Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Key Points
- In the Kingdom of God, power is perfected in weakness.
- Prayer has the power to bring peace and freedom to us and to others.
- There is power in our coming together as a church family in prayer and worship.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
-Colossians 4:2 ESV
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: How do you sense we are living in an age of power? What about the time and place Jesus was born into – how was it marked by power?
2: Reflect on the life of Jesus. How did Jesus come into the world? How did Jesus die?
3: How did Jesus live his life between his birth and his death? In other words, how would you describe the day-to-day posture, attitude, and character of Jesus?
4: What role did prayer play in Jesus’ life?
5: Many people talk about “the power of prayer,” but what does that mean? Why is prayer powerful?
6: Read Colossians 4:2-6. What do you think it means to be “watchful” in prayer? How does the call to steadfast, watchful prayer relate to the call to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders?”
7: How is Jesus an embodiment of this week’s paradox, “weakness in an age of power?” How is God inviting you to embrace weakness in an age of power this week?
8: Ask God to place 7 names on your heart of people you can pray for this week. As the Holy Spirit writes names on your heart, use the guide below to assign one name to one day of the week. Then, intercede in prayer for one person each day this week.
Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Pray
Lord Jesus, thank you for showing us who God is, and who we were created by God to be. Thank you for the gift of prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit who often intercedes for us in prayer. Holy Spirit, teach us to intercede for others in prayer, too. Forgive us for disregarding prayer in our desire for power. Help us to believe when we are weak, you are strong, and your power is perfected in our weakness.
