This Week's Study Guide

Field Notes Week 3
Fathers on the Front Lines

Message-Based Curriculum  

Opening 

• Begin with a brief welcome and prayer to set the tone for the group time. 

• Introduce the theme: Titus 1:10-16 is a sober reminder that truth matters deeply to God. When teaching drifts from the gospel, it doesn’t just confuse minds- it damages lives. As followers of Jesus, we’re called to guard our faith, correct with love, and live with integrity.”  

Discussion Questions 

CONNECT 

• This week’s message was about Paul’s words to Titus about being aware of false teachings. We’re going to start with a pop quiz. I’m going to read a famous quote, and all you have to do is say whether this is godly biblical wisdom or something that just sounds good but isn’t rooted in Scripture.
  Answer each one with Bible or Self-Help:

   

  “God helps those who help themselves.” (Self-help) 

  “Follow your heart-it knows the way” (Self-help) 

  “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33)  

  “Only God can judge” (Self-help) 

  “Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11 

  “Eat, drink, and be merry…” (Ecclesiastes 8:15; Isaiah 22:13; Luke 12:19) 

  “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17)  

  “God will never give you more than you can handle” (Self-help, but a misquote of 1 Timothy 6:10)  

  “Speak these things into existence” (Self-help; there is no Scripture that supports this idea)  

  “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

   

   

• Were you surprised by how easy/difficult it is to confuse spiritually sounding ideas with Scripture?  

• Why does it matter that we know the difference?  

DISCOVER 

Read Titus 1:10-16 together as a group 

• In verse 10, what kind of people is Paul warning Titus about? What words does he use to describe them?  

• According to verses 10-11, why is false teaching so dangerous?  

• How have you seen false teaching derail either your own life or the life of someone you know?  

• Why do you think Paul uses such harsh language about how these false teachers should be handled?  

• What motivations make false teachers so harmful?  

APPLY  

• Discernment: Do you feel confident in your own ability to spot false teaching or spiritual half-truths? Why or why not? How can Scripture help?  

• Correction: How do you typically respond when you see someone drifting from truth? What would it look like to speak the truth in love?  

• Consistency: Does your daily life reflect your professed faith? What area might need to better align with your commitment to Jesus?  

RESPOND 

• Is there a time when you believed something that sounded spiritual but wasn’t actually biblical? What was the appeal of that lie?  

• Are there places in your life where you need to live more authentically in line with the gospel? Is there an area of your life where God wants to purify or make holy?  

• Challenge for this week (start right now): Identify one truth from Titus 1:10-16 that challenged or convicted you. Write it down and ask God to help you live it out in your home or community.  

GROUP PRAYER 

• Gratitude: Thank God for giving us the truth of His Word. 

• Discernment: Ask for discernment to recognize and reject false teaching.  

• Rebuke: Pray for courage to correct with love and for integrity to live a life that reflects Christ.  

CLOSING 

End by reading verse 16 aloud: 

“They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.”  

May we be people who profess and reflect the gospel—who hold fast to truth, correct in love, and live out what we believe in every area of life.  

Encourage the group to continue reading Titus 2 in preparation for next week.