CHEAT SHEET SESSION 1 – PURPOSE IN PRAYER: ADORATION SESSION 1 PURPOSE IN PRAYER: ADORATION KEY VERSE: ‘FATHER, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME’ (LUKE 11:1–2) REMEMBER: • Computer with speakers • Music for the prayer time (5 MINS) WELCOME AIM: TO MAKE EVERYONE FEEL WELCOME • Introduce the aims of the course and explain how it’s going to work • Nicky Gumbel, the pioneer of Alpha, says that ‘Prayer is the most important activity of our lives. It is the main way in which we develop a relationship with Our Father in heaven’1 • Explain that there will be prayer and discussion times and that we’re all at different places in our prayer lives. However, if anyone would rather not be asked to read a passage from the Bible/share/pray out loud, ask them to let you know • Open in prayer (15 MINS) VIDEO AIM: TO INTRODUCE THE COURSE AND TODAY’S THEME: ADORATION • Prayer is like a toolbox – there are ‘all kinds of prayers …’ (Ephesians 6:18) • Prayer begins and ends in worship – climbing into the arms of the Father. God’s not a slot-machine! 1 Nicky Gumbel, Questions of Life (Alpha International, 2010), p. 66 CHEAT SHEET SESSION 1 – PURPOSE IN PRAYER: ADORATION • ‘[Adoration is] the lifting of the heart and mind to God, asking nothing but to enjoy God’s presence’ – The Book of Common Prayer 2 (20 MINS) DISCUSS AIM: TO GET EVERYONE SHARING THEIR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS • What did you find most helpful in the video? • What questions did it raise for you? • (In twos and threes) Describe a great experience of prayer, such as a time you received a clear answer or sensed God’s presence • What do you find hard about praying? • Leader’s Notes: The best way to facilitate discussion in groups of over five people is to split down into smaller groups of two or three so that everyone gets to speak – not just the more vocal members. When conversation begins to die down, reconvene and take feedback from each group in turn. This means that the ‘best’ stories will be aired to the whole group and waffle will be condensed. (15 MINS) DO IT AIM: TO WORSHIP! • Music: Play some worship music quietly in the background • Psalm 103: Read it together, slowly, one verse at a time » If there is time you could circle the room with each person reading a verse and – if comfortable – praying a prayer of thanks relating to it • Open Prayer: » First allow time to be still and enjoy the peace of God’s presence » Then make space for general prayers of worship and thanksgiving NB: If members of your group are not used to praying aloud, there is a simple way of encouraging them to do so. Hand out paper and ask them all to write down a short prayer, explaining that you will then go around the circle systematically, asking everyone to read their written prayer and then to say ‘Amen’. By using this model, they will gain confidence and soon abandon their papers altogether! 2 Text from The Book of Common Prayer, the rights in which are vested in the Crown, is reproduced by permission of the Crown’s Patentee, Cambridge University Press. CHEAT SHEET SESSION 1 – PURPOSE IN PRAYER: ADORATION • Conclude: You could conclude with a prayer from Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard: ‘Father in heaven, when the thought of you wakes in our hearts, let it not wake like a frightened bird that flies about in dismay, but like a child waking from its sleep with a heavenly smile. Amen.’3 (5 MINS) DEVELOP IT AIM: TO PRACTICE ADORATION IN THE COMING WEEK USING PERSONAL PRAYER TOOLS • Personal Prayer Tool: The Lord’s Prayer » Invite people to set the alarms on their cell phones for a convenient time each day when they can pray The Lord’s Prayer slowly, trying to use each line like a search engine: to explore different ideas, always beginning with adoration and thanksgiving: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name …’ GOING DEEPER: OPTIONAL EXTRA MATERIAL (20 MINS) DEEPEN IT AIM: TO PROVOKE FURTHER DISCUSSION FROM THE BIBLE • Read: Luke 10:38–42 – The story of Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha • Explain: In Jewish culture, sitting at someone’s feet meant you wanted to learn from them. It was the posture of a disciple. Mary wanted to be with Jesus because she looked up to him and knew that he loved her. After twenty years hearing confession, one Catholic priest observed that the most common problem he’d encountered was ‘God’ because so few Christians really believe that God loves and likes them. ‘This is perhaps the hardest truth of any to grasp. Do we wake up every morning amazed that we are loved by God? Do we allow our day to be shaped by God’s desire to relate to us?’4 • Discuss: C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, said that ‘in commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.’5 What do you find enjoyable about God’s presence? What compels you to worship? Are there particular moments in your life, particular places, songs, people, or events? 3 Compiled by Veronica Zundel, The Lion Book of Famous Prayers (Lion, 1983), p. 74 4 David Ford, The Shape of Living: Spiritual Directions for Everyday Life (Canterbury Press, 2012), p. 28 5 C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1958), pp. 93–97 CHEAT SHEET SESSION 1 – PURPOSE IN PRAYER: ADORATION EXTRA RESOURCES USEFUL QUOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS • ‘I didn’t marry my wife as a child-raising strategy. I married her because I wanted to be with her. One of the wonderful consequences has been children.’ – Pete Greig • ‘Who one believes God to be is most accurately revealed not in any credo, but in the way one speaks to God when no one else is listening.’ – Nancy Mairs, who has lived with Multiple Sclerosis for more than forty years. 6 • Adoration is doing what comes naturally. ‘I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise … The world rings with praise – lovers praising their mistresses, readers praising their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game.’ – C. S. Lewis 7 • The great composer J. S. Bach had a tough life – orphaned aged ten, he was once imprisoned for a month and three of his children died … Bach had many reasons to complain, yet his music overflowed with worship. Eg Cantata #82 ‘Ich habe genug’: ‘I have enough! I have taken the Saviour … into my arms. I have enough.’ • ‘Your prayer life is at its best when you pray small prayers continually, rather than big prayers occasionally.’ – Pete Greig FURTHER RESOURCES • Video: Bill Hybels, Coffee With God http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU9GR4H0WQ • Read: Brother Lawrence, Practicing the Presence of God • Read: Pete Greig, Red Moon Rising 6 Nancy Mairs, Ordinary Time: Cycles in Marriage, Faith, and Renewal (Beacon Press, 1994). 7 C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms. (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1958), pp. 93–97 CHEAT SHEET SESSION 2 – POWER IN PRAYER: PETITION SESSION 2 POWER IN PRAYER: PETITION KEY VERSE: ‘ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU; SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND; KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED TO YOU’ (LUKE 11:9) REMEMBER: • Computer with speakers • Pens and paper for prayer lists (5 MINS) WELCOME AIM: TO MAKE EVERYONE FEEL WELCOME • Recap last time: Adoration is where prayer begins • Ask people how they have got on with praying The Lord’s Prayer each day. Be sure not to make anyone feel guilty • This week: Petition – asking God for our own immediate needs • Ask someone to open in prayer • NB: In recapping the previous session try to mention one or two of the particular points made last time by group members: ‘I was so impacted by what Sarah shared … I’ve been thinking a lot about Tony’s question …’ (15 MINS) VIDEO AIM: TO INTRODUCE THE THEME AND PROVOKE DISCUSSION • God is a good Father who loves to bless us • ‘Keep it simple; keep it real; keep it up’ CHEAT SHEET SESSION 2 – POWER IN PRAYER: PETITION • Traffic lights: » Green – Instant answer » Amber – Wait and ‘keep stacking dominoes’. Importance of perseverance in prayer » Red – Sometimes God’s answer is ‘no’ (20 MINS) DISCUSS AIM: TO GET EVERYONE SHARING THEIR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT PETITIONARY PRAYER • What did you find most helpful in the video? • What questions did it raise for you? • Traffic light questions » Green – Has anyone received an answer to prayer this week/recently? » Amber – What are the keys to persevering in prayer? » Red – How do we know when God is saying ‘No’ rather than ‘Wait’? » Describe a time when God didn’t answer a prayer. Can you now understand why? (15 MINS) DO IT AIM: TO MAKE SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO LAY THEIR REQUESTS BEFORE THE FATHER • Simply share your prayer needs, and even your prayer ‘wants’ • Before praying about them, ask what God’s will might be in this situation. Are there promises in the Bible that relate to the prayer requests? • Spend time praying for one another’s requests (5 MINS) DEVELOP IT AIM: TO PUT OUR LEARNING INTO PRACTICE IN THE COMING WEEK USING PERSONAL PRAYER TOOLS • Prayer Lists: » The preacher D. L. Moody carried a list of 100 names of people for whom he prayed. Whenever one of them became a Christian, Moody would cross their name off his list. By the time of his death 96 of those 100 people had become followers of Jesus and the remaining four gave their lives to Christ at Moody’s funeral » Hand out paper and ask people to create a prayer list, naming friends, relatives, colleagues and particular personal needs for daily prayer during the coming week. Or you could print out the form on p.5 CHEAT SHEET SESSION 2 – POWER IN PRAYER: PETITION • Six Keys for Using a Prayer List: 1. Try to use your list at the same time every day. 2. Don’t worry if your prayers are sometimes very short (even one-liners) or repetitive. 3. Sometimes you may not know what to pray, but you can simply think of the person and offer them to God in prayer. 4. Try to pray specific, bite-sized prayers like, ‘Please give me a chance to show them your love today.’ 5. Some people may feature on your prayer list daily and others weekly. 6. Review your list regularly and record encouragements. • Prayer Dice: Alternatively, some people might like to adopt Pete Greig’s ‘prayer dice’ idea. To do this they will need to: » Compile a short list of their biggest prayer requests » Find biblical promises that relate to each request » Memorise the list » Buy a dice with the same number of sides as the number of prayer requests EXTRA RESOURCES USEFUL QUOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS • ‘Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom.’ – C. H. Spurgeon • ‘There are endless problems in our world, but from time to time I still give my children chocolate when they ask for it. Our Father in heaven sometimes gives us our wants, as well as our needs.’ – Pete Greig • ‘To know that Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, the Ruler of the whole universe, has his ear open to our personal, individual prayer, that he will do what we ask Him to do, individually, is one of the most exciting experiences anybody can ever have.’ – Derek Prince 1 1 Derek Prince, Secrets of a Prayer Warrior (Chosen Books, 2009) CHEAT SHEET SESSION 2 – POWER IN PRAYER: PETITION FURTHER RESOURCES • Read: Mahesh Chavda, The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting • Read: Pete Greig, Red Moon Rising • Read: Floyd McClung, The Father Heart of God (20 MINS) DEEPEN IT AIM: TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF PRAYING ‘IN THE NAME OF JESUS’ • Read: John 14:14, John 15:7 and John 16:23–24 • Discuss: What does it mean to ‘pray in the name of Jesus’? • Explain: » The name of Jesus is not like Harry Potter’s Expelliarmus. It’s not a magic word » In Biblical times, a person’s name represented their personality, character, reputation and authority. It’s the same in business today where one’s reputation (we even call it our ‘good name’) counts for everything and companies spend millions protecting their ‘brand’ » When we pray to the Father ‘in Jesus’ name’ we are asking on behalf of his Son. God never promises to answer every prayer we utter (which is a great relief). It is the requests made in line with Jesus’ character and will which the Father guarantees to fulfill • Example: The Ferrari Enzo is one of the most expensive cars in the world. Only 400 were ever made and they sell for more than a million dollars each. Imagine phoning your local Ferrari dealer and casually asking them to get one in for you to test-drive. They might not agree. But if you were calling on behalf of Bill Gates or a Saudi prince, they would do it. Names convey power and the name of Jesus is by far the greatest and most powerful CHEAT SHEET SESSION 2 – POWER IN PRAYER: PETITION PERSONAL PRAYER LIST FAMILY MEMBERS FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • PERSONAL PRAYER REQUESTS • • • • • • • CHEAT SHEET SESSION 3 – PREVAILING IN PRAYER: INTERCESSION SESSION 3 PREVAILING IN PRAYER: INTERCESSION KEY VERSE: ‘WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE OUGHT TO PRAY FOR, BUT THE SPIRIT HIMSELF INTERCEDES FOR US THROUGH WORDLESS GROANS’ (ROMANS 8:26) REMEMBER: • Computer with speakers • Copy of newspaper • Print out three intercession stories (below) (5 MINS) WELCOME AIM: TO MAKE EVERYONE FEEL WELCOME • Last week: Petition • How did people do with their prayer lists? Did anyone get prayer dice? • Open in prayer (15 MINS) VIDEO AIM: TO EXPLAIN INTERCESSORY PRAYER AND PROVOKE DISCUSSION • This week: Intercession – asking God on behalf of other people, places or situations • God has chosen to work in partnership with us, principally through prayer • ‘Let my heart be broken with the things that break yours.’ – Bob Pierce, World Vision