1. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999)

2. There is always a team behind the man.

3. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) There is always a team behind the man. We need both those who have the calling and gifting to preach and explain the gospel, and those who provide support, help and encouragement who may never stand behind a pulpit.

4. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) Paul’s Apostolic Band The book of Acts tells the story of the mission of spreading the gospel, starting with the Jewish people in Jerusalem and extending out to the farthest reaches of the Gentile world. (Acts 1:8)

5. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) Paul’s Apostolic Band God chose a special man for the task of reaching the Gentiles with the gospel- Saul of Tarsus- who became known as the apostle Paul. And right from the moment of his conversion, the Lord Jesus revealed this special calling on Paul’s life.

6. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) Paul’s Apostolic Band Paul almost always worked in a team. Some of his associates included Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, John Mark, Priscilla and Aquila and Luke.

7. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) Paul’s Apostolic Band Paul almost always worked in a team. Some of his associates included Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, John Mark, Priscilla and Aquila and Luke. And he would often leave them in various places to continue the work or send them on ahead of himself.

8. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12)

9. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) Titus is only to leave once someone else comes to him, presumably to replace him in his important role on the island Crete.

10. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) Paul calls Tychicus three things: a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. (Col 4:7-9) It’s clear that Paul had a great deal of trust and brotherly affection for this co-worker of his.

11. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) In this verse, the emphasis is upon the need for recognized ministers of the gospel, like pastors and missionaries.

12. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) a)These Ministers were Interchangeable

13. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) a)These Ministers were Interchangeable This speaks very strongly to the training, discipleship and equipping these men received at the hands of the church and specifically, at the hands of Paul.

14. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) a)These Ministers were Interchangeable So if indeed Tychicus was a convert from Ephesus, it seems that Paul had taught and trained Tychicus in the space of three years (Acts 20:31), after which he joined Paul in his ministry.

15. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) a)These Ministers were Interchangeable The interchangability of these workers illustrates their training.

16. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) a)These Ministers were Interchangeable b)These Ministers were Men

17. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) a)These Ministers were Interchangeable b)These Ministers were Men Where are the men who are ready, should God call them, to step out into pastoral ministry or step out into ministry as a missionary?

18. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) Mark Driscoll: We are deadly serious about the great commission and loading all guns to storm hell with the gospel of grace. And we need more men. Nine hundred men. Not boys—men. Real men. Men who care less about padding their resume and getting their vacation days than about seeing lives transformed and legacies altered for generations.

19. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) Mark Driscoll: (cont.) We need men who love their wives, pastor their children, submit to Scripture, bleed the gospel, and have steel in their spine, love in their hearts, and the lost in their sights.

20. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14)

21. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) The church was to devote themselves to good works, for the purpose of helping urgent needs such as the provision for these gospel ministers. And by doing this, they would be fruitful or profitable.

22. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) It is a good thing for churches to support gospel ministers (1 Cor 9:7–11). It frees them to put their hand to the plow and labour hard for the spread of the gospel. We are to have a gospel-focused view of giving.

23. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) By supporting and helping gospel ministers you can be a fellow worker for the truth though you may never be a preacher or a missionary. (3 Jn 5-8)

24. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) a)Give regularly, willingly, cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the gospel

25. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) a)Give regularly, willingly, cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the gospel So the teaching on giving in the New Testament is both less specific than the Old Testament and more significant.

26. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) a)Give regularly, willingly, cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the gospel 10% may be a good place to start. But many of you may have the faith and/or the financial blessing to give more.

27. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) a)Give regularly, willingly, cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the gospel b)Keep your giving focused on God and his gospel

28. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) a)Give regularly, willingly, cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the gospel b)Keep your giving focused on God and his gospel Our worship can easily become a lifeless ritual if we are not careful.

29. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) a)Give regularly, willingly, cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the gospel b)Keep your giving focused on God and his gospel When you give a portion of the financial blessing you have received, it ought to be not just a duty, but a delight.

30. Titus 3:12-15 Teamwork and Gospel Ministry (p999) 1. The Need for Gospel Ministers (v12) 2. The Need for Support (v13-14) The one who is a minister of the gospel, whether a missionary or a pastor, has the same goal and purpose as the one who stays at their work and supports them. We are called to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them.