07/21/24

Lord, Teach us To Prayer

Richard White, Pastor

"The Church at Prayer" - Acts 4:23-31 

1. Prayer and Community: In verses 23-24, what is the significance of the believers coming together to pray after Peter and John’s release? How does this reflect the early Christian community’s approach to challenges?  Compare that with your approach to challenges.
2. Acknowledging God's Sovereignty: In verses 24-28, how do these believers recognize God's hand in the events that have occurred, and what can we learn from their example about trusting God’s plan?
3. Worship-based, Scripture-fed, Spirit-Led Prayer:   Compare Acts 4:24 with Exodus 20:11; Psalm, 146:6, Neh 9:6. Their prayer begins with worship. How does Scripture infuse this?  Is praying Scripture easy, difficult, confusing, helpful for you, or?  Explain.    Verses 25-26 quote Psalm 2. Why do you think the believers included this specific Scripture in their prayer?  They probably prayed the entire Psalm. How did they connect with Jesus in Acts 4:27-28?   How might Scripture- fed worship enhance your prayers and understanding of God’s work?
4. Facing Opposition: The prayer mentions (vs 27,28)  the opposition against Jesus from Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles and the Jewish people. What do they celebrate about God in that? How might this encourage and strength them as they face opposition from the religious leaders? How might this encourage us in facing challenges and opposition in our own lives?
5. Boldness in Proclamation: In verse 29, the believers ask God to enable them to speak His word with boldness. Is this surprising to you that they would ask for boldness?  Why or why not?   Is boldness something we cultivate or is it a grace gift of the Spirit?  Explain. Have you ever asked God for boldness? What happened?
6. Signs and Wonders: Verse 30 speaks of God stretching out His hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. How do signs and wonders play a role in God’s works and the believer’s witness?  Do you see evidence of God stretching out his hand today? How should we respond when we do see it, what is God doing in that?
7. Result of the Prayer: In verse 31, after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. What does this response from God teach us about the power of collective prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives?