Life Groups // Winter 2025 // Week 6
Posted February 14, 2025 — Lincoln Berean
A Church That Prays, A God Who Saves // 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Introduction
This week Pastor Ryan took us into chapter 2 of Paul’s first letter to Timothy where he addresses how and why we should pray and conduct ourselves particularly with regards to those in authority over us, those who do not follow Jesus and our mission as worshippers of the God desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
We invite you to look over all the questions on the following pages and write your thoughts down before you meet with your group. Some people even use these questions to take notes during the sermon. The questions are meant to stir your thinking and prompt open discussion, and we do not expect you will cover every question each week.
Warm Up (Suggested time: 30 min)
1) When you were a kid, what kind of life did you hope/dream of having when you grew up?
2) If you could live your life all over again, would you? Explain your answer.
Getting Started
Transition into group discussion.
1. Open group discussion with prayer. Here are a few potential prayer items:
a. For the Spirit of God to lead you in truth
b. For the fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in your lives
c. For grace to hear and apply what the Spirit says to you
2. Choose someone to read the passage aloud for the group.
Study Questions (Suggested time: 40 min)
1) How is what we are experiencing at the weekend worship services affecting your everyday life? Can you see yourself becoming more like Jesus to some degree because of your participation in worship, the teaching of the scriptures and community? If so, how? If not, why not?
2) A key word to notice in our passage is the word “all”. It is used 5 times in these 7 verses! What do you think Paul is trying to emphasize by using “all” that many times?
What do we learn about God from 1 Timothy 2:3-6?
If we truly believe that God desires all people to be saved, how would that affect how we treat everyone in every circumstance?
3) Pastor Ryan mentioned that when Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, it is likely that Nero, a bloodthirsty ruler who slaughtered Christians for sport, was in power in Rome. How does that affect the power of Paul’s words?
At one point in Israel’s history the nation was in exile in Babylon. The people were longing for Babylon to be overthrown so they could go home again. During this waiting period, the prophet Jeremiah tells them they should settle down, live a normal life and pray to God on behalf of Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4-7). How does this affect the way you hear Paul’s words?
What can we learn from Christians around the world who live under oppressive regimes?
4) Thinking through the context of our passage, why are we commanded to pray for kings and those in authority over us? Compare our passage with Paul’s words in Romans 13:1-7 and Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:13-17.
How would you characterize your own activity (or lack thereof) in prayer for all people and for those in authority?
5) Paul states his reason for this command as, “that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity”. Have you considered qualities like tranquility (peacefulness), quietness and dignity to be key values to a God-honoring lifestyle? Why or why not?
What does a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and holiness look like?
Reflect for a moment on the last comment you made or discussion you had (in person or online) about those in authority in your context. How would you describe your response? If tranquil and quiet aren’t apt descriptions, what might be a reason for that?
Are people drawn to following Jesus by a tranquil and quiet life? Explain your thoughts.
Personal Spiritual Exercises
Just like physical exercises help strengthen and stretch our bodies for healthy living, these spiritual exercises are meant to move us spiritually in ways that may be new so we might experience inner growth. Since God longs for us to experience Him with our whole selves—mind, body, spirit—we invite you along each week to strengthen your souls with suggestions and prompts.
Scripture Focus: Take time to slowly read 1 Peter 2:11-17 several times this week. Listen for what the Holy Spirit may be wanting to emphasize to you. Consider reading the passage aloud as sometimes we hear scripture differently when it is read aloud. Respond to the Holy Spirit by writing at least 2 sentences in your journal.
Prayer Focus: Follow Paul’s command from our passage this week. Pray by name for those around you who don’t know Jesus. Pray for those in authority (the leaders of our church, our mayor, our governor, our congressional representatives, our president). Pray to God on behalf of our nation.
Prayer (Suggested time: 20 min)
A significant part of “coming together” is being open and honest with our lives. Sitting in a group of people for prayer may be new or it may be familiar to you. If you would rather not pray aloud when it is your turn, feel free to pray silently and then say “Amen” aloud signaling the next person in the group to pray. Whether or not you choose to verbalize your prayer, everyone is a participant in sharing this time before God together.
Take a few moments to prepare a prayer request. What did the message, working through the above questions or the discussion cause you to notice about your own relationship with Jesus? Would you be willing to share your prayer request with the group?