The Church Jesus Established

Lesson 11 - Worshipping in Prayer

A little boy was playing in his sandbox with his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The boy dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet (He was a very small boy and the rock was large). When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy struggled, pushed, shoved--but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.

All this time the boy's father watched from the window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?" Defeated, the boy sobbed, "But I did, Daddy, I used all the strength that I had!" "No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me." With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

Is prayer really that important? Scriptures emphasizes its importance (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6-7). Prayer is something we have as children of God which can never be taken away by outside forces (Rom. 8:35-39). Prayer is one of the greatest privileges of the Christian. Prayer is the means of talking to God and expressing our hearts to God. Prayer is essential to spiritual development, both individually and congregationally.

What Prayer Is

PRAYER IS NOT:

• Mere Desire. Prayer must be made in intelligible requests. Jesus taught his disciples to pray after a certain manner (Matt. 6:9-13). This short prayer covers the general spectrum of adoration and request for our basic needs. We must ask for what we need. -  James 4:2; John 14:13; 1 John 3:22
• Vain Repetition of Words (Matt. 6:7-8). There should be thought put into prayer. "I will pray with the understanding…" (I Cor. 14:15). Notice this does not condemn repeating similar thoughts (Matt. 26:44).
• A Show or in Pretense (giving a false impression). Jesus showed the need to pray even in private (Matt. 6:5-6). Matt. 23:14 - These made a show of prayer, but were guilty of stealing from widows. God is fully capable of detecting a hypocrite.

PRAYER IS: (Luke 11:5-8).

• Coming to God at Any Time "At midnight." Princes and Kings had fixed hours at which they may be approached (Esther 4:11), but God can be approached at all times (Psalm 119:62).
• Approaching God in Confidence. "Friend, lend me three loves." Surely, this man on other occasions had found his friend to be helpful. Jesus is a friend who sympathizes with us (Heb. 4:14-16), therefore Christians can draw near in confidence (Hebrews 10:19-22; James 4:8). We certainly don't need to approach prayer with a doubting heart (James 1:5-7). We have the assurance that God answers our prayers. 1 John 5:14-15 - "this is the confidence that...if we ask... 1 Pet. 3:12 - "The eyes of the Lord...His ears open... James 5:16 - "The effectual fervent prayer...availeth much...
• Coming to God as our Provider. "I have nothing..." God's resources are infinite (Psalm 24:1; 50:10-15). Troubles and hardships will come, but instead of losing heart or becoming discouraged, we need to pray. Prayer will not only give strength and comfort to our hearts, but God will abundantly aid us (Psalm 55:22).
• Approaching God with Persistence. "Yet because of his persistence." In the parable, there was an unwillingness to help; he didn't want to be bothered at that time (Vs. 8). There is none of this with God. "Who gives to all men generously and without reproach" (James 1:5). 1 Thess. 5:17; Rom. 12:12; Luke 21:36
• A Process to be Learned. "Lord, teach us to pray…" (Luke 11:1). We are not born with the ability to prayer; we must develop and cultivate it.
• A key to Spirituality and Closeness to God. Prayer might be the very key to make our spiritual lives better. If we would pray like the Psalmist, certainly our spiritual lives would be better (Psalm 61:1-4; 62:7-8; 63:7-8). Prayer renews our hope (Psalm 146:5-9), gives strength and comfort (James 5:16), is a means of forgiveness (James 5:15; Psalm 51:1-2; Isa. 55:6-7; 1 John 1:9)

Congregational Prayer

"…They lifted their voices to God in one accord…" (Acts 4:24). It is appropriate and Scriptural for the saints to pray together in the assembly. I Corinthians 14 teaches that this should be able to be understood by all, otherwise how could one "say the "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying.  Eph. 6:18-20 shows our need to pray in one another's behalf.

Conclusion

If you are not a Christian, you don't have the privilege of prayer. How can you pray "Our Father in heaven" when God is not your Father? Prov. 28:9

Questions:

1. Define prayer.
2. Give some examples of hypocritical prayer.
3. Give a Scripture that supports congregational prayer.
4. What are some appropriate things to pray for in the public assembly?
5. This lesson has stated, "if you are not a Christian, you don't have the privilege of prayer", yet before Cornelius became a Christian God heard his prayers (Acts 10:1-4). Do non-Christians have the right to pray?

 [ Introduction - The Pattern Concept]   [Lesson 1 - Defining The Church]  [Lesson 2 - Authority Over The Church]  
  [Lesson 3 - How Scripture Authorizes (Pt. 1)] [Lesson 4 - How Scripture Authorizes (Pt. 2)] [Lesson 5 - The Universal - The Local Church]
[Lesson 6 - Church Not A Denomination]    [Lesson 7 - Timeline -  Church's Establishment]    [Lesson 8 - Worship Christ Designed]
[Lesson 9 -Observing The Lord's Supper]  [Lesson 10 - Worship in Song]   [Lesson 12 - The All-Sufficient Church]  
  [Lesson 13 - Elders] [14 - Deacons ]  [Lesson 15 - Evangelists ]   [Lesson 16 - The Social Gospel]     
     [Lesson 17 -Benevolence-According to the Pattern]

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This page last updated: October 27, 1999