POWER OF PRAYER
SESSION 1: Prayer’s Threefold Potential
INTRODUCTION
A Bible teacher once said: “The entire book of Acts can be summed up in three words.” Here are the three words: 1. Up, 2. Down, 3. Out. Jesus went up; the Holy Spirit came down; and the Church went out. That is the entire book of Acts in three simple words.
But before Jesus went up, before the Holy Spirit came down, and before the Church went out, something significant happened: The early Church was born. But listen to what Jesus said concerning the birth of the Church. We know that He gave His disciples a commission after His resurrection (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15).
But before they could go into the world, Jesus gave them another command. This is called the “Great Command” (Acts 1:4). Jesus is telling them here, “You need to go to prayer meeting first.” Then in Acts 1:8 we read: “But will you receive power after the Holy Spirit comes 		 upon you.” Then what will happen? “. . . You will be my witnesses . . . unto the end of the earth.” But it all began in prayer.
Jesus gave this command to 500 disciples here, according to 1 Corinthians 15:6. But only 120 disciples obeyed. What happened to the remaining 380 disciples? That means 76%, or 3 out of 4 disciples, did something else. That is often what it is like in the Church today. Most of us know how important prayer is, but we do not put into practice what we know to be important.
That is why we must study the subject of prayer.
LESSON OUTLINE
I.	THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORLD EVANGELIZATION AND PRAYER
A.	The capacity to change the world through prayer
1.	Note what the Bible says about world evangelization: 
•	“And He said unto them, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature’” (Mark 16:15).
2.	He does not want us to miss anyone.
3.	Dick Eastman’s experience in India
B.	Jesus linked prayer to the harvest of lost souls (Matthew 9:35-38).
1.	The problem (Matthew 9:37): The harvest is plenty, but laborers are few.
2.	The solution (Matthew 9:38): “Pray to the Lord of the harvest . . . .”
•	It is in this passage of Scripture that we discover the only solution Jesus Christ 	ever gave His disciples for the problems of world evangelization was prayer.
II.	THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRISTIAN UNITY AND PRAYER
A.	The capacity to change the Church
1.	Prayer is essential because it creates a climate of unity in the Church. 
(Acts 4:31-32)
2.	Here we discover that increased prayer leads to increased unity.
B.	The example of Olympic athletes
III.	THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONAL GROWTH AND PRAYER
A.	Prayer will change the individual.
1.	It is evident that the early Church leaders recognized this reality.
a.	Note what the Bible says about the establishing of priorities related to the early Church leadership.
b.	The Apostles established this priority of ministry: prayer and the ministry of 		the Word (Acts 6:4).
2.	Sometimes we are so busy for God that we don’t take time to be with God.
	•	“No amount of activity in the King’s service will ever make up for the neglect 		of the King himself.”
3.	It is impossible to grow to our potential in Jesus without prayer (Jude 20). 
a.	I cannot grow if I do not pray; if I do not pray, the Church will not unite, 		and if the Church does not unite, we cannot change the world.
b.	Prayer is the heart of it all.
B.	The primary goal of prayer is to know Jesus more (Philippians 3:10).
1.	Paul summed it up in these words: “That I may know Him!”
2.	But how can we develop an intimate knowledge of God apart from prayer?
•	To know someone, you must spend time with that person.
GROUP DISCUSSION 
Perhaps the best thing to do after studying a subject like this is to begin to practice it.
Together in your groups, pray that:
1.	The Lord will ignite the fire of prayer in the lives of your church leaders.
2.	The fire of prayer will spread and become the lifestyle of all your church members.
3.	You as an individual will spend more time with God than you spend in religious 
activities.
4.	Your prayer topics will be related to world evangelization, Christian unity, and the spiritual growth of believers.
SELF-STUDY
1.	Study Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; and Acts 1:4. What is the relationship in these passages between the Great Commission and the Great Command?
2.	Make a list of some activities that we spend more time on, in the Church today, than in prayer.
3.	What solution did Jesus our Lord give us as we confront various problems in the ministry? (Matthew 9:35, 38) 
4.	How much time do you spend with God daily in prayer and in the Word?
a.	Do you consider this time adequate for the ministry area in which you are called?
b.	What can you do to improve?
THE POWER OF PRAYER
SESSION 2: What Prayer Is
INTRODUCTION
There are, no doubt, hundreds of ways in which the act of prayer could be defined. But I am going to describe four simple definitions of prayer.
Andrew Murray in his book, With Christ in the School of Prayer, says:
“The powers of the eternal world have been placed at prayer’s disposal. It is the very essence of true religion, the channel of all blessings, the secret of power and spiritual life. It is at the same time the highest and holiest work to which man can rise. It is fellowship with the unseen and most holy One.”
And Murray concludes:
“It is on prayer that the promises of God wait for their fulfillment, the Kingdom for its coming, and the glory of God for its full revelation.”
John Wesley says:
“God does nothing apart from prayer and everything through it.”
If these are true, prayer must be very important. What then is prayer, and what happens when we pray?
LESSON OUTLINE
I.	PRAYER IS ENTREATING SPIRITUAL POWER.
A.	What does this mean?
1.	Prayer is calling to God in time of need.
2.	Prayer is saying, “God, I need you.”
3.	Prayer is about asking God for His blessing, or power, that we might grow in Him and that we might have our needs met.
B.	The example of Elijah (1 Kings 18:37-38)
1.	Here we discover the often-quoted confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
2.	The prophets cried louder and louder to their gods, entreating them to respond with supernatural fire; however, it was Elijah’s prayer of only 26 words that released God’s power from heaven and brought the supernatural fire.
C.	The example of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 18:31-32)
1.	King Jehoshaphat was surrounded by enemy chariots.
2.	Once again, we see the power of prayer as it released God’s supernatural strength from heaven.
3.	This kind of prayer is called petitioning God.
D.	The example of Samuel (1 Samuel 7:9-10)
1.	This example is called intercession, which is when we pray for others.
2.	Indeed, prayer is entreating the spiritual power of God, bringing it into any and all situations that we could ever face as believers.
a.	The problem is, that is where many believers stop in prayer.
b.	But prayer is much more than this.
II.	PRAYER IS TRANSACTING SPIRITUAL BUSINESS.
A.	Prayer is entering into partnership with God to remove satanic obstacles.
1.	Sometimes when we pray, something unusual happens.
2.	We do not ask God to do something; instead, in the authority of Jesus’ name, we command the mountain to move.
a.	We call this the law of spiritual authority (Matthew 16:19; 18:18-19).
b.	This law is summed up like this: When we take authority on earth, God releases power in heaven.
B.	The meaning of the word “bind” is to compel as by oath or legal restraint.
1.	This is actually more of a legal term than a term describing someone being tied up or restrained with a rope, chain, or cord.
a.	In fact, because angels are so often pictured as being involved in spiritual warfare (Daniel 10:10-13 and Revelation 12:7-11), it could well be that when we issue a “legal restraining order” on earth in prayer against a demonic spirit, God sends forth an angel to deliver that order.
b.	It is legal and it is binding.
c.	It therefore must be obeyed.
2.	It is important to remember that God will not issue these orders without our partnership with Him.
•	As St. Augustine once said, “Without God, we cannot; but without us, God will not.”
3.	Prayer is commanding with God.
•	It is saying, “Satan, I bind you!”
III.	PRAYER IS RECEIVING SPIRITUAL SECRETS.
A.	It is listening to God. It is letting God confide in you.
B.	Daniel 2:21-22
C.	Prayer is confiding with God.
•	It is saying, “Holy Spirit, I hear you!”
IV.	PRAYER IS DEVELOPING SPIRITUAL LOVE.
A.	Prayer should always be viewed as a personal love affair with our Heavenly Father 
through Jesus Christ.
1.	The focal point must be intimacy, or knowing our Lord in the most
intimate level possible.
2.	Daniel 11:32 shows what it means to know the Lord intimately: “. . . the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.”
•	Note the two words: strong and exploits.
a.	“Strong” means having powerful effect, or firm and durable.
b.	“Exploits” mean daring acts or bold deeds.
B.	But what does it mean to know God?
1.	We discover insight from Genesis 4:1: “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she
conceived.” 
a.	The word “knew” in the original Hebrew is the word “yada”: meaning 
life-giving intimacy or direct intimate contact.
b.	Could it be that in Daniel 11:32, God is saying only those who are truly 		intimate with Him will remain strong in the face of battle and do mighty 		exploits? 
2.	Just as intimacy in marriage creates a deep and meaningful relationship, intimacy with God through prayer creates a meaningful spiritual relationship.
CONCLUSION
Prayer is:
A.	God, I need you!
B.	Satan, I bind you!
C.	Holy Spirit, I hear you!
D.	Jesus, I love you!
GROUP DISCUSSION
1.	Repeat the four definitions of prayer.
2.	Why do most believers stop at the first kind of prayer?
3.	If we are to command with God in prayer, how should we conduct ourselves and when can we do this?
SELF-STUDY
1.	In your own words, write a definition of prayer by using the four definitions from this session.
2.	What kind of prayer is petitioning God? When do we need to offer this kind of prayer?
3.	Give two Scriptural examples of intercession.
4.	Explain the law of spiritual authority.
THE POWER OF PRAYER
SESSION 3: The Practice of Prayer - Part 1
INTRODUCTION
There are many things God wants to do in our lives that would never happen apart from prayer. We often talk about the need for the anointing of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Anointing is that which causes us to do things that will never happen otherwise. And the anointing comes only through prayer.
In this session, we will examine carefully the practice of prayer on a daily basis, and how we can participate in changing our world through regular prayer.
Specifically, we will examine three major areas:
1.	The priority of prayer
2.	The plan of prayer
3	The place of prayer
LESSON OUTLINE
I.	THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER
A.	What place does prayer play in my life? 
B.	Have I really made prayer a priority in my life?
1.	A sad passage of Scripture in the Old Testament was voiced by the prophet Jeremiah.
a.	Here God was speaking to His own people.
b.	He was not talking to the heathen or the unsaved.
c.	“Oh generation, see ye, a Word from the Lord . . . My people have forgotten Me days without number” (Jeremiah 2:31-32).
2.	Unfortunately, this is the state of many believers in the world today.
•	They have neglected the importance of meeting with Jesus every day.
3.	“The real victory in all service is won beforehand, in prayer. Service is merely gathering up the results.” - S. D. Gordon
a.	If this is true, prayer is where everything begins.
b.	Jesus said in Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
C.	Let us examine the threefold value of making prayer a priority in our lives.
1.	Prayer contributes to our spiritual growth.
•	This means that if I do not pray, I do not grow.
2.	Prayer contributes to our spiritual strength.
a.	Spiritual strength refers to day-by-day energy we need from the Lord.
b.	The Lord’s prayer in one part says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” 
(Matthew 6:11)
3.	Prayer contributes to our spiritual consistency.
•	Here we refer to those qualities of faithfulness that help keep us stable in Jesus.
II.	THE PLAN OR PROGRAM OF PRAYER
A.	What do I do when I pray?
B.	Do I have a meaningful prayer experience?
1.	Psalm 19:14 tells us about the use of good words when we pray: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
a.	Are the words of my mouth, when I pray, acceptable to God?
b.	Are they meaningful?
c.	Do I pray in such a way that something really can happen through my prayer?
2.	In Psalm 5:3, the psalmist talks about coming into God’s presence every day. “My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee and will look up.”
a.	The Hebrew expression here means: array or to set in order something.
b.	The psalmist meant that every day he would come to God and would set his prayer before God in order.
c.	He would have a plan for prayer and focuses to pray for.
3.	The array expression
a.	Exodus 40:4 uses the array expression for the sacrifice upon the altar. 
•	It says, “. . . they set in order the sacrifice.”
b.	“The men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them.” 
(Judges 20:20)
•	It means they have strategy, a plan for battle.
C.	Do you have a plan for prayer?
D.	Two things are very important in having a plan of prayer:
1. 	Our prayer should be systematic.
a.	“Systematic” means: to have a plan; to do something methodically or efficiently. 
•	What is required to have a systematic plan of prayer?
b.	Our prayer time should be organized. We should have different things we
focus on.
•	Note how Job organized his requests before going into prayer: “I have ordered my cause before thee” (Job 13:18).
E.	Our prayer time should be specific (Matthew 7:7).
•	What is the real focus in your prayer?
GROUP DISCUSSION
1.	How does consistency in prayer help us transfer the spirit of discipline to other aspects of our Christian life?
2.	How can we have a plan or order in our prayer, and at the same time, avoid forms, rituals, and vain repetitions?
3.	What are some things we must know about the world around us, the Church, and individual Christians involved in the service of the Lord, in order to pray specifically and intelligently?
SELF-STUDY
1.	How does prayer contribute to our spiritual growth?
2.	In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus taught us how to avoid the wrong way of praying. He also showed us the right way.
a.	List some of the wrong ways to pray.
b.	Describe, in your own words, the right way to pray.
POWER OF PRAYER
SESSION 4: The Practice of Prayer - Part 2
INTRODUCTION
This is a continuation of the last session.
Prayer is that which causes us to link our hearts to God Himself. We have already talked about the different things prayer is. Now let us continue with the actual practice of prayer itself: how we can develop a daily prayer time with power and effectiveness.
We ended the last lesson on the systematic prayer. But there is something we have not yet covered.
LESSON OUTLINE
I.	OUR PRAYER SHOULD BE COMPLETE.
A.	We should include all that prayer is when we pray.
1.	Ephesians 6:18 tells us of spiritual warfare.
2.	“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints . . . .” (Ephesians 6:18)
B.	Matthew 26:40-41
•	“. . . What? Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation . . . .”
II.	TWELVE SPECIFIC SCRIPTURAL WAYS TO PRAY:
A.	Praise
1.	In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray and it began with:
“Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Your name . . . .” (Matthew 6:9)
2.	What is praise?
a.	To recognize God’s nature
b.	To think about who God is and to say it
c.	Summary: praise is exalting God (Psalms 63:3).
d.	To honor Him with words that declare all that He is
B.	Waiting: silent soul surrender (Psalms 46:10)
1.	Summary: Waiting is loving God in prayer.
2.	This is just being with God to tell Him we love Him.
3.	To be quiet and focus on God
C.	Confession: To allow God to cleanse our temple of sin
1.	Summary: Confession is admitting that I am wrong (Psalms 139:23).
2.	To agree with God when the Holy Spirit reveals sin to us
D.	Scripture praying
1.	Claiming Scripture in prayer (Jeremiah 23:29)
2.	To take passages of Scripture and bring them into our prayer
E.	Watching: This is to develop holy alertness in our prayer (Colossians 4:2).
1.   Summary: Watching is being alert.
2.   To take a few minutes to think about what I should pray for (needs that the Holy Spirit will bring to your mind)
F.	Intercession: This is to pray for others.
1.	Summary: Intercession is remembering others in prayer.
2.	To fight spiritual battles for others by taking their needs before God, or by standing against Satan on their behalf (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
G.	Petition: This is to bring my own needs before God in prayer, both material and physical.
•	Summary: Petition is expressing personal needs in prayer (Matthew 7:7).
H.	Thanksgiving: This is a type of confession.
1.   Summary: Thanksgiving is expressing gratitude in prayer.
2.   This is different from praise.
3.   Praise is expressing who God is; exalting Him for His nature and character.
4.   Thanksgiving is thanking Him for what He has done for you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
I.	Singing
1.	Summary: Singing is making melody in prayer.
2.	To add melody to any part of our prayer, including singing our praises, thanksgiving, or Scriptures (Ephesians 5:18-19)
J.	Meditation: This is another quiet type of prayer.
1.	Summary: Meditation is spiritual thoughtfulness in prayer.
2.	To think on God, His ways, and His words (Joshua 1:8)
K.	Listening: This is to hear God.
1.	Summary: Listening is hearing God in prayer.
2.	To hear Him speak to us about things we need to do that very day
(Ephesians 1:16-17)
L.	Praise
1.	Summary: Praise is rejoicing aloud in prayer (Psalms 71:14).
2.	We began prayer with exalting God, and now we end prayer with a time of rejoicing in who God is and His faithfulness in responding to our prayers.
CONCLUSION
If an individual were to devote five minutes to each of these aspects of prayer, he or she could easily spend one hour each day in prayer. Three minutes devoted to each aspect would equal more than 30 minutes in prayer.
However, it must be noted that prayer should never become a ritual. Even though we may develop a plan for prayer, we should always be cautious not to hinder the Holy Spirit from guiding each of our prayer times as He chooses.
GROUP DISCUSSION
Many times, we hear lots of lectures about prayer without having time to go into the practice of those lectures. Let us spend the Group Discussion time in this lesson by putting each of these prayer aspects into practice.
Each person should spend three minutes praying aloud on each aspect.
Note: Waiting, watching, meditation, and listening can be practiced at the same time.
SELF-STUDY
Expand your knowledge of the Word of God, relating to each aspect of prayer in this lesson, by doing the following:
1.	Write, in your own words, one sentence to summarize what each aspect of prayer means to you.
2.	Select a Bible passage, other than the ones listed in this lesson, to support each aspect.
a.	Praise
b.	Waiting
c.	Confession
d.	Scripture reading
e.	Watching
f.	Intercession
g.	Petition
h.	Thanksgiving
i.	Singing
j.	Meditation
k.	Listening
l.	Praise
THE POWER OF PRAYER
SESSION 5: The Purpose of Prayer
INTRODUCTION
In this lesson we will be studying the purpose of praying. We will understand the ultimate purpose and scope of prayer. What is the reason God has given us this wonderful gift of prayer? Why did God send His Son to die on the cross? It is that we might be saved. That mankind might be reconciled to God. Nothing is closer to the heart of God than the salvation of lost souls.
The ultimate purpose of prayer is to help gather in the harvest of lost souls.
Great things are happening all over the world.
1.	Ten years ago, 75,000 people were coming to Christ every day.
2.	Today, it is believed 100,000 to 150,000 are coming to Christ daily.
3.	By the year 2000, it will be over 200,000 people coming to Christ daily.
4.	In China, over 35,000 people are coming to know Christ daily.
5.	In the continent of Africa, at least 25,000 people are coming to know Jesus daily.
6.	In Latin America, 35,000 people are coming to Christ daily.
7.	There is a great harvest of souls in Russia.
What is the secret of this great harvest all over the world? The secret is prayer.
This is our focus in this last lesson. We will study four simple insights concerning this.
LESSON OUTLINE
I.	A PRAYER CONCERNING THE END-TIME HARVEST
A.	What does Psalm 67:1-2 say?
1.	God forgives us when we fail.
2.	Let your mercy come upon us.
3.   Bless us with more resources.
4.	And let your glory come upon us.
B.	Why should God bless us and let His glory come upon us?
1.	The Living Bible gives the paraphrase as follows: “Oh God in mercy bless us; Let your face beam with joy as you look down at us. Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind.”
(Psalm 67:1-2)
2.	God will bless us, and the remotest lands will worship Him (Psalm 67:7).
II.	A PROMISE CONCERNING THE END-TIME HARVEST
A.	This is the sign or one thing that must happen before Christ will come.
1.	“This gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations . . . .” (Matthew 24:14)
a.	“All the World” in Greek is “oikumene”, meaning inhabited world.
b.	This word comes from another Greek word: “oikos”, which means dwelling home.
2.	Jesus is saying the Gospel must go to every oikos.
B.	Will you pray and go to your neighbors to see that this happens?
•	“All the Nations” in Greek is “ethnos”, meaning peoples.
III.	A PREMISE CONCERNING THE END-TIME HARVEST
A.	What is a premise?
•  A premise is a proposition upon which an argument is based, or from which a conclusion is drawn.
B.	The premise
1.	The world is not evangelized, people are.
2.	To fill the world literally with the Gospel, in a measurable way, we must go to where people live (Acts 5:28-29, 42).
a.	They went to every home.
b.	They preached the Gospel in public areas.
c.	To fill all the world with the Gospel, we must go where people live.
IV.	A PROCLAMATION CONCERNING THE END-TIME HARVEST
(REVELATION 7:9-12)
A.	The multitude which no one can number
1.	It is all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues.
2.	The word “nation” in Greek means every people group on earth.
B.	They all make a proclamation (Revelation 7:12).
GROUP DISCUSSION
1.	Discuss specific people groups in your area that need the Gospel.
2.	What are the obstacles preventing them from knowing Christ?
3.	Pray that the Lord will remove all obstacles and send laborers to these people groups.
SELF-STUDY
1.	What is the one sign that must happen before the second coming of Christ?
2.	Explain what must be done in order to fill all the world with the Gospel, as explained by Dick Eastman in this lesson.
3.	Make a list of the nations you will be praying for, in order that the Gospel might reach every people group there.