COMPANION RESOURCES
Lesson for Sept. 20, 2020: Pray (1 Timothy 2:1-8)
“Does It Really Help to ‘Send Thoughts and Prayers’?” by David Faust (Lesson Application)
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Study Questions for Groups
By Michael C. Mack
1. What challenge did you face last week?
2. Were you an example of Christ for anyone this past week? If so, whom, and in what ways were you an example?
Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read 1 Timothy 2:1-8 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions.
Ask the third person to summarize the passage as if teaching a middle school small group about the topic.
3. What did you notice in this passage that you’ve never really noticed before?
4. Let’s look more closely at some of the details:
• How did Paul describe different forms of prayer?
• Whom and what are we to pray for?
• What can our prayers accomplish?
• How is prayer connected to people’s salvation?
• What attitudes are involved in effective prayer?
5. What do you learn about God (and what he desires from his children) from this passage?
6. What do you learn about yourself (and your value to God)?
7. What do you learn from this passage that will help you go deeper in your prayer life?
8. For whom will you pray this week, that this person will “be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth”?
9. Based on our study and discussion, complete this sentence: “This week, I will . . .”
10. What challenges do you anticipate this week?
For next week: Over the next week, read and reflect on 1 Timothy 3:1-16; 5:17-22 as we continue studying 1 Timothy and the theme, “Build Christ’s Church.” You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
Author: Michael C. Mack
Michael C. Mack is editor of Christian Standard. He has served in churches in Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Kentucky. He has written more than 25 books and discussion guides as well as hundreds of magazine, newspaper, and web-based articles.
