Finding The Flaw In Woke Ideologies | 1 Timothy 4:3-5

Who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. — 1 Timothy 4:3-5 So given the last text, Paul will give two examples of flawed doctrines that lead people down a dangerous path. The two examples involve non-participation in marriage and non-consumption of specific foods. And most likely, what has happened in the church at Ephesus is some have taken cultural ideas on extreme discipline and have blended them with biblical ideas to achieve what they assert is a higher form of spiritual experience. And while this might seem innocent, it is not. Because achievement-based religious practices are the most insidious form of heresy. And Paul understands this because he came from this type of background (an achievement-based religious heritage). So he attacks the issue, which is a doctrinal issue, because he sees the danger. And the threat is these achievement-based spiritual practices produce self-righteous disciples who act like hypocrites. So Paul attacks the core doctrinal issue — that the things God creates are inherently evil, which is a wrong understanding of scripture. I think this describes our challenges in the present time. We are contending with so many erroneous ideologies that we cannot keep up. As soon as one woke idea arises, another is right after it. And because media and social media move so fast, it can become overwhelming to discern the good from the bad. Then one day, we look up to discover that educators in school, leaders in the C-suite, and pastors in churches have been on the band-wagon with ideas that communities have blindly accepted that are embedded so deep into the culture that we feel like we have gotten the party way too late and are ashamed to say we don't know how to respond. And once again, this is why we need to have our minds, hearts, and souls buried deep into God's Word. So we're ready when the time comes to answer. But guess what? I believe Paul felt the same way, but this did not absolve him from the call to address it, train Timothy, and equip him to build teams of leaders to address it. So know this today. The current woke cultural tide will sweep some away from the faith. But it's not too late. Like Paul, I will tell you, let's get back to the truth. Let's build men and pursue God's goodness for his glory. ASK THIS: Are you confused by the woke cultural tide? DO THIS: Never stop pursuing the goodness of God in all things. PRAY THIS: God, give me discernment to know your goodness in all things. And give me the wisdom to preach better words in this confusing time. PLAY THIS: Better Word. Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/ Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at: https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Vince socially: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller