When Paul was giving instructions on public worship, he started with what seemed obvious to him: prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-4). And that includes praying for politicians, good and bad. Here’s how to do it
Talking Points:
- Don’t pray against your leaders; pray for them. This goes for non-Christian leaders too – just like it did in Paul’s day. 1 Timothy 2:1
- Pray that our government doesn’t make it hard for Christians to be Christians. 1 Timothy 2:2
- Pray that more people would come to know Jesus, no matter who is in power. 1 Timothy 2:3-4
- Pray with confidence, not with anger. And don’t stir up controversy with your prayer. 1 Timothy 2:8
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- On a scale from 1-10, how involved are you in matters related to politics? What encourages you to care and what discourages you from getting involved?
- Read 1 Timothy 2:1. How have you viewed the leaders of our nation? Why should we pray for our leaders, even those that don’t care about biblical values?
- Read 1 Timothy 2:2. What are some of the rights you care to keep as a Christian? How have you seen our political system start to infringe on those rights?
- Read 1 Timothy 2:3-4. How can Christians get sidetracked politically and forget about what really matters?
- Read 1 Timothy 2:8 and Romans 13:1-2. What does it look like to respect our governing authorities? How can we guard against becoming angry and divisive about politics?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
