The Leadership ChallengeSample

Challenge 44

TITUS, A PEACEMAKING LEADER

READ: 2 Corinthians 7:1–16

The church at Corinth was troubled. Just like today, first-century churches had conflicts and shortcomings requiring sensitive confrontation. And Paul is occupied elsewhere. First, Paul sends Timothy, who had served as his secretary, to Corinth with a letter to encourage reconciliation. Then Paul himself makes a “painful visit” in person (2 Corinthians 2:1–12), with no immediate change in the church’s behavior. Paul then sends Titus with a more severe letter. I am sure Titus did not relish the task of confronting a church whose shortcomings had already been pointed out a number of times. However, he is a peacemaker and is committed to the welfare of God’s people. He seems to have had the balance of gentle compassion and toughness required for the situation. The Lord gave him such success that Paul is able to write his next letter, 2 Corinthians, with a sense of joy in what God had done. Titus may have been uniquely gifted as a peacemaker, but the Scriptures encourage all of us to exercise that role (Matthew 5:9; 2 Corinthians 5:18–19). Leaders especially are often called to bring reconciliation within a team or with those outside the team. The process of reconciliation can be painful, but failure to deal with conflict usually leads to deeper long-term problems.

What does the text tell us about the benefits of peacemaking on the peacemaker? Who are the peacemakers on our team? How can you cultivate peacemaking skills?