Communion with God

2. Growing in God
3. Communion with God

3. Lesson Outline
1. Paradigm
2. Principles
3. Pattern
4. Pointers

4. Paradigm

5. Paradigm
Father
SpiritSon
Prayer is intimate
communion with God:
1) Talking to him
2) Listening to him
Prayer is not a ritual,
but a relationship.Christian

6. Principles

7. Principles
1. Prayer should be steady
2. Prayer should be solitary
3. Prayer should be simple
4. Prayer should be steadfast
5. Prayer should be surrendered

8. STEADY PRAYER
Principle 1

9. Steady Prayer
Examples from Scripture
1. Daniel prayed three times a day.
2. Jesus often withdrew to pray.
3. Paul mentions his unceasing prayer.
4. We should be faithful in prayer.
5. We should pray without ceasing.

10. Steady Prayer
Implications for us
1. We must devote quantity time to
prayer.
2. We must devote quality time to
prayer.

11. SOLITARY PRAYER
Principle 2

12. Matthew 6:5-6
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and
on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you
the truth, they have received their reward in
full. But when you pray, go into your room, close
the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret,
will reward you.

13. Solitary Prayer
Is it a sin to pray in
public?
No, not at all! The great
saints prayed publicly,
including Jesus himself.

14. Solitary Prayer
Is it a sin to pray in
public?
No, not at all! The great
saints prayed publicly,
including Jesus himself.
What sin was Jesus
condemning?
Hypocrisy! Public pretence
without private devotion!
Praying to look spiritual.

15. Solitary Prayer
Is it a sin to pray in
public?
No, not at all! The great
saints prayed publicly,
including Jesus himself.
What sin was Jesus
condemning?
Hypocrisy! Public pretence
without private devotion!
Praying to look spiritual.
Any public display without private devotion is
pure deception.

16. SIMPLE PRAYER
Principle 3

17. Matthew 6:7-8
And when you pray, do
not keep on babbling like
pagans, for they think
they will be heard because
of their many words. Do
not be like them, for your
Father knows what you
need before you ask him.

18. Simple Prayer
Prayer is a matter of the heart. God responds to a sincere
heart, not to smooth words.
K Keep
I It
S Simple and
S Sincere

19. STEADFAST PRAYER
Principle 4

20. Steadfast Prayer
True or False?
“If you ask in faith, you only
need to ask once. Then you
just believe God for your
answer. To ask repeatedly for
the same thing shows a lack
of faith.”

21. Steadfast Prayer
True or False?
‘If you ask in faith, you only
need to ask once. Then you
just believe God for your
answer. To ask repeatedly for
the same thing shows a lack
of faith.’
False!!!
Jesus taught that true faith
holds on to God
aggressively in prayer until
it receives an answer.

22. Steadfast Prayer
1) Persevering in prayer shows great faith.

23. Steadfast Prayer
Luke 11:5-13
• Jesus’s parable of a friend
asking for bread illustrates
that persistence is
rewarded.
• Jesus teaches that we
should keep on asking,
seeking and knocking.
Luke 18:1-8
• The parable of the unjust
judge illustrates Jesus’
teaching that God rewards
persistent prayer.
• The point is made by way
of contrast, not
comparison.

24. Steadfast Prayer
Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask
for in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours.

25. Steadfast Prayer
1) Persevering in prayer shows great faith.
2) Persevering prayer often goes through three
phases:
Petition
Peace
Praise

26. STRENGTHENING PRAYER
Principle 5

27. Strengthening Prayer
1) Prayer is our source of
spiritual power.

28. Strengthening Prayer
1) Prayer is our source of
spiritual power.
2) Prayer changes things, but
more importantly prayer
changes people.

29. Strengthening Prayer
1) Prayer is our source of
spiritual power.
2) Prayer changes things, but
more importantly prayer
changes people.
3) Prevailing in private prayer
produces power in public
prayer.
Mark 9:29
[Jesus] replied, ‘This kind [of
demon] can come out only by
prayer.’

30. SURRENDERED PRAYER
Principle 6

31. Surrendered Prayer
2) Accept His answer
‘Thank you.’
‘You know best.’
‘Prepare me.’
2) He has three answers
Yes
No
Wait
1) Pray every prayer in your
heart
1) God answers each and
every prayer
ResponseTruth

32. Bill Hybels
If the request is wrong God says, No
If the timing is wrong God says, Slow
If you are wrong God says, Grow
But if the request is right
the timing is right
and you are right God says, Go

33. Pattern

34. The Method
We like the four step method of prayer represented by
the acronym ACTS.

35. Pointers

36. Pointers
1. Worship in song
2. Write in a journal
3. Walk and talk
4. Wander through scripture

37. Conclusion

38. Summary
1. Paradigm: communion with God
2. Principles: steady, solitary, simple,
steadfast, surrendered
3. Pattern: A-C-T-S
4. Pointers: worship, write, walk, wander