SCRIPTURE: Titus 1
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. [Titus 1:16]
Paul’s concern as a missionary is not just to start new churches, he is also concerned to support and sustain strong churches.
This letter is his words of encouragement to Titus, the leader at the church in Crete, who was left there to set up a leadership team to protect the new believers there.
In this chapter he warns Titus about the troublemakers in the church, and how he must deal strongly with them.
You can tell them by their actions, which go against their claims of faith.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. [Matthew 7:15-16]
Jesus also warns about those that infiltrate the community of believers, who look and sound like sheep, and yet are dangerous and destructive, like wolves.
Jesus also points to their actions (fruit) to identify them.
If the fruit of the Spirit (Jesus at work in a person) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc., then the lack of these says something about their relationship to Christ.
Keep in mind, as Paul says in the beginning of his letter, that the “knowledge of the truth leads to godliness” [Titus 1:1], so if the godliness is missing, there is something wrong with the knowledge.
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.

We need to be careful here, to make a distinction between a new believer (who has much to learn and to change still) and a false believer (who remains unchanged after years of following Christ).
This is why Paul says that the elders ought to be people of demonstrated integrity, who have shown over time how Christ has transformed them into His image.

We should not judge people, as far as their eternity goes – only God knows that.
But we do need to be discerning.
We can expect that a person who knows Christ will show evidence of character change.
The fruit of their life will eventually reveal the root of their faith.
This is why it is so important to be a part of Christian community, where it is understood and expected that people will change, will more and more be like Jesus.
Community life offers both the challenges that test our character, as well as the support and accountability that refine our character.
The Spirit provides opportunities in community life to discover what love and joy and peace and patience and kindness mean, and to become better at producing them.

Jesus formed a community of His followers to support and sharpen them.
Paul made sure that new believers had the leadership and support to help them grow.
Take time today to reflect on what your own fruit reveals about your heart.
And think about how community life is helping you become more and more like Jesus.

PRAYER:
Lord, help me by Your Spirit, and through the community of the Spirit, to become more and more like You… not just in my words but in my actions!