Titus 2:2 (ESV)
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in
faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
In a previous blog I wrote about the
need for believers to be living counter-culturally so that our life impacts our
world with the gospel? But what does that look like? In Titus 2:2-6 Paul
describes what counter-cultural living looks like for older and younger men and
women. Older Men, elders, according to verse two, should be sober-minded. That
is, they should be clear thinking rather than intoxicated. They should be dignified.
That is not stuffy, but honorable and respected. They should be self-controlled.
Interestingly, this is a different word than Paul uses in Galatians 5 where he writes about the Fruit of
the Spirit. Galatians’ focus is on control of the body. The word in Titus
focuses on control of the mind; sound of mind, not carried away by emotions,
moderate, even-keeled. Additionally, older men should be sound (healthy) in faith.
They should have learned to trust God. They should be sound in love. The word
for love here is agape, self-sacrificing
love. Finally, they should demonstrate steadfastness, that is endurance and
patient waiting. As a young man I was always in a hurry. Things needed to be
done now! Older men should have learned patient endurance.
In my early years I served as a Missionary/Pastor
under Village Missions. Three of us young pastors had attended a conference
together. We came home all worked up about something. It needed to be
addressed, and it needed to be addressed now! Mr. Duff, the founder and
National Chairman of Village Missions, sat down with us. He listened to us. Then
he said, “I’ve been around a long time. I’ve watched these things come and go.”
Finally he challenged us not to allow this issue to distract us from our
primary calling as pastors, Ministers of the Gospel. It was the great advice of
a mature older believer. That is the kind of influence older men should have on
the people around them. As believers, the older men in the church should
demonstrate steadfastness, endurance and patient waiting, for the sake of the
gospel. May that be true of us as believers in Jesus Christ.
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