What about prayer?
How often do you think about your prayer life? Have you ever examined your prayer life and wondered if you could be better at communicating with God? Does it sometimes feel like your prayers hit the ceiling and bounce right back down? Have you ever thought about the power that exists in prayer?
Faith Service Worship Vision There may be times when you find it difficult to reconcile God’s truth to your own opinion or worldview, God’s truth is eternal, it does not change, our understanding of the truth does change as we allow God to work in our hearts and minds. These sessions are not about opinion, they are about learning truth, the truth contained in the Bible, together we are going to focus on how we apply God’s truth, black & white in a grey world. To set godly priorities, grow in Christian character and live according to God’s standards so that we are a living witness to others.
The basis of our belief: Session 7
Ashingdon Elim Bible Study 25 May 2010
The Apostle Paul was a man who believed that prayer had power to change the hearts of men. He believed that prayer would strengthen him and give him inspiration when he needed it most and Paul believed that through our prayers we can literally join with preachers and youth ministers and missionaries to make them more successful and more effective in bringing lost souls to Christ. The Apostle Paul believed God answers prayer. Paul told the Christians in Colossi to “pray … that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” (Colossians 4:3-4) To the Ephesians Paul wrote “Pray… that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” (Ephesians 6:19) To the church in Thessalonica, he wrote: “…pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1) And he said something even more dramatic to the church in Rome: “I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.” (Romans 15:30) Does God answer prayer today? Do you remember the last time you prayed? Was the prayer answered? How was it answered? Were you happy with the answer? One of the most impressive accounts of prayer in the Bible is recorded in Acts chapters 3 and 4. Peter and John had gone to the Temple to pray and encountered a lame man on the way. In the name of Jesus, they healed the man and a crowd gathered. So they did what any good preacher will do with a crowd… they preached. The Sadducees and Temple guard had them arrested for and thrown in Jail. The next day, they were brought before the Sanhedrin and after some discussion threatened them and warned them that they should never preach about Jesus ever again. So Peter and John return to the church and they held a prayer meeting. “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (Acts 4:31) God acts in accordance with our prayers. Some times He does it over a long period of time (for reasons only He understands) and sometimes He does it immediately. Do you believe that God hears you when you pray? Do you believe that God responds to your prayers? 1