1 Timothy 6

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Activity

Minefield

Tape off a large rectangle on the floor around 8’ x 16’. Place approximately forty or fifty foam or paper cups in the rectangle. Blindfold you two contestants with a pair of swimming goggles (or blindfolds) you blacked out with duct tape. They make wonderful blindfolds that don’t fall off or allow peeking.

Assign each competitor a person to talk them through the course. Everyone else is trying to throw them off by giving bad directions and causing distractions. If the contestant touches a cup…BOOM! That was them pretend exploding. Help them go back to begin again.

The first one to make it through the course without blowing up a landmine is the winner.

This is the best illustration in the world of the teen experience.

Say This

I have this area taped off. I need ten of you to grab five of these cups each and spread them out in the area I have taped off. While they do that, I want Carrie and Ellie to put these blindfolds on. You will start at one end and make it to the other without touching a cup. Carrie, your partner is Barrett. Ellie, your partner is Caia. They will give you good directions. The problem is everyone else will try to mess you up by yelling bad directions.

If you touch a cup you “explode” and have to start again. Carrie and Ellie, get in your places. All you guys, do a good job of trying to mess them up.

Plan for Tonight

After our game, I’ll do a brief lesson. Then we’ll break into small groups and talk about the chapter and lives. It would be good to encourage them to think through how they can mentor other students in youth group and be mentored by others.

I have some questions you may use if you’d like.

Godliness & Gain

You need to listen to good guides in your lives. There are more voices that want to take advantage of you than those who actually care about you. When someone wants to take advantage of your, they appeal to your wallet, talents, and time. They don’t consider your heart. They consider what you can give them.

God doesn’t care about efficiency like we do. He doesn’t use people for his own end. God loves excess and beauty over efficiency and production. He cares about godliness more than gain.

Paul begins and ends his letter to Timothy with a warning against false teachers. There are more false teachers in this world than righteous teachers. It’s just the nature of truth – it’s rare because there is only one kind of truth.

The false teachers are out to pack their wallets. You’ll see lots of “Christian” teachers do this same thing. Recently I heard of a gathering by a False Prophet named Paula White. She’s married to one of the members of the band Journey. She was under scrutiny because she wouldn’t pray for anyone until she had at least three members of that gathering provide checks of $100,000 or more for her prayers.

While that’s an obvious example of false promises, false teaching can often look more devious. It’s the subtle knife that kills. As you get older it gets harder to distinguish truth from falsehood because our hearts crave. False teaching often comes to us like an oasis in the desert. It’s a promise of abundance and water and flourishing. It almost always becomes a hallucination. A false promise where we laid our hopes, and where we journeyed away from the true oasis to pursue it. It sometimes takes us longer to get back to where we were supposed to be.

Paul ends his letter to Timothy much like he began it. Reject false teachers and embrace the teaching of Christ.

1 Timothy 6:2–10 ESV

Teach and urge these things. 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Mention:

False teachers are proud, pursue money, cause division and friction, see godliness as a way to gain financial benefit.

When we are born, we don’t bring anything with us. When we die we don’t take anything with us. We should pursue eternal things rather than temporal things.

Contentment means using the world, but not glorifying it. The earth is good. God made creation good. But God alone is worthy of pursuit and praise.

Wealth can cause problems. It has caused many to wander away from the faith. Wealth serves a purpose but it cannot save us.

1 Timothy 6:11–21 ESV

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.

Mention:

A confession is more than an admission of guilt. It literally means with (con) a vow (fiteri). It’s to speak something that is true, either about one’s sin or one’s faith. Often the two go hand in hand.

Our confession, what we really believe, is shown both in our works and speech.

The rich should always consider Christ their riches.

Timothy is called to guard the deposit, as if it is more valuable than the money of the rich.

Irreverent babble is treated as wealth, but it causes many to swerve from the faith.

Group Questions

What does it mean to you that true life is found in God rather than wealth?

What does it mean to use the world but not glorify it, and how can you apply this concept to your daily decisions?

What does Paul mean by the phrase 'godliness with contentment is great gain'? How can this principle impact our daily lives?

What are some practical steps you can take to ensure that your friends and influences promote godliness rather than material gain?

Reflect on a time when you felt tempted to pursue something for personal gain rather than spiritual growth. How can you improve in that area moving forward?

Mentor Questions

What did Paul warn Timothy about the characteristics of someone who teaches false doctrine?

Think about your favorite teacher, coach, mentor, pastor, etc. What about their character played a significant impact on you?

Would you want anyone to follow your example as a Christian? Why or why not? What steps can you take to be an example for others to follow?