5 Talking Points: 1 How Jesus Prayed 2 Prayer in the Name of Jesus 3 Prayer For our Country and Leaders 4 Prayer With Others 5 Prayers of Petition
Segment One: How Jesus Prayed & Prayer in the Name of Jesus
-How Jesus Prayed: "To be more like Him, pray the same way - Jesus often prayed alone undisturbed" (Luke 5:16: "So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.") Prayed with Others - Prayed For Others (Luke 22:31) -"Relationship with God personal, not private" - Prayed before meals (Luke 22:19) - Jesus prayed at night - Gave God thanks and glory (Matthew 11:25) - Prayed for God's will (Matthew 26:39) - Prayed for Himsel (John 17:1-2) - Jesus Prayed till the end (Luke 23:46) - Jesus prays for us today "Calling to God on our own would be like ants apeaking to humans," says Richard T. Foster. "We need an interpreter...a go-between." (1Timothy 2:5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus)
-Jesus' Prayer Instructions for US: Pray daily - Pray that others would know Him - Prayer for your enimies: Pg 88 "Oh, Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not only remember the suffering they have inflicted on us; remember the fruits we bought, thanks to this suffering: our comradeship, our loyltay, our humility, the courage the generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this. And when they come to judgement, let all the fruits that we have borned be their forgiveness."- note left by a child at Revensbruck Nazi concerntration camp.
- Pray In His Name "Pray in full assurance of the great work Christ accomplished."- Encouraged to pray with others (Matthew 18:19) - Pray Persistently "pray and do not give up." - Pray to overcome temptation (Matthew 26:40) - Pray in secret - Keep It Simple - Be Humble
-Prayer in the Name of Jesus: Many faith groups make the sign of the Cross saying, "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
-John 14:12-14 - Pg 92 "We all have the authority to use Jesus' name for specific purposes outlined by Jesus in the book of Mark" (Mark 16:17-18)
-When to Use Jesus' Name in prayers? "Use His name any time we wish to exercise our rights as beleivers," Dr. Tan.
Segment Two: Prayer For Our Country and Our Leaders- "How many of us ask God daily to protect and heal our country? Or pray for the people who are elected leaders?" - It is An Obligation (1 Timothy 2:1-2 )
-Join The Crowd" Other prayer groups such as "National Day of Prayer" and "See You at The Pole" youth oriented.
-Add elected officials to your prayer list, pick someone special - Make prayer specific "Leadership takes a lot of vision...'without vision, my people will parish'."
- Pg 96 "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for that day." Abraham Lincoln.
Segment Three: Prayers With Others & Prayer of Petition
-Prayers With Others: "How may we pray with others?" - In agreement - in joyful praise - in unison - when separate (distance does not matter) - with technology - in an audience - aloud in a group - in silence - with a rosary - Lord's prayer recited.
-1Thessalonian 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." Hebrews 10:24 Support One Another
-Nurture A Shared Prayer Life 1 Corithians 14:26, 31
"Praying with others imparts a richness to prayer life that it otherwise would lack." Pg 99 "Numerous studies have found that there are health benefits gained from the sense of community that religious activites such as group prayer foster in those who regularly do them," points out relighion and health researcher and physicain Harold G. Koenig, MD.
-Prayer of Petition- "asking for" most common type of prayer. - We can ask but not to make God a "Mr. Fix-it" only. Not a sign of a mature relationship - "God wants His children to enjoy His company."
-When to ask? When there is a legitimate need. - Check motives: James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures," James, Jesus' brother
-Pg 101 From his book "How to Pray" R.A. Torrey writes, "A selfish purpose in prayer robs prayer of power
-Ask in Jesus' Name - Find Supporting Scripture 1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."
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