TITUS CONNECTION Volume 20, Number 4 April 2026
WISE INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
TITUS CONNECTION
Volume 20, Number 4 April 2026
Intentionally Developing Multigenerational Leaders
Throughout The World
Greetings. We continue with another spiritual leadership paradox – Control versus Empowering. The Youth Leaders article discusses grace. Enjoy. Mike
Leadership Paradox – Control vs. Empower
We are continuing to discuss leadership paradoxes and specifically in application to spiritual leadership aspects. This paradox we cover in this lesson is core to WILD, controlling (equipping) and empowering – how we influence others.
Perhaps this paradox of controlling versus empowering may be the most determining factor of what your legacy will be when you are not available anymore to pour into the equipping side of yourself. When you equip someone, your visible presence is very evident, often being physically right there with the person you are equipping. When you have empowered someone, you are more invisible, more likely not present.
I do want to emphasize that all the paradoxes we have and will cover, trust must be foundational in the relationship or the paradoxes fall apart. For example, if I am diligently working to equip you to be able to do something and you do not trust me, you will tend to question my motives, training methods and my moral authority.
What is trying to be taught will not transfer properly because that trust issue keeps causing breaks in my communication to you. Long term influence and credibility only results from seeing my lifestyle. The jingle, “Your walk talks and your talk, talks, but you walk talks more than your talk talks”, is moral truth. You lifestyle speaks much louder than your speech.
Do you want to see what kind of influence you have on others? Just look at the five to ten closest people in your life, and you will see how you are influencing others.
That is the visible part. You have control over others when you are equipping them because they are directly observing or modeling what you are teaching. The invisible part kicks in when you have empowered them, when they have taken whatever you taught and they incorporate that teaching into their lives.
If you taught with integrity of both the content and who you are, the person you taught will take the truths and principles of that teaching and make it their own. You will be physically invisible, but your impact will be visibly present. That is what it means to empower another person. That means a positive, impactful legacy. Recall Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians from 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” Can we say that to others?
Can you and I step aside from whatever we are doing and challenge another person to step up and be effective in that activity? The truth of 2 Timothy 2:2 is in living color here, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Be willing to step aside so others step up. If you prepare and train people well, celebrate them as they are empowered and run with the responsibility. If you cannot let go, you have either not prepared people well or you simply have a control issue. Honestly ask your family members and co-workers if you are controlling. Your control issues impact your future and legacy.
To empower, instruct and demonstrate well what you want to teach and delegate. Work with the person you are equipping (here is where trust or mistrust is significance), evaluate their progress and then release them when they are ready to fly by themselves.
In Titus 1:5, Paul told Titus, “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.” Paul complete confidence in Titus to finish the work in Crete that Paul had started, to develop a solid group of believers who would represent Jesus on that island and be the focal point for the Church to grow and mature. Plus, Titus was instructed to raise up godly, solid biblical leadership so the Crete Church would flourish in the Lord.
That was great responsibility. How could Paul give this impactful job over to Titus? Paul had been visible in Titus’ life, equipping and developing Titus and now, Paul would become invisible to the Crete Church, yet have immense influence on that Church.
Titus was empowered with the tools, understanding and maturity to know how the Lord would want him to lead, not the way Paul would but the way Titus would. Titus was not Paul, but he had the biblical truths and principles instilled in him, and Titus’ walk was stronger and louder than his talk.
Do you control or empower?
YOUTH LEADER DISCUSSION –
JOURNEY OF GRACE, BE A CONDUIT
Here is a question you may not have been asked lately. “Are you a conduit of grace or repel people from Jesus?” Simply put, God’s grace is His willingness to forgive, immensely blessing us, even though we completely do not deserve to be treated so well or dealt with so generously.
My last opportunity to connect with my mom on earth came one month before she passed away. It was a beautiful August Monday morning. I stopped by to visit her before returning home three and a half hours away. For an hour no doctors, nurses or anyone else came into her hospital room. We talked about her physical heart condition and a procedure she had the day before.
Then, like we had numerous times before, we talked about heaven. She confirmed her belief in God’s saving grace for her sins and was at peace with her relationship with the Lord. I walked out of that room thinking that I would not again see her on this side of heaven. Within the next month, she slipped into the arms of Jesus. God’s grace. What comfort and joy. What a gift.
Read through Psalms 103:1-12 and consider what these verses tell us about God and His grace. Verses 1 and 2 indicate that we should praise and remember what the Lord has done. Then in verses 3 through 7, we read about His grace on our lives. He forgives our sins. He heals and the healing will be heaven for some people. He redeemed us from death and crowns us with love and compassion. At the moment of salvation for a person, believers are blesses with many blessings (according to theologian Lewis Sperry Chafer).
We are made in right standing with God, as we can come before His throne (Hebrews 4:14-16). He gives justice because He is in control and sin will be dealt with. Plus He revealed His character to Moses and the Israelites, and to us through Scripture and that Jesus walked on earth.
. From verses 8-12, we are given mercy – not getting what we deserve as we are not punished the way we deserve to be punished – but grace – receiving what we don’t deserve. He is utterly patient, full of complete love. As far as the east is from the west, which can never meet, this is symbolic of God’s forgiveness. When he forgives us of our sins, he separates it from us and doesn’t even remember it. So don’t wallow in the past. Our record is expunged – – removed completely
This following story, unfortunately, I don’t know the author. You have a beloved six old son and is tragically murdered. The criminal was caught and convicted. You have a choice to make. “If you used every means in your power to kill the murderer for his crime for his crime, that would be vengeance If however, you ‘re content to sit back and let the legal authorities take over and execute on him what is proper – a fair trial, a plea of guilty, capital punishment – that is justice. But if you should plead for the pardon of the murderer, forgive him completely, invite him into your home and adopt him as your own son, that is grace.” This story reminds us of Titus 3:3-7!
“To the degree that we are aware of the grace of God in our lives, to that degree we are walking humbly before God. Grace never means we are free to live any way we wish, whatever the consequences. Grace does not mean God will smile on me regardless. It means I am free to choose righteousness or disobedience.” Dan DeHaan
Grace is a strong word. It demands a walk of humble devotion to those who know it and the understanding that God is concerned how we live our lives. Consider the olive tree grove mentioned in the Bible as author Lisa TerKeust was told by a plant specialist.
An Olive tree will not grow unless it experiences the harsh winds of the east (hard times) and the refreshing winds of the west (good times) to be fruitful. Steadfastness comes through the tough and good times – discover your purpose by going through both.
An Olive tree produce fruit. The fruit is not useful until you get rid of its hardness and bitterness. The fruit must be cracked open slightly. It must be salted and soaked repeatedly to get rid of that hardness and bitterness.
We must go through hard times to soften us. This is where grace-filled people result. Going through hard, difficult times, you do have the choice to become more bitter or filled with grace. Grace filled people come through criticism, painful situations and have more grace flowing through them. They become a grace conduit. A conduit can be a natural or artificial channel through which something (such as a fluid) is transmitted.
The most valuable part of the olive is the oil. When it is hard pressed, the oil comes out and filtered olive oil is typically clear and stable, whereas unfiltered (unrefined) oil appears cloudy due to pulp, moisture and waxes in the fluid, and can give off a nasty, rancid smell. Olive oil needs to be filtered, to go through refinement.
Good olive oil is primarily used as a finishing oil or condiment to enhance flavor in dishes like salads, grilled fish, roasted vegetables, and bread. Become a person of perspective and see the positive nature of pain you can endure and see the purpose.
Author and pastor Craig Groeschel shared that where you are and where you could be is the pain you are willing to go through. How refined are you willing to go through to be the best grace conduit you can be?
God’s grace was offered to us, and we do not deserve any of this grace. Am I willing to provide grace to others who in my mind, do not deserve our gentleness, forgiveness and respect? Jesus did it for me.