This week we begin a 9-week series entitled ’Praying Together’; this series is loosely based upon the book and course, ‘The Prayers of many’ by Mike Betts. During this series, we want to learn about the importance of corporate prayer.
‘They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.’ (Acts 1:14)
SUMMARY: We will make the required sacrifices in order to pray together if we believe the promises of God about the power of praying together.
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After the ascension of Christ into heaven, we can see that the members of the first church were incredibly devoted to praying and being together. They were described as being 'all joined together constantly in prayer…’ I’m sure that this group numbering about a hundred and twenty had a range of demands upon their lives; some would have been mothers with small children. Some would have been busy with work. There would have been a range of ages. However, somehow, ‘they all joined together constantly in prayer.’ Why were they so motivated to prioritise this? One major contributing factor to this devoted community was that they listened to and believed Jesus. We read earlier in the narrative:
‘On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)
He told them ’do not leave Jerusalem’ so they stayed. He told them ‘wait for the gift [of the Spirit]’ so they waited. They listened to Jesus. They believed His promise. That’s why they were faithful in praying together.
The same is true today: Jesus makes great promises for those who pray, both individually and together in community. Our willingness to make the necessary sacrifices to prioritise prayer depends on our willingness to listen to Him and believe in His promises.
RESPONSE - Allow the promises in God’s word to motivate us to pray together.
Do you allow the promises of God to drive your lifestyle? Specifically, will you believe His promises around praying with others? For example, Jesus tells us:
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)
We need God’s voice to fuel our faith. We will make the required sacrifices in order to pray together if we believe the promises of God about the power of praying together.
COMMUNITY GROUP NOTES AND STUDY
1. NOTICES
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. ICEBREAKER
What has God been speaking to you about from His Word this week?
3. STUDY AND PRAY TOGETHER
During this series, we will be using the 'Prayers of Many' course by Mike Betts.
I encourage you to buy a copy of the book from: https://prayersofmany.org/book#buybook
If you need assistance in buying a book please send an email to the church office and we will happily purchase you a copy.
Please download the course handbook from:
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