"Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is my gift, my curse."--Peter Parker quoting Uncle Ben (
Spiderman)
"Today we have learned in the agony of war that great power involves great responsibility."--FDR
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked"--Jesus (Luke 12:48b)
Those who spread the Gospel in the infant years of the church had an awesome responsibility. The Word of our Lord and the record of what He had accomplished had to be kept pure and true. That was Paul's mission as he travelled about, and after the occasion of his journey to Crete, he left behind instructions for his companion Titus, who remained in Crete to help organize the new church, oversee them, instruct them in areas of faith and conduct, and protect them from false teachings. It seems Titus had no easy task:
1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
1:7For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
1:12One of themselves, [even] a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians [are] alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
1:15 Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
As a companion of Paul, Titus was not without training and experience:
2:1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with [me] also.
2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
2:5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
7:5For even when we were come into Macedonia our flesh had no relief, but `we were' afflicted on every side; without `were' fightings, within `were' fears.
7:6Nevertheless he that comforteth the lowly, `even' God, comforted us by the coming of Titus;
7:7 and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in you, while he told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced yet more.
8:5 and `this', not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God.
8:6 Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace also.
8:7 But as ye abound in everything, `in' faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and `in' all earnestness, and `in' your love to us, `see' that ye abound in this grace also.
Timothy was given instructions for the overseer similar to those given to Titus:
3:1This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
3:4One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
As we live and walk in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we also have a responsibility to carry out the great commission with integrity and truth. We have a responsibility to live worthy of the grace we accept. "What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Jesus Christ. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us" (II Timothy 1:13-14).
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8); "For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (II Cor. 4:6-7); "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds" (II Cor. 10:4); "For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit. and with deep conviction" (I Thess 1:4-5). Jesus has a standard, and it is up to each one of us to be a good steward of the power and grace that He has placed within us."With great power comes great responsibility."
Lord Jesus, help me to be a responsible Christian, a good steward of Your power and wealth. Help me to represent with integrity and never substitute. Help me to "guard the good deposit that was entrusted to me." Amen
1:9 he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.
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