Together We PRAY Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to Zaire, told the following story. "A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister. One of the girls responded. 'Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead. And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won't feel so lonely.' That afternoon a large package arrived from England. The children watched eagerly as we opened it. Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming, 'If God sent that, I'm sure He also sent a doll!' And she was right! The heavenly Father knew in advance of that child's sincere requests, and 5 months earlier He had led a ladies' group to include both of those specific articles." This is just one of thousands of examples multiplied as many times over as there have been people of God since the beginning of time of... The truth of Jesus promise, If you ask, I will give The faithfulness of God to hear and answer prayer The love and care of our Father The unfathomable power and sovereignty of God to move heaven and earth without limitation to time past, present or future in His perfect way to give what is good But have you also considered, the way this changed all the adults and children who heard this prayer and saw God s answer? How could their own individual prayers not be radically changed from this point on?! That s one of the benefits of praying together. FOR DISCUSSION If Jesus told us to pray in secret just me and my Father why should we pray together?
Encounter read God s Word so that He can speak to you. 1 Timothy 2:1-8 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--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 men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men-- the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle-- I am telling the truth, I am not lying-- and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. Explore God s Word asking questions of what you saw. The notes which follow may help you to think through these questions 1) When Jesus told His disciples not to pray like the Pharisees, but to pray in secret (Matt 6:5-8), did He mean we should not pray in public (e.g., when believers gather together)? What was wrong with the way the Pharisees prayed? What is Jesus teaching about the attitude and motive of the disciple s prayer? Is it possible to pray to pray in public without following the sin of the Pharisees? If so, how? 2) If our Father is good and sovereign and already knows what we need, why do we need to ask? Why is prayer necessary?
Explore God s Word asking questions of what you saw. The notes which follow may help you to think through these questions 3) 4) Jesus said a lot about persistence in prayer (Luke 11:1-13; 18:1-8). What is the connection between persistent prayer and genuine faith? Compare our own individual prayers and corporate prayers when we are together. What is the same? What is different? How is the one leading corporate prayer doing something different than in his/her own private prayers? What is the role of the one leading prayer when we are together? 5) Look at what the church prayer for when they were together. What were their prayers about? How should this guide what we prayer for when we are together? Acts 1:14, 24-26 Acts 4:23-31 Acts 12:5 Acts 13:1-3 Ephesians 6:18-20 1 Timothy 2:1-8 When we come together to pray for the things that require involvement of all or can affect all, what does that say about the unity of the Church?
Explore (cont.) 6) Each of us has different gifts and different experiences. Why are you benefited by hearing other brothers and sisters pray about something? How can this change you? 7) How does praying together break down barriers or change attitudes? Notes On The Passage (Adapted from Dr. Thomas Constable Bible Study Notes) 1-2 - "In saying 'first of all' Paul underlined the importance of this Godward aspect of the ministry of the church. Paul did not mean that such praying must be the first thing Christians do whenever they assemble, as the word order in the King James Version might imply, but rather that it is an activity he regarded as of primary importance in the total ministry of the church. His use of the present tense throughout these verses indicates that he was setting before them what he hoped would be the practice of those to whom he directed his prayer-exhortation. It is the essential and primary phase of their varied ministries." [D. Edmond Hiebert, "The Significance of Christian Intercession," Bibliotheca Sacra 149:593 (January-March 1992):16] "Entreaties" (Gr. deeseis) emphasizes the earnestness with which we should make requests because we feel a need for what we ask (cf. Luke 18:1-8). "Prayer" (proseuchas) is a general word covering all types of prayer communication with God. The emphasis for all prayer is on a spirit of reverence toward God (cf. Matt. 6:9-10). "Petitions" (enteuxeis) are confident requests for others and self (cf. Luke 11:5-13). "Thanksgivings" (eucharistias) is the most different word, and served as a reminder that we should express gratitude, not just need, in public praying. By using these synonyms, Paul was emphasizing the importance of praying all kinds of prayers for all people, as well as distinguishing its varieties. In response to the requests of His people, God will do things that He would not ordinarily do if they did not ask (James 4:2). Paul undoubtedly meant all kinds of people, rather than every single individual. The "king" at the time Paul wrote this epistle was Nero, an unbeliever for whom Paul specifically told his readers to pray. Furthermore, the focus of their request was to be not only their own tranquility, but the king's salvation (v. 4). We should not do so primarily for our personal ease and enjoyment, but so we can carry out our purpose in the world as Christians (cf. 6:1). Our purpose is to bring the message of reconciliation to all people, and to glorify God in all our relationships. Obviously the type of government under which people live influences their lives and affects their spiritual welfare (cf. Ezra 6:9-10; Jer. 29:7). 3-4 - Prayers of this type please God. God wants everyone to experience eternal salvation. People perish because they do not hear the gospel, or, hearing it, they choose to reject it. God has given people freedom to choose: to accept or reject the gospel. When people reject the gospel, this causes God considerable pain. This is clear in the many references in Scripture to God sorrowing over the fate of those (believers and unbelievers) who choose to spurn Him. 5-6 - The God-man is the "one [and only] mediator" of the New Covenant "between God and man (men)," providing salvation man-ward and facilitating prayer God-ward. In the "fullness of time" (or "proper time") Jesus was born and died, giving His life as payment and "ransom" to free the human race ("all") from slavery to sin. Jesus' death made all people savable. Limited
Notes On The Passage (Adapted from Dr. Thomas Constable Bible Study Notes) redemptionists interpret "all men" to be all the elect. Universalists interpret "all men" to be every human individual. Other passages of Scripture, that speak of Christ's death as providing a basis for the salvation of everyone, contradict the limited redemptionists (e.g., John 3:16, 1 John 2:2; et al.). Passages that indicate that not everyone will be saved refute the universalists (e.g., Matt 25:46; Rev. 20:15; et al.). Jesus Christ died as the Substitute for all people (cf. Mark 10:45; Gal. 1:4; 2:20; Eph. 5:2; Titus 2:14). He paid the debt "for all." This is proof that He desires all to be saved (v. 4). 7 - God had commissioned him to herald the gospel to the Gentile world ("appointed a preacher and an apostle... as a teacher of the Gentiles"), not just to the Jews, who were God's favored people in times past. Paul proclaimed the faith faithfully and truthfully ("in faith and truth"), in contrast to the false teachers. His affirmation of truthfulness further emphasized his point (cf. Rom. 9:1). 8 - "In every place" probably refers to wherever Christians assemble in congregations in view of the context. Men should take the lead in public prayer, but women are also able to lead the congregation in prayer, but should do so in a way that shows they are not part of the primary leadership of the church (1 Cor. 11:5-16). The emphasis is on the inner holiness and outward righteous behavior ("holy... without wrath and dissension") of those who lead. Paul was not commanding the men to pray with physically upraised hands. He simply was describing public praying as the Christians commonly practiced it in his day (cf. 1 Kings 8:22, 54; 2 Chron. 6:13; Ezra 9:5; Ps. 28:2; 63:4; 134:2; 141:2; Lam. 2:19; 3:41; Isa. 1:15). If Paul had meant the men were to lift up their physical hands when they prayed, he probably would not have described the hands as holy. "Holy," "wrath," and "dissension" all point to a metaphorical use of "hands." Our hands symbolize what we do. Paul wanted the men to pray in the same reverent attitude that they practiced holiness in their everyday lives. Going Further One thing we can do to train ourselves to remember, is to memorize a part of what our Father has said to us. The Holy Spirit can use this to change our thinking so that our heads are more like Jesus. This week, memorize 1 Timothy 2:1.