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Training in Godliness – The Value

Posted on by chgruver

So in discipleship we saw how we are both a student and a teacher. Then we saw it is important to know the teachings to avoid as much as what we need to focus on, and how it is an effort we need to always be making to keep our focus towards the things of God. Today we will look at why it is important to train ourselves in godliness. 1 Timothy 4:8 goes on to say, “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.” Paul had just told Timothy that rather than focusing his attention on silly myths, he should be training himself in Godliness, now Paul goes into the reasoning behind this.

Personal Training

The first thing Paul points out is using personal, physical training as an example of why it is important to train ourselves in godliness, “for while bodily training is of some value.” When we train our bodies there are a number of benefits that we will gain. We will be overall healthier as often with physical training we are promoting habits that are healthier, such as proper eating. We find we may have more energy as I know with a diet and exercise change I am not as sedentary as I used to be. It can also lead to more strength and endurance, as when you lift weights you are building muscle to where you can lift more weight, or lift smaller amounts for longer periods of time.

Godly Training

The thing with training in godliness is there are some similar type of benefits that can be mentioned. Your spiritual health will improve because as you focus more on God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life the less you end up being like the world. Your spiritual strength and endurance also get boosted as you find it easier to turn to God rather than to give in to temptation, not that you won’t sin but that you start to sin less. But training in godliness does not end just with benefits in this life, like physical training will; but we also gain benefits in the life to come. You see as we train in godliness, as believers, we are also building up our reward in heaven. This is why Paul mentions that, “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Table Talk Episode 42 – Testimonies

Posted on by chgruver

April 15, 2016: This week Pastor Sam was out and we got to hear the testimony of a couple of the guys there.
Table Talk is filmed Friday mornings from 6:30-8:00 at the Egg Platter on US 19 in Pinellas Park, FL. If you happen to be in the area and interested in joining us please come; all men are welcome regardless of denomination.

Training in Godliness – Avoid the Unprofitable

Posted on by chgruver

This week we have been looking at discipleship and last time we saw how as a disciple we end up becoming both a student and a teacher. We are to be both learning from those more experienced, while teaching what we have learned to those less experienced in the faith. This time we will look at 1 Timothy 4:7, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;” You see last time we saw how as disciples we are both teachers and students. One thing about that is in the role of a teacher we are also learning at the same time. We see where we have been making mistakes and learning to correct them as we teach. It is in our self examination while teaching that we learn of these “irreverent, silly myths” which we are to avoid.

Silly Myths

Paul commanded Timothy to avoid silly myths, or in other translations godless myths, worldly fables, or old wives’ tales. Paul is telling Timothy first to stay away from teachings that were not in line with the Word of God; instead they contradict it. Paul also calls them as mentioned old wives’ tales, or as being fit only for old women. In a time when women were not given the opportunity for education, Paul was essentially stating that such teachings would gain following by the most uneducated and unsophisticated individuals.

With disciples being a teacher to others, we need to be cautious of teachings that go against God’s word; by Paul telling Timothy to have nothing to do with them, it is not for Timothy to outright ignore them but to not be influenced by them. While as disciples we are to not have anything to do with false teachings; we do need to be aware that they are out there, as well as what they are. It is when we as disciples stick our head in the sand regarding false teachings that the enemy gains a foot hold in those we are discipling as well as often times ourselves.

Train for Godliness

The next thing Paul tells Timothy is to grain himself for godliness. This is a concept we will look further into next time. For now Paul is telling Timothy rather than putting your focus on the false teachings, focus on God’s Word and God Himself. You see as we turn our eyes towards God, our attitude and desires change to where the false teachings do not appeal to us. The only issue is because of our sin nature we do not want to instinctively look towards God, which is why Paul uses the word train. We have to make an intentional effort to focus ourselves on God, and much like with any athletic training it will get easier as we progress but we still have to work at it.

Training in Godliness – Student is a Teacher and Teacher is a Student

Posted on by chgruver

We are getting close to our next Men’s conference where we will be focusing on getting “Back to the Basics,” as such we are also getting close to wrapping up our series here on getting back to the basics. We have talked about faith, Bible study, worship, and fellowship. This week we will start to look at the concept of discipleship. The one thing that comes to mind when looking at discipleship is the concept of training and discipline. The passage we will look at this week is 1 Timothy 4:6-8, “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.”

Disciples Disciple Others

The first thing Paul tells Timothy here is, “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus.” To give a little context here in verses 1-5 Paul had spent time warning Timothy about how some will walk away from their faith; whether they willingly walk away or are led astray by false teachings. Paul is telling Timothy here that as a mature disciple he needs to make sure he is teaching and showing those under him what is right. You see as we become mature disciples, we need to be willing to lead and teach those disciples that aren’t as mature in their faith. Paul gave Timothy a warning and as a good servant of Christ, as a true disciple, Timothy will pass this warning to those that he is discipling, in order to help keep them from straying away from their faith.

Disciples are Discipled by Others

The next thing is how do we tell from what could possibly lead us astray and what leads us toward God? Paul mentions to Timothy that it is from, “being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” While Timothy is leading and discipling others, he is still being discipled by Paul. Paul tells Timothy to use his upbringing in the faith, use what he had been taught by his mother and grandmother as well as Paul. You see in the discipleship process not only do we eventually need to be discipling others, but we need to be discipled by mature believers that hold fast to correct doctrine. Look at it this way, if you were to play baseball you would want a coach and trainer that knew the fundamentals of baseball to help you. You wouldn’t go to a football coach to learn how to play baseball. In discipleship the situation is much the same, you need to choose wisely those that you would learn from. For in order us to fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples, we need to be properly discipled with correct doctrine. Discipleship is a lifelong process where we are constantly learning from those that are further along in their faith while teaching those that are newer than us in their faith.

Fellowship in the King – Encourage

Posted on by chgruver

So this week we have been talking about fellowship, how it involves motivating each other to live out their faith as well as a gathering together of believers. Today we will look at the last little section of Hebrews 10:24-25, where we are told we need to be “encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” One thing I have noticed is that in the Bible there are a lot of either progressions, or texts where the last thing mentioned is an outcome of the previous, this is one of those cases.

Walk Alongside

The biggest question is what does it mean to encourage one another? Some ways that encourage is defined is to give support, confidence, hope, advice, to help or stimulate or develop. To encourage one another we essentially are coming along and walking alongside each other and we move closer to Christ. Think of it like this, remember back when you were in school, or maybe you are still in school, how at times working on your homework and studying often was easier when you were working with someone instead of being by yourself? The reason is because the other person will encourage you, they will help you to push forward; just like you will do for them. I will point out that while in the long term encouragement is positive there is a level of accountability that comes with it. Much like your study partner will hold you accountable to be paying attention in class, take notes, and review on your own; in fellowship with other believers we are to hold each other accountable by pointing out, in love, when each other slips up as well as checking on how we are handling difficult times of great temptation. You see it is through accountability that we find where we each struggle and need to be encouraged the most; if I am going through a time of great temptation that is when I need a brother in Christ to come alongside and encourage me to hold strong to my faith and to keep my eyes turned to God.

The Approaching Day

The author of Hebrews finishes off these two verses by stating that the need for fellowship is going to be greater as we approach the return of Christ. When you look at what the Gospels and other passages in the Bible mention about Christ’s return you can see why. As we “see the Day drawing near” we will see morals and godly values going out the door; sin will be the norm. Sound familiar? You see with our society and culture looking less and less towards God and focused more on what pleases them, sin is becoming more and more acceptable. As Christians we are to be set apart, as we saw last week not to conform to the ways of the world, in order to do so we need that fellowship with other believers because it is through fellowship that we are able to keep from becoming more like the world and less like Christ.

Fellowship in the King – Gather

Posted on by chgruver

Last time we started to look at the concept of fellowship and Hebrews 10:24-25. We saw that in this passage fellowship has an aspect of pushing each other to be closer to God, if we continue to look at the passage, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

No Lone Ranger Christians

So we see the next thing the author of Hebrews mentions is that we are not to neglect meeting together. What this means is that our life as a believer should not be in isolation, we need to be around each other. You cannot do it alone, the church is often called the body of Christ, what happens when a part of the body is no longer a part of the body? Say something as small as a hair is removed, that strand of hair will die; the believer that tries to live in isolation from other believers suffers the same fate, they will spiritually dry up. As I brought up last time in Proverbs 27:17 we are told “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another,” We need others and to gather together for them to be able to push us into strengthening our faith. The problem isn’t just having others to help us grow in our faith, but look at when you hit hard times. If you are living your life in isolation you have no one that can come and give you an encouraging word, or to just provide comfort by being there to listen to you vent; in isolation you have no support.

Digital Gatherings

The author of Hebrews plainly told his original audience that neglecting meeting together has become the habit of some. It was an issue back in the first century and it is even more so today. You may state but we are more connected today, we have the internet which allows us to be connected with others all around the world. These virtual relationships, while at times can be beneficial, can also produce a false sense of fellowship. Yes with our virtual worlds we can connect with those we may never have the chance to meet in person, or we can keep connected with those that have moved away. With physical relationships and physical fellowship when you encounter a crisis, you have those that can be there for you and help out if it is needed. All you get with the virtual are words of encouragement, even if they may want to help they are limited. These limitations are one main reason why it is important to get plugged into a local body of believers, as they are able to help out in ways that those in a virtual community are not able to.

Next time we will finish off this passage by looking at how we are to finally encourage each other, as this comes out of both motivating each other and gathering together.

Fellowship in the King – I Dare You

Posted on by chgruver

Last week in our going back to the basics we took a look at worship, and how it is our way of expressing our love and gratitude towards God. This week we will be looking at a similar concept which is that of fellowship; the definition of which is, “friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests.” In regards to how we as Christians view fellowship a great passage to look at is that of Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Stir Each Other Up

The first thing we notice is that the author of Hebrews calls the believers to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” This phrase “stir up” had me curious what some of the other translations used, and I saw phrases such as encourage, stimulate, spur on, and the good old King James calls us to provoke each other. I will say the translations that use spur on, and provoke as well as others that use stir up bring a stronger sense than just to encourage. What the author is wanting us, and was wanting the believers to whom he was originally writing, to do was more of a challenge.

When I think of encouragement I think of someone suggesting a change or an action, more of being a cheerleader. Where stirring up or provoking something is to aggravate it, much like poking a sleeping bear. It is like when many of us were younger and would among our friends dare each other to do stupid stunts. The author of Hebrews is saying think of ways to dare each other, to challenge each other. As men this should speak to us we should find a way to be competitive with each other.

Love and Good Works

So what is it we are to dare each other with, various ways of showing love and good works. We should be thinking of ways to challenge each other to show Christ’s love to our fellow man. We should find ways to dare each other to put our faith into action. One of my favorite passages is in James where he is talking about faith without works is dead. He is not saying we are saved by any sort of works, but that good works should flow out of our faith.

Iron Sharpens Iron

But how does this competitive attitude towards love and good works promote fellowship? Well it is the concept found in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” You see when in Christian fellowship we are challenging each other to a sort of do better than this in love and good works, we should be pushing each other to focus more on Christ. We are not telling each other see what I did, I bet you can’t out do it. Instead we are saying see this action, I bet you can do better than this. We are not trying to bring our actions or ourselves glory but we are trying to build and strengthen each other to bring glory to God.

Fellowship does not stop here though, next time we will look at the next part of Hebrews 10:24-25, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some.”