Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 97

April 7, 2018;    Titus 1:4;    201/260(II);    ‘Grace Mercy & Peace’

Titus 1:4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

I & 2 Timothy and Titus are called the pastoral epistles.  Paul is teaching Timothy and Titus, both who are pastors about ministry.  All of Paul’s epistles or letters to the churches always start with the greeting ‘grace and peace.’  Since Paul, as an apostle, has started churches and dealt with people, he adds ‘mercy’ to his greeting to Timothy and Titus.  I believe that the ministry is the greatest privilege a person can have.  The ministry, because pastors deal with eternal spiritual things and because there is a devil who does all he can to hinder a church, Paul asks the Lord to have mercy on Timothy and Titus.  Circumstances in the lives of people and attitudes they acquire dealing with others, at times cause these people to act less than Christian.  A pastor must love them anyway and do all that he or she can do to help them and get them maturing in the things of God.  No one could be a better teacher than Paul.  He had been through everything anyone could go through in ministry.  His experience and wise counsel greatly helped and encouraged these pastors.  Love is the key to success in the ministry.  Paul was asking for grace, mercy and peace from the Lord.  Without the Lord’s help no one could do this.  He put His love in the pastor.  His grace is the ability He gives us to do what He has called us to do.  His mercy is His tender care and help in dealing with others.  His peace is not like the world’s.  God’s peace means that you have peace even when there are challenging circumstances to deal with.  With the help of the Lord a pastor can and will fulfill his ministry.  It is his ability in us that does it.