Letter to Titus
Ten Minute Bible Studies
What you need: a Bible, a notebook and a pen.
- Each day, for five days, you will read the same group of verses.
- Then you will have a couple questions to answer.
- The first answers will come out of the verses you read.
- Other questions will give you something to think about for the day.
Ready? Let's study.
WEEK 1 – Paul, an Ambassador of Hope
The Letter of Paul to Titus
A bit of background: Who was Paul?
After Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the grave, Jesus’ followers started a new religious movement called the church. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, who had killed Jesus, stepped up their persecution of the new group. Paul was one of those leaders, and he was arresting the Christians and having them killed or punished. Then he had a vision of Jesus Christ, who told him that he had been chosen by God to take the Good News of Jesus’ salvation to all the Gentiles – the non-Jews.
Who was Titus?
Titus was a young man who was converted by Paul to believe in Jesus Christ. Then he learned and traveled with Paul. Paul trained him to teach the Old Testament (They did not have the New Testament back then) and to point to Jesus every chance he got. Paul sent Titus to Crete to help little churches there. Paul wrote Titus this letter.
DAY 1 – Read the whole book of Titus. It’s only 3 chapters and will take you about 5 minutes.
In your notebook, write down your first impressions and what you think you might take away from studying this little book.
DAY 2 – Read the whole book of Titus again. This time, as you read, jot down words and phrases that keep popping up.
Choose one of those words and write why you’d like to learn more about it.
DAY 3 – Read Titus 1, verses 1-4 (1:1-4)
What does Paul write about himself?
Definitions
Bond-servant is a slave, who, when offered freedom, chose to remain with his master.
Apostle is a person sent out to spread a message.
- What assignment did God give Paul in verse 3?
- What does Paul write about Titus?
- What bound them together?
- How might you become or have “a true child in the common faith?”
DAY 4 – Read Titus 1:1-4
List at least 4 things we learn about God in these verses.
Which one of these points resonates with your life today?
DAY 5 – Read Titus 1:1-4
- What kind of truth is Paul writing about?
- What would you say to someone who says that everyone has their own truth?
- What gives us hope? On what is it based?
- Do you have that hope?
WEEK 2 – Whom Shall I Follow?
DAY 1 – Read Titus 1:5-9.
List all the positive qualifications of a spiritual leader in a local church. (The negatives are for tomorrow.)
Choose 2 or 3 of these and jot down how a person in the church would recognize this trait in the pastor or elder of the church.
Although you may not be a church leader, how do you measure up?
Definitions
- Blameless – free from blame; innocent
- Disciplined – trained in the expectation to produce a specific pattern of behavior; to impose order on
- Doctrine – something taught; a body of principles presented by a certain field
- Encourage – to inspire with hope, courage, confidence; to support and stimulate
- Entrusted – to give over to another for care and protection
- Good – morally good; pleasing to God
- Holy – righteous, unpolluted; possible only if you have accepted the cleansing of your sins by Jesus’ blood
- Hospitable – generous to guests; “lover of strangers”
- Refute – to prove to be false or mistaken
- Self-controlled – control of one’s feeling, desires & actions by one’s own will
- Sound – healthy, unshakeable, thorough, sensible, trustworthy
- Upright – morally respectable; honorable
DAY 2 – Read Titus 1:5-9
List the characteristics a spiritual leader of a local church should not exhibit.
How would you recognize these?
Although you may not be a church leader, are any of these a problem for you?
Definitions
- Dishonest gain – tending to lie, cheat or deceive
- Drunkenness – habitual intoxication
- Oppose – to disagree; to be in conflict with; to be on the opposite side.
- Overbearing – overwhelming in authority and power; arrogant
- Quick-tempered – easily aroused to anger
- Violent – characterized by using physical force or rough action
DAY 3 – Read Titus 1:5-9
According to these verses (especially verse 9), what are the duties of a Christian leader?
How important is God’s word to him or her?
Are you in a church where these things are important?
DAY 4 – Read Titus 1:5-9
Authority is defined as:
1. An individual appealed to as an expert,
2. Power to influence or command thought, opinion or behavior.
In what areas of everyday life to we see authority exercised?
What do today’s verses have to say about the exercise of authority?
DAY 5 – Read Titus 1:5-9
How does God want us to choose people who will be in authority over us in the local church?
After reading these verses, write down some of your thoughts on how authority relates to each of the following: education, money, connections, character, attitude, service.
WEEK 3 - The Dangers of Not Knowing the Truth
DAY 1 – Our world thrusts advice upon us all the time. List some of the not-so-good or even wrong “wisdom” you get from TV, magazines, newspaper articles, Internet sites, and even from well-meaning friends.
How will you know if they are right or wrong?
DAY 2 – Read Titus 1:10-16
Look at the list you made last week concerning spiritual leaders in the church. What can you learn about advice-givers?
From whom would you like your advice to come?
DAY 3 – Read Titus 1:10-16
What kind of people do we NOT want to have in our local church? Why?
What do they do?
DAY 4 – Read Titus 1:10-16
Compare Ephesians 2:8-10. What makes a good work truly good?
DAY 5 – More verses today: Read Titus 1:5-16. If the church leaders in verses 5-9 are doing their job correctly, what will they do about the people in verses 10-16?
If your church leaders responded to trouble-makers in your church as in the end of verse 9, would you be able to support them? Why or why not?
WEEK 4 – The School of Good Character
DAY 1 – Read Titus 2:1-10
List some stereotypes of older men.
List the character qualities of older men in the local church as found in these verses.
How would men like this affect your local church?
DAY 2 – Read Titus 2:1-10
What are some stereotypes of older women?
From these verses, list the character qualities of older women in the local church.
How would women like this affect your local church?
DAY 3 – Read Titus 2:1-10
List the things that the younger women need to be taught.
Why do they need to learn these things?
If this were written to you, are you teachable?
DAY 4 – Read Titus 2:1-10
List the godly character traits that will show the world that a young man belongs to God. Notice that Titus is included in this command.
In which category are you? How do you measure up?
DAY 5 – Read Titus 2:1-10
How do the ideas in verse 9 relate to employees today? Why should they behave this way?
Describe how this would look.
WEEK 5 – Amazing Grace
DAY 1 – Read Titus 2:11-14
What does God’s grace do?
For whom?
DAY 2 – Read Titus 2:11-14
Because we can receive God’s grace, how, then, are we supposed to live?
What would it be like to live that way?
DAY 3 – Read Titus 2:11-14
Look up “hope” in a dictionary. Decide which definition is meant in verse 13. Write it down.
What gave Paul hope?
What gives you hope?
DAY 4 – Read Titus 2:11-14
What did Jesus Christ do for us?
What would He like from us?
DAY 5 – Read Titus 2:11-14
Why is it so difficult to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age?
How can knowing and understanding these verses help us live that way?
WEEK 6 – “There, but for the Grace of God, Go I”
DAY 1 – Read Titus 2:15-3:7
What does Paul want Titus to do?
What is to be their behavior toward political leaders – and others? Keep in mind that the Roman emperors were persecuting Christians at this time, and Paul was probably writing this letter to Titus from prison.
What is your attitude toward political leaders and people you don’t agree with?
DAY 2 – Read Titus 2:15-3:7
What was every person like before they became a Christian? What evidence do we have that this is true?
What is it that makes it possible for us to stop living like in verse 3?
DAY 3 – Read Titus 2:15-3:7
Notice that in these verses, God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit all work to save us. What do they each do?
What is the result?
DAY 4 – Read Titus 2:15-3:7
In verses 4-7, jot down all the glorious things that are done for us.
If a person gives her life to God, what will she lose? What will she gain?
DAY 5 – Read Titus 2:15-3:7
How does God save us from our sins? What doesn’t work to save us?
What is the end result of our salvation?
WEEK 7 - Good Deeds Meet Needs
DAY 1 – Read Titus 3:8-15
Glance back through the book of Titus at the verses that mention good deeds and jot down what the verses say about them.
According to all these verses, what place do good deeds play in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ?
DAY 2 – Read Titus 3:8-15
What are the believers to avoid and reject? Does this sound harsh to you?
Why does Paul say it is necessary?
How can you support a church leader who has to facilitate this?
DAY 3 – Read Ephesians 6:21-22 and Colossians 4:7-9 to find out a little more about Tychicus (tick’-i-kus). Read Acts 18:24-28 to learn more about Apollos. Make some notes about what type of men they were. (Artimas and Zenas are only mentioned in Titus.)
What does Paul tell Titus about these men in Titus 3:12-13?
How should we care for Christian workers? How do we know which ones to care for?
DAY 4 – Read Titus 3:8-15
Glance through the entire book of Titus and jot down all the references to sound doctrine or good teaching.
Summarize Paul’s teaching on this subject.
DAY 5 – One more review
Glance through the entire book of Titus and jot down all the references to sensible living.
What is our motivation for living as Paul says is pleasing to God?
What are the benefits for living as Paul suggests?