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Chocolate Soldiers Part 1

Wisdom for the Heart / Dr. Stephen Davey
The Truth Network Radio
January 23, 2025 12:00 am

Chocolate Soldiers Part 1

Wisdom for the Heart / Dr. Stephen Davey

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January 23, 2025 12:00 am

Are you ready to be a soldier of Christ who doesn’t melt under pressure? In today’s episode, Stephen Davey unpacks Titus 1:8-9 and examines what it takes to be a true leader in the church—someone who won't crumble when challenges arise. Drawing inspiration from a Chinese missionary leader and the words of C.T. Studd, we’re reminded that God is not in the business of creating "Chocolate Christians"—those who look strong but dissolve when life gets tough. Instead, He calls us to a higher standard of character, dedication, and resilience. This episode is not just about qualifications for elders; it’s about the kind of inner strength all believers are called to develop. We’ll explore the importance of holding fast to God’s Word, standing firm in doctrine, and showing practical courage in the face of opposition. Whether you’re in a leadership role or simply seeking to grow in your faith, today's message challenges us to leave behind the "Chocolate Soldier" mentality and embrace a life of steadfast devotion to Christ, no matter the cost. Listen in and be inspired to live a life that is unwavering in both the easy and the difficult moments.

Listen to the full-length version of this sermon: https://www.wisdomonline.org/teachings/titus-lesson-08

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So a firm grip on the Word of God allows an elder to get his arms around the work of God. If an elder strays away from the Word of God, he will stray away from the true work of God.

If he isn't all that interested in the Word of God, his work for God will in reality digress to be nothing more than an appendage of his own ambitions and his own dreams and his own desires and ultimately his own reflection. Wearing the mantle of church leadership can feel like a heavy burden, and it is. The standard that God sets forth in scripture for the men who lead his church is high. In the New Testament, Paul wrote to a young pastor named Titus. His goal was to help Titus identify the kind of men who should be elders in the church. He gave a list of several qualifications.

The overall nature of elder is that they are exemplary men in both public and private. We're working our way through Titus 1 here on Wisdom for the Heart, and Stephen continues in that series right now. I was sent a devotional book recently written by a Chinese evangelist and missionary leader. I'd never heard of him before and didn't really have time to read the book, but read a lot of it this week.

It just caught my attention. This leader is responsible for serving behind the scenes in a movement called Back to Jerusalem. This is a movement of Chinese believers by the thousands, and we don't hear much about it, but they are actually risking their lives to take the gospel to Muslim countries and Hindu countries where the gospel is forbidden. This particular leader has been imprisoned several times, often hunted with a reward on his head, many times beaten, even tortured for his insistence on preaching the gospel. On part of his book he talked about how on one occasion in a Chinese prison both his legs were broken. He wrote in his devotion that at night he would lie on his back and prop his legs up on the cell wall to try to relieve and ease the pain. He spoke openly and transparently of his struggle to surrender to the will of God at times there in the solitude of his suffering. He included in one section how the church in China teaches five things that every disciple must be prepared to do.

I found these interesting. They must be prepared at any time to pray regardless of circumstances, to be ready to speak the gospel, to be ready to suffer for the name of Christ, to be ready to die for Jesus Christ, and they must also be ready to escape if they can so they can continue preaching the gospel of Christ. Isn't that good? They apply that last directive from Matthew chapter 10 where the Lord told the disciples that if they're persecuted in one place, flee to the next. So if they get a chance they're going to escape so they can keep preaching.

So they've got to be ready to pray, speak, suffer, escape, or maybe even die. This Chinese leader entitled the 19th chapter in his devotional, Chocolate Soldiers, and that caught my eye. What further caught my attention was underneath the chapter title he had a quote by another pioneer by the name of C.T. Studd.

C.T. Studd was a 19th century British missionary that I had heard of and have read about often who pioneered the gospel, the China, India, and in his later years in Africa. He was just kind of a tough guy. I mean C.T. Studd would take on anybody and anything. In fact, to kind of give you an impression of what kind of man he was, he once wrote a two-line poem that simply went like this, Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell.

I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell. That kind of sums it up for C.T. Studd. Well, in chapter 19 of this devotional, the missionary from China quoted C.T.

Studd delivering a similar challenge. I'd never read this before. He said, and I quote, A chocolate Christian dissolves in water and melts at the smell of fire. Living their lives in a glass dish or in a cardboard box, each clad in his soft clothing, a little frilled white paper to preserve his dear little constitution. God never was a chocolate manufacturer and never will be. God is, he's saying, looking for and developing Christians who will not melt or dissolve in the face of trouble, peer pressure, opposition, tribulation, and even persecution. Sounds a lot like the apostle Paul, doesn't it, who challenged Timothy to endure hard times as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 3. Paul further exhorted his son in the faith to train himself for the purpose of godliness.

1 Timothy 4, 7. God isn't into manufacturing hollow chocolate soldiers. And in light of our study on the office and calling of the elder, I have little personal doubt that there are fewer men qualified or even willing to serve as leaders in the church at large today because of greater demands and greater pressure that will be placed upon their lives.

The requirements of discipline and study, the toil and the penalty of leading in front or perhaps even standing alone. And to use the analogy of these missionary pioneers, chocolate soldiers cannot wear the mantle of a shepherd. There's just too much danger lying in wait. There's too much fire to deal with.

You might be tempted to run or even melt down under the pressure of all that heat. And so the apostle Paul gave Titus a task that has been going on since the first century. Titus, I want you to go and find men who will be elders, bishops, pastors.

Find these men who will not run, who will not melt in the face of fire. Titus would naturally have asked, you know, what kind of resume can you give me? What kind of direction can you point me in to find qualified shepherds who will be able to guard and feed and lead and encourage and challenge and discipline and love and care for the flock of God over whom they've been appointed. So Paul gives Titus this list that we've been studying, a list you could simply outline as qualifications of elders. And he began the list, if you were with us you may remember, by telling us what an elder must have as a relationship to his wife and his children. And then Paul delivered to Titus five vices his candidates could not be known to pattern themselves after.

He's getting to the pattern of their lives. And there in verse 7 of Titus chapter 1 he says the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward. And then he gives these five vices, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not greedy or fond of sordid gain. Now Paul moves on to deliver seven virtues that these men should pursue and again strive for in a pattern or as a pattern of living. They're not to do that, they're not to be that kind of man, but they are to be hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word. Now in our last study together we studied the first four of those seven virtues and today we'll address these final three. And let me remind you as we get ready to dive in here as a church body, all of these qualities, all of these characteristics are to be the passionate pursuit of every believer. For you will find that they weave their way in and through New Testament characteristics of those who follow the Holy Spirit. These are fruits of the Spirit, many of them listed in Galatians chapter 5. So effectively what we're saying is that none of us, none of us are to be made out of chocolate. That's kind of hard to say because I love chocolate by the way.

Every time I say that I'm getting hungrier is the hours pass on. I love it, but we're not to be made out of it. We're all fighting a battle, aren't we? And to make matters more difficult our struggle really isn't against flesh and blood, something we can see. It's against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of darkness and wickedness, Ephesians 6-12. Certainly the body needs men who will lead the charge and show the way and pursue a model they can then pattern for those they lead that will protect them and encourage them and serve the flock well as the flock deals with their own daily battles with the world and the flesh and the devil.

A little wonder then that Paul asks Titus to pry into the private lives of these elder candidates. They've got to be confirmed as having private disciplines of godliness. In fact the words at the latter end of this list translated perhaps in your translation as they are in mine, devout and self-controlled refer as much to private exercises as public demonstrations. The word devout comes from the word hussias which refers to holy piety, holy piety.

In private he desires to commune with God and that just sort of filters out in his life. The word is used by Paul in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 8 where he encourages every man to pray, lifting up holy hands. It's often misunderstood to say when you pray raise your hands, that's fine if you want to do that. But what he's actually saying here is that when you pray God sees your hands and you can effectively lift them to him as look Lord they are clean. They are holy, hussias, they are pious hands. They're genuine, they're authentically following after you as Lord and Master.

And so that's the kind of pursuit in private and his hands will be seen that way in public. Listen dear flock, the idea that whatever a man does in private does not affect what he does in public is utter nonsense. It's utter nonsense. In fact it's corrupt, devious nonsense. It gives those who would be leaders free passes.

That is only self-destructing. According to the Apostle Paul, whatever a man does in private qualifies whatever he hopes to do in public. Because whatever you do in private is whatever you are and whatever you are will leak out in public. And if a man cannot be trusted in private to care about the will and the character and the nature of God, he cannot be trusted to in public care about any of that either. In fact one author wrote that when Paul used this word here for devout, he's referring to an elder overseer who is fully dedicated to the glory of God. In other words he isn't just dedicated to the glory of God where people can see him. He's dedicated to the glory of God in his private life when the pressure is turned off. And if he isn't, he'll never live up to pursuing the glory of God out in public when the pressure dial is turned up.

When the heat's turned on, he might melt. So he must be personally devoted to God and that quality of devotion will be evident both privately and publicly. Paul goes on to add one more virtue in verse 8, the word translated self-controlled, self-controlled.

Again as much private as public. It's a compound word made up of the words in, I in, and power, in power. In other words it describes a person who is in control of, in power over, in this case one's self. To be in control of one's own impulses. To be in power of one's own emotions. One's actions.

Self-controlled. I don't know what it was like when you were a kid in elementary school. In fact it was really sweet. A mother came and talked to me and she had a fifth grade daughter and she said, yeah I got the same thing going on here but we had report cards that were split in half. One half were the grades and the other half was character. And I'd get that report card when I was in elementary school and I hated it. I dreaded it because I knew I might get an A in spelling and I often did. I won't tell you what I got in math but let's just say it wasn't anywhere near in the same region as that.

And I loved history and reading. But what really was the issue was the character qualities like courtesy and helpfulness and the dreaded self-control. I scored well on the other side but that wouldn't matter to my parents. Their priorities were all messed up.

They went immediately to that side and it was usually Stevie come in here. You got a bad mark in self-control. And under self-control were all these blank lines where the teacher could tattle and gossip and do all sorts of unbiblical things. Well you know it's true if you're raising children you know you got the same issue right? Your child wants to run and jump and you got to teach them no be still for a moment. Sit still. He wants to eat now.

And you got to tell him no wait. And you're teaching them control over how they feel. They're going to want to eat dessert.

No wait and eat vegetables first. Which is tough isn't it? I love one kid's response when his class was asked one day by the teacher, what have you learned recently? And this little boy raised his hand and he said, well I have learned recently that you cannot hide broccoli in a glass of milk. He had evidently tried.

It kept floating to the top. Poor kid. A mark of maturity is controlling or just having power over emotions. Choosing the right act, the right response. Even if it's hard. Even if it doesn't taste good.

You get a little older. Even if it goes against the crowd. Even if it's painful. Even if it's unrewarding. Even if it's time consuming.

You get the point. Titus you want to know what kind of shepherd is not going to melt. Make sure he is controlling his inner desires and urges in private, by the way, because that's going to show up somehow, someway in a lack of self-control in public. One author wrote perceptive words. He said, an elder who does not continually then monitor his own life, submitting his sin to the Lord's cleansing and keeping a clear conscience is not fit to lead God's people no matter how outwardly righteous his life may appear to be.

If he acts right only when others are looking, he is doing just that, acting. And the Pharisees had it down, didn't they? They gave their money and they prayed and they fasted to be seen. The word is phinomai, to create a theater. We get our word from that.

They were putting on a show. They were spiritual only because they were being watched and they were good at it. But when the pressure was on, the spiritual leaders of Israel caved into the peer pressure and the greed and the jealousy and all those inner urges stoked by the enemy of their soul and their corruption ran free and they ultimately failed the test and melted down and led in the chant to crucify him. Self-control. Keep in mind this virtue of self-control is among the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 and verse 23.

It's for all of us. And by the way, let me just turn the coin over here a little bit and let you know that Paul isn't telling Titus to find men who just have some unusual ability to stay stoic. Men with no emotion. Their expression never changes. They have some sort of amazing internal system where they can control their mouths and their hearts and their minds and their hands and they're just super powerful.

No, he isn't looking for men that just comes easy to them. Self-control is actually the result of being under the Spirit's control. It's a fruit of the Spirit.

It is self-control along with every virtue here. It is that daily decision. It is that daily surrender to come under the influence of the Holy Spirit. And both the elder shepherd pastor and everyone in the flock fights that daily battle to get back under and to stay under because we want to crawl out, go back under. We want to crawl out, go back under the Spirit's control. It's a daily decision.

It's a moment-by-moment battle at times. It is the challenge of our lives and to come under his control means his Spirit is dominating our spirit and in that you discover the source and the power over and of self-control. So find men who are constantly talking to themselves saying, you're out, you're out, go back under.

Don't do that, say that, think, go back under. Find men that are internally compelled to do that because they want to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit and then as a pattern live it for the flock's sake, ultimately the glory of Christ. So these are the private expressions or exercises which become public patterns, devout and self-controlled. Now Paul moves to the last virtue and it's the most developed, frankly, of all of them.

He's going to move from private exercises to public exposition. In fact, you could say, rightly so, that Paul shifts from what an elder is to what an elder does. Notice verse 9, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching. In other words, a true shepherd isn't going to let go of the faithful word.

You could translate it, the word that is faithful, the word that is trustworthy. He's not going to let it go. He's going to revere it and read it and study it and memorize it and obey it and believe it and teach it. He's literally going to love the word, the words of God. It is faithful, it is trustworthy, and he never wants to go far from it.

He wants to live in it. So he's going to set the example then for the flock in relation to this book, in being constantly nourished on the words of faith and sound doctrine, 1 Timothy 4 verse 6, to long for the pure milk of the word as a baby longs to be fed, 1 Peter 2. In being commended to the word of God's grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are being sanctified, Acts chapter 20 in Ephesians. So that's his love and his longing.

A pastor preaches and teaches the word of God. An elder believes he is fully convinced that the Bible is alive and capable of bringing about true and genuine reformation of soul, heart, and character. And so he clings to it because without it, none of that can happen. He's committed to the truth that the word alone reveals the true character of the true God. It reveals the will and purposes of God. It reveals the promises of God. It reveals the plan of redemption from God. It reveals the dangers of the enemies of God. It reveals the way to walk with God and commune with God and confess to God and love God.

It is a living, dynamic book. It's God-breathed, translated Theonustos, inspired. All Scripture is inspired.

It is the breath of God. And then it is profitable because it is from God for genuine teaching and reproving and correcting and training so that the man of God will be thoroughly equipped unto every good work. Second Timothy 3, 16 and 17. So the pastor elder who recognizes that Scripture alone is inerrant, it is the breath of God. It is inspired, literally God-breathed. He then recognizes that Scripture is the only sufficient authority for faith and practice. Sola Scriptura is more than just a clever little Latin motto.

We actually believe it. And we understand why Paul would tell Timothy to do what for 19 centuries true and genuine shepherds have been doing, to preach the word. Second Timothy 4, verse 2. To carry out the preaching of the word of God. Colossians chapter 1, verse 25. For the flock of God.

Anything less than that is inadequate. Anything else is a shepherd leading a flock to parched, dried out grass and ground rather than the green pastures of God's inspired word. So a firm grip on the word of God allows an elder to get his arms around the work of God.

If the word slips, the work slips. If an elder strays away from the word of God, he will stray away from the true work of God. If he isn't all that interested in the word of God, his work for God will in reality digress to be nothing more than an appendage of his own fascinations and his own ambitions and his own dreams and his own desires and ultimately his own reflection. The church in our generation is nothing barely more than that.

It is joining more and more a host of others in this mass appeal in a quest for relevancy which does nothing more than make their ministry superficial and self-focused, where the highest goal of meeting together for worship is the enjoyment of the spectator rather than the pleasure of God. When we sing a song, we ask, hey, do we like that one? We leave the service and say, hey, was that really good for us? Do we like that? Was that enjoyable?

Was it entertaining? That the highest goal in that kind of church, the focus is on the fulfilled life of the listener rather than the transformed life of the listener by means of the word of God into the image and character of Jesus Christ, our Chief Shepherd. There's more for us to learn about the qualifications of pastors and elders who lead Christ's church, but we need to stop here for today.

This lesson is not complete, but we don't have time to finish it, so we'll bring you the conclusion next time. This is Wisdom for the Heart. Wisdom for the Heart is the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey. Stephen is the president of Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary, North Carolina. If you'd like to learn more about Stephen or his ministries, visit wisdomonline.org. That site will give you access to all of our resources, including the complete archive of Stephen's teaching ministry. And if you haven't already signed up for Friends of Wisdom, I'd like to invite you to do that today. Each week, you'll receive an email from Stephen with biblical encouragement, answers to pressing Bible questions, and helpful insights on living wisely. Many of the questions Stephen answers are ones you might be asking yourself, making his responses even more personal and relevant. Plus, each month, you'll receive a free resource designed to deepen your understanding of Scripture.

It's a way of helping you continue to grow in your faith journey. Signing up for Friends of Wisdom is free and easy. Simply visit wisdomonline.org forward slash friends.

Fill out a short form, and you'll be all set. As soon as you sign up, we'll send you two free booklets as a thank you gift. Blessed assurance and the coming tribulation.

These resources will help you gain a better understanding of salvation and end time events. Don't miss out on this opportunity. Sign up today at wisdomonline.org forward slash friends. I'm Scott Wiley, and for Stephen and the entire Wisdom International team, thanks for listening. As I mentioned, we're going to bring you the conclusion to today's message on our next broadcast, so join us then. ... ...
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-23 01:10:53 / 2025-01-23 01:20:38 / 10

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