February 9, 2025

How to Be "We"

When "Me" Hurts "We"

Icebreaker:
What's something that's unique about who you are?
Discussion
This week we're looking at 2 Timothy 2:14-3:5.

1. Take some time to recall with each other who Timothy is. What is his relationship to Paul, and what is his role?
   ​Leader note: Timothy is Paul's emmisary to various churches in Asia Minor, functioning as a pastor of sorts, equipping the people to grow in their faith and become healthy churches. He has served in Thessalonica, Corinth, Philippi, and now, when he received the 2 letter from Paul, he is in Ephesus
   
2. What were the types of "false teachers" that Paul, Titus, and Timothy dealt with in these various churches?
   Leader note:
   
   1. Judaizers: They were more on the "conservative" side, trying to convince the people to still follow all the rules of Judaism—very legalistic.
   2. Early Gnostics: They were more on the "liberal" side, bringing Hellenistic Greek philosophy into the Christian faith. One thing they were pushing as noted in this passage is that they denied the teaching of the future resurrection of the dead—a standard Jewish (Old Testament) and also now Christian doctrine. Instead, they claimed the resurrection was an allegorical resurrection for each of us when we came to saving knowledge ("gnosis") of Jesus Christ.
      
   3. Religious Profiteers: They were the ones who went around preaching the name of Jesus for the sake of profit.
      
   4. "Grace abusers" (Jim's words): These were mostly Greeks who really liked their immoral lifestyles and tried to claim Christ's grace for their sins without changing their lives to pursue righteousness.
      
3. All these people were in the churches, along with those who were truly wanting to follow Jesus. What kinds of conflicts do you think came up?
4. Read the following passages and identify Paul's instructions to Timothy about handling these conflicts. Some of these are specific to Timothy and teachers or leaders like him. Others are, by implication, also instructions for all disciples.
   
   1. 2 Timothy 2:14-16
      
      1. Have you ever experienced any of these?
         
      2. How can they be divisive and harmful to a church community?
   2. 2 Timothy 2:22-26
      1. Have you ever experienced any of these vices?
      2. How can they be divisive and harmful to a church community?
      3. Have you ever experienced any of these virtues?
      4. How can they be helpful to a church community?
   3. 2 Timothy 3:2-5
      1. How can these vices be harmful to a church community?
      2. What would it look like to "have nothing to do with such people" while also loving your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39), accepting one another (Romans 15:7), and being "humble and gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love," (Ephesians 4:2), etc.?

Prayer
During tonight's prayer, please pray for your church—that God would protect it, work through it in our community, and teach us "How to Be We." Take time to ask for personal prayer requests and pray for each other.