Discuss a time when you asked someone to do a task they had never done before. Although they had some experience and many basic skills, you were worried that the task you gave them might be more than they could handle. How did you help them anticipate problems they might encounter? What worries did you have?
The next part of the letter has two main parts. In the first, Paul gives Titus a really important task: appointing elders for the church in Crete. The rest of this section explains why doing the task the way Paul commands is so important and what can happen if he doesn’t do the task the way Paul says he should.
Paul’s letter to Titus was written for a similar situation that you discussed. Titus had gained important experience ministering with Paul on his missionary journeys. But as far as we know, he had not led a new church on his own like that task that Paul was giving him in Crete.
This section introduces Paul’s command to Titus to appoint qualified elders to lead the church there. Listen carefully to the list of important qualifications that an elder needs to possess. Paul wants Titus to appoint leaders who have the character and qualifications needed to shepherd healthy churches.
Why is it so important that the elders Titus appoints have these character qualities? This next section offers negative qualities that would undermine a person’s ability to lead.
Paul explains why he has selected these qualifications. This explanation helps Titus understand why carefully obeying these commands is so important. Discuss what might happen to a church leader who does not possess these qualities.
Paul needed to prepare Titus for the challenging kinds of people that he would be ministering to on Crete. Why is having qualified elders so important? Paul describes some of these situations in 1:10–12 to help Titus understand how he needs to respond when he encounters them. With this as background, Paul commands Titus how he should respond in verses 13–14.
Discuss some situations where you have met someone who claims to be a certain way but acts in a way that contradicts that. Why might motivate them to do this? Why might people who say they love God treat others the way Paul describes in verses 10–14?