The Amazing Power of Prayer
When God's People Pray • Sermon • Submitted
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Play DVD intro
Who are the people you would describe as men and women of prayer, and what evidence of the Holy Spirit’s equipping and empowerment have you seen in their lives? In what ways have you seen God use them to accomplish his work?
Within our church, I think of Ingrid Higgins and Sandra Lawrentz. Even through the difficulties they have faced, they stand firm in their belief and God has bless His work through them in the different ministries they have taken on.
DVD teaching segment
Listen for the following points as we listen to the teaching section of this lesson:
Prayer - made possible by the Holy Spirit
God’s work - accomplished as God pours out his Spirit
The need for ministry in prayer
A battle to proclaim God’s house as a house of prayer
“Lord, teach us to pray.”
Group Exploration
Jim pointed out that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray - not how to preach! What do you think is significant about their request?
To me, they realized without prayer behind their words, they would mean nothing. If they had the Holy Spirit on their side, they would be able to do mighty things. If they were able to ask the Father and have him lead them in what they were doing, they would be able to accomplish much. If they relied on themselves, little would be done.
How might the life and ministry of our churches change if we shared the disciples’ attitude and desire for prayer?
I think we would see a lot of our ministries begin to flourish. I think we would see more Sundays like we did this past week. I think ministries wouldn’t be about the people in them, but about the people who could be reached through them. I think we would see incredible growth within our congregation, not numerically (which I think would happen when people would see the change in peoples’ lives), but in their spiritual walk and the way they conduct themselves around people. Ministry wouldn’t be the option (notice I didn’t say church), but would be the mainstay. How I would love to see what God could do through a church like this.
Why do we need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to not only accomplish God’s work, but to pray for that work and how God wants us to participate in it?
As we go through our daily lives, it can be draining on us. A fresh dose of the Holy Spirit will give us fuel in our tanks to be able to accomplish the tasks God has in front of us. If we rely on ourselves, we are only going to do things that are humanly possible. When we rely on Him and the Spirit, that’s when things get exciting.
What happens when we lack the empowerment of the Spirit and try to depend on our own abilities and intellect?
I think we stated that up above. We only do things we are capable of within the power that we have to accomplish whatever task.
Jim says that prayer “isn’t a neat little think you control.” In fact, he presents it, in part, as work, travail, staying up all hours of the night in spiritual battle. How do these images compare with your understanding of the nature of prayer?
I relate to the staying up all night aspect of this. I’ve shared before about when I spent several nights in the bathroom, on the floor, praying for a situation. There have been other times. Don’t get me wrong in what I’m about to say, but I wish they were more often. Not in spiritual battle over things going on in the church, but spiritual battle over the people I know who are lost and how Satan keeps confusing the issues for them. For the people I see who are Christians whose lives don’t emulate that on the outside and causes confusion for the unsaved. These are the people and things I need to be agonizing over. If we did more of that, we wouldn’t be agonizing over matters of the church. I think our focus would be in the right place.
As you consider the biblical truths and experiences Jim shared in the video, what excites you about prayer?
The way prayer could change the landscape of our church. The way it could empower not only the leaders of our church, but the members themselves who are willing to be open to the Holy Spirit and His calling in their lives. They don’t have to go to the far reaches of Africa to do a huge work. They could do it in their own back yard if they are open and willing to be used by Him.
What are your concerns or fears about prayer?
The way prayer could change the landscape of our church. Time and again, Fairlawn had been at the doorstep of something amazing and incredible, but yet, something has always held us back. If we pull the trigger this time, are we ready for what that really means. Are we saying yes in our heads, but questioning in our hearts. Until we completely say yes, we are never really going to see the blessing that God has right in front of us.
Think of where we are at right now as a church. We have a pastor who, really compared to the rest of us, is a young Christian. You have people serving in roles they never saw themselves in before. We have people in leadership whom God is blessing. There are some things in our situation right now that we’ve never seen before, but yet there are some things that are very familiar to say, we’ve been here before. How are we going to make sure we don’t fall into the same issues we have before? How can we keep this spirit within the church moving? Oh to be the church, who in prayer, sought the heart of God. To pray for our leadership that God would reveal His path for us as a church and then trust that they are following that leadership and that we would wholly get on board and follow.
Bible Discovery
Let’s take a look at a few of the places where Jesus prayed, and the disciples witnessed what happened through prayer.
In , after a day at the synagogue Jesus went and prayed by himself early in the morning. The disciples went to look for him and when they found him, he told them they needed to go so he could share other places as well, to spread his teachings.
In & 4, the disciples witnessed the heavens opening up after he was baptized and prayed. They also witnessed what happened to him after the temptations he faced in the wilderness and how he came through those with the help and His Father.
In , crowds had heard about his healings and his preaching and they came to hear him. Yet there were times when he drew away so he could be alone in prayer.
In , we see when Jesus was choosing the twelve who he would spend the most time with, he went by himself to pray.
According to , what is our true source of power for accomplishing God’s work?
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
The Spirit of the Lord
Jim shared a powerful example of the Holy Spirit’s leading when he revealed details of his preparation for preaching in Indianapolis. such examples are not unusual when God’s people rely on the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to accomplish his work. Read to see an example of the power and leading of the Holy Spirit in the apostle Paul’s life.
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
What happened when Paul and his companions tried to enter the province of Asia to spread the gospel?
They were stopped. It doesn’t say how except for the Spirit wouldn’t allow them to go.
In what way did God eventually reveal his will to Paul? How did Paul respond?
A dream of a man from Macedonia asking for Paul to come help them.
They went without question.
Think about the way the Holy Spirit has revealed God’s will in your life. How did you respond to it, and how did it affect you?
DVD Prayer Story
Sometimes when we pray for people, we have no idea what the outcome for that person’s life is going to be. I’m sure when the lady who was praying for Sylvia had no idea she would become the prayer warrior she is today. It’s a result of the fervent prayers of another that Sylvia is who she is today.
What has Sylvia seen and experienced in her life that drives her to pray?
What are some of the distractions we have that keep us from hearing the Spirit and keep us from truly hearing Him?