The Dangers of Empty Words

Words That Deny What We Claim To Believe

📘 Titus Bible Study Guide (follow along with the series) 🎙 Verse by Verse with Nate — Episode 6 Titus 1:13b–16 It is possible to profess faith with your mouth and deny it with your life. That sentence is not pleasant to sit with. But Paul puts it plainly in verse 16, and he doesn’t soften it. He describes people who say the right things and live the wrong ones — whose theology may look correct on paper but is nowhere in evidence in how they actually behave. And here’s the uncomfortable part: Paul is not writing this only about the false teachers in Crete. He is also writing it as a mirror. In this episode, we finish chapter 1 and examine Paul’s warning about the danger of a faith that is spoken but not lived. In this episode we explore: • The difference between professing faith and living it • How behavior reveals what we truly believe • Why adding human rules to grace distorts the gospel • The connection between conscience, purity, and spiritual perception A few verses. A hard warning. A call to examine whether our lives match our confession. All Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible https://bereanbible.com/ [https://bereanbible.com/] 💬 Discussion Questions 1. What actions in a person’s life would you say “deny” God — even if they claim belief? Where do you draw that line? 2. How can someone add human rules to grace — and why does Paul see that as a gospel issue rather than just a preference? 3. Is there a gap between what you say you believe and how you actually live? What creates that gap — and what would it take to close it?

P.R.I.S.M

What if every time you opened your Bible, you had a clear, repeatable method to actually dig in? In this bonus episode, I walk you through P.R.I.S.M. — a five-step daily Bible study pattern designed to help you slow down, go deep, and let the Word do its work. P — Pray before you read R — Read slowly and observe I — Interpret with context S — Study and apply specifically M — Memorize one verse at a time Whether you're brand new to daily Bible reading or you've been at it for years, P.R.I.S.M. gives you a consistent framework for every passage, every day. The goal isn't to get through the text — it's to let the text get through to you.

The Dangers of Empty Words

📘 Titus Bible Study Guide (follow along with the series)⁠https://a.co/d/0aoCaWNY⁠ [https://a.co/d/0aoCaWNY] 🎙 Verse by Verse with Nate — Episode 5 Titus 1:10–13 Paul doesn’t spend long describing the ideal before he addresses the threat. He’s just finished outlining what a faithful elder looks like — and before that picture has even settled, he turns the corner and says, in effect: because this is what you’re up against. False teachers were already at work in Crete when Titus arrived. They weren’t on the horizon — they were already inside the churches, teaching and doing damage. Paul describes them as rebellious, full of empty talk, and deceivers. And the damage was real: entire households were being undermined. In this episode, we walk through Titus 1:10–13 and examine who these teachers were, what made their message so dangerous, and why Paul’s response — which can feel harsh at first — is actually an act of love meant to protect the church. In this episode we explore: • The motivations behind false teaching• How empty words can undermine entire households• Why truth sometimes requires firm correction• The connection between conscience and spiritual perception A few verses.A serious warning.A reminder that protecting truth is an act of love. All Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible⁠https://bereanbible.com/⁠ [https://bereanbible.com/] 💬 Discussion Questions 1. What are the modern motivations — money, status, influence, approval — that lead people to distort or soften the gospel today? Where do you see this happening? 2. When does gentleness become enabling instead of caring? Where is the line between gracious patience and negligent silence? 3. How does a person’s internal spiritual state — what Paul describes as a defiled conscience — shape the way they see and interpret the world around them?

What Does a Faithful Leader Look Like?

📘 Titus Bible Study Guide (follow along with the series) https://a.co/d/0aoCaWNY 🎙 Verse by Verse with Nate — Episode 4 Titus 1:7–8 We live in an age obsessed with talent, charisma, and results. But when Paul describes the qualifications for elders, he focuses almost entirely on character. Instead of gifting or influence, he points to self-control, humility, hospitality, and integrity. In this episode we walk through Titus 1:7–8 verse by verse and look at what God actually values in those who shepherd His church. In this episode we explore: • Stewardship and spiritual responsibility • Character over charisma • The dangers of pride and quick temper • The importance of self-control and hospitality Leadership in God’s church is not about platform — it’s about character. All Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible https://bereanbible.com/ 💬 Discussion Questions 1. Why does God define fitness for leadership by character rather than giftedness or results? What does that say about what God values most in the people who shepherd His church? 2. Looking at the qualities in verses 7 and 8 — which one do you personally most need to grow in? 3. How does viewing any role you hold — at home, at work, or in the church — as stewardship change how you approach it? What would shift if you really believed you were managing someone else’s household?

Who is Paul, And Why Does This Letter Exist?

📘 Titus Bible Study Guide (follow along with the series) https://a.co/d/0aoCaWNY [https://a.co/d/0aoCaWNY] 🎙 Verse by Verse with Nate — Episode 3 Titus 1:1–4 Paul’s letter to Titus begins with what looks like a simple greeting — but it’s anything but simple. Before Paul even reaches Titus’s name, he writes four verses packed with theology, purpose, and authority. In the original Greek, it’s all one single sentence. Every phrase is intentional. Every word carries weight. In this episode, we slow down and walk through the opening of Titus word by word and phrase by phrase, exploring: • Servanthood and apostolic authority • The faith of God’s elect • The knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness • The hope of eternal life promised before time began • Paul’s relationship with Titus as a true child in the faith Four verses. One sentence. A greeting that contains an entire theology. All Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible 💬 Discussion Questions 1. How does it change your view of ministry — or leadership, or service — to see authority and servanthood held together the way Paul holds them in the opening line? 2. What does it mean to you personally that God planned your salvation before creation even began? Does that truth change how you feel about your faith today? 3. Who in your life has shaped you spiritually the way Paul shaped Titus? Have you ever told them what that meant to you?