First Priority - Prayer

For September 19, 2010

It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader.  The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. 

The letters to Timothy were probably written after Paul’s lifetime by someone who was familiar with his teachings. It was written at a time in which the faithful had come to terms with the fact that Jesus’ return was not imminent. They formed faith communities which would have had questions and sought guidance for their life together their relationship with the world in which they lived. This scripture contains some advice typical of that found in the two letters: It was also a time with many different interpretations of Christ; who he was and what his presence meant, all competing to be the mainstream Christian theology.

1 Timothy 2
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
4-7He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

Prayer

· How important does prayer seem to be to the writer? What is your personal experience; how important has prayer been to your faith journey? If prayer brings so many benefits why does it seem that we need to be encouraged to pray; what keeps it from being self evident and contagious?

Martha Grace Reese has written in Unbinding the Gospel:

After years of talking with pastors and laypeople in churches that are thriving and churches that are failing, I am clear that the only way to do ministry successfully, to lead a church or to live a life in today’s United States is to pray deeply. We must hand ourselves over to God in clear-headed, accountable, non-naïve prayer. We need to rely as much on God for pragmatic guidance as we can stand! Without God vividly in the mix, we drift, life declines.

· What is your reaction to her conclusion? How do you feel about the role of prayer in our faith community’s life? Do you feel that we have grown in the past year in relying on prayer? How? What else should we be doing?

· Do you think that these words can also apply to our personal prayer life? Is it really natural to rely as much on God for pragmatic guidance as we can stand?

· How do you feel about praying with others? Is this something we should strive for in our personal and congregational prayer lives?

Pray For Everyone You Know

· What person has given you the most personal grief in the recent past? How do you feel about praying for them and what would you pray for?

· What group or groups do you feel most threaten us as a country? What might we pray for them and ourselves?

· What is the purpose of praying for everyone? Could it be the first words from verses 4-7, “He wants not only us but everyone saved”? How should this impact the nature of our prayers?

Pray For Our Rulers

· What was the environment for Christians at the time; what percentage of the population were they, how were they treated, what influence did they have in society? What role did the people have in the selection and influence on their rulers and governments?

· Based on the above realities what reason is given for praying for their leadership; what does the writer want for them?

· What should we include in our prayers for the government in today’s reality? How should a spiritual person connect with the politics and policies of governing the country? Should we be seeking going quietly about our business or something else? Should one of our prayers be for Christian leadership or something else?

Salvation

· One of the major reasons for prayer is seeking salvation for all, what are some of the reasons scripture and sermons say we should be seeking salvation? What has been your experience with personal salvation; what have you connected with as benefits during your faith journey?

· What do you think is behind it all, why does God provide for and desire that all find salvation?

· What is the path to salvation given to us by the writer? If you were to describe your path to salvation what words would you use and what has helped you move closer to God?

· Should we pray for people who are devoted to God through another faith? Should we be concerned about them? In the end who sets the terms of any individual’s salvation and what should our role be in supporting other seekers?

Closing Prayer

O Holy Spirit impart to us thoughts higher than our own, and prayers better than our own, and powers beyond our own, that we may spend and be spent in the ways of love and goodness. Amen. Eric Milner-White

Next Week’s Scriptures: Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16. 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:19-31

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