Spiritual Smoke and Mirrors

“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” (Titus 3:9).

I can be such a sucker. I’m an easy mark for folks looking to fool others. Movies. Books. Magic. I’m a puppet when people pull out the smoke and mirrors. Before I realize what’s going on, they’ve sucked me in like a patsy. Here in his instructions to Titus, the Apostle Paul tells us not to be a sap when it comes to arguments that don’t really matter in the long run. “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissension, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” (v9). Don’t be a sucker. Don’t be a sap. Don’t get distracted with foolish disputes. 

Don’t fall for spiritual smoke and mirrors.

Paul has left our boy Titus on the island of Crete with three very specific things to do. First, put leaders in place in all the new churches (Titus 1:5). Second, pull the plug on a posse of false teachers who are distracting folks from following Jesus (Titus 1:10-11). Third, establish a self-replicating system of discipleship to encourage new believers to dive into the deep end of the pool in their relationship with Christ (Titus 2:1-10). And here as he lands the plane of his little letter, the apostle takes another bombing run at those spiritual hucksters. He gives us a little glimpse of what they have in their bag of tricks. 

Before we get to their specific tactics, we’re warned to stay away from these con artists and their schemes altogether. We must “avoid” them. This is the Greek verb peri’istemi. It describes how to stay clear of something, keep aloof from what’s going down, stand back, and even shun. These arguments are like hand grenades rolling around with the pin pulled out. They’re going to go off and somebody’s going to get hurt. Paul uses the very same word when he tells his buddy Timothy, “Avoid (Gr. peri’istemi) irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness” (2Tim 2:16). This bomb is gonna blow! Avoid it. Get back. Get WAY back! We need to walk away.

Paul tells us not to take the bait of the false teachers (Titus 1:10-11). These dudes are like those athletes that talk smack and play dirty. They try to get your head. They try to get you to lose your cool. They try to get you off your game. They never stop yapping. They’re always looking for a cheap shot when the ref is not looking. The false teachers use all sorts of dirty tricks to get followers of Jesus off their game. “Foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law” (v9). We’re not exactly sure what these specific controversies might be. We don’t really know which black sheep of the family are being put on display (I mean, have you seen some of the knuckleheads in Jesus’ family?!?). And spiritual snake oil salesmen are still up to their same old crap today. They’re still trying to get you and me off our game. They’re still trying to distract us from following Jesus. They’re still trying to fool us into not helping others. Don’t let them get in your head.

One of their tactics is to use “quarrels about the law” (v9). How many times have you heard folks tempting you into a discussion about following God’s rules? Which laws should we follow? The Ten Commandments? The Law of Moses (I mean, have you REALLY read Leviticus?)? The teaching of Jesus? The Sermon the Mount (am I REALLy supposed to saw off my own arm if it causes me to sin)? Here’s what we need to remember. Jesus kept the law so we don’t have to. He said Himself that He didn’t come to abolish the law but to keep it for us (Mt 5:17). Over and over again, Paul made it clear that when we love God and love others, we’re keeping ALL of the law (Rom 13:8, 10; Gal 5:14)! Be a lover, not a fighter. 

Don’t fall for their spiritual smoke and mirrors.

In the end, these arguments and debates are a total waste of time. They’re “unprofitable and worthless” (v9). This is exactly the opposite of being a blessing to others which Paul has just told us is “excellent and profitable” (Titus 3:8). These arguments are futile, useless, and ultimately harmful. If we’re spending all of our time tangled up with these knuckleheads, we’re not able to do the stuff that really benefits others in the name of Christ. Are we going to stand around and squabble or roll up our sleeves and get busy helping people? Are we just going to lock horns over meaningless garbage or shine the light of Jesus’ love to those around us? The apostle has already told us to stop trolling for a fight and play nice (Titus 3:2). Remember to keep the main thing the main thing. Don’t let the false teachers distract you off your game. Don’t be a sucker. 

Don’t fall for their spiritual smoke and mirrors.

The Ministry of Empty Walks

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds (Eph 4:17).

There's a classic bit of comedy from the guys at Monty Python's Flying Circus called "The Ministry of Silly Walks."  John Cleese plays a British bureaucrat who oversees the development of all sorts of stupid and ridiculous forms of walking.  Not that our buddy Paul ever watched an episode of Python, but here he discourages us from what could be called "The Ministry of Empty Walks."  "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds" (v17).  Stop walking around like Gentiles.  Start walking with a purpose.  A holy purpose.

Walk toward Jesus.  Walk like Jesus.

The apostle reminds the folks in Ephesus to stop living and acting like they did before Jesus got ahold of them.  Stop walking like Gentiles.  Hmm.  Walk like a Gentile.  Kinda sounds like a Bangles' tune, doesn't it?  (Yeah, I know.  My love of '80s rock is showing.)  Paul uses the Greek verb peripateo, compound word that means "around" (peri-) "walking" (-pateo).  While it certainly describes someone out walking around or moving about, this term also illustrates how to live life.  Earlier in this letter, Paul reminds his readers how they were once the walking dead before Jesus changed them (Eph 2:1-2).  A little bit later, he encourages them to "walk in a manner" consistent with their call to a new life in Christ (Eph 4:1).  Over in the companion letter of Colossians, he writes that a worthy walk pleases Jesus, bears fruit and deepens our relationship with God (Col 1:10).  And one of Christ's closest friends, John the Apostle, simply says that if we say we follow Jesus then we should walk like Jesus (1Jn 2:6).  Stop this ridiculous Ministry of Empty Walks.

Walk toward Jesus.  Walk like Jesus.

Just who are these Gentiles that we’re to stop walking like?  So glad you asked.  It's the Greek word ethnos.  The term has a couple of different meanings.  Lots of times, it talks about an ethnic group, nationality or a particular people.  It's the largest unit into which you could divide people of the world on the basis of their socio-political community.  But it also can mean either non-Jews or non-believers.  In other words, outsiders.  The cool thing is that Christ came to turn outsiders into insiders.  That's the consistent message of the Old Testament as it predicts what the Messiah will do once He makes the scene (2Sam 22:50; Ps 18:49; 69:9; 117:1; Dt 32:43; Is 11:10).  As a matter of fact, when Paul flips through all of these OT verses as he writes to the Romans, he uses ethnos (Rom 15:10-11).  

Paul is writing to his Ephesian friends, many of whom are non-Jews who have placed their faith in Jesus.  The Gospel has invited "both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10, 17) to become insiders.  Jesus has come to turn outsiders into insiders.  Let's be VERY clear about who these outsiders-turned-insiders are.  They are you and me.  Chances are, you’re not a Jew.  If it wasn’t for what Jesus has done to take from outsider to insider, I would still be stumbling around on the outside looking in.  And once we do come inside Christ's kingdom, we need to stop living and walking around like Gentiles.  We need stop living and walking around like outsiders.  

Walk toward Jesus.  Walk like Jesus.

So what does it look like to walk like a Gentile?  How do we know when we're doing walking that way?  The apostle says that happens when folks are walking "in the futility of their minds" (v17).  "Futility" is the Greek term mataiotes.  It describes vanity, depravity, perversity, nonsense, emptiness, purposeless, something devoid of truth and appropriateness and lacking content.  It’s meaningless.  Empty.  A complete waste of time.  Walking toward anything but Jesus is walking toward sin.  Stop walking toward sin that's certain to tear you apart (Eph 2:2-3).  Not only is that perverse but in the end it's empty.  Outsiders walk without meaning.  Without purpose.  Don't walk empty.  That’s why it’s the Ministry of Empty Walks.

Walk with purpose.  Walk toward Jesus.  

Now that we've placed our trust in who Jesus is and what He's done for us, we're no longer outsiders.  He's brought us inside.  So now it's time to stop walking without any purpose.  It's time to stop walking empty.  We no longer serve the Ministry of Empty Walks.

Walk with purpose.  Walk toward Jesus.