Pray for All: The Universal Scope of the Gospel

In one paragraph

Pastor Nathan opened 1 Timothy 2:1-7 by asking the congregation a simple question: what is this passage actually about? His answer was that the passage is about the universal scope of the gospel, and he traced that single idea through every verse. He began by noting that the passage is a paragraph, not a list of proof texts, and that people tend to read it in pieces to support what they already...

Read together

1. 1 Timothy 2:1-7 the main passage preached through in full
2. 1 Timothy 1 referenced as the opening of the letter stating the aim of the charge is love from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith
3. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 quoted as the Shema to connect 'there is one God' in 1 Timothy 2 to the Jewish daily prayer
4. Galatians 4:4 quoted as 'at just the right time, in the fullness of time, Christ was born of a woman under the law'
5. John 14:6 quoted as 'I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, no one comes to the Father except through me' to support the one mediator claim
6. Philippians 3:8 Paul counted all things as rubbish compared to knowing Christ and the power of his resurrection
7. 1 John 1:9 quoted as assurance that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness
8. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 quoted during communion as the words of institution for the bread and the cup
9. Colossians 4:5-6 read as the benediction about being wise toward outsiders and conversation full of grace seasoned with salt

Talk about it

1. The pastor asked whether we have given up on praying for certain people or groups. Who comes to mind for you, and what has made it hard to keep praying for them?
2. The pastor said that people often read scripture looking for proof texts for what they already believe. Can you think of a time when you came to a passage with your mind already made up? What helped you read it differently?
3. The sermon described the problem in Ephesus as believers limiting the scope of their prayers, deciding certain people were beyond the reach of the gospel. What assumptions do we make today, in our own community, that might be doing the same thing?
4. The pastor said that God desires all people to be saved but does not interfere with free will, and that 'we are plan A, there is no plan B.' What does it do to the way you live your daily life if you take that seriously?
5. At communion the pastor said, 'I know that that person treated you wrong and you are right about it. They did treat you wrong. And it is not right before God. But you can still forgive them and you can still pray for them.' What makes that kind of grace feel possible, and what makes it feel impossible?