Called to Influence: Making the Gospel Attractive

Paul calls Titus to lead people in Crete toward a faith that can be seen in everyday life. Titus 2 ties spiritual maturity to influence, because a committed life to Christ becomes a life that influences others for Christ. Biblical influence is not about likes, followers, or reach. Biblical influence is about what happens to people because they have been around someone who belongs to Jesus.

The church is not a room full of people who have it all together. The church is a bunch of broken people gathered in unity and harmony around a unifying Savior who brings healing. The body of Christ gives needed encouragement when discouragement makes people want to pull away and quit “peopling.” Faith cannot keep growing while it disengages from the body.

Paul begins with self-control for younger men, because self-control affects everything else. Self-control is not the absence of desire. Self-control is the willingness to bring desires, ambitions, impulses, anger, pride, addictions, and appetites under Christ’s authority. The Holy Spirit must control the steering wheel of life, because unchecked desires can take a life somewhere it never intended to go.

Paul then calls Titus to be a model of good works. Influence grows through consistency, because people watch what believers do even more closely than they listen to what believers say. Private struggles will eventually affect public influence, yet the goal is not perfection. The goal is that the confession of the mouth matches the life at home, at work, at school, in the community, and even on social media.

Paul also joins integrity, dignity, sound speech, submission, faithfulness, and good work together. Words reveal the heart, especially when pressure squeezes a person. Character does not begin under pressure, but pressure reveals what is already there. Faithful words and actions build trust over time and show that faith is real.

Paul ends with the beautiful picture of adorning the doctrine of God the Savior. The gospel does not need people to improve it, and no believer can save another person. Lives can, however, either support or contradict the gospel they proclaim. Believers are like windows, not the focal point themselves, but clear glass through which people can see Jesus. The question is not whether a life influences someone. The question is what that life is influencing them toward.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Self-control begins under Christ’s authority Self-control does not mean denying that desires are real. Self-control means surrendering those desires to the Holy Spirit before they become the master. Christ must have authority over the places where anger, ambition, appetite, pride, and impulse try to take the wheel. [42:45]
• 2. Consistency gives faith a credible witness Consistency does not require a polished, problem-free life. Consistency means that a believer’s home life, work life, church life, and private life are all being brought under the same Lord. People can handle seeing brokenness, but they need to see brokenness honestly submitted to Jesus. [48:10]
• 3. Pressure reveals what fills the heart Words spoken under pressure often expose what has been building inside. A harsh response does not have to become the final word, because Christ gives grace to confess, make amends, and keep growing. Sound speech comes from a heart that is continually being shaped by God. [50:41]
• 4. Lives should let people see Jesus A window is useful when people can see through it clearly. Christian influence becomes unhealthy when it draws attention to personality, image, or reputation rather than to Christ. A life satisfied in Jesus can help open the door for another person to see the beauty of the gospel. [53:40]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [30:04] - Titus and Spiritual Maturity
• [31:57] - Called to Influence
• [32:18] - Biblical Influence Is Personal
• [34:09] - Broken People Need the Body
• [36:03] - Reading Titus 2:6-10
• [39:54] - Influence Begins With Self-Control
• [45:41] - Influence Grows Through Consistency
• [49:16] - Words and Actions Build Influence
• [51:17] - Adorning the Gospel
• [52:36] - Lives as Windows to Jesus
• [57:51] - Where Belief and Living Do Not Match
• [58:59] - A Call to Surrender

Bible Reading

Titus 2:6-10
“Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” [36:03]

Matthew 12:34
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” [50:25]

1 Peter 3:15
“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”

Observation questions

1. In Titus 2:6-10, what character qualities does Paul connect with being a model of good works?
2. What areas of life are named as places where people watch to see whether a believer’s words and actions match? [47:38]
3. According to Matthew 12:34, what connection is made between the heart and a person’s speech? [50:25]
4. What picture is used to describe how a Christian life should help others see Jesus, and what is the purpose of that picture? [53:33]

Interpretation questions

1. Why might Paul begin his instruction to younger men with self-control? How could self-control affect areas such as anger, ambition, appetites, pride, and impulses? [41:01]
2. Titus is told to model good works “in all respects.” What does that suggest about the relationship between a person’s private life and public witness? [47:53]
3. Paul connects integrity, dignity, sound speech, submission, and faithfulness with making the gospel attractive. How do these everyday qualities build trust with people over time? [49:46]
4. What does it mean for believers to “adorn” the doctrine of God our Savior without acting as though their good behavior can save anyone? [51:35]

Application questions

1. What desire, habit, appetite, ambition, or reaction is most likely to try to take the steering wheel in your life right now? What would it look like to bring that area under Christ’s authority this week? [43:05]
2. When discouragement makes you want to pull away from people, what kind of encouragement or connection from the body of Christ do you need? Is there a person you could honestly reach out to rather than disengaging? [34:44]
3. Where is it easiest for your confession and your conduct to become inconsistent—at home, work, school, online, or in another setting? What is one honest next step toward greater consistency? [48:34]
4. Think about a recent stressful moment. What did your words reveal about what was filling your heart? Is there someone you need to apologize to, make amends with, or speak to more graciously? [50:39]
5. Who has influenced you toward Christ through faithful, ordinary living? What specific part of their example would be good to carry forward in your own relationships? [54:53]
6. Your life is influencing someone, whether you notice it or not. Who might be watching your life closely right now, and what could help them see Jesus more clearly through you this week? [35:31]