03 discipleship & prayer - small group bible study

8/13/2019 03 DISCIPLESHIP & Prayer - Small Group Bible Study

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DISCIPLESHIP: Small Group Bible Study

Discipleship and

PrayerNeither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me

through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me,

and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believethat thou hast sent me.

(John 17:20-21 KJV)

Lesson Three


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Sharing Studying Praying Witnessing

Intro...1.Welcome God's presence.2.Share the BEST and WORST thing that happened to you this

week.

If a need for prayer is expressed take time to pray for that

individual and need on the spot.

Key text...

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shallbelieve on me through their word; That they all may be one; as

thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in

us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

(John 17:20-21 KJV)

Scripture Passages...1 Samuel 12:23; Daniel 9:3; Matthew 7:7; 14:13-23; 23:36;

Mark 1:35; Luke 5:15-16; 6:12-13; John 17:20-21;

1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:13-20.

Todays World...Consider the following quotes and what they mean to you:

Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.Soren Kierkegaard

A boy who rises at 4:30 to deliver papers is considered a go-getter, but to urge our young people to rise at 5:30 to pray is

considered fanaticism. We must once again wear the harness of

discipline. There is no other way.Leonard Ravenhill

Our Daily Bread...Read carefully Matthew 14:13-21.


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We often marvel at the incredible display of power when we

read how Jesus fed thousands of people from only five loaves

and two fishes. However, what lessons on discipleship can welearn from the above account?

First, Jesus wants us to understand that His power knows no

boundaries, no matter how desperate our situation may be, He

can produce solutions that are beyond our imagination.

Second, He wants us to reflect on the fact that it was not He

who went through the famished crowd giving out food, but

rather His disciples. Thus, we learn that after we have spenttime with Jesus, we are to share with others what we

experience with Him.

Distributing so much food among so many people must have

taken quite a long time. As the disciples went around sharing

the food, they would run out of it and have to return to Christ

for more. Likewise, we must continually return to Jesus for

spiritual nourishment in order for us to witness to others.

Nothing can ever replace our time spent with Him, studyingHis Word, praying to Him, and listening to what He has to say

to us in return.

Prayerfully read Matthew 7:7, what assurance does Jesus give

you?

Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not

that it is necessary, in order to make known to God what we

are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not

bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.Ellen G.. White, Steps to Christ, p. 64.

Connecting...Carefully read Daniel 9:3; 1 Samuel 12:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:15-

16; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; and, James 5:13-20.


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Based on these passages and any others that come to mind,

what is the connection between prayer and discipleship?

Prayerfully read and analysis Mathew 14:22-23; 26:36; and Luke6:12-13.

What can we learn from Christ's example that we can

practically apply to our lives?

The work of discipleship includes interpersonal complexities

that cannot be anticipated or handled in our own wisdom and

strength. Multiple times in the gospel stories we find Jesus

retreating to solitary prayer before or after a major ministryevent. He would put physical distance between Himself and

the multitudes, creating space and time to receive wisdom and

strength from His Father.

Consider the following:

While engaged in our daily work, we should lift the soul to

heaven in prayer. These silent petitions rise like incense before

the throne of grace; and the enemy is baffled. The Christianwhose heart is thus stayed upon God cannot be overcome. No

evil arts can destroy his peace. All the promises of Gods word,

all the power of divine grace, all the resources of Jehovah, are

pledged to secure his deliverance . . .

Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual

power. . . . Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with

the Wellspring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of

the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or

engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems

convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual

faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health

and vigor. . . .

It is a wonderful thing that . . . unworthy, erring mortals

possess the power of offering their requests to God. What

higher power can man desire than thisto be linked with the


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infinite God? Feeble, sinful man has the privilege of speaking

to his Maker. We may utter words that reach the throne of the

Monarch of the universe. We may speak with Jesus as we walk

by the way, and He says, I am at thy right hand.

We may commune with God in our hearts; we may walk in

companionship with Christ. When engaged in our daily labour,

we may breathe out our hearts desire, inaudible to any human

ear; but that word cannot die away into silence, nor can it be

lost. Nothing can drown the souls desire. It rises above the din

of the street, above the noise of machinery. It is God to whom

we are speaking, and our prayer is heard.

Ellen G.. White, Messages to Young People, pp. 249-250.

Can You Hear Me Now...?We appear before God, present our petition, and depart. Next

time we do the same. We keep God informed in regard to our

status, tell Him of things that need attention, and having thus

delivered our souls, we close the interview. This we repeat day

after day. Is there nothing better?M. L Andreasen, The Sanctuary Service, p. 246.

What should we be praying for?


It cannot be denied that prayers of petition are a legitimate

form of prayer. We shall always need to ask God for the things

we desire. But it is to be emphasized that prayers of petition

are not to be the prevailing form of prayer. Prayers of praise,thanksgiving, and adoration must always have the pre-

eminence. Submissiveness to the will of God, complete

dedication to Him, and thorough' consecration would indicate

the form prayers should take. When our prayers are changed

from an effort to get God to do what we want into an intense

desire to find out what God wants, our prayers will not

habitually take the form of asking merely for things, and

demanding that God forthwith answer our prayers in the


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specific way we desire.

It would indeed be better for most of us to cease asking for

things for a while and concentrate our entire efforts on whatGod wants us to have or to be. When we find this out we are on

sure ground. Then we can ask of God, confident that His will is

to be done. The great problem confronting us is to find out

God's will, and then search our hearts to make sure that we

really want God's will to be ours.

Someone has said that prayers are an effort on the part of the

petitioner to have God change His mind. Many are making no

effort to find out what God wants, although they are very, clearthemselves on what they want. They are struggling with God.

They are agonizing in prayer. They are demanding of God what

they believe should be done. It does not occur to them that

the first thing to find out is, Does God really want me to have

the thing that I so much desire? Is it for my good? Is it God's

will? Has the time come for it to be done? Is there something I

must do first? Am I really willing to submit everything to God,

so that if He does not give me what I desire, I will be satisfied

and thank Him for what He does give; or am I really moreintent on getting what I want than I am on ascertaining God's

will?

It may be well to enumerate some things that prayer is not. It

is not a substitute for work. A Christian confronted with a hard

problem has a right to ask God's help and to expect that He

will respond. But this does not excuse him from hard, taxing

labour. God will strengthen the intellect; He will invigorate the

mind; but He will not accept prayer as a substitute for mental

effort or give to those who are merely slothful. Such as are

capable of learning the multiplication table and have the

opportunity to do so, must riot shun the effort necessary to

become proficient in numbers, trusting that God through

prayer will do for them that which will make unnecessary any

mental exertion. In most cases work and prayer go together.

Neither is sufficient in itself.


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Let it be emphasized that the aim of prayer is not to get God

to do something we want. Some apply worldly methods and

have a worldly philosophy in their approach to prayer. They

have learned that as far as the world is concerned, to getanything they must go after it, and so they take for granted

that to get anything out of God they must go after it. They act

as if God were not willing to grant their petition without a

great deal of coaxing, and seem to believe that by persistency

and wheedling they can get out of God what He would not

otherwise give them. They take the importunate widow (Luke

18:1-8) as their example, seeming not to realize that this

parable is given to show what God is not. No one can get out

of God what he desires merely by continually annoying Him.God is not like the unjust judge. He is a father, more willing to

give good gifts to His children than they are to receive them.

Wheedling, coaxing, cajoling, teasing, annoying mere

persistency does not avail with God.M. L Andreasen, The Sanctuary Service, pp. 242-244.

The impression must not prevail, however, that there is no

such thing as wrestling in prayer, or that we need only mention

to God once and for all what we want and it will beforthcoming. Prayer is not quite so simple as that. There is need

of agonizing, prevailing prayer. Prayer that goes to the heart of

the subject and is, not satisfied till lives and things are

changed. Jesus prayed all night; Jacob wrestled with the angel;

Daniel sought the Lord with prayer and fasting; Paul besought

the Lord again and again. We need not fewer prayers but more.

And we need to learn to pray in faith. This is a vital point.

Prayer is not monologue. It may be audible, or it may be theunspoken desire of the soul. In either case ideal prayer is

communion. Some people seem to consider prayer as merely a

means of informing God of certain things that need correction

and of which He is apparently unaware. They believe that God

is in danger of forgetting certain things, and their prayers take

the form of reminding God of what He should do. Having

called God's attention to the need as they see it, they feel that

they have done their duty. They have said their prayers, and


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with an Amen their conversation stops. It has been a

monologue entirely. They hope that God will use judiciously

the information which they have conveyed to Him, and that He

will do something about the matters concerning which theyhave prayed.

Such consider prayer a one-way communication, man

speaking to God. Yet this is not the highest form of prayer. In

true prayer God speaks to the soul as well as the soul to God.

True friendship will not last long where one habitually does all

the talking. In our prayers we often do this and expect God to

do the listening. And yet, may it not be possible that God

would like to communicate with us as well as we with Him?This He often does by bringing certain scriptures to our

remembrance. Is it too much to believe that after we have

offered an earnest prayer which we believe God in heaven has

heard, He might wish to say a word to us? Is it possible that

after we have said Amen, God is just ready to communicate

with us, but we get up from our knees and do not give God a

chance to speak? We hang up the receiver, as it were. We ring

off. Does the true Christian forever speak to God and God have

no message for him? It must be sinful to God to be shut outjust at the moment when He is ready to communicate with us.

It would seem that after this has happened several times, God

can come to no other conclusion than that we are not really

anxious to have communion with Him. We merely say our

prayers, and when we are done, we walk away. Such prayers

surely cannot be all that God means by communion.

Let us repeat, prayer is communion. It is more than

conversation; it is intimate fellowship. It is an exchange of

views and ideas. It presupposes sympathetic understanding

and confidence. It need not always be accompanied by words.

Silence may be more eloquent than torrents of oratory. It is

rather a kind of friendship grounded in quiet confidence and

assurance, unaccompanied by spectacular demonstrations or

outbursts.M. L Andreasen, The Sanctuary Service, pp. 244-246.


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Time some time to discuss your thoughts.

Reflections...Based on all of the above, how should prayer impact ourrelationship with God?

What can you accomplish by praying?

Take some time, to think about what you can do to make your

prayer life more meaningful.


The work of Christs disciples is to shine as lights, making

manifest to the world the character of God. They are to catch

the increasing rays of light from the word of God, and reflect

them to men enshrouded in the darkness of misapprehension

of God. The servants of Christ must rightly represent the

character of God and Christ to men. Says the apostle, Ye are a

chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a

peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of himwho hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

{RH, March 5, 1889}

Recommended Reading... Model prayers: Daniel 9:1-19; John 17; Ephesians 1:15-21; 3:16-19; Philippians 1-9-11; and Colossians 1:9-14.

The Privilege of Prayer,Steps to Christ, pp. 93-104, Ellen G.

White.https://egwwritings.org/

Break into twos or threes and pray for one anothers

needs, as well as for your friends and family...
https://egwwritings.org/https://egwwritings.org/

03 discipleship & prayer - small group bible study

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