02 Prayer and Posture for a Missional People

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Multi-Generational Curriculum starting in September (May skip around if not meeting weekly)

TODAY: annual meeting to ratify new council

SVC Partnerships being received today.

Annual Meeting to Ratify (13.5.I): Jake Ziegler and Sonya DeWitt

“State of the church” will come in September as we celebrate the prior year and look forward to the next.

TODAY: Ice-cream social

*CHURCH UPDATES: Digital and paper connect Card

sangamonvalley.net/ConnectCard and paper connect Card

Text keyword “ConnectCard” to 217-583-1112

Giving: box, web, app, mail

DECLARATION:

Ephesians 2:20–22 (ESV)

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Our church family is built by God, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.

We are joined together by union with Christ, we are growing, we are a dwelling place of God by his Spirit, and we are missionaries.

Prayer for...

INTRODUCTION:

Review: Developing Missionaries: The Paul & Timothy Way

WHAT IS THE REASON WHY THIS MESSAGE IS BEING SHARED / WHAT IS THE PROBLEM THIS MESSAGE IS ANSWERING?…

BIG IDEA FOR TODAY: Missional people are prayerful people—submitted, humble, and full of faith.

Opening Scripture:

1 Timothy 2:1–2 “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.”

Paul again doesn’t begin with systems. He begins with prayer—the foundation of all mission.

Pray for All Because the Gospel Is for All (vv.1–7)

Paul uses four words for prayer—supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings. Why? Because different kinds of prayer shape different parts of our hearts.

We pray for leaders, not because we agree with them, but because the gospel must go forward through peaceful lives, not political strife.

1 Timothy 2:3–7 “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.”

God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v.4).

First and Second Timothy and Titus The Sovereignty of God

Does God’s will [Sovereignty] preclude [make impossible] the free will of the creatures?

Our prayer life must reflect the expansiveness of God’s heart.

TRANSITION: Reflection - Is your prayer life as wide as God’s love? Do you pray for people who are hard to love?

Prayer Requires Submission and Humility

1 Timothy 2:8–12 “8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.”

v. 8 → Prayer is not just words—it’s posture.

The verses speak to posture in worship—submission, modesty, learning in quietness—not because of suppression, but because of mission.

OPTIONAL: WIML (vv. 11-12)

Complementarians see this as a timeless restriction on women in leadership. (Except: Leading Worship thru Music)

Egalitarians see it as culturally bound, especially in light of other NT verses showing women as teachers (e.g., Priscilla in Acts 18:26), prophets (e.g., Acts 21:9; 1 Corinthians 11:5), and even apostles (e.g., Junia in Romans 16:7). These examples suggest that Paul did not universally prohibit women from leading or teaching, but was likely addressing a particular issue in the Ephesian church.

The phrase v. 11 “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority” may be a hendiadys, meaning “to teach in a domineering way.” (cf. false teachers)

Not all instructions in Chapter 2 are universally enforced today (e.g., hairstyles, lifted hands in prayer).

In a culture of self-assertion, Paul reminds the church that true power is found in humility.

TRANSITION: The way we carry ourselves in the church affects the way we represent Jesus to the world.

The Church’s Witness Is Shaped by Its Posture.

1 Timothy 2:13–15 “13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”

Paul roots this in Jewish tradition on creation: God’s order is not about hierarchy but about responsibility.

Eve was deceived, but women are not disqualified—they are called to faith, love, holiness, and self-control (v.15).

***Adam was also a transgressor (Romans 5:14 “14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.”)*

The point is this: the church's credibility in the world is formed by how we treat each other—with dignity, discipline, and love.

Reflection: Do people see your faith and feel your posture as peaceful, godly, and respectable?

WHAT IS THE PICTURE OR ILLUSTRATION FOR THIS BIG IDEA?

Big Idea: Missional people are prayerful people

The Posture of a Messenger Imagine a royal messenger preparing to carry a message to the king. They do not barge into the throne room casually—they kneel, they prepare, they approach with reverence and purpose.

Similarly, missional people approach God in prayer and in humility. This is then how we also approach the world.

Our spiritual posture shapes our impact.

“Before we stand before people with the gospel, we go (kneel/stand) before God in prayer.”

Conclusion/Reflection:

The mission of God is not advanced by loud opinions or public platforms—it is advanced by a humble posture and people who know how to pray, listen, and live with godly integrity.

“You can’t reach the world if you can’t stand for the world.”

Talk It Over

Is your life creating space for prayer—not just as a habit but as a mission strategy?

Are you living with a posture of humility, submission, and peace?

Who can you pray for this week that stretches your comfort zone and reflects God’s heart for all people?