SESSION 6 CONNECTED THROUGH PRAYER

SESSION 6 CONNECTED THROUGH PRAYER 54 SESSION 6

What do you miss when the power goes out? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 55

THE POINT Support your church with prayer. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE "I'll pray for you." In Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? Author Phillip Yancey tells about a Chinese pastor who spent 20 years in prison for his faith in Christ, yet still leads converts in a prayer of commitment on the banks of a river each year. Everyone present at these prayers understands their participation in baptism could lead to arrest and imprisonment. Yancey asked the pastor, What can Christians in the rest of the world do for you? The pastor replied: You can pray. Please tell the church to pray for us. Share This Hearing this, Yancey wanted to respond: Yes, of course, but we honestly do want to help. What else can we do? In time, he learned that Christians who have no access to earthly power believe prayer gives them access to a greater power. They understand we are engaged in a battle against spiritual forces (Eph. 6:12), and prayer is our access to the only power that can exceed our opponent s strength.1 In this session, we will look at the importance of praying for each other in the body of Christ. Biblical church membership calls for Christians to regularly intercede for their brothers and sisters in Christ. Over 200 million Christians are currently being persecuted worldwide.2 56 SESSION 6

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Ephesians 6:18-22 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 18 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 19 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should. 20 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed. 21 I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts. The Setting 22 As Paul wrapped up his letter to the Ephesians, he had one last word of instruction before saying his goodbyes: pray. Competing religions and philosophies had not left Ephesus just because Paul wrote to the church there. To successfully stand in their faith and against the evils around them, believers must pray. They must pray at all times. They must pray with perseverance. They must pray for one another. They must pray for those who lead and guide them. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 57

THE POINT Support your church with prayer. EPHESIANS 6:18 If our purpose as a church were simply to socialize, we could thrive on our own steam. But the church is the body of Christ on assignment to accomplish the greatest mission the world has ever known. We don t conduct this work unopposed. We have a wartime mission with a vicious enemy trying to defeat us at every turn (1 Pet. 5:8). We need prayer. In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul advised believers to put on the full armor of God as preparation to engage in spiritual warfare. We're in a battle against spiritual forces (6:12). After describing the equipment necessary to fight such a battle, Paul gave this word on how to win: pray. The youngest World War II US serviceman was 12 years old. Calvin Graham was wounded in combat and given a dishonorable discharge for lying about his age, but Congress later restored his benefits and medals.3 YY Pray at all times. Maintain a continuous dialog with God (1 Thess. 5:17). What does it really look like to pray at all times? YY Pray in the Spirit. We are to communicate with God through the Holy Spirit s power. YY Pray with all perseverance. We don t intercede for others once or twice and then forget about it. The type of prayer Paul had in mind was intercession: praying for other believers. We intercede for them through prayer because we believe there are no limits on what God can provide. 58 SESSION 6

What keeps us from being more aware of our church leaders' prayer needs? EPHESIANS 6:19-20 When Paul wrote this letter, he was a prisoner awaiting trial in Rome. Yet his request wasn't that he be released or spared. Instead, he asked the Ephesians to pray that he would speak the right words with boldness and share the gospel even in chains. Consider the demands an average pastor may face in a typical day. Study must be done for the weekly sermon. Administrative tasks must be planned and managed. Counseling sessions, hospital visits, and emergency calls from church members in crisis must be attended to. Staff meetings and training sessions for volunteers must be led. Bible studies must be led during the week. Outside of the direct ministries of the church, the pastor is expected to be active as a community leader. Spiritual leaders are prime targets for Satan s attacks. If he can bring leaders down, he can negatively impact others in the kingdom of God. Here are some practical suggestions for interceding on behalf of your pastors and other church leaders: YY Pray for their preaching and teaching. Pray that God will give them wisdom, insight, and words to speak. YY Pray for their families. Pastors often struggle with neglecting their families due to church demands. They agonize over criticism of their family. YY Pray for protection. Ask God to strengthen church leaders against temptation toward greed, adultery, anger, addiction, and other sins the Devil would use to destroy their reputation and ministry. Pray Get with a t lea together fo st one partner and pray r your pas tor, leade staff. Pray r, and chu for the foll rch owing: YY Enc ouragem ent YY Fin ancial sta YY Spir bility itual grow th YY The ir familie YY Pea s ce and re st YY Pray for physical and mental health. Ask God to fill church leaders with wisdom and discernment so they can lead well and make sound decisions. How do we determine and prioritize our prayer needs? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 59

THE POINT Support your church with prayer. EPHESIANS 6:21-22 How can I know what to pray for when I'm interceding for others? Of course, it's ideal when brothers and sisters in Christ take the initiative to request prayer for specific needs. It's also helpful when churches have systems in place to quickly and appropriately make the congregation aware of situations requiring prayer. It was for this reason that Paul sent Tychicus to the Ephesians and other churches to encourage them, and to let them know how they could pray for Paul's needs. 85% of people around the world use email while only 62% communicate through social networking.4 The speed and accessibility of modern communication means our ability to stay informed of prayer needs is truly limitless. Here are a few ways you can stay connected and pray for others: YY Touch base with the people you re praying for to find out what s going on in their lives. Visit, call, email, or write. Invest time to move past the surface and find out their spiritual needs and goals. YY Write prayer requests down so you can pray persistently and go back later to ask for updates. YY Access resources from mission organizations to learn about how missionaries are spreading the gospel throughout the United States and across the world and about how you can pray for them. How can we more fully support each other through prayer? 60 SESSION 6

"We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties." 5 O S WA L D C H A M B E R S APPLY IT Peace, Church We don't always understand why, but God has chosen to work through the prayers of His people. That s a fact and a promise. Here are some practical ways to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ: YY Start a prayer list. Begin praying for three people. Contact each one this week to find out how you can pray for the needs in their lives beneath the surface. YY Ask your pastor or ministry leader three things The body of Christ should be characterized by unity and peace. To read the Essential Connection student devotion, "Peace, Church," visit BibleStudiesForLife.com/articles or scan this QR code. you can pray specifically. Commit to pray five minutes a day for your pastor and/or ministry leader. YY Become educated about at least one missionary s needs. Pray for that missionary and his or her work every day for at least one month. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 61

LIVE IT OUT PRAYER LIST James 5:16b List three people that you will commit to pray for this week. Contact each person at the beginning of the week and ask if they have anything specific you can pray for. 62 SESSION 6 Name Prayer Need

LIVE IT OUT MISSIONARY Ephesians 6:19 Like Paul, there are some people who dedicate their lives to vocational ministry. Many of these people are far from home, using their gifts and resources to take the message of the gospel to the world. Some of these missionaries are sent out from local churches. Others are sent from mission agencies (like the International Mission Board or the North American Mission Board). Do a little research and find a specific missionary or missionary family you can be praying for. Some tips: name, and/or e you will see on location in a plac a regular basis. YY Post a picture, issionary and his. or her work daily m YY Pray for that hhask your pastor if your church has members currently serving on the mission field. If so, consider partnering with that missionary through prayer. hhgo to www.namb.net/ YY Pray for the people he or she is serving. prayerrequests to find specific requests from NAMB missionaries. spel will be h the work of presented throug that missionary. go YY Pray that the BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 63

REFERENCES UNIT 1, SESSION 1 UNIT 1, SESSION 5 1. Mountain, Yellowstone Club, [cited March 13, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.yellowstoneclub.com. 2. President John Tyler weds his second wife, history.com, [cited March 13, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.history.com. 3. Gym Membership Statistics, Statistic Brain, [cited March 17, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.statisticbrain.com. 4. William T. Ellis, Billy Sunday: The Man and His Message (Philadelphia: L.T. Myers, 1914), 155. 1. The Truth About Van Halen s M&M Rider Just Good Operations, Business of Software, 7 August 2013, [cited March 19, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://businessofsoftware.org. 2.T hom Rainer, I Am a Church Member (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 36-38. 3. Eigengrau definition, web-definition.com, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.web-definition.com. 4. Interesting Facts, The International Butler Academy, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.butlerschool.com. 5. G.K. Chesterton Quotes, Goodreads, [cited March 20, 2014]. Available from the Internet: https://www.goodreads.com. UNIT 1, SESSION 2 1. Flight 93: Forty lives, one destiny, Post-Gazette News, 28 October 2001, [cited March 17, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://old.post-gazette.com. 2. Passenger: Todd Beamer, Post-Gazette News, 28 October 2011, [cited March 17, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://old.post-gazette.com. 3. The Milan Miracle, IndyStar, 18 February 2014, [cited March 19, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.indystar.com. 4. Martin Luther Quotes, Brainy Quote, [cited March 19, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.brainyquote.com. UNIT 1, SESSION 3 1. Largest College Football Stadiums - Top 20, Yahoo Voices, 9 October 2010, [cited March 17, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://voices.yahoo.com. 2. Teens Delaying Licensure A Cause for Concern? AAA Newsroom, 1 August 2013, [cited March 17, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://newsroom.aaa.com. 3. Stoyan Zaimov, Only 1 in 3 Young Born-Again Evangelicals Believe Jesus is the Only Way to Heaven, Apologists Says, The Christian Post, 12 October 2013, [cited March 21, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.christianpost.com. 4. Lewis C. Henry, ed. 5000 Quotations for All Occasions (Philadelphia, PA: The Blackiston Company, 1945), 319. UNIT 1, SESSION 6 1. Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 117. 2. Persecution, The Ethics and Religious Liberties Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, [cited March 20, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://erlc.com. 3. Calvin Graham, 12-Year-Old WWII Vet, Saved Crew Members With Makeshift Tourniquets, The Huffington Post, 1 August 2013, [cited March 21, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www. huffingtonpost.com. 4. Patricia Reaney, Email Connects 85 Percent of the World; Social Media Connects 62 Percent, The Huffington Post, 27 March 2012, [cited March 21, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.huffingtonpost.com. 5. Oswald Chamber Quotes, Goodreads, [cited March 21, 2014]. Available from the Internet: https://www.goodreads.com. UNIT 1, SESSION 4 1. The Longest Word in English Takes 3.5 Hours to Pronounce, Gizmodo, 21 November 2012, [cited March 19, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://gizmodo.com. 2. Most obnoxious drivers: Men in blue BMWs, report finds, The Washington Times, 14 August 2013, [cited March 19, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.washingtontimes.com. 3. Luke Gilkerson, Bullying Statistics: Fast Facts About Cyberbullying, Covenant Eyes, 17 January 2012, [cited March 21, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.covenanteyes.com. 4. Andy Stanley, Enemies of the Heart (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2011), 31.