1 Timothy 2:1-7

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1 Timothy 2:1–7 ESV

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

We are living in a day and age where our culture is hostile to anyone claiming to know the truth. And this is because those who are hostile or angry want to live and want others to live anyway that they please. There are no moral absolutes and everyone is free to determine how they want to live, so many live in such a way that there are no rules and even sometimes laws. They hate when someone else imposes on their beliefs or tells them what is right and wrong. Knowing this can often times make it tough for believers to share their faith with others because we know that our message is absolute truth. The fourth chapter of Acts tells us this.

However, the gospel of Matthew tells us that we should go and make disciples regardless of anyone’s background, race, economic status or any other distinction. So, the absolute and even exclusive claims of the gospel should be made known to all nations and people. We as a church cannot and must not ignore the many needs all around us either.

So, Paul reminds Timothy here in our passage that our hearts need to line up with God’s heart as we pray for the Local church to proclaim the good news of Christ.

Verse 1 = Paul now begins to lay out a foundation for the gospel. As we saw in chapter 1 of this letter we see that Paul commands Timothy and the church to guard the gospel, to celebrate it and to fight for it. So, based on that foundation, Paul begins to give some practical advice to the church here in chapter 2. Notice the words here First of all. What this shows us is the importance of this exhortation. So, if we are to guard and fight for the gospel everything begins with PRAYER!

We as God’s people as well as God’s church are on a mission to help those who don’t know Christ and who are destined to hell to explain to them the good news of Christ. So, as a follower of Christ, we need to begin by praying for those around us, in our community and even around the world to be saved. Prayer should be one of the easiest things that we can do as Christians. Prayer is just speaking to the Lord and asking the Lord to save those around us and even presidents, kings, queens and rulers. So, let’s address the whom we are to pray for.

Before we do this notice that Paul uses 4 different words for prayer.

-Supplications are our petitions. This prayer comes about because there is a great need. Often times we lay our our petitions or prayer requests before God because we all have important needs that we want God to answer or take care of for us. But here we know that the need is for lost people to come to know Christ.

-Prayers. This would be in general. Our prayer requests or anything that God brings to our mind we should seek Him about.

-Intercessions. Intercessory prayers are often prayers that God brings to our hearts and minds and then we tell him.

-Thanksgivings. This type of prayer would be a time where we thank God for what He has done and for all His goodness.

So, Whom are we to pray for ?

First we are to pray for all people or every kind of person. The point here is not that we are to stop and pray for the whole world by name everyday. No, what Paul had in mind here was all kinds of people. As this church was made up of Jews and Gentiles, Paul was telling them to pray for one another. As a church where false teachers were limiting salvation to a small group of elite people or special people, Paul wanted these believers to understand not to limit their prayers for certain individuals. Prayer should never be about the elite, or national or selective group. Paul wants us to see here that there is no category of person you should not pray for.

The second item Paul wants us to pray for is leaders in high positions. This again would be within the category of all kinds of people. Paul wanted the church here at Ephesus to pray for the kings and all those who had authority. We see this clearly down in verse 2. The reason why this is so incredible is because when we stop and consider what Paul is saying here is rather tough. Remember that Paul is writing this letter while the church is under persecution during the reign of Nero, a Roman emperor who violently persecuted Christians. Historians believe that he would tar them and light the up by fire at night to light his garden. So, Paul is telling them to pray for these pagan leaders. We too today are to pray for the king or president even if we do not agree with them. We are to pray for the rulers that we do not approve of. For this is God’s will.

First Question = So, why is this so tough for us to do?

-Because of politics and policies.

-Because we are angry and upset.

And yet God’s Word tells us that we are to love others including our enemies and even pray for them. So, we should also pray for our vice-president. Pray for your senators, governor and other elected officials. We should also be praying for leaders and countries like Israel, Iran, Iraq, Egypt and their leaders. The Bible tells us to pray for those in authority. I think it is so easy for many of us including me to get mad and upset when i look out and see what is happening in our world. Paul told the Christians at Ephesus to pray, but he was not telling them to pray for Nero that he would get eaten by a lion or tiger or be thrust thru with a spear but more importantly for his salvation.

Now Paul not only tells us to pray and whom we should pray for, but he also tells us here what to pray for. When I was younger I remember coming to my Mom and asking here what exactly should I pray for? Paul here lays out some specifics. In fact, the specific instructions were to pray for the leaders so that we can lead a peaceful and quiet life that is godly and dignified in every way. So, what exactly does all that mean right???

1. One goal of our praying is to pray for peace when there is persecution. We pray for our leaders in such a way that promotes peace and consequently allows the church to grow in the Lord. This growing is not necessarily in opposition to the state but under the protection of the state. Those who God has placed under authority should provide peace for the church and allow us to proclaim the gospel freely however this has not always happened throughout history.

There was a time where Paul was writing during the Pax Romana. This was a time of Roman peace that did allow the gospel to spread across the Roman Empire. So, in the context of peace Christians can freely live out the call of Christ and share Him with others.

In our day and age we still have in this country a freedom and privilege of living out the implications of the gospel freely among those around us. So, I want to encourage you to continue to pray for this peace.

Question number 2. What happens again if the government tells us that we cannot meet together?

2. The second goal in our praying should be for the salvation of the persecutors. We should pray that rulers and even persecutors would come to the knowledge of truth as verse 4 says. John Chrysostom, one of the early church fathers said, “You are less likely to despise and react negatively against persecutors when you pray for them. When you do this you can actually begin to care for and even love them.” Wow!!! what an incredible statement. Begin to pray today for the leaders of North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other foreign countries that are known to persecute Christians.

Do you find that it comes easy or hard to pray?

2. As you think about the different kinds of people that God has placed in your life, how do you pray for them differently or the same?

3. Do you find that your prayers can affect your attitude toward those who are in authority over us?

4. What advantages do we as Americans have compared to those in other countries when it comes to sharing the gospel?