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1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

1Tim 4,1-5

(162d) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> A slave to unbelief >> Bondage to an unwillingness to believe (deception)

(173c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Scripture that contradicts the Catholic faith >> Catholic doctrine versus the Bible – Priests being forbidden to marry and parishioners not being allowed to eat meat on Friday’s, except fish, are two well-known doctrines of the Catholic Church. These doctrines seem relatively harmless, but Paul named them as religious contrivances people have put in place of the truth that are anything but harmless. It is an indication that they have rejected God’s teaching and have acquired their own belief system, demonstrating their contempt for Holy Spirit to disclose to them the truth.

(173f) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Unholy sacrifice >> Offering sacrifice without God’s approval >> Sacrifice against the word of God

(174e) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Self righteousness >> Justifying yourself

(179k) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people through ignorance

(198d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Ordained by man >> Men place themselves in positions of authority >> Men who have no business in the ministry

(240j) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Taking away the key of knowledge >> Suppressing the truth

KJV    NAS

1Tim 4,1-3

(49m) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Condition of the Church in the last days

(157a) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Rejecting God >> Rejecting the truth – There is a difference between a heretic and a false prophet; a false prophet is someone who establishes false doctrine in the Church, and a heretic is someone who perpetuates those doctrines. It is evil to be a heretic, but it is even more evil to be a false prophet. Heretics perpetuate the teachings of demons, but false prophets are personally taught by demons what to believe about God. Demons don’t just instruct their false prophets like a teacher to a student; rather, by the time the demon is finished with the false prophet, the message has been seared into his conscience as with a hot branding iron. That makes it permanent, like a tattoo, an irreversible seal to his eternal destiny. Now he has no choice but to teach his destructive heresies.

(159m) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit truth

(160d) Works of the devil >> Satan’s attitude determines our direction >> Led by the devil to suppress the word of God >>  Suppressing the truth with false doctrine – One recent example of demonic activity manifested in the Church is the “laughter” doctrine that swept the nation’s Pentecostal and Charismatic denominations. It was taken from the book of Acts chapter two. After a large crowd had gathered, the saints began prophesying in languages they had never learned. Peter stood up in verse 15 and explained, “these men are not drunk, as you suppose…” the Church today wants desperately to walk in the power of God to be vindicated from their critics (who rightly claim they are in the business of religion), but instead of waiting for God to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh as it says in the book of Joel 2-28,29 or fostering the power of God through a contrite heart, they manually produce the manifestations of the spirit and attribute their strange behavior to God. I personally walked into several churches during this era of religious insanity and saw people staggering around the sanctuary, laughing hysterically, while others were speaking in strange tongues, but none that were intelligible. In other words, there was no edification, which is the goal of the Holy Spirit, proving this laughter movement was a hoax. What they failed to understand was that they put their reputation on the line when they went with this laughter doctrine. What was making them laugh? The ghoulish truth is that this so-called spiritual movement was actually orchestrated by demons. They must have thought this would lead to a vast spiritual revival, forgetting about the verse in James 4,7-10, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” KJV

(161k) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude determines our direction >> Carried Away by religion

(172h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the wheat >> False doctrine among the truth

(173g) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Unholy sacrifice >> Offering sacrifice without God’s approval >> Sacrifice against the will of God -- These verses go with verses 7-9. Forbidding marriage is something the Catholics advocated for priests. It probably started with good intensions, that if the priest remained single, he would be able to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord (1Cor 7-35), but turning it into a requirement went too far, making it an observable behavior by which they could judge a person’s faithfulness to God, based on his marital status, or based on what he eats. For example, if a person doesn’t eat fish on Friday; he is unfaithful. Actually, that is a sweet deal; instead of committing one’s self to the faith, all the parishioners need do is attend Friday night fish fry. It represented their devotion to God, and all they had to do is acquire a taste for fish. The goal was not making it hard for the parishioner, but making it easy for leadership to determine who was good and who was evil, so they knew who to discipline and who to exonerate. This all sounds very innocent, compared to what false prophets have managed to do to the Church and to the world for the last 2000 years. Someone might say we are attributing too much influence to the Church to say that it is responsible for all the wars that have occurred during the age of grace, but Jesus said that the Church is the salt of the earth. We are both seasoning and preservative, but we have not done our part to preserve the world, and for this reason more people died than any other time in human history, and it is all due to the apostasy of the Church, which is the result of the works of all the false prophets that have come and gone and introduced their destructive heresies, leading the Church little-by-little from the true faith.

(177g) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Doctrines of demons -- These verses go with verse 7. False doctrine is not created by imaginative people but by demons. Men fight wars, and war is the most evil institution man has ever devised. Likewise, man is involved in the creation of false doctrine, but Paul was saying that the ultimate source of false doctrine is demonic, and we can also say the same about war. Moreover, we can say this about all forms of sin; it is all instigated by demons. When we look at every war, false doctrine is at the heart of them, that is, an overall lack of concern for the word of God, and this is also at the heart of every false teaching and heresy.

(201j) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Man’s will over God >> God permits man to go his own way – It is not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit to wrestle with God, but its when we exert our authority over Him, putting our foot down and telling Him that this is what we choose to believe, and we don’t want to hear any more about the truth. According to Gen 32:24-28 Jacob wrestled with God, “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." When God sees that He cannot win the struggle against our will and touches our lives in some way so that we must submit to Him, that is well within his authority, but it is not okay to command God to leave us alone.

(204d) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> The apostasy – “Falling away from the faith” is the very definition of the apostasy. There are all kinds of controversy surrounding the apostasy; some dismiss this verse, claiming that it has no connection with the apostasy, but Paul uses the very definition of the “apostasy” to describe the last days, which is possibly more convincing than the word itself. The apostasy does not refer to Israel falling away from their old covenant temple services as some have postulated, because Paul did not acknowledge their obsolete form of worship as “the faith;” nor does it refer to the world falling away, because the world does not believe in God, so Paul is obviously talking about the Church falling away from the faith. Those who reject this interpretation do it because it conflicts with their coveted pre-tribulation Rapture theory, since no one could logically explain how God can Rapture a people who have lost their faith. The Church in Europe is not being persecuted, because it is mealy and impotent. Neither man nor demon has a motive to persecute it. However, the Church is being persecuted in other parts of the world, some to the death. The Church in America is not being persecuted either, and we say it is because we are a Christian nation, and we have no reason to persecute ourselves, but the Church in America is just as mealy and impotent as the Church in Europe. Not even Satan has a motive to persecute the Church when it stops serving God.

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

1Tim 4-1,2

(109j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit of truth is our teacher

(155e) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> Conscience >> An evil conscience keeps us from believing God >> Knowledge of evil testifies against our motives – This spiritual transaction that takes place in us as we resist the Holy Spirit happens to our conscience as with a branding iron, which is permanent. It’s a scar or a mark that identifies us as to ‘whose’ we are. They become like cattle who obey the devil and develop the reprobate mind, though God never treated us that way. God may place His mark on us, but more like a felt-tip pen; it is something that can be rubbed off if we so choose, but Satan’s mark is a scar. We lose our ability to believe in God, like the story of Jacob and Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal, “For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found not place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears” (Heb 12-17). That moment changed everything between the two brothers, though no papers were signed, not even a handshake was made. Spiritual matters within the heart are transactions that take place that change our lives forever and define us. They are little, secret decisions, but they are not off the cuff; they may not have been planned in advance, but they took place in the very presence of God.

(164a) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Entertaining demons by rejecting the word of God – Falling away from the faith is a process; it is another way of describing the reprobate mind. A person who falls away from God cannot be restored. The bondage of backsliders differs from the reprobate mind. It refers to the double life that some people lead (James chapter 1). People often backslide and are restored; this is a common problem of the flesh that has a remedy called – repentance, but falling away from the faith is a spiritual problem that has no remedy. The process of developing the reprobate mind entails blaspheming the Holy Spirit, not just once but many times over the course of a person’s life. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin; it cannot be forgiven, meaning the offender cannot repent of it, just like you cannot un-ring a bell. There may be a hundred ways to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and a hundred excuses for doing it, but there is only one reason, to send god the message to back off. God persuades His people of the truth by His Spirit, but if someone resists Him, his blasphemy tells God to step back. If he continues this way, his ability to have a relationship with God dwindles until it vanishes altogether, and he can never get it back. Since the Holy Spirit is inextricably linked to God’s truth, it too becomes impossible to grasp. Every time the man tells the persuader of truth to step back, he chips away at his own ability to know and love the truth, which is unpardonable, meaning he cannot repent of it. Why is this the case? As God steps back, the demons step forward. The function of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not that God is rejecting the man, but that man is rejecting the very essence of God, and so the very opposite of God takes His place, thus losing his ability to relate to God. Once he has rejected the persuader of truth, how can God persuade him to repent? He has rejected the word of the Spirit that he knows to be true, and has consequently rejected the Holy Spirit whom he knows to be God. This is not a fleshly problem, but a spiritual one, though he may have blasphemed the Holy Spirit as a way to hold onto his sin, yet he intentionally threw God away in full knowledge, because he valued his sin over his relationship with God.

(182g) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >> Because they want to be approved by men

(183i) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Spirit of the broad road >> Spirit of error will lead you astray

(186g) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> After they reject God’s faith how can they believe? – Blaspheming the Holy Spirit destroys the person's ability to have a relationship with God. As he tells God to take another step back, there is a point when God says, ‘Okay, I get it, you don’t want me in your life,’ so He leaves. This can happen both to the saved and the unsaved, to the unsaved in that the man will never be able to be saved, and to the saved in that he will never be able to be resaved. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit says, ‘I don’t want God so close to me,’ whereas the reprobate mind says, ‘I don’t want God in my life at all, ever.’ There are accounts of people soul searching, earnestly desiring to be saved over a period of years trying to put God in their lives, and they just can’t do it, like putting a square peg in a round hole. They have covered this ground before and found that they are now enslaved to their unbelief. It is not that God is unwilling; it’s that they are unable to believe in God, because the demons have taken over his heart. This is the reprobate mind. Demons are absolutely involved in the formation and perpetuation of the psychopath, who has a reprobate mind. Not all reprobates are psychopaths, but all psychopaths are reprobates. Neither psychopath nor reprobate has ever darkened the doors of heaven, and they never will.

1Tim 4-1

(97i) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Giving attention to the wrong things

(106d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Attaining the hearing ear >> Knowing the sound of His voice >> God speaks from the Scriptures – Paul said, “The Spirit explicitly says….” This is how the writers of the Bible knew what to write; the Holy Spirit was their source of information. People today say that the Scriptures are now complete; does that mean the Spirit of God quit speaking? The Spirit of God will never quit speaking; rather, people have quit listening. They are unwilling to canonize what people write today. They say the door has closed and the book is shut on any more writings being acknowledged as inspired. It is true that there is no need for any more inspired writing about God, since we already have everything we need in the Bible. However, God is still speaking, and therefore we should continue writing, and many people do. Many books have been written about God over the last 2000 years, especially after the Gutenberg Press, and during our current technological era that makes it easy to print and distribute books. The only difference is that these writings are not canonized, not made authoritative statements from God, according to man. There have been some books written throughout the age of grace that speak as much truth as the Bible, yet nobody has authority to canonize them. That would be adding to the Scriptures, as it says in Rev 22-18,19, “If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” So really all we can do is expand and clarify the words that have already been canonized in the Bible, so it neither adds nor subtracts. Does that mean there can be no prophets? Many people actually believe that! However, this is simply not the case. People who have a prophetic ministry have freedom to add to the Scriptures knowledge from God that the Scriptures do not speak, but they cannot be canonized (officially authenticated), because there is nobody in authority to canonize them. Origen of Alexandria (184-253) was the first to unofficially canonize the New Testament, though he omitted the books of James, Second Peter and the second and third letters of John. Then, in 1546 during the Protestant Reformation at the Council of Trent, "The first infallible and effectually promulgated pronouncement on the Canon" was made by the Roman Catholic Church (wikipedia). Since then there has not been another institution to codify other writings as specifically coming from the mouth of God.

(207a) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish By Losing Your Faith >> The apostasy (walking out the same door you came in) – Once we replace the truth with the gimmicks of our religion, it is almost impossible to believe the teachings of the Holy Spirit. Christianity is about having a relationship with God through the truth, and if we are unwilling to acknowledge the truth, then we cannot have a relationship with God. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we have an obligation to listen to Him. He is our lifeline to God. If we resist Him, it is blasphemy and God takes a step back. To resist the persuader of truth is to resist our ability to know the truth. If we force Him to step back too many times, we will develop the reprobate mind and we will lose our salvation or ability to be saved, whichever the case may be, and we won’t be going to heaven. Contrary to popular belief – once saved always saved – is a myth.

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

2-5 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

1Tim 4-2,3

(145i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Demon possession >> Human state >> Filthiness >> Rejecting the opportunity to be holy

1Tim 4-2 

(40n) Judgment >> God is glorified >> God defends His truth through judgment

(65b) Paradox >> Anomalies >> God helps Satan >> God gives people over to Satan

(217e) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God gives up on you >> After you are no longer able to repent

1Tim 4,3-6

(108d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith is the balance between freedom and law

1Tim 4,3-5

(11c) Servant >> Standard for a servant >> Freedom

(34i) Gift of God >> Generosity >> God is willing to Give >> His natural blessings

(80b) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To deliver yourself from bondage – If someone says that eating meat is evil on Friday, then all we have to do is sanctify it through the word of God and prayer, and it is no longer evil. A person can read the Scriptures for himself and discover that certain doctrines are fallacious, that eating meat on Friday is not a sin in the eyes of God, though perhaps in the eyes of the Catholic Church, but who cares what they think? We have a relationship with Jesus, not with the Catholic Church, so we only care what God thinks of us. We learn about the truth in the Scriptures that there is no substance in the natural universe that is intrinsically evil, that we can eat meat on Friday if we want as we sanctify every meal through prayer. We thank God for his provisions and we thank Him for the truth. We thank Him for setting us free from false doctrines, false religions and those in apostasy who would establish doctrines of demons for others to follow.

(82a) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Direction (Attitude) >> What to pray for -- These verses go with verse 14

(82i) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> Thankfulness >> Giving thanks for His blessings

(96d) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude toward God >> Having a thankful attitude

(111aa) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit sets you apart by the word >> Set apart by His grace – The relationship between the Spirit and the word is reiterated dozens of times throughout the New Testament, as it is here in “the word of God and prayer,” prayer being the means God has given us to interface with His Spirit. The Spirit and the word are in perfect agreement with each other, so that one is the power of the other. The Holy Spirit is the third member of the trinity, whose ministry in part is to be everywhere at the same time in the world and in the Church. The Spirit without the word can do nothing, and the word without the Spirit conveys little meaning. If you want a sanctified marriage, you must bath it in the word of God and prayer. If the world around you is disintegrating and you are forced to eat food that is questionable, you must bathe it in His word and prayer. We sanctify the truth in our hearts through prayer. All things are sanctified through the word of God and prayer. This is how we protect ourselves from liars who fellowship with demons.

(154j) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> Conscience >> Having a good conscience >> God is my conscience – Although the universe, including the earth, is under God’s curse, it is still good. There is no physical substance that is intrinsically evil, though some of the ways we use certain substances are evil. This statement came from a point that Paul was making that in the last days some will fall away from the faith, “paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” He said that some would abstain from certain foods, and promote false doctrines, saying that these foods are evil if eaten at certain times. Paul was prophesying against the Catholic Church, and when we look at everything he said, it all applies to many of their man-made doctrines, such as abstaining from eating meat on Friday, except fish, hence the customary Friday fish fry. Only recently has the Catholic Church abolished this rule, so Catholics now have their church’s approval to eat meat on Friday, but for centuries this rule was in effect, so if a Catholic ate meat on Friday, it was considered a sin. Paul makes this point in Rom 14-14, “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” While this Catholic tradition was in the books, if its parishioners ate meat on Friday, it defiled their conscience, even though they didn’t actually do anything wrong, so it was not the eating of meat on Friday that was the sin but the willingness to violate their conscience.

(162k) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> In bondage to the burdens of men >> In bondage to religion – Everything is created by God, therefore can be sanctified though the means of the word of God and prayer, referring both to marriage and eating food. God created the institution of marriage, meaning it is a good thing. No one can restrain us from marriage any more than anyone can keep us from eating. None of these acts of self-denial are of value against fleshly indulgence, nor do they promote godliness. There are consequences to believing lies they put in place of the truth. Their resistance to the Holy Spirit places them in spiritual bondage that can never be reversed, while the lies they consign to the truth place them in fleshly bondage from which they will never find freedom.

(191k) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >> Set apart by faith in the truth

1Tim 4-3,4

(151j) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Creation is evidence of God >> Living things reflect the nature of God

1Tim 4-3

(3d) Responsibility >> To the Family >> Marriage >> Advocating marriage

(57h) Paradox >> Opposites >> More truth you know, the less bondage you accept

(86a) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Treating the knowledge of God as fact >> Believe the word by obeying it

1Tim 4-4

(30b) Gift of God >> God is our source >> His creative ability supplies our needs

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.

1Tim 4,6-11

(11f) Servant >> The word of God is our standard of truth – The truth takes discipline. So much of worldly knowledge is a tool. For example, we use the knowledge of science to achieve certain goals. We have invented the telephone and the television, etc. The difference between worldly knowledge and the knowledge of God is that spiritual knowledge is not a tool, but is the very substance of our relationship with God. Science is diligent to build their inventions through their knowledge, but Paul tells Timothy to be diligent in seeking the truth, for his relationship with God consists of the truth. Seek His presence, know His Spirit; become intimate with the Spirit of truth. When we learn something new, the Holy Spirit will testify whether it is true or false, so we can weave our way through the vast configuration of human ideas about God.

(41k) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> The word leads you to godliness – Godliness will direct you away from a life of sinful debauchery and hardship. It will direct you away from using people as tools. Godliness will lead you to a life similar to the way Jesus lived. He was hated, but respected, despised but admired, condemned but never forgotten, emasculated but possessed the power of God. When this life is through, our godliness will hold promise for this life and the life to come, “For without holiness [godliness] no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12-14). Don’t let anyone deceive you with licentious theology, for there are those who teach we can live any way we want, so long as we believe in God, but they don’t understand that godliness is a virtue filled with promise. Godliness is kicked to the curb in today’s fast-paced world, and according to these passages, so are the promises of God to those who would forsake the virtue of godliness.

(86i) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word >> Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Live the truth – Godliness is the main theme of First and Second Timothy and of Titus. Having confidence in this life and in the life to come is the reason we labor and strive, and godliness is the very foundation of these things. Godliness is the foundation of our confidence in our eternal salvation; it is also the basis of our confidence that good things will come to us in this life. If we live like the heathen, we will receive a heathen’s reward, but if we live godly in this life, these same traits will return to us through the lives of others. People will acknowledge us as sincere Christians and seek to emulate us and imbibe our fruit, and that will give us opportunity to lavish our blessing from Christ on them. This will in turn edify the body of Christ and encourage others to develop their confidence in eternal life that comes only through godliness.

1Tim 4,6-8

(91m) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Trail of good works >> The trail that Jesus walked

1Tim 4-6

(76m) Thy kingdom come >> Desires >> Word is food >> Hunger for the word

(80i) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to minister to God >> Know the word to know God

(81g) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> Study the word through continuous prayer -- This verse goes with verse 15

(87m) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Committed to the word of God

(93h) Thy kingdom come >> Following Jesus >> Through the leadership of men

(107d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Word creates faith >> Believing the word creates faith

(110j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit of revelation >> Revelation of the truth >> Revelation of the true doctrines – People talk about doctrine as though it were a bad thing, and other people talk about doctrine as though it could replace the Bible. There should be a happy medium between the knowledge of the truth as disclosed by the Spirit that we follow into the specific will of God and the biblical doctrines we follow into the general will of God. We can get so caught-up in Pentecostal belief systems striving after the anointing, signs wonders and miracles and the gifts of the Spirit that we bypass God’s general calling contained in the basic doctrines of the faith in the many letters he wrote. We also have the Apostle’s Creed, which eloquently summarizes all the major doctrines of the faith. Some denominations focus mostly on doctrine, quoting the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s Prayer every week and forget the specific calling that God has for each person and finding that trail of good works that God has prepared for us and fulfilling His purpose for which they were born. Both the general and the specific will of God are equally important in every believer. 

(239c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers "remind" their students >> Repeating instructions

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;

1Tim 4,7-11

(4a) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Accountable to the character of God

(116a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through Good Works >> Works That God put in your heart – What Paul said is linked to something that he wrote earlier, signified by the word “but” in verse 7. He was previously talking about being “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and the sound doctrine which you have been following.” So what is he saying? This process of disciplining yourself for the purpose of godliness is not just a rigorous exercise of the will, but involves the word of God. We cannot simply bend our fleshly bodies toward the will of God, for the flesh cannot please God, according to Rom 8-7,8. Israel is a living example of that in the Old Testament. Paul is giving us a heads-up and telling us that we must use the word of God to nourish the will that we received from the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, who desires to fulfill the purpose and calling of God. The entire New Testament from the gospels to the book or Revelation speaks of this connection between the word of God and the Holy Spirit, that the two of them are inextricably woven together. This means that the Holy Spirit is the source of God’s word, that God has throughout all eternity spoken His word through His Spirit, making the Spirit and the word essentially identical. However, there is a difference between the Bible and the word of God. The Bible has encoded within it the word of God, but that’s just it, the Bible is in code, and if you don’t believe that, ask anybody in the world who doesn’t believe in God; we could read him the Scriptures and it wouldn’t do him any good, because His word must be decoded by the Holy Spirit before it can be understood and believed. Paul is saying that we take the word of God, or the Scriptures if you will, and apply it to the person whom we have become in the new creation to produce godliness. As the Spirit and the word are inextricably linked, so is our soul to the Holy Spirit. As we integrate the word of God into our hearts, the Holy Spirit will follow His word into the avenues of our lives that are causing us to stumble, and He will replace the weakness of our flesh with His strength to perfect godliness. After we have seated the word of God into our hearts and the Holy Spirit has replaced our weakness with His strength, still we must discipline our bodies and force it to do the will of God. So it’s a two-step process. This is called working the grace of God. First we sow the word of God into our hearts and then we work that grace into our flesh to overcome the temptations of sin.

1Tim 4,7-9

(122e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in yourself as you die to sin >> Confident in your salvation – Godliness increases our confidence that we are the children of God. It gives us reason to believe our faith is genuine and sincere. We need evidence to support our confidence that we belong to God or we will not believe it ourselves; therefore, how much less will our neighbor believe we are Christians? Godliness solves all these problems; it gives us confidence and shows our brother that our faith is real, because we are living it. Godliness is living our lives in a way similar to the lifestyle of heaven, according to the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Mat 6-10). Godliness builds confidence that we believe in Jesus, and in that confidence we will not lose hope, and in that hope our faith will mature, and in that maturity confidence in our eternal salvation will be made more sure “as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (2Pet 2-19).

(173g) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Unholy sacrifice >> Offering sacrifice without God’s approval >> Sacrifice against the will of God -- These verses go with verses 1-3. Around the world there are nations, cultures and societies that get involved in penance of all kinds. For example, some people whip themselves until they bleed as they walk down the street, the bloodiest person at the end of the parade wins, not a prize but honor from their fellow sufferers and from their society. However, Col 2-23 says, “These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” Paul said to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” That doesn’t mean we choose a form of penance and go to work, so when it is time to be godly we sulk. Godliness is a type of discipline in itself, so after we make our sinful flesh mind the will of God, who needs to whip ourselves? We only need to live a godly life, and it feels like a whip across our back at times. There are promises and benefits associated with godliness, whereas penance only bolsters the pride and seeks the favor of men rather than the glory of God. Penance is a poor substitute for godliness. When people refuse to live a godly life, they often replace it with self-abuse to resemble godliness, but it is the very antithesis of God’s will, just like carbon monoxide is the mimic yet antithesis of oxygen.

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1Tim 4-7,8

(5a) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples chasten themselves

(90l) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> God’s purpose for us is to fulfill His calling >> Our purpose is to do God’s will

(128j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Living a fruitful life >> Living a continuous life of fruitfulness

(134e) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Composition of our bodies is from the earth >> We are physically excluded from the spiritual realm

(148d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>

(188a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to self takes discipline -- These verses go with verse 15

(188f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Suffering righteousness

(205b) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> According to promise >> Promise of His rest – Paul said that godliness holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It holds promise for this life in the cause-and-effect system that so often turns our wickedness back on our heads. Consequently, if we sow godliness, we will reap godliness, but if we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. Therefore, “let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal 6-8,9). We know this cause and effect world will often return the favor of godliness, but how does godliness benefit our eternal destiny in heaven? We will be rewarded in heaven to the degree that we lived a godly life on earth. Some people say they don’t care about being rewarded in heaven, but their apathy only exposes their unwillingness to live a godly life.

(226f) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Eternal rewards

(250b) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Be obedient in all things

(41h) Godliness (Key verse) 

(84h) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Gossip >> Attacking a person’s character – Gossip holds a connotation that doesn’t seem all that bad, because we attribute it to old ladies who have nothing else to do but talk about each other. It is a pastime for them and no body is particularly hurt, but this is not an accurate depiction of gossip. Rather, gossip causes wars, and it all depends on who is speaking that determines the size of the war. If it is presidents of nations gossiping about other world leaders, and it gets back to them, it can literally cause wars. When we limit the scope of gossip to everyday life for the rest of us, nothing really changes, except that the wars get smaller. Gossip no less is a cause of war, and everybody is guilty of it; there are a few who don’t gossip much, yet it is a very common sin. The thing about gossip is that speaking the truth is not a requirement in its accusations. People spread rumors, and the connotation of “rumor” is that it is false. The term “false rumor” is redundant; rumors are false by definition, or at least by connotation.

(148f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Natural advantage as an evangelist >> Being youthful -- This verse goes with verse 12. So much of the Catholic faith is fit only for old women, and if you notice there are a lot of old women who fill the pews of the Catholic Church. False doctrine appeals to old people, while young people are seeking the truth, such as Timothy. They have a window of opportunity consisting of their youth in which to find the truth, and if that window closes and they become older, they will become more susceptible to accepting fables. They will start thinking about the end of their lives and about death, and will adhere to a religion that seeks to answer some of their questions about eternity, grabbing onto anything at that point without doing a thorough investigation. They will be content with religion. This is why Paul speaks to Timothy, the young man, and tells him to be vigilant in his faith and seek the truth with his whole heart while he can, so that when he grows old he will know the truth and not be fooled by the religions of his peers.

(166d) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Man’s wisdom excuses his sinful nature >> Have a religion to avoid hell

(177g) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Doctrines of demons -- This verse goes with verses 1-3

(183g) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Spirit of the broad road >> Spirit of the world

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8-10 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

1Tim 4-8,9

(102g) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Trustworthy >> Faithfulness – The Scriptures are sufficient to lead us to salvation in Christ and to the righteousness of faith that leads to godliness, so we can read the Scriptures and understand the will of God and in doing it, comprehend His word by the Spirit. This suggests there are required steps of trust, knowing what the Bible says, but not necessarily knowing what it means, until we obey Him. Consequently, faith and trust are not the same, yet we use them interchangeably. Trust is something we give to God, whereas faith is something He gives to us, and that is a big difference. People who don’t trust God don’t know Him by faith. They might have a form of faith they apply to Him, but they don’t have His faith, and that’s another big difference. Anyone can read the Bible and develop a logical, cognitive understanding of it; they might pass a pencil and parchment test concerning it, but they won’t have a revelation of God’s word until they learn to trust God. We have all believed something someone said, but we rarely believe everything someone says; that is trust. Trust reserves the word faith to mean the substance that God imparts in us when we believe in Him.

1Tim 4-8

(159d) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit righteousness

(232j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Embrace (Jesus during the storm) >> God embraces us

1Tim 4-10

(31a) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> He favors the Church to spite the world – Jesus is the savior of the entire human race, “especially of believers.” Jesus died for everyone, but He is the savior especially of believers. There are probably only a handful of people in the world who don’t believe in Jesus in some way. Virtually every cult and false religion somehow integrates Jesus into their belief system, yet not all will find their place in heaven. Only believers in Jesus through their confession of faith will enter the gates of paradise. The true children of God have their salvation complete, whereas those in cults and false religions have thrown in Jesus with a mishmash of other deities, each representing an idol, and God feels the same way about idols as He ever did. The new covenant is a marriage relationship with Christ (Eph 5,22-33), making all other deities take the role of mistress, which God counts as spiritual adultery and unbelief. Jesus died for the world well enough, but the world has mostly rejected Him. How can God invite those to live forever in His heavenly kingdom who have rejected Him? He doesn’t want a lot of people living in His house who don’t want to be there, as merely an alternative to hell. He wants His people primarily to be free, not to feel trapped in paradise. The majority of the world who believe in Jesus hold Him in their hearts as little more than a garnish, but to the children of God, He is the center of their lives, and this is what it takes to get to heaven. After living a full life in the world to the benefit of themselves and the praise of men, they will want heaven too, but it doesn’t work that way. The Kingdom of Heaven is a continuation of the life we lived on earth (Mat 6-10), and if we have been living for Him, the transition into eternity will go very smoothly, but if we have not been living for Him, that transition into eternity may be the beginning of great horror that will never end.

(31f) Gift of God >> Grace >> Salvation >> God is willing to respond to man’s need

(97d) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Facing in the direction of the Lord >> Focusing your attention on God

(102a) Thy kingdom come >> Ambitious to fulfill God’s calling >> To see God’s will in your life -- This verse goes with verses 14-16

(210e) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our savior >> Especially of believers – Every person’s sin was nailed to the cross, Jesus being the savior of all men, but especially of believers, meaning those who believe in Jesus actually receive the benefit of His suffering, which is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is the essence of eternal life. The indwelling Holy Spirit holds promise for this life and the one to come. He is the pledge of our eternal inheritance. Who knows what God has really prepared for us throughout eternity? Think of all the surprises we have enjoyed and suffered throughout our lives on earth. When we were children, we had an idea about what kind of life we had, and then everything dramatically changed many times to show that what we think is real is not real at all, so when we try to imagine what life will be in eternity, we have our beliefs, but they will be daunted by the surprises God has prepared for us. We cannot imagine or even dream some of the things God has prepared for those who believe in Him, experiences, surprises and unimaginable wealth and beauty. We will never grow old, weary or bored. Change will continuously entertain and fill our lives with experiences. Through faith and godliness our future is secure, having received the benefit of our sins nailed to the cross.

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11-13 Prescribe and teach these things. 12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

1Tim 4,11-13

(239g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers are construction workers >> God raises up teachers to raise up the body – Timothy's gift was helping the apostle Paul as an assistant church planter, but more than anything he was a teacher. His gift was in the understanding of Scripture and communicating it to others, in correlation with the teachings of Paul.

1Tim 4,12-15

(12b) Servant >> Examples of God’s people >> Leaders are examples of the Church – On the one hand Timothy had his youthfulness with a lack of experience, but on the other hand his youthfulness brought vitality, excitement for life, the thrill of adventure, an inquisitive and sharp mind with a willingness to serve. These things completely offset any lack of experience. Paul believed in Timothy, not because he was young, but because he was faithful. The world is full of foolish young people, but Timothy was a man to be respected by all. He had a faith that demanded honor from everyone, and the main thrust of his faith was servanthood. His servanthood earned him the honor of leadership.

(11i) Example (Key verse)

(105a) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart >> A pure heart is a genuine heart – Paul admonished Timothy to let no one look down on Him because of His youth, but in his defense as leader of the Church he was to convey the principles and attributes of Christ in word and deed through love, faith and purity. These things were his credentials. When people looked down on him and said, ‘You are too young to be in the ministry; I should take your place, being older and wiser than you with more experience,’ Timothy could get out his credentials and not just explain to them why he is a leader of the Church and they’re not, he could actually prove to them that he is the man for the job through love, faith and purity. Faith and love are really two sides of the same coin; “faith” is the revelation of Jesus Christ, while “love” is the manifestation of that faith. Paul wanted Timothy to perfect these things in His life, so he could prove to his critics that he belongs in that position. Timothy was more than an itinerate pastor; in fact, he wasn’t a pastor at all; he was an assistant apostle to Paul. He was more than someone who merely attended to Paul’s needs; he stayed behind and conducted the ministry of an apostle to the church that Paul founded, preaching and teaching the doctrines of the faith and assigning overseers, choosing faithful men who were able to teach others also. Thus he did after Paul had moved forward preaching the gospel to other towns and villages, catching up with Paul and repeating the process.

(125ba) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Faith and love in equal measure

(128d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Be an example of good works

(131e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Brother depends on you >> To lead him to Jesus

(148f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Natural advantage as an evangelist >> Being youthful -- This verse goes with verse 7. These three things: faith, love and purity represent the trinity. Faith is associated with the Father; love is linked to the Son, and purity is reminiscent to the Holy Spirit. These things are eternal, and are no way in reference to our age; they literally defy time. That is, regardless of our age, if we integrate these attributes into our lives, God can use us. The person who is seventy years old and got saved when he was twenty, lived fifty years as a Christian, but if he hasn’t instilled these qualities in his heart, he is less qualified as a minister of the Church than the young person who has ordered them in his life as top priority. If someone confronted Timothy and told him he had no business in the ministry because of his age, Paul authorized him to advise the person not to look down on his youthfulness. Paul did not permit Timothy to yell at older people but to respectfully maintain his leadership position in the Church, embracing these qualities in his heart, so anyone who would condemn him for his age would be put to shame.

(200i) Denying Christ >> Excuses for rejecting Christ >> Using irresponsibility as an excuse to reject God >> Trying to talk your way out of accountability

1Tim 4-13

(97e) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Facing in the direction of the Lord >> Focusing your attention on the word of God

(138j) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Exhorting the people to remain true to the Lord

(143f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Public reading of Scripture – Paul mandated Timothy to read Scripture to the Church, including Paul’s letters. Public reading of Scripture applies first and foremost to the Church, then to the world. However, in Timothy’s time there was risk of someone grabbing the manuscript from his hand and destroying it, and manuscripts back then were meticulously hand-written and expensive. In our day, though, if someone takes the Bible from us, we can just buy another one at little cost. What better message do we have for the people to get them saved than to read them Scripture? There are many people who have never read the Bible but are curious about what it says, so Bible reading in public would probably be the first exposure to Scripture for most people, and it can have tremendous impact. Upon hearing the word they might muster the courage to read it for themselves, and begin a search for God leading to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. What becomes of people after they die? People are curious; some are concerned and others are worried and even afraid of death, and so there is a type of fear of God in the world. There are those who fear God and seek the truth and discover the love of God in the gospel of Christ and believe in Jesus for their salvation and have dedicated their lives to Him and have become constituents of the Church, and there are others who feel the same way but just have never made that commitment. The purpose of evangelism is to find those people and help them make that decision.

(151a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word >> Speak the logos

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14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.

1Tim 4,14-16

(97g) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Facing the direction of God’s will >> Focusing your attention on finishing the course

(101f) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal >> Fulfill your calling with zeal

(102a) Thy kingdom come >> Ambitious to fulfill God’s calling >> To see God’s will in your life -- These verses go with verse 10

1Tim 4-14,15

(6j) Responsibility >> Being spiritual >> Ministering to each other by the strength in your Spirit – Having a spiritual gift is much like being married; in a good relationship with your spouse you can make love as often as you wish, but it still becomes work after a while, even though it may be one of the most enjoyable aspects of your life. No matter what it is, if it is part of your daily routine, it will become mundane. Although your spiritual gifts in action are greater than your own natural abilities, and are classified as miraculous, there are days when you have to forcibly pull your gifts out of the mud of mediocrity, and make them as great a part of your life as they really are.

(72c) Authority >> Transferring authority >> Men delegate authority by obeying the word

(110m) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spiritual substance and truth >> Spiritual substance follows obedience

(156g) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Manifesting the Holy Spirit is evidence of salvation

(199c) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Frustrating the grace of God >> Frustrating Jesus >> Frustrating the Holy Spirit

(229f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> God causes the growth >> God uses us to cause the growth

(230f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> Partaking of the ministry of the saints

1Tim 4-14

(35ja) Gift >> God gives Himself to us >> Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> Spiritual gifts >> Possessing gifts from God

(82a) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Direction (Attitude) >> What to pray for -- This verse goes with verses 3-5

(113d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Garments of power

(115h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Laying on of hands >> Bestowing the Holy Spirit – It is important to know the people who are laying their hands on you in the name of the Lord. Paul was no doubt familiar with them and with the prophecy given to Timothy and judged for himself what was spoken over Timothy. Paul’s advice to him was not to let it set in his heart collecting dust, as though it would fulfill itself, but to work the grace of God into his life. We must participate in the prophecy by assimilating into the word so that it becomes our new identity. To make this level of commitment we must know for sure it was a word from God. Paul advised him to take the word revealed to him and put it in his heart every day through prayer, finding other Scriptures that pertain to the prophecy and pray those Scriptures into his heart as well. Timothy was a pillar of the faith even at his young age. No doubt the word they spoke over him was that his ministry would continue to grow and he would be a beacon of faith and love, and many would follow his lead and believe the word of God coming through his ministry. They would follow him as a servant, as the least of all, as one of the great examples of Christianity.

(116d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> Through His authority

(132g) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Filled with the Spirit >> Filled with the power of God

(152ia) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >> Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Delivering a prophetic message from God – This passage has spawned whole religions. People have been laying hands on each other ever since Paul delivered this letter to Timothy 2000 years ago, praying and hoping to instill a spiritual gift through a prophetic utterance. Of course the key to this is knowing the prophetic utterance. If we say something that was not God-inspired, it isn’t prophetic. If we prophesy over somebody hoping to instill a spiritual gift, then we need to know that prophetic utterance. That is, we need to know something from the Spirit of God about that person; however, God normally doesn’t reveal things about other people, unless it is important for us to know. Paul laid hands on Timothy in prayer and spoke a prophetic utterance over him, and the result was that Timothy began working with Paul in the proclamation of the gospel. Therefore, the prophetic utterance that we speak over others while laying hands on them in prayer will have something to do with God’s calling in their lives. Although we are not responsible for other people’s callings, God will reveal these things to us if his life is destined to merge with ours. The spiritual gift may or may not pertain to the spiritual gifts outlined in 1Corinthians chapter 12.

15&16 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

1Tim 4-15,16

(191a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Baptism >> Immersed in His Spirit – We are to assimilate into the gift that God has given us, for it is bigger than us, and the goal is to become as big as God’s gift. To be absorbed in it sounds like a person absorbed in a book, or a student who gets absorbed in his studies. The things they do become their life, and Timothy’s gift became his life, until there was nothing but the gift. When we assimilate into our gift, all the peripheral facets of our lives become irrelevant. This sounds like a fanatic, who becomes so single-minded that he can’t think of anything else. The Bible has no negative connotation about fanaticism, unless of course we are talking about someone like Paul prior to his conversion, who was a Jewish zealot. God gives us a green light to fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1Pet 1-13).

1Tim 4-15

(81g) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> Study the word through continuous prayer -- This verse goes with verse 6

(86m) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> Internalize the word of God – Paul was talking about the spiritual gift that was bestowed on Timothy through the prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. He said that Timothy should take pains with these things, to be absorbed in them, not that the word of the prophecy should absorb into him, but that he should absorb into it. God wanted to harness and use Timothy for his purposes as a tool to help establish the Church in the world, and necessitate the Kingdom of God on the earth. All these things God wants to do in each of us who have a gift from God that dwells in us, prophesied over us. We should take pains in these things and see to it that we realize God’s plan and purpose by revelation and not just by some factual knowledge that we claim to believe.

(188a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to self takes discipline -- This verse goes with verses 7&8

(216d) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God takes advantage of your love for Him >> Being addicted to the Holy Spirit

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1Tim 4-16

(9d) Responsibility >> Prevent disunity within the body of Christ >> Prevent false doctrine – A lot of people think they are speaking the truth because they hear words coming from their own mouths, but not everything they say is true. This is the type of argument that some people adopt. They think they can’t go wrong because the Holy Spirit dwells in them and He would never let them wander from the truth, but the fact is, if we want to wander from the truth, God will let us, because He respects our sovereign will more than we do. Many don’t think they have to worry about themselves veering from the narrow way, so they don’t pay attention to their own teaching; they don’t listen to themselves, and before long they are teaching heresy. When the Holy Spirit tries to correct them, they don't listen. Paul says don’t be like this. Instead, pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching, for if you start teaching that which is wrong to others, you can lead people astray. These things happen on a regular basis. Don’t let anyone else be a bigger critic of you than you. If you hear someone criticizing you, listen to them and weigh what they say against the Scriptures. Everybody has an equal opportunity to be wrong, and to humble themselves and admit they were wrong, and everyone is on a level playing field in seeking God for the truth and finding Him. We can all learn the truth and teach it to others, that we may all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(79e) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> If you don’t, you won’t know truth

(80j) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to minister to people >> To edify one another

(100b) Thy kingdom come >> Perseverance >> Persevere in preaching the gospel

(106i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Means of hearing from God >> Through prophets

(108c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith is the balance between truth and unbelief – How many times have we heard people in the world say that it doesn’t matter what we believe; it only matters that we believe something? There must be a hundred passages in the Bible that contradicts this, and this is one of them. If we do not believe the truth, what does it matter if we believe anything? Paying close attention to our teaching will ensure our salvation, suggesting that if we stray into false doctrine or join a false religion, our salvation is no longer sure. We can take one step from the truth of the gospel and that will more likely lead to the next step further from the gospel than toward it, suggesting that it is easier to slip from the gospel than it is to return to it. We are to pay close attention to ourselves and to our teaching, and make sure we live by what we teach. That is, we are to be careful that we don’t stray into hypocrisy. In other words, as we ensure our own salvation, we are ensuring the salvation of those who listen to us.

(177f) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Beware of false doctrine

(177l) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the will of God >> Presumption interprets God’s word

(239l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Let not many of you become teachers >> Teachers incur a stricter judgment

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