1 Tim 5 Taking care of our own

We are enjoined to take care of our own in this passage. A number of questions came to mind. Please respond to these and/or add your own.

• 1. Who are our "own"? Does it mean only blood relatives, does it include the local Body of Christ, the larger Body..?
• 2. Are we really to live like Acts 2?
• 3. Would Christ ask us to change any part of our personal agenda's to make room to serve others. If so, how do we test and evaluate what we heard Him say, what are to do?

1 Timothy 4 "For this we labor and strive"

I'm looking forward to seeing you 21-Jan at Starbucks Barkley, 5 P.M. Please study 1 Tim 4, pray and share your thoughts on the following verses and/or respond to someone else's comment.

• 1 Doctrines of demons?
• 4 nothing is to be rejected?
• 6 in pointing these things out...
• 8 bodily discipline, not?
• 13 a command?

We met at Starbucks Barkley and had a good discussion regarding the above questions. Our discussion included:

• Rom 3:31 and Rom 7:7 The Law is good for guidance and to expose our fundamental sin nature
• John 8:44 Satan is the father of lies, and a very real and present adversary. It is important to deal with him head on as we disciple men.
• 1 Cor 6:19 Spiritual fitness is good; physical fitness is also an important element, both in serving others and as part of our larger witness
• The critical discipline of time in the Word and prayer: In helping men who are not spending frequent time in the Word and prayer, start with the heart, not the Law. What are their core beliefs, what emotions are driving their choices, etc?

We closed with a prayer walk along the path behind Barkley - it was very satisfying to experience the Holy Spirit leading all of us in a coordinated time of prayer.

The Holy Spirit and the story

Met at Starbucks, Barkley, the traces of last night's snow in furtive pockets and treacherous slick spots.
One of our members has entered into a discipleship relationship with another man; we discussed some of the practical points of starting such a relationship well, and agreed on the following:

• Being clear that you both desire a mentoring and discipleship relationship
• Centering any advice, counsel, correction or other suggestions around the Word
• Spending regular time in prayer
• Agreeing on who Christ is, the fundamentals of the faith, including the need for salvation
• Understanding the story behind the behavior and relying on the Holy Spirit to provide insight

We moved on to discuss "How do you know if someone is saved", discussed some of the key attributes and qualities of mentors/leaders as outlined in 1 Tim 3, Psa 15 and a few other references.

Closed with a prayer walk along the path through the woods. Numerous runners went past, with head lamps providing light for their way, the Holy Spirit graciously provided His light for our way of prayer. God is indeed worthy of praise!

Mark P.

Prayer - there is no other way

Back in the corner at Adagio, twas good to talk about: Prayer, walking as men of integrity; our behavior - Psa 15, our speech - Matt 12:36-37, and leading other men in these areas by example and teaching. In discussing 1 Tim 2, we spent some time on the call to prayer, and the different root words for "men" in vs. 1 and vs.8. Please add your thoughts / research on these words / passages to this blog.