Prayer

Getting to Know You:

Share your most recent answer to prayer with your group.

Going Deeper: 

Lindsay Taylor made the point that making a “kingdom impact” through prayer starts with abiding in Christ.

• Read John 15:1-18 together.
• What does it mean to “abide in Christ”? And how does abiding in Christ lead to prayer that makes a kingdom impact?
• Read Ephesians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. In our lives today, what stops us from praying in this way? How can we practically change this?

Read Ephesians 6:18 again, and also James 5:13-16 and Mark 11:20-26.

• These verses are clear that God can, and does, answer prayer with miracles. What are some guidelines in these verses for praying? How do we navigate the tension between praying in faith and the reality of how God might (or might not) answer our prayers?
  Lindsay said that God’s Word, not our feelings, needs to guide our prayers so that our prayers make a kingdom impact. In what ways do we tend to let our feelings guide our prayers? What does it look like, practically, for our prayers to be anchored in God’s Word?

Lindsay said that as followers of Jesus we are not ‘planted’ in this world to be ornaments, but rather to serve Him by bearing His fruit.

• In what ways do you struggle with ‘ornamentalism’?
• How can prayer help us live our lives not as Christian ornaments, but rather as Christians who are centered on Christ?

Taking it Home: “Knock on Heaven’s door” together as a group for specific requests, seeking God’s glory and kingdom to come.