June 2025 The Great Commission in the New Testament, the Book of Titus
The Great Commission in the New Testament
Titus
Titus 1:5 – "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you."
This month, I want to focus our Great Commission study on the phrase from this verse: "that you should set in order the things that are lacking."
Many times, when we think of the Great Commission, we think in terms of evangelization. We have a tendency to reduce missions work to soul-winning alone. But that is actually incorrect. I'm not saying evangelism isn't important or needed. What I am saying is that the Great Commission is greater than one thing.
If we win converts but do not disciple them, we have failed as missionaries. We can’t treat salvation as the goal line when it is actually the starting line.
If we interpret all missionaries as primarily evangelists, then we have misinterpreted the Church as a whole. We minimize the other office gifts in Ephesians 4:11, and we cheat ourselves out of our own calling, giftings, and inheritance in the Lord.
When the gospel was first preached in Crete is unknown. However, in Acts 2:11, we find that there were Cretans in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. Perhaps they brought the good news home with them. The only other mention of Crete in Acts is chapter 27, where Paul and his team, facing bad weather, used the island as a temporary shelter.
It’s unclear exactly when or how Paul left Titus on Crete, but he did—along with specific instructions. So open your Bible to Titus chapter 1, and let’s look at it.
“Set in order the things that are lacking.”
At some point, someone did the evangelism and then left the people behind—without structure, without leadership, and with plenty of confusion. They needed the apostolic office to establish order, starting with the leadership (vv. 6–9).
In vv. 10–16, Paul describes a cultural problem among the people of Crete. Let’s be honest—this would be a tough missionary letter to send out today! It’s strong and direct language on the personal character of a people. Even to this day, “Cretan” is used as a pejorative term.
Titus 2:1 commands: “Speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.” Paul then applies that command to older men, older women, younger women, younger men, bondservants, and masters—all levels of society. He finishes with a charge in Titus 2:15: “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.” This isn’t just for the church, y’all—this is for the whole community. When the missionary shows up, everybody gets discipled!
Then in Titus 3:1: “Remind them…” Or in Great Commission terms: “Make disciples, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you.” In other words, you Cretens need to stop acting like a 'Cretan'. Put off the old man, put on the new. Stop following the desires of your flesh and start following the leading of the Holy Spirit—and learn the difference.
The Great Commission is the Church, still being planted in the earth.
It is fully expressed in the proper functioning of the Church. Everything the New Testament says the Church is and is to become applies to every culture, people, and tongue on earth. There is a godly structure and a godly lifestyle that takes precedence over all cultures.
Paul left Titus in Crete because discipleship takes a minute! You can't turn a Cretan into a Christian overnight. You need a missionary for that kind of work—someone God had to prepare for the job. Like Ezekiel 3, where God said (RKJ paraphrase), “I’ve made your head harder than their heads.”
Listen, there’s no way to take something that is out of order and set it in order without somebody pushing back. Kinda like what I’m doing in this note. People have the Great Commission out of order!
Make disciples. Establish structure and order in the Church, by the Church, through the Church. That’s the Great Commission!
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