“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:” (Titus 1:5he The preaching of the Gospel is an ongoing work until the LORD Jesus Christ returns at the end of time to unite to Himself forever His redeemed Church to be with Him forever in that eternal glorified state. Then, around the throne of glory, there will be no more need for strengthening and perfecting that which is lacking in the growth of His church. The church will be ‘saved to sin no more,’ as the hymn writer declares, and as we read in the inspired word, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:3-4)

Until then, the LORD is raising up laborers to tend to and care for His Church on earth. However, that Church does not depend on any mortal man as the head, because the God/Man, Christ, is its Spiritual Head, and all others subservient to HIM, doing His bidding, in caring for those members of His Spiritual Body as He is pleased to call them out from the world of sin, self, and works religion to Himself. Because the same Spirit of Christ dwells in them, there is a care and carefulness for Christ’s glory and His work in their midst. Such was Paul’s care in directing Titus, his co-laborer, to remain in Crete and ‘set in order the things that were wanting [lacking, or left undone].’

Make no mistake! There is nothing left undone, unfinished, or lacking with regard to the LORD’S work on behalf of His church. We stand complete in Him, (Colossians 2:10). God’s eternal election is perfect and complete. There are no new names being added. Ephesians 1:4- ‘according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,’ There is nothing incomplete as to the work of the LORD Jesus in redeeming and justifying every one of the elect once for all at the cross. When He cried victoriously from the cross, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30), God the Father was satisfied, and the sin debt fully paid, and the elect once for all justified (declared righteous) by the Father by the one obedience of Christ unto death (Romans 5:19). There is nothing imperfect about the Spirit’s calling out of those sinners that God the Father eternally chose and the Son redeemed. The Spirit is sovereign, and DOES effectually draw each one to Christ in faith and repentance in the time appointed, (John 3:3-8; 16:13-14).

However, we who are so chosen, redeemed, and called remain imperfect beings as sinners in our being, and therefore need to be continually taught by those that the LORD raises up for the care of His sheep, such as Paul and Titus, but also, many yet untold ‘elders’ [spiritual overseers] whose ONE responsibility is to continue to guide those congregations where the LORD places them, and by their word and example continue to direct them to the LORD Jesus Christ alone. They are to preach no other doctrine than that FAITH once delivered unto all the saints (sanctified and justified ones) (Jude 1:3).