Guard Your Group!

1 Timothy 4:1-5

It’s not really a subject that is talked about a whole lot. Or if it is, it’s usually pretty “out there.” That subject is “demons.”

Demons appear quite frequently in Scripture. And when they do, they remind us of something essential: this world is not all there is. In other words, demons teach us that there is a spiritual world that exists beyond our normal senses. What’s more, they teach us that part of this spiritual world is in vehement opposition to God and to his people.

But what shape does this demonic opposition actually take? What does it actually look like? Is it routinely in the form of dramatic possessions or overtly satanic occultism? Actually, no. Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1-5 warns that one of the more prevalent forms of demonic influence in the church of Jesus Christ is teaching that denies the goodness of two things: marriage and food. Underlying the deception here is the idea that true spirituality involves abstaining from anything to do with the body, which is perceived as being in and of itself evil.

Now, why would Satan and his minions wish to deceive people regarding these things? For two reasons:

First, such deception discredits the Creator. If marriage and food- two things that God made good and for our joy- can be painted as fundamentally negative things, then our view of God’s creation becomes distorted and we will fail to give God the glory due his name.

Second, such deception dismisses our freedom in Christ. The Gospel proclaims that “the kingdom of heaven is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). In other words, any time we make the spiritual life about external issues- about what we eat or don’t eat, drink or don’t drink, or about if we get married or don’t get married- we compromise the gospel of grace and freedom in Christ.

So, what does this have to do with us as Life Group leaders? Simply put, we need to be on guard against the attacks of the Evil One on our groups. Anything that threatens to rob glory from God or put us into bondage to legalism we must protect our people from. And how do we do that? Paul tells Timothy in 4:6 to be “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine you have been following.” That’s it: the “words of the faith” and “sound doctrine.” As shepherds of God’s people, these are our rod and our staff. Let us use them effectively!

On guard with you,

aaron