Duties of Pulpit and Pew

Song: I Love To Tell The Story

Scripture: Titus 2:1-15

The doctrine of God is worthy of the highest treatment in its statement and its application. Paul, in charging the young preacher, Titus, said that his responsibility was to fully equip the people to adorn the doctrine of God in their lives. He shows in this letter how the pulpit and the pew work together.

Preaching is to be practical and persuasive. It is intended to charge the will of the people (that’s persuasion) to either change or persevere in their habits of living (that’s practical). Preaching that isn’t practical and persuasive, isn’t sound. Of course it must also be true. If it’s not gospel preaching, it’s not really preaching at all. But the gladdest of all tidings deserves the best of all deliveries that the privileged messenger can possibly give it.

Hearing is to involve the will and not just the intellect. Older men, older women, younger men, younger women, servants, and preachers themselves are all addressed in our text. Their particular tendencies are addressed, and the habits of godliness suiting their time and station in life are recommended. It’s not enough to say “Amen” to the preaching. The best of all messages deserves the best of all audiences—live ones that make the word become flesh in their personal conduct.

When the occupants of pulpit and pew fulfill their responsibilities, it can make a difference even on an island of “liars and lazy gluttons” like Crete.

Jason Moore