Paul speaks about preaching with your life to Titus. Titus 2:1 As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching.[1] Not only is Titus to urge the believers to live a life that demonstrates what they believe, but Titus was also to do the same. Titus 2:7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.[2]
Rules for Thee but Not for Me
Our human nature wants to avoid rules, but we like it when others are forced to follow them. Jesus taught this as He watched the behavior of the Jewish leadership. Matthew 23: 2 The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.[3] Jesus was pointing out the hypocrisy of these men.
Paul knows that Titus has a big job of correcting the people and must lead by example. They will not listen if they sense a two-tiered system. Titus needed to act the way he wanted the people to act. A church will never be better than what its leadership is.
Be the Example
Paul urged Titus to be an example to the people. The Greek word that the NLT translates as “example” is tupos.[4] This is the word from which we get the English word “type.” The origin of this word originally meant “an impression made by a die.” [5] Strong’s also gives us more insight into the meaning. Tupos can mean a figure formed by a blow or impression orthe teaching which embodies the sum and substance of religion and represents it to the mind, manner of writing, the contents, and form of a letter.[6]
A church leader needs to preach with words and actions that support those words. Paul wanted Titus to live in a way that his words would impress themselves on others. It is not easy to be a pastor. You must be consistent in public and in private. Hypocrisy in speech or conduct will lead to problems. There will always be critics. But hypocrisy hands critics ammunition, so as much as possible, take the bullets away through integrity.
A believer’s actions are to honor God, shame the critics, and make the word of God attractive to unbelievers. Preaching with your life requires agreement between what you say and how you act. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/lead-with-integrity
[1-3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
[4] G 5179, Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 265–266). Victor Books.
[6] Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.