Elders by meeting needs and leading the practical ministries of the Church. What do People think Deacons Do? -The story of the first deacons in Acts 6 gives us both the reason and blueprints for the Deacon office… In this young church, a problem of _______________ arose. The God-ordained solution is: ______________. 1 - Deacons are Godly Men -In Acts 6, we see that such men must be godly and full of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Tim. 3, Paul gives a specific list of qualities that man must meet before he is permitted to serve as a Deacon. Positively Dignified: Hold the Mystery of the Faith with a Clear Conscience: Tested: Blameless: A faithful Husband: A Godly Father: Negatively Not Double-Tongued: Not a Drunkard: Not Greedy for Dishonest Gain: Their Wives/ The Women Dignified Not Slanderous: Sober-Minded: Faithful in All things: The Reward awaiting the Deacon: A good standing and a _____________ faith. 2 - Deacons Serve the Mission of the Church. -Deacons _______________ the Elders. -Deacons _____________ the Church. Now What - Following God’s Good Design -Healthy Churches recognize the _______________ of godly, qualified Deacons. -Healthy Churches Ensure they have a biblical practice of Deacon Ministry. -Healthy Churches Value and ______________ their Deacons.

Main Idea: False teachers are a constant danger to the Church who must be identified and rebuked.