SFL Section 4: Prayer, Combined Discipleship and Leadership notes

This is taken fromSpiritual Disciplines for the Christian LifeDonald S. Whitney

Monday, 19 August 13

As a church leader how would you answer these reasons (given by people in your congregation) for not praying?


As a church leader how would you answer these reasons (given by people in your congregation) for not praying?• I Am Too Busy


As a church leader how would you answer these reasons (given by people in your congregation) for not praying?• I Am Too Busy• I Feel Too Dry Spiritually To Pray


As a church leader how would you answer these reasons (given by people in your congregation) for not praying?• I Am Too Busy• I Feel Too Dry Spiritually To Pray• I Feel No Need To Pray


As a church leader how would you answer these reasons (given by people in your congregation) for not praying?• I Am Too Busy• I Feel Too Dry Spiritually To Pray• I Feel No Need To Pray• I Am Too Disappointed with God To Pray



• I Am Too Ashamed To Pray



• I Am Too Ashamed To Pray• I Am Content With the Way Things are


PRAYER...FOR THE PURPOSE OF

GODLINESS


A survey of 17,000 evangelical Christians found that on average they prayed for less than 5 minutes each dayA survey of 2,000 pastors and their wives found they prayed for less than 7 minutes per day.Whitney says that prayer is second in importance only to God’s word.Carl Lundqvist said this about prayer and the wog...


“The New Testament church built two other disciplines upon prayer and Bible study, the Lord’s Supper and small cell groups. John Wesley emphasized five works of piety by adding fasting. The medieval mystics wrote about nine disciplines clustered around three experiences: purgation of sin, enlightenment of the spirit and union with God. Later the Keswick Convention approach to practical holiness revolved around five different religious exercises. Today Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline, lists twelve disciplines – all of them relevant to the contemporary Christian. But whatever varying religious exercises we may practice, without the two basic ones of Emmaus – prayer and Bible reading – the others are empty and powerless.”


PRAYER IS EXPECTED

Matt 6:6-9 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. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words...9 “This, then, is how you should pray:“‘Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,Lk 11:9, 18:1


GOD’S WORD MAKES IT CLEAR



Col 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.



Col 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.1 Thess 5:17 pray continually,



Col 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.1 Thess 5:17 pray continually,Did you notice anything about these two verses?



Col 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.1 Thess 5:17 pray continually,Did you notice anything about these two verses?They are commands



How devoted are you to prayer?

Note that prayer is relational - it comes out of an unbroken relationship with the Father. Whitney suggests it is like having two phone lines - God is always on one of them and you are aware of him even when speaking on the other.


Martin Luther,

“As it is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.”


What excuses do you use for not praying? Most people claim other demands, priorities etc. - yet if you asked them they would gladly tell you how important it is to pray!The call to prayer is also an invitation - Heb 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

What do you think are the

most common excuses for not

praying?


What excuses do you use for not praying? Most people claim other demands, priorities etc. - yet if you asked them they would gladly tell you how important it is to pray!The call to prayer is also an invitation - Heb 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.


Note here that there is no need to be pessimistic about praying - God is happy to hear and give grace - prayer is not an obligation but an opportunity to respond and receiveGod’s command is a command of love - he wants to hear from us, to communicate with us and to bless us.


Prayer is important in spiritual warfare: John Piper suggests we can see prayer as the use of a walkie-talkie in warfare, not for our own convenience or ease of life.The example of Jesus in prayer is important - he prayed and so should we, he needed it, so do we - Lk 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.Major reasons for prayerlessness:- a lack of discipline - prayer time is not planned or prioritised


- the problem of often not “seeing” the result of prayer - after all it is primarily a spiritual activity- sometimes we do not feel God’s nearness when we pray, it is easy to pray when we feel God’s closeness- when we don’t see the need to pray, Jn 15:5 “apart from me you can do nothing” - yet we are proud and self sufficient- when we do not see God’s greatness, when we lose focus on the cross


PRAYER IS LEARNED

We start the Christian lives in need of learning to pray - and continue to grow and learn about prayer throughout our Christian lives.On one level we know instinctively how to pray - much as a baby knows how to ‘talk’ from its earliest days - yet still we need to see, as the disciples did, that we need Jesus to teach us to pray - Lk 11:1 - how do we do this?


1. By prayingJust as we learn a foreign language by using it - we might read about it, know how to pronounce words, build sentences etc. - but ultimately we have to speak out the language - HSp helps us in this, Jn 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.


2. By meditating on scripture Meditation is the missing link between Bible intake and prayer. Reading the Bible should lead us into prayer, should help us to pray. After reading the Bible meditation allows us to take it deeper into ourselves, to digest it - then we can take it back and talk to the Lord about it in a meaningful way. What we read has now become more meaningful and purposeful in our lives.


John Owen: “Pray as you think. Consciously embrace with your heart every gleam of light and truth that comes to your mind. Thank God for and pray about everything that strikes you powerfully”Matthew remarked on Psalm 19:14 “David’s prayers were not his words only, but his meditations; as meditation is the best preparation for prayer, so prayer is the best result of meditation. Meditation and prayer go together.”


William Bates, Puritan pastor indicated “What is the reason that our

desires like an arrow shot from a weak bow do not reach the mark? But only this, we do not meditate

before we pray. Our prayers are ineffectual if we don’t meditate before we pray.”


Whitney finishes this section with some insight from George Muller,“It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have not lost, for more than fourteen years. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished...


Now, I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, while meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experiential communion with the Lord...

The full story is well worth reading: http://

webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:lHJJhsc8TlEJ:www.connsbrook.org.uk/George%2520Muller%2520and%2520Bible%2520Reading.doc+&hl=en&gl=uk


3. By praying with othersOne of the great learning experiences for the disciples must have been being with him and hearing Jesus pray.Find good models in prayer and learn from them.Do not repeat their habits but learn from their insight, passion, use of scripture etc.Do not repeat their words - or repeat the same words over and over Matt 6:7Make it a habit to pray with other people - many great movements have started in this way


4. By reading about prayerRemember Proverbs 27:17 & 13:20Take time to read of the “great” prayer warriors - learn from their struggles as well as their successes. Almost every great man or woman who achieved things for God were people who prayed and prayed and prayed.



As iron sharpens iron, so one

person sharpens another.

Walk with the wise and become

wise, for a companion of

fools suffers harm.


PRAYER IS ANSWERED

Psalm 65:2 You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.Whitney says all prayer is answered, Matt 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”


Andrew Murray comments on Christ’s pledge. “Ask and you shall receive, everyone that asks receives.”Therefore, if you ask and receive not it must be because there is something wanting in our prayers. Maybe God answered in a way that is not obvious to us. Maybe we are asking for things that are outside the will of God or will not glorify Him. Maybe we are praying with selfish motives. Maybe we are failing to deal with blatant sin in our life. God does not mock us with His promises to answer prayer.


C.H. Spurgeon said “I can’t imagine anyone of you tantalizing your child by exciting in him a desire that you did not intend to gratify. When God leads you to pray, He means for you to receive.”We need to discipline ourselves to pray and pray aright so we can experience the joy of answered prayer.


WHAT ABOUT YOUR PRAYER LIFE?

•Since prayer is expected will you pray? You need to develop a specific plan about your prayer life. •At what time of the day will you faithfully go before the Father? •How long will you pray each day? •Will you read the Bible?


WHAT ABOUT YOUR PRAYER LIFE?

Will you read books about prayer written by godly men so you can learn how to pray aright? Where will you pray? You need a special place. Will you take action today?


John Piper says, “Unless I’m badly mistaken, one of the main reasons so many of God’s children don’t have a significant life of prayer is not so much that we don’t want to, but that we don’t plan to. If you want to take a four-week vacation, you don’t just get up one summer morning and say, ‘Hey, let’s go today!’ You won’t have anything ready. You won’t know where to go. Nothing has been planned.“But that is how many of us treat prayer. We get up day after day and realize that significant times of prayer should be a part of our life, but nothing’s ever ready. We don’t know where to go. Nothing has been planned. No time. No place. No procedure. And we all know that the opposite of planning is not a wonderful flow of deep, spontaneous experiences in prayer.


“...Therefore, my simple exhortation is this: Let us take time this very day to rethink our priorities and how prayer fits in. Make some new resolve. Try some new venture with God. Set a time. Set a place. Choose a portion of Scripture to guide you. Don’t be tyrannized by the press of busy days. We all need midcourse corrections. Make this a day of turning to prayer—for the glory of God and for the fullness of your joy.”


Since prayer is learned, will you learn to pray? Will you learn about how others have prayed? Will you meet others to pray? Will you learn to pray by linking Bible reading to prayer via meditation? When will you start? Start where you are. If you are not praying, start. If you are not meditating, start. If you are not reading your Bible, start.


Since prayer is answered will you persistently pray? Matt 7:7-8 is in the present, continuous tense. That means we must pray persistently before answers come. If we fail to persist it may mean that at the heart of our prayer lacks seriousness about our request. God may want us to persist in order to strengthen our faith in Him.


Since prayer is answered will you persistently pray? Matt 7:7-8 is in the present, continuous tense. That means we must pray persistently before answers come. If we fail to persist it may mean that at the heart of our prayer lacks seriousness about our request. God may want us to persist in order to strengthen our faith in Him.

George Mueller, “The great fault of the children of God

is, they do not continue in prayer,

they do not persevere. If they

desire anything for God’s glory, they should pray until

they get it.”Monday, 19 August 13

CH Spurgeon said, “Even as the moon influences the tides of the sea, even so does prayer influence the tides of godliness.”JC Ryle, "What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others? I believe the difference, in nineteen cases out of twenty, arises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much."


The Leader at Prayer

J. Oswald Sanders, Chapter 11,Prayer and Leadership


“The spiritual leader should outpace the church, above all, in prayer”Yet no leader fails to be conscious of how much more he could grow and develop in this area.


CJ Vaughan, “If I wanted to humble someone I should ask them questions about their prayers. I know nothing to compare with this topic for its sorrowful self confessions”Prayer is the Christians vital air and native breath.We talk of prayer as drawing near to God, as a place of power, it is indispensable, a place of delight, a command.

Yet often we fail to pray.


One famous leader confessed he found his heart loath to go to God in prayer and when he did he was loath to stay - yet he confessed the need for self discipline here, encouraging those who knew him to greater depth and discipline in prayer even when they thought they could not.The time and effort given to prayer is a measure of how important it it to us.


We cannot learn about praying except by doing it! Intellectually it might seem hard to understand but by looking at Jesus we see the necessity of it - and if anyone could manage without it, surely it would be Jesus. Yet prayer was dominant and prominent in his life and a regular part of his teaching.

Martin Luther declared extra work was not a reason to pray less, “Work, work from

early till late. In fact I have so much to do

that I shall spend the first three hours in

prayer.”Monday, 19 August 13

We cannot learn about praying except by doing it! Intellectually it might seem hard to understand but by looking at Jesus we see the necessity of it - and if anyone could manage without it, surely it would be Jesus. Yet prayer was dominant and prominent in his life and a regular part of his teaching.


D. M. McIntyre wrote:In Luke 5:16 we have a general statement which throws a vivid light on the daily practice of the Lord. “And He withdrew Himself in the deserts and prayed.” Note:*It is not of one occasion but of many that the evangelist speaks in this place. *When He prayed he was in the desert*One so mighty, so richly gifted with spiritual power, still needed to pray* he still needed to ask for grace to help in time of need.


Jesus at prayer:Lk 6:12 - full nightsMk 1:35 - rising earlyLk 5:16 - oftenMk 6:46 - after feeding 5000Lk 9:28 - before transfigurationLk 6:12 - before choosing the apostlesHeb 5:7 - with loud cries


Jesus at prayer:Lk 6:12 - full nightsMk 1:35 - rising earlyLk 5:16 - oftenMk 6:46 - after feeding 5000Lk 9:28 - before transfigurationLk 6:12 - before choosing the apostlesHeb 5:7 - with loud cries

“All vital praying makes a drain on a man’s vitality. True intercession is a

sacrifice, a bleeding sacrifice”

J. H. Jowett.

absolutely necessary; essential; full of energy; lively


Col 4:12 - Epahphras is wrestling for you in prayerCol 2:1 - Paul is struggling (a word usually used for agonising or being in agony) - the same word is used of one who is weary (Col 1:29), competing (1 Cor 9:25), a soldier battling for his life (1 Tim 6;12), a man struggling to deliver his friends form danger (Jn 18:36)“True prayer is a strenuous spiritual exercise which demands the utmost mental discipline and concentration”


Rom 8:26-28 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.


Pray in the Spirit

Holy Spirit is the master teacher in prayer - more is mentioned of this aspect of his ministry than of any other. All true prayer comes from his activity in our souls.Paul and Jude both speak of “praying in the Spirit” - the same things, lines, name, as he does


Pray in the Spirit

Holy Spirit is the master teacher in prayer - more is mentioned of this aspect of his ministry than of any other. All true prayer comes from his activity in our souls.Paul and Jude both speak of “praying in the Spirit” - the same things, lines, name, as he does

“True prayer rises in the spirit of the

Christian from the Spirit who indwells us”


Pray in the Spirit for 2 reasons:1. The HSp is the atmosphere and sphere of the life of a Christian - yet much of our praying is merely physical, in the area of the mind alone, produced by our thinking not the Spirit’s teaching.“Real prayer is deeper. It uses the body, requires the cooperation of the mind, and moves in the supernatural realm of the Spirit...it transacts business in the heavenly realm”


2. Pray in the power and energy of the Spirit.Eph 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.Human power and energy are not enough!


The HSp helps us to pray even in our failings;


- in our sin HSp leads us to grace and forgiveness in the blood of Jesus



- in our sin HSp leads us to grace and forgiveness in the blood of Jesus- ignorance of mind can stop us praying but HSp knows the mind of God and reveals it to us as we wait and listen, so we know our prayer is in accordance with God’s will




- sickness and weakness stops us praying, HSp brings life and healing, enabling us to rise above such things




- sickness and weakness stops us praying, HSp brings life and healing, enabling us to rise above such things- And, satan tries all sorts of tricks to stop us praying



Do you pray in the Spirit?

Do you walk in the Spirit - all of the time,

sometimes, occasionally, rarely,

never?Are your prayers powerless and

frequently (always) unanswered?


Biblically prayer is often seen as spiritual warfare;- Eph 6:12 - the Christian at prayer stands in between God and the devil - wielding no personal power but having a strategic role - the victory won by Christ works through our prayers to those in captivity and darkness.Jesus seemed at times to be less concerned over the sinful person as the power behind their sin (or sickness) - the grip of satan in such lives is released through the power of the cross taken hold of in prayer


Such understanding is vital in spiritual leadership - know where the battle is meant to be won and pray there in spiritual warfare.

Matt 12:29 - “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”- neutralise the power of the enemy - by taking hold of the power of the cross - the power of which is taken hold of in prayer.


Such understanding is vital in spiritual leadership - know where the battle is meant to be won and pray there in spiritual warfare.

Matt 12:29 - “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”- neutralise the power of the enemy - by taking hold of the power of the cross - the power of which is taken hold of in prayer.

Luke 10:19 I have given you

authority to trample on snakes and

scorpions and to overcome all the

power of the enemy; nothing will harm

you.Monday, 19 August 13

Hudson Taylor“It is possible to move men, through God,

by prayer alone.”


Practice

We might all say we believe in the power of prayer - but practicing it is very different. Do you believe you can take hold of God’s power to move the cold, unyielding hearts of men?We might think this is inconsistent - how can we speak of freewill and yet also of this power of prayer to affect hearts?Sanders notes:


1. God is always consistent with himself - no contradictions - therefore if answer to prayer is promised it will come in a way consistent with who God is - 2 Tim 2:132. Prayer is commanded by God - meet the conditions suggested by God and he will answer - he commands prayer for kings and those in authority, so surely such prayer has power consistent with God’s created order.


3. We can know God’s will regarding what we are praying - Ro 8:26-27

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

As we seek the will of God and the HSp impresses upon our hearts and minds God’s desire - this leads us into the prayer of faith - even if it takes time to be answered


“One day George Mueller began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Mueller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Mueller’s funeral the last one was saved.”


“One day George Mueller began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Mueller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Mueller’s funeral the last one was saved.”

Muller was asked if he believed these men would really be converted, he replied,“Do you think God would have kept me praying all these years if he did not intend to save them?”


"God does nothing except in

response to believing prayer."

John WesleyMonday, 19 August 13

It is important to remember we deal first with the ear of God in prayer - not the ear of men.Remember it is not our prayer that moves people - but the influence of God upon them.If you want to move someone you must be sure you can move God first!Prevailing prayer that moves people is the result of a right relationship with God - most unanswered prayers are centred on the believers relationship with God.


Are your prayers full of...- self interest- impure motives- sin - if you cling to sin you move away from God- unbelief (Heb 11:6)Great leaders in the Bible were great at prayer, EM Bounds says,


Are your prayers full of...- self interest- impure motives- sin - if you cling to sin you move away from God- unbelief (Heb 11:6)Great leaders in the Bible were great at prayer, EM Bounds says,

“They were not leaders because of brilliancy of thought, because they were exhaustless in resources, because of their magnificent culture or native endowment, but because, by the power of prayer, they could command the power of God.”


The school of prayer begins with the kindergarten understanding of communion with God and proceeds beyond graduate studies - where is your prayer life now, is it progressing?Who are your prayer models, who has helped you most in prayer?


SFL Section 4: Prayer, Combined Discipleship and Leadership notes

Spiritual

Transcript of SFL Section 4: Prayer, Combined Discipleship and Leadership notes