Jesus, You are the King of my life; You rule my mind, You care for my feelings, You plan for my life, You direct my conscience, You advocate me to the Father, and You deliver my soul from death. Glory be to You, Lord Jesus Christ, for You are the King of my life: AMEN
Use these for group work, or to assist your personal reflection.
- Are there problems of false teaching in the church today? What are they and what should be done about them?
- Why should people still feel today that it is relevant to choose to abstain from marriage in order to serve God?
- Discuss in your group whether there are any foods we should not eat for spiritual or other reasons.
Topis covered by this text
- The demonic nature of false teaching
- False teaching concerning marriage and eating of meat
- The supremacy of Christ, as found through Scripture and prayer
Personal comments by author:
This passage is something of a favourite of mine because it contains the text which inspired me to use the title for this website; ‘prayerandbiblestudy’; ‘everything created by God is good ... it is made holy by God’s Word and by prayer’ (1 Tim 4:5). This text arises within a particular setting and argument by Paul, but the point he makes is generally true. Scripture and prayer is the basis of our contact with God and therefore they are the means whereby we can keep false teaching at bay. This is more important for the church today than many recognise.
Ideas for exploring discipleship
- Read Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians to check out some of the background to the issues in today’s text. Pray about anything you come across which reminds you of problems within the life of the church today.
- Plan to fast and pray for the Church of God, praying especially for maintenance of the Gospel and the identification and outlawing of false teaching. Seek the Lord’s mind on these important issues.
Please refer to the general advice on the page ‘discipleship challenges’
The notes below are offered to help you think about the challenges of God’s Word. Read the notes and suggestions below, but don’t try to follow through any more than one thing at any one time!