CHURCH ONLINE GUIDE
JANUARY 24
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Weekly Application
• TAKEAWAY: Prayer is not linear, its cyclical.
• HEAD CHANGE: Prayer causes things to happen that would not happen if we don’t pray.
• HEART CHANGE: Prayer changes us into the kinds of people willing to do God’s will.
• LIFE CHANGE: Pray to God from a place of relationship and relinquishment.
Overview
In one of his more famous quotes, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Prayer is an essential part of our faith in Jesus. We learn through the teachings of Jesus that we pray to God, in the name of Jesus. It is because of what Jesus has done on your behalf that you have access to God, as your father. To say that’s incredible is a gross understatement and yet, prayer is still a bit of a mystery to us. The Bible called people to such disciplines as fasting, prayer, worship, celebration, and study; but gave almost no instruction about how to do them. Those disciplines were practiced and were such a part of the general culture that the “how to” was common knowledge. It is not common anymore. However, Jesus gave us a model prayer that today we refer to as, The Lord’s Prayer, and in it we find what Pastor Jordan refers to as, “The Cycle of Prayer” where we begin to learn how to pray effectively and learn that prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance but rather laying hold of His willingness.
“Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act...”
-Psalms 37:7 (NLT)-
Discussion Questions
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What is your typical default response when you are faced with a challenge or attack? How quickly do you turn to prayer in those moments?
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When we relinquish our will to God’s will, God empowers us to work with Him…to establish His Kingdom! What would it look like practically for you to relinquish your will to Gods will? How do you think that would further establish God’s Kingdom on earth?
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It takes intentionality to develop a powerful prayer life. For many of us, it also takes letting go of our idea of what prayer “should” look like and simply sitting before God exactly as we are. What is one thing you can do this week to further grow in prayer?
Close in Prayer
Father, we want to partner with you. Give me wisdom to see your will more clearly and the courage to relinquish my own. I ask that you continue teaching me more about prayer so that I may know you better. As a community at Ethos, empower us to do your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
