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PRAYING TOGETHER By Bishop Benowartd A. Ungele

Bible Teaching: (Begin in Prayer) The churches in the Book of Acts were devoted to prayer (Read Acts 2:42). They had a regular time of praying together as the Church (Read Acts 1:14; 12:5-17). Prayer preceded each of the major advances in spreading the Gospel in the Book of Acts. Talking to God as a body is very important and one of the things we should be devoted to as the Church.

A model for praying together (Read Acts 4:23-31) Peter and John had been arrested and threatened. They had been told not to speak about Jesus again. After they were released they went back to their group and told what had happened. Then the whole group prayed. Let’s look at how they prayed.

Just as we saw in Jesus’ model prayer, they began by ACKNOWLEDGING WHO GOD IS. What did they say about God? They acknowledged that He is the Sovereign Lord and that He made everything. Basically they said back to God His character that would relate to the present problem of persecution. They were saying that He is over everyone and therefore He is Lord over those who were threatening them.

In verses 25-26, they PRAYED SCRIPTURE back to God. They were repeating Psalm 2. How futile it is to plot against the Anointed One, Jesus. This is what had happened with Herod and Pilate and is what would happen to those who were threatening them now.

Therefore based on that, they asked God for two REQUESTS. They asked that God would enable them to speak His Word with great boldness & second that He would heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. These requests were answered in verse 31. The place where they were meeting was shaken and they spoke boldly. In verse 33 and also in Acts 5:12-16 God uses them to perform many miraculous signs and wonders.

We should follow the model of this first church and have a time of prayer together each time we meet to pray for needs and also to intercede for one another, especially for non-believers.

Principles for praying together As we pray together it is important that we PRAY IN ACCORDANCE TO SCRIPTURE (Read 1 John 5:14-15). God will grant our requests if we are praying according to His will. We can pray Scriptures that apply to our situation so that we will know what to pray for just as the first church did. Then we can have confidence that God will grant our requests. If we are praying just for our own pleasure and not according to His will then God will not grant our request (Read James 4:3).

Another principle is that we should pray in FAITH and not doubt (Read James 1:5-8). If we are praying according to God’s will we should trust what God has said. We should not doubt. For example, if you lack wisdom in what you should do in a situation. The verse above tells us that if we ask for wisdom that God will grant it even if we have a fault in our life. Therefore we can have total confidence that He will answer our prayer. We can pray something like, “Father you know all things and are all wise and you have promised in your Word to give wisdom to us without finding fault if we will ask. Therefore, we pray that you would give us wisdom to know how to _______.” You can be completely confident (faith) that God will give you wisdom. God does warn us though that He will not grant the requests of those that are in SIN (Psalm 66:18). So make sure to confess your sin. Mistreating your spouse is one sin that is mentioned that will hinder your prayers (1 Peter 3:7).

As we pray together it is good to pray about anything and everything. For example, if you are struggling with anger. Ask the group to pray for you for this. If you have a relative or friend who is resisting the Gospel, tell it to the group so they can pray for him. [See a list of Scripture verses you can pray for non-believers on the next page.] If your marriage is struggling, share this with the group so they can pray for you. If you have a financial need or sickness, share that with the group so they can pray over you. We should also pray for those in AUTHORITY over us in the government and for the elders of the church (Read 1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Remember that the reason that we can pray with confidence and boldly is because we are praying to the God of the Universe, our Heavenly Father, who is all powerful, all knowing and cares for us (Read Luke 11:5-13; Hebrews 4:14-16). We can trust God! He is the only one who can truly help us.

Tell Me: Ask the group to repeat today’s Bible teaching. Remind them of any main points they miss.

Questions: 1.	What things did the first church include in their group prayers? Reminded God of His character that relates to their request, used Scripture that related to their request, and made the actual request. 2.	What are the principles to remember when we pray together corporately? We should pray according to God’s will from His Word, we should pray in faith and boldness, and we should confess any sin. 3.	What types of things can we pray about as a group? Any problems or any character issues such as anger, marriage, financial needs, health needs, job, and for the government. Especially pray for non-believers that you want to be saved. 4.	What is the character qualities of God that allows us to pray so confidently to God? God is caring and loving; He is all knowing and all powerful. 5.	What are ways we can pray corporately in our group? There will be a time during each time we meet to pray together for any needs we have, needs of others we know, and for the lost that we are aware of. [Some groups may choose to meet together other days of the week to pray as well or even a certain time every day as the first church did in Acts 3.] 6.	What are ways we can let each other know during the week what to pray for one another? We can text or call one another, etc.

Memory Verse: 1 John 5:14. As a group read this several times to help to memorize the verse.

Assignment: •	We will practice this right now by praying for needs of each person in the group and also for the lost. (Model group prayer) •	Set up a significant time of prayer in each meeting to intercede as a group or set aside a specific time for the church to pray together. This time should be a time of true prayer not other things. •	Continue to PRAY each day for lost friends and SHARE your testimony with people this week. •	MEMORIZE 1 John 5:14. What Scriptures Can I Pray for Non-Christians?

1.	That God draws them to Himself. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44) 2.	That they seek to know God. “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) 3.	That they believe the Scriptures. “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard form us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God.” (I Thess 2:13) “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) 4.	That Satan is bound from blinding them to the truth. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” (Matthew 13:19) 5.	That the Holy Spirit works in them. “When [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment… He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:8, 13) 6.	That God sends someone to lead them to Christ. “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” (Matthew 9:37-38) 7.	That they believe in Christ as Savior. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) 8.	That they turn from sin. “[God] commands all people everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30). “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19) 9.	That they confess Christ as Lord. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) 10.	That they yield all to follow Christ. “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15) “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8) 11.	That they take root and grow in Christ. “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

Answers! If we pray Scripture does that mean that God has to answer and give us whatever we ask? Prayer is talking with God. It is not the tribal practice of doing prayers a certain way so that a deity is manipulated into doing what we want. We seek what God wants in a situation because He is our Lord and we pray what His desire and will is. Since Scripture is God’s Word then we know that it is God’s will. But if we take a Scripture out of context and then use it for our own desire, God will not answer that (James 4:3). God is our Father and loves us so we know that He does want to give us good gifts if they are according to His will (Matt 7:9-11).