Good Friends and Good Works - Titus 3:12-15

Titus 3:12-15 brings the letter down into names, travel plans, winter plans, greetings, and practical care, but Paul is not just filling space at the end. Paul shows what a gospel shaped church looks like when sound doctrine becomes real friendships and good works. The text calls God’s people to be good friends doing good work.

The poison ivy picture exposes the way Christians can have “allergic reactions” toward sinful people. The allergy is not righteous discernment. The allergy becomes an overreaction that puts sinners outside gospel opportunity and places the Christian in the seat of a judge. Paul already reminded Titus that believers were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, enslaved, hateful, and hated. The gospel does not tell people to clean themselves up first. Christ stands with arms wide open to weary sinners, and such were some of the Corinthians before they were washed, sanctified, and justified.

The gospel therefore corrects the posture of God’s people toward those outside of Christ. The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may grant repentance, and that makes usefulness in the Lord’s hands far better than avoidance of sinful people.

Paul’s closing names show that gospel ministry is not built on one man’s ability. Artemis, Tychicus, Zenas, Apollos, Titus, and the saints around Paul give a picture of a community bound together in Christ. The household of faith is not built on sinking sand, sports teams, careers, age, or any temporal thing. The household of faith is built on Christ, and therefore Christian friendship has a depth that the world cannot manufacture.

A good friend serves. Artemis and Tychicus could be sent because they were trustworthy, faithful, and useful in the Lord. A good friend spends time. Paul wanted Titus to hurry to Nicopolis because friends want to be with friends, and real friendship moves beyond “I know you by name” to “I love you by heart.” A good friend shares. Zenas and Apollos needed to be sent on their way lacking nothing, because friends care for needs in the work of Christ.

Good works are not optional add-ons to Christianity. Christ redeemed a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Good works do not earn salvation, but they belong to salvation because God works in his people. Good works are active, directed toward God and others, especially urgent needs, and they bear fruit in relationships and salvation. Love is the foundation and capstone of it all, because God first loved his people in Christ.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Allergic reactions block gospel opportunity. [05:22] The allergic reaction toward sinful lifestyles can become a false throne where a Christian acts like a judge. The gospel does not affirm sin, but it also does not require sinners to become clean before Christ will receive them. The church’s posture toward the lost must be shaped by memory, because God’s people were once foolish, enslaved, and led astray. [05:22]
• 2. Gentleness serves repentance, not weakness. [11:34] The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, because quarrels often defend ego more than truth. Gentleness does not soften the seriousness of sin, but it keeps correction aimed at rescue instead of winning. God may grant repentance, and that possibility makes patience and kindness deeply theological. [11:34]
• 3. Christian friendship is built on Christ. [16:40] The deepest friendship in the church rests on something that cannot pass away. Shared hobbies, stages of life, teams, and careers all come to an end, but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God bind believers together forever. Christian friendship therefore has a depth that must be cultivated, not assumed. [16:40]
• 4. Good works are never passive. [34:48] Good works require action, not merely good intentions or warm feelings. God is a working God, actively caring for his people and building his church, and his people bear that family resemblance. A Christian life that refuses costly action should raise serious questions about spiritual sight and spiritual life. [34:48]
• 5. Love is the capstone of works. [42:28] Paul closes with those who “love us in the faith,” because genuine Christian labor grows out of genuine Christian love. Good works divorced from love become performance, and mercy divorced from the gospel can make people comfortable on the way to judgment. Love for God and love for others give Christian service both its root and its aim. [42:28]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:27] - Good Friends Doing Good Work
• [01:30] - Poison Ivy and Allergic Reactions
• [05:39] - Remembering Former Sin
• [07:40] - The Gospel Goes to Everyone
• [10:28] - Gentleness Toward Opponents
• [13:50] - Good Friends Do Good Works
• [14:25] - Gospel Ministry Has Names
• [19:07] - A Good Friend Serves
• [23:23] - A Good Friend Spends Time
• [27:35] - A Good Friend Shares
• [30:12] - Good Works Belong to Christians
• [34:28] - Good Works Are Active
• [37:08] - Serving Urgent Needs
• [42:28] - Love Grounds Christian Friendship

Bible Reading

Titus 3:12-15
“When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.” [00:41]

Titus 3:3
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” [05:53]

2 Timothy 2:24-25
“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,” [10:53]

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” [07:51]

Observation questions

1. In Titus 3:12-15, what practical things does Paul ask Titus and the church to do for Artemas, Tychicus, Zenas, and Apollos? [14:29]
2. According to Titus 3:3, what words does Paul use to describe what believers “once” were before God saved them?
3. In 2 Timothy 2:24-25, what attitudes and actions are supposed to mark the Lord’s servant when dealing with opponents? [11:34]
4. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, what strong contrast appears between “will not inherit the kingdom of God” and “such were some of you”? [08:49]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul fills the end of Titus with names, travel plans, greetings, and material help. What does that show about the way gospel ministry normally works in the life of the church? [15:34]
2. Titus 3:3 reminds believers what they once were. How does remembering former sin help keep Christians from reacting to sinful people as though they are beyond gospel hope? [09:37]
3. 2 Timothy 2:24-25 connects gentleness with the hope that God may grant repentance. Why is gentleness not weakness here, and how can a quarrelsome spirit get in the way of rescue? [11:45]
4. Titus 3:14 says believers should devote themselves to good works for urgent needs so they will not be unfruitful. What kinds of needs seem to be in view, and what does “fruitful” look like in real church life? [37:08]

Application questions

1. “Allergic reactions” to sinful lifestyles can push people outside gospel opportunity. Is there any kind of person toward whom there is a tendency to pull back, grow harsh, or quietly act as judge? What would repentance and a more gospel-shaped posture look like there? [05:22]
2. The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind, patient, and gentle. In recent disagreements—whether at home, online, at work, or in church—what has most shaped the tone: love for the person, or the desire to win? [10:53]
3. Christian friendship is built on Christ, not just shared interests or life stage. Which friendships in the church have moved beyond “I know you by name” toward real heart-level care? What might help that grow further? [27:03]
4. A good friend serves. Where is there a clear opportunity right now to serve someone in the body in a practical way, especially in a way that costs time, comfort, or convenience? [19:15]
5. A good friend spends time. Are there believers who are loved in general, but rarely pursued in particular? What would it look like this week to make room for unhurried time with them? [24:34]
6. A good friend shares. Is there a need—financial, practical, emotional, or logistical—that is already visible in someone’s life, where “see that they lack nothing” could be obeyed in a simple and concrete way? [27:35]
7. Good works are active and love is their capstone. Where has there been a tendency to settle for good intentions instead of real action? What is one specific good work that could be done soon for someone in urgent need? [34:48]