1 Timothy 4:6-16 “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
Pastor Kyle continues, stating that nobody enjoy physically “working out”, exercising and weight-training, but everyone enjoys the results and fruit of these workout sessions gives to their life. The disciple produces something in our lives that we want ... “bodily training is of some value”, good health and strength in your physical temple. But, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:23-27 “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
The point is that daily training for godliness (A religious life; a careful observance of the laws of God and performance of religious duties, proceeding from love and reverence for the divine character and commands; Christian obedience) is the most important thing that any of us can do in our lives. Devotional time in the Holy Bible is a daily discipline that that we need because it produces something that is vital and when it is absent, something is missing. There is so much ungodly garbage in our culture today. We need to remove the immoral, unethical, inhumane distractions and lawlessness out of our view, minds and hearts to say to God as Jesus did: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (John 17:16-17) and the kingdom of Heaven is what I am living for.” It is entirely possible to live in this fallen world and not be part of the God-rejecting world system around us. Focus on the good words of the faith in Holy Scripture and in good sound doctrine.
The second way of “what it looks like to continually align our thoughts, words and actions” is (2) Keep the message of the Gospel primary and do not get “hung up in the weeds” of the non-essentials. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. People spread distracting and emotional wacky beliefs and causes, but make them sound biblical, even though it truly is not. The deception is the grain of truth in them, but something just feels “off” and not quite right with it. Never under-estimate the damage that even a few people can do who misuse Scripture in subtle ways that God never intended to distract from the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
But, likewise there is distraction when focusing too much on the non-essentials of the faith, minoring on the major biblical issues and major on the minors. They turn molehills into mountains and lose sight of the primary tenets of the Word of God and the faith. Over-emphasis and elevation of non-essentials as a pet topic can lead to twisting the actual words of the Bible in extreme cases, creating irreverent, silly myths. This type of thinking produces speculation rather than stewardship from God that is by faith. Elevation of non-essentials that turns into a source of disagreement among people of faith does not advance the Gospel. The non-essential focused individual likes to argue. Non-essential issues can get unnecessarily escalated and cause damage or division. Gentle correct and instruction of truth is appropriate for individuals spreading false teachings.
Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on faith in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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