Five Reasons to Study the book of Titus
I was all set to continue elaborating on my tagline, when it came to me that, rather than having me explain, it would be better to read Titus for yourself. Go figure!
I decided to put together five reasons why every woman or women’s ministry needs to study the book of Titus.
#1 Relativity
Titus is always relevant, but sometimes I think it was written especially for our time in human history! Now, more than ever, humankind really has no sense of what we are supposed to be and do.
Recently I bought a t-shirt that is embroidered with the words, “Be kind… Think kind… Stay kind”. It’s a great sentiment, but how many of us actually know how to be kind? Or, more importantly, know what God means when He tells us to be kind?
Titus tells us that kindness is something that is learned (2:5). Titus also tells us that God showed us His kindness by sending the Holy Spirit to make dead sinners alive through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross (3:4-7)
Likewise, with the ever-changing understanding of what it means to be a woman in today’s culture, Titus gives clear insights into what God wants from His daughters. Wise leaders of women’s ministries can take those insights and help to apply them so that serving Christ as a woman is not the burden that the Super-woman culture makes them out to be. Hmm… that sounds like a topic for another blog!
#2 Simplicity
The book of Titus is one of the easiest books to understand. A person with even a limited understanding of the rest of the Bible can dig into this book.
If you have never lead a Bible study before, or taken time to study a book on your own, Titus is a great place to start. With three short chapters, the 
entire book can be read in less than thirty minutes.
Titus really only has one theme with some sub-categories. The book deals with how Christians are supposed to live, why, and what that looks like in one’s particular situation. To dig deeper, specific ideas can be readily found in other books of the Bible.
Want to get a better idea of what it means to be pure or self-controlled (2:5)? Want to see an even starker contrast between believers and unbelievers (1:12, 2:12, 3:9-11) look at Galatians 5:16-26. Want a definition of what “sound doctrine” (1:9, 2:1) is? As a start, read through Acts 1:14-41.
Be sure, as you read through Titus, to ask the following questions:
What do I learn about God?
What do I learn about myself and my relationships (with God and/or with others)?
What have I learned that I can thank God for?
What does He want me to do in light of what I have learned?
#3 Applicability
The commands in Titus are so simple to understand, and so easily applied. Nothing is out-dated.
One of the things that struck me when I was a mom of little ones, was that older women were to teach younger women to love their children (2:5). Here I was struggling to be a loving mother of four children who were four years apart. (Yes, that was crazy. No, I don’t recommend it!)
I would hear other moms talk about how much they loved being mothers; how rewarding motherhood was; and how, even with hard days, life was delightful! I figured they were either exaggerating or there was something wrong with me!!!
Imagine my surprise to find that I needed to learn how to love my kids! That meant that I wasn’t some kind of monster.
Clearly women throughout the ages had struggled with this, otherwise it wouldn’t have been in the Bible. I confessed this struggle to the ladies in my Bible study group. The older women offered wise parenting advice, prayed for and encouraged me, and, eventually, I learned to truly love my crew.
A wise Bible study teacher I know, would start her studies in Titus by having her students look at the list in Titus 2:3-5.
Each woman would have to answer what area she struggled in. Purity? Being submissive to one’s husband? Self-control?
Without even turning to other resources (beside the Bible), just taking the opportunity to confess our struggles to each other can open up avenues of encouragement.
Imagine a woman confessing her addiction to sex-saturated romance novels. These novels are not helping her to be pure in her thoughts.
When other women surround her with loving encouragement to set aside the novels and ask the Lord to help her set her heart on Him, she will grow to be more like Christ, and the love amongst the group of women will grow!
There is nothing complicated in confessing and praying!
#4 Life-changeability
Whenever someone takes time to read God’s word for themselves and apply it, her life will be changed. God’s word does that.
But, what if the ladies in your women’s ministry, read these words and took them to heart?
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7 New International Version
If we each really understood that there was a time when we were foolish, disobedient, and enslaved by sin, think of how compassionate we would be to those who were still struggling in their own sin?
The whole point is to live as a person who has been changed by God through Jesus Christ, and to make sure that others know how good it is to belong to Him!
Maybe there are women who come to your Bible studies or ministry events that don’t know Jesus Christ, other than a name of a Bible character or a curse word. When we start to live with Jesus Christ held up as the standard for our lives, and the reason for living at all, others will see Him.
You cannot reasonably read through the book of Titus without recognizing that every command is to be obeyed, so that God gets the glory.
If you apply that standard, your life will be changed.
#5 God’s Authority
If you want to be a woman of God or run a women’s ministry that encourages women to live for God’s glory, then Titus is the natural starting point.
There are other places in the Bible that talk about what it looks like to be a Christian woman, but Titus is the only book that specifically talks about women training women.
There are some fabulous resources out there that can help you in establishing your ministry. Hopefully this blog will be able to stand in the ranks with them!
But why not start with God’s word?
Wouldn’t you rather hear what God has to say rather than what other people have to say about what He said?
Is second-hand information better than the original?
Girl, grab your Bible, and go!
Related Resource Spiritual Mothering by Susan Hunt
