Introduction
Are you willing to let Jesus disciple you into the kind of steady, trustworthy person that weary, scattered people can safely follow? The central teaching is this: in a cultural moment when many feel burdened and directionless, God’s answer is to raise up shepherd-like leaders, first in the church and also in everyday life, whose family life, character, and grasp of truth bring people closer to Christ.
I’m meeting so many people right now who are heavy-hearted, anxious, and confused, sad about the state of our country, overwhelmed by the speed of the news, uncertain about safety, the economy, and the future. That confusion can be a mercy if it drives us to search for what is solid. Jesus faced a similar moment. In Matthew 9:35–38, as He taught and healed and looked across Israel, He saw people who were “weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” His response was compassion, and then a call to pray for laborers. Where we see scattered sheep, Jesus sees an opportunity to bring people near to a Shepherd. That leads us straight into our study in Titus. Last week we introduced the letter with the theme of grace producing godliness. Now we move into the second theme: how God sets what is lacking into order, by appointing qualified leaders who can guide others.
Main Points
Are you willing to let Jesus disciple you into the kind of steady, trustworthy person that weary, scattered people can safely follow? The central teaching is this: in a cultural moment when many feel burdened and directionless, God’s answer is to raise up shepherd-like leaders, first in the church and also in everyday life, whose family life, character, and grasp of truth bring people closer to Christ.
I’m meeting so many people right now who are heavy-hearted, anxious, and confused, sad about the state of our country, overwhelmed by the speed of the news, uncertain about safety, the economy, and the future. That confusion can be a mercy if it drives us to search for what is solid.
Jesus faced a similar moment. In Matthew 9:35–38, as He taught and healed and looked across Israel, He saw people who were “weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” His response was compassion, and then a call to pray for laborers. Where we see scattered sheep, Jesus sees an opportunity to bring people near to a Shepherd.
That leads us straight into our study in Titus. Last week we introduced the letter with the theme of grace producing godliness. Now we move into the second theme: how God sets what is lacking into order, by appointing qualified leaders who can guide others.
Seeing Our Moment With Compassion
I want you to notice how Jesus looks at a troubled culture: not with disgust, not with panic, but with compassion (Matthew 9:36). He doesn’t deny the mess, He names it: weary and scattered. And then He calls His disciples to respond with prayer and labor for the harvest (Matthew 9:37–38).
So I’m asking you to take a discipleship posture right away: when you see confusion, anger, and brokenness around you, will you treat it as an annoyance, or as a harvest? If you belong to Christ, your calling isn’t merely to survive this moment; it’s to become part of God’s answer in it.
Setting In Order What Is Lacking
Paul tells Titus why he left him in Crete:
“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…” (Titus 1:5)
Churches always have things that need strengthening, organizing, correcting, and building up. That’s not a sign of failure; it’s the ongoing work of sanctification until we reach heaven. And the way God commonly brings order is through strong, qualified oversight, elders, shepherds, leaders.
But I also want you to hear this personally: there are “things lacking” not only in churches, but in homes, marriages, parenting, workplaces, neighborhoods, friendships. If we think the only way God will reach scattered people is by getting them into a building to listen to a professional sermon, we will miss much of the harvest. People who need shepherding are often already at your work, in your family, at school drop-off, on your street.
So take notes in two directions:
- For your protection: don’t follow unqualified shepherds; it will save you heartbreak.
- For your growth: every quality we’ll study is worth pursuing, because it makes you a stable, trustworthy disciple in a shaky age.
Shepherding Starts At Home
Paul begins with family:
“If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.” (Titus 1:6)
Leadership credibility begins with the people who know you best. It’s easy to appear godly in public; it’s much harder to be consistent at home. And we want the people who know us best to trust us most, not just the people who see our “Sunday best.”
“Blameless” doesn’t mean perfect; only Jesus is sinless. It means “above reproach”, not living in a way that opens the door to legitimate, character-defining accusations. A leader shouldn’t have a hidden double life that collapses the moment someone looks closely.
Then Paul gets specific:
- Faithful to one spouse (“husband of one wife”): This is not merely a technical prohibition of polygamy; it’s a call to be a promise-keeper, a faithful man whose covenant loyalty is visible and dependable. Our culture is littered with relational wreckage from broken promises. God’s people are meant to restore the virtue of faithful commitment.
- Shepherding children well: “Faithful children” doesn’t mean “perfect children.” We must not crush kids, especially “church kids”, under the pressure of performing flawlessness. Children will have moments of rebellion and foolishness. The question is: are you actively shepherding them, discipling, correcting, guiding, and loving them through their immaturity?
Let me give you a very practical discipleship rule: if you wear any badge of ministry but your marriage is neglected, pause and tend your marriage. If your kids need you, put ministry on hold and shepherd your children. Public influence built on private hypocrisy does damage to souls.
Character That Makes Leaders Safe
Next Paul moves from family to inner life:
“For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God…” (Titus 1:7)
A steward manages something that belongs to another. Leaders in the church, and really, any Christian who influences others, must remember: people are not our possessions. The church is not our platform. We are accountable to God.
Paul then lists disqualifying character traits:
- Not self-willed: no ego-driven “my way or the highway” arrogance. That kind of leadership can gather followers, but it does not shepherd souls. And parents, hear me: arrogance is not discipleship. You can correct your children firmly without crushing them with pride.
- Not quick-tempered: in a culture that rewards outrage, the Spirit forms leaders who are steady. I want you to memorize and live James 1:19: swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. This will save you in marriage, in parenting, in conflict, and in ministry.
- Not given to wine: substance-driven living disqualifies because it makes you unavailable, spiritually and practically. God’s pattern is not intoxication, but influence by the Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18, implied).
- Not violent / not a striker: not only “no hitting,” but no bullying, no intimidation, threats, ultimatums, or domineering control. Christian leadership is never meant to be powered by fear.
- Not greedy for money: people are rightly suspicious of leaders who want their wallet. This isn’t a modern issue; Scripture repeatedly warns against using “godliness” as a means of gain. A shepherd is not a salesman. We lead to bring people closer to God, not to profit from them.
As you examine this list, don’t merely ask, “Would I qualify to lead?” Ask, “Am I becoming the kind of person others are safe to follow?”
Guidance Rooted In Truth
Paul’s concern in Titus is not only that leaders are nice people with stable homes. He’s building toward leaders who can give real guidance, not opinions, not trends, not the loudest voice in the room.
That means leaders must have a “north star”: sound doctrine, truth that anchors life when everything feels shaken. In other words, compassion without truth becomes sentimentality, and truth without compassion becomes harshness. God forms shepherds who hold both.
So as you grow, don’t only pursue a calmer temperament or a better routine. Pursue a mind renewed by Scripture so that when weary people ask, “What do I do now?” you can lead them toward Christ with clarity.
Conclusion
We are living in a moment that will be looked back on, a moment that reveals what we built our lives on. Many around us are weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). God’s answer is not retreat and not rage. His answer is compassionate shepherding, raising up qualified leaders who help set what is lacking into order (Titus 1:5).
So I’m calling you to respond in two ways:
- Choose your leaders wisely, don’t follow unqualified shepherds.
- Become a shepherding disciple, in your home first, then outward, by growing in faithfulness, steady character, and truth-rooted guidance.
Church doesn’t stop when we leave the building. The harvest is already in your life.
Lord Jesus, You are the true Shepherd. We confess that we often feel overwhelmed by the times we live in, and we see how many around us are weary and scattered. Please move our hearts with Your compassion, not with fear or anger. Raise up laborers for the harvest, godly men and women who will bring guidance, peace, and truth to confused and burdened people.
Father, help us set in order what is lacking in our own lives. Strengthen marriages, restore faithfulness, and teach us to shepherd our children with patience, courage, and love. Form in us character that is not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not controlled by substances, not intimidating, and not greedy. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so we would be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.
Root us deeply in sound doctrine so our lives point others to You. Make us trustworthy disciples, people the weary can safely follow as we follow Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Conclusion
We are living in a moment that will be looked back on, a moment that reveals what we built our lives on. Many around us are weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). God’s answer is not retreat and not rage. His answer is compassionate shepherding, raising up qualified leaders who help set what is lacking into order (Titus 1:5).
So I’m calling you to respond in two ways:
- Choose your leaders wisely, don’t follow unqualified shepherds.
- Become a shepherding disciple, in your home first, then outward, by growing in faithfulness, steady character, and truth-rooted guidance.
Church doesn’t stop when we leave the building. The harvest is already in your life.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are the true Shepherd. We confess that we often feel overwhelmed by the times we live in, and we see how many around us are weary and scattered. Please move our hearts with Your compassion, not with fear or anger. Raise up laborers for the harvest, godly men and women who will bring guidance, peace, and truth to confused and burdened people.
Father, help us set in order what is lacking in our own lives. Strengthen marriages, restore faithfulness, and teach us to shepherd our children with patience, courage, and love. Form in us character that is not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not controlled by substances, not intimidating, and not greedy. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so we would be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.
Root us deeply in sound doctrine so our lives point others to You. Make us trustworthy disciples, people the weary can safely follow as we follow Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.