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Paul, a servant of God\xa0and an apostle\xa0of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God\u2019s elect and their knowledge of the truth\xa0that leads to godliness\u2014\xa0in the hope of eternal life,\xa0which God, who does not lie,\xa0promised before the beginning of time, Titus 1:1-5 (NIV)

and which now at his appointed season\xa0he has brought to light\xa0through the preaching entrusted to me\xa0by the command of God\xa0our Savior, Titus 1:1-5 (NIV)

To Titus,\xa0my true son\xa0in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Titus 1:1-5 (NIV)\xa0

The reason I left you in Crete\xa0was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint\xa0elders\xa0in every town, as I directed you. Titus 1:1-5 (NIV)

1. Leadership Matters

The reason I left you in Crete\xa0was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint\xa0elders\xa0in every town, as I directed you. Titus 1:5 (NIV)\xa0

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons\xa0and to cure diseases,\xa0and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God\xa0and to heal the sick. Luke 9:1-2 (NIV)

1. HEALTHY CHURCHES have HEALTHY LEADERS

An elder must be blameless\u2026 Titus 1:6-15 (NIV)

faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe\xa0and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.\xa0Since an overseer\xa0manages God\u2019s household,\xa0he must be blameless\u2014not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.\xa0 Titus 1:6-15 (NIV)

Rather, he must be hospitable,\xa0one who loves what is good,\xa0who is self-controlled,\xa0upright, holy and disciplined.\xa0He must hold firmly\xa0to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine\xa0and refute those who oppose it. Titus 1:6-15 (NIV)

For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk\xa0and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.\xa0They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households\xa0by teaching things they ought not to teach\u2014and that for the sake of dishonest gain.\xa0Titus 1:6-15 (NIV)\xa0

One of Crete\u2019s own prophets\xa0has said it: \u201cCretans\xa0are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.\u201d\xa0This saying is true. Therefore rebuke\xa0them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith\xa0\xa0and will pay no attention to Jewish myths\xa0or to the merely human commands\xa0of those who reject the truth.\xa0Titus 1:6-15 (NIV)

To the pure, all things are pure,\xa0but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.\xa0In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.\xa0Titus 1:6-15 (NIV)

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.\xa0They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. Titus 1:6-15 (NIV)\xa0

1. A HEALTHY work deserves PROTECTION

Paul, a servant of God\xa0and an apostle\xa0of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God\u2019s elect and their knowledge of the truth\xa0that leads to godliness\u2014\xa0in the hope of eternal life,\xa0which God, who does not lie,\xa0promised before the beginning of time\u2026 Titus 1:1-2 (NIV)