Bible Journaling: 1 Timothy

In this first letter from Paul to Timothy, we will discover new and creative ways to engage the Word. This letter offers practical pastoral advice to Timothy as a young church leader - how does that apply to us today? Look up the meaning of the word ‘pastoral / pastor’ to help you reflect on what this looks like in your own life.

For a broader view of this book of the Bible, we encourage you to watch this video:

Bible journaling tip: 

If you have a favorite Bible verse, bring that to mind. If not, think about a verse that has recently made a big impact on you. Our tip for today is to capture a Bible verse through using photography. If the Bible verse is about how God’s word is everlasting, a photo like the one below can capture that. The flowers will die and dry up, but the Word will remain. How can you show your verse in your photo?

LOOK UP (information): encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

Paul had a big passion for church unity. A lot of his letters to the churches were written to end conflict and to bring the truth about Jesus that will lead to love and peace. Pause for a moment and reflect on your own experience with church - why do you think people get hurt by churches?

Audience:

Paul addresses Timothy in the first few lines of this letter like this: “To Timothy my true son in the faith”. Why do you think Paul calls Timothy his true son in the faith? What is the significance of the word ‘son’ throughout the rest of the New Testament? What does it mean to be a son or child in the faith?

History:

We can read about how Paul met Timothy in Acts 16. Paul was a mentor and leader to Timothy who eventually sent him on missions to support some of the churches. Timothy was sent to one of the churches where people were developing a lot of weird opinions about Jesus and teaching things about the Kingdom that were not true. Can you find some examples of this throughout the book?

Genre:

Paul sent this letter with Timothy to give him vision for the mission that he was sent on. Can you identify 5 reasons why Timothy was sent to this church?

LOOK IN(revelation): contemplate / reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

1 Timothy 3:16 NIV

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

Inspiration:

True godliness is not something that we have to summon from within ourselves, it is a natural spring that is found in Jesus. Notice how the Gospel is described in a simple 6-part sentence here by Paul. Can you try to write your own 1-sentence version of the Gospel? This is something we need to practice because it is the most important thing in the world to share.

LOOK OUT(transformation): respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

In chapter 2, there is a big focus on prayer. Paul focuses especially on praying for peace in the land - We need to also pray for our cities, countries, and leaders in this way. For today’s drawing prompt we will be painting prayer prompts. 

First, cut a paper into circles like in the picture above. Then, think of all the areas of life or people that you want to pray for and symbolize each one of them on a circle. For example, you can pray for a family member who needs healing, and for a new job opportunity. Remember to follow Paul’s advice and also create a prayer prompt for your president or community leaders. 

Bible Journey with HolyJot:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the HolyJot community. 

• Who are Christians to pray for, according to Paul? (I Timothy 2:1-2)
• Why are Christians to pray for all that, is mentioned in verses one and two? (I Timothy 2:2)
• What better reason do we have for praying for all men? (I Timothy 2:3)

Follow this link to dive into this book with an online Bible Study group.

Writing prompt:

In the letter of 1 Timothy, we find 3 short poems written by Paul. Read them in 1:17; 3:16 and 6:15-16. For today’s writing prompt, we are going to use the form of these poems to create our own. Remember that this letter was originally written in the Greek language, so we have lost much of the shape and rhythm through translation. Can you rewrite these 3 poems by Paul so that they do not just look like sentences?

For example:

He appeared in the flesh,                  = Jesus came as a person
    was vindicated by the Spirit,          = the Spirit made him clean
was seen by angels,                          = the Son of heaven
    was preached among the nations, = by the whole world seen

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for the book of 1 Timothy. Thank you for this reminder about the Gospel message and how it should affect my day to day life. Let my response to this text be worship unto you!