Basic Leader Training: Prayer of the Righteous - Session 8

 

Another12 Ministries Leadership Training

 

Session 8 Outline

 

Key Verses

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. (James 5:13-18)

 

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18)

 

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6)

 

Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:22b-25)

 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

 

Definitions

Prayer

Secular: an address (such as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought; a set order of words used in praying; an earnest request or wish.

Biblical: A spiritual, worship-filled response to God that involves addressing and petitioning him but also contemplating and waiting for him. 

 

• Prayer in ministry
  • Prayer is one of two offensive weapons (The other being God’s Word) of the believer in ministry
    • Ephesians 6:14-20 – Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

 

• God moves in response to the petitions of His children in ministry. This is accounted for in His sovereignty.
  • Mark 11:20-25 – As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

• Prayer reaches the heart
  • Prayer is the only part of ministry that is capable of reaching beyond the external to the heart. Since it is only God who can renew the sinner’s heart, prayer is essential to spreading the gospel. 
• Prayer takes the focus off me
  • Prayer removes self-centered focus and redirects the focus at the mission of reaching the lost for the Kingdom of Jesus. 
• Prayer takes the focus off man
  • Petitioning God through prayer to move in ministry removes the focus from human efforts and centers it on God’s power. 
• Prayer breeds humility
  • Prayers, by their nature, are offered up to one greater than the petitioner. This continuous acknowledgment of man’s need for help from the Almighty God fosters a position of humility in the heart of the believer. 
    • “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:1-5

• Prayer is a response

• • God moved first
    • It is God who took the initiative, first in the garden by proclaiming that a deliverer would come, then by choosing Israel to be the nation through which He would make himself known to the world, and finally in sending Jesus and the Holy Spirit to accomplish and finish the work of salvation.
      • “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.” 1 Timothy 2:8
  • God desires relationship
    • God’s initial movement was not selfish in nature, or the result of any need for human fellowship. God’s movements towards man were based in His great love and a desire for a relationship with His creatures, whom He has made in his image. 
  • Prayer is an assumed part of holy living
    • Jesus assumes prayer in the life of the believer….see how he addresses it in Matthew 6…”and when you pray…” 
  • Prayer is an opportunity to respond to God in thankfulness and worship.
    • “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thes. 5:16
  • • Prayer allows the believer to tune their heart to the worship and praise of God by responding to His goodness and position.
    • It provides an opportunity for children of God to thank Him for His work on the cross and His work in their lives.
    • It provides an opportunity to honor God and verbally utter truths about Him which magnify, extol, praise, glorify, and acknowledge His position of ultimate authority, perfect goodness, and absolute sovereignty. 
  • Prayer provides an opportunity for repentance
    • Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-10
  • • Prayer creates a conduit through which the believer may petition God for His forgiveness and mercy through a reliance on the finished work of Jesus, by confessing their sins openly before God. 

• Prayer as a petition

• • • “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”  Matthew 7:9-11
  • • God answers
      • God stands ready to answer the requests of His children, and He has promised to only give what is good and right. 
    • Total Access
      • God has given His children total access to His throne, promising to give them every good thing, and everything they ask for according to His will. 
    • Eternal Good over Temporal Comfort
      • God’s answers to the prayers of His children will always prioritize their eternal good over their temporal comfort.
    • Provision is guaranteed
      • God has promised to provide all the needs of His children. In his sovereignty, He will do this by answering His children’s prayer in the best possible way, even if His response looks nothing like what was expected or even prayed for. 
        • “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

• How should believers pray

• • Types of prayer
    • Adoration/Praise
    • Thanksgiving
    • Confession
    • Intercession for others
    • Petition/Supplication
    • Cries of distress from trials
    • Please for rescue from trouble
    • Judgment
  • Reverence and Rawness
    • David – The Palms
    • The Prophets – Warnings, Calls to Repentance, Judgement, Pleas for restoration
    • The Church – Doctrine, Missions, Empowerment
  • Faith’s role in prayer
    • Faith is required
    • Doubt is destructive
      • “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” James 1:6-8
  • What is “continual prayer?”
    • Prayer as the believer’s default reaction
    • Setting apart time to pray
    • Praying at every opportunity
    • Relying on prayer throughout the day
    • Prayer as an ongoing conversation
• Hearing from God…taking time to listen for His answers
  • Immersion in God’s Word
  • The critical practice of biblical meditation
  • Silence…take time to listen
  • Keeping Alert…watch and pray
  • Hearing the “voice” of the Holy Spirit
  • The importance of disciplined waiting
  • Godly wisdom and its role in answered prayer 

 

Scripture Passages

 

Philippians 4:4-7 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Mark 11:20-25 – As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

 

Luke 11:5-13 – And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

 

Matthew 26:40-41 – And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

Ephesians 6:14-20 – Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

 

1 Timothy 2:1-4 – First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

Psalm 34:15-22 – The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

He keeps all his bones;

not one of them is broken.

Affliction will slay the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

 

Luke 18:1-8 – And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

 

Psalm 145:18-20 – The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.

The LORD preserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.