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Name of Assembly: United Apostolic Church  
Type of service: Bible Study
Date: January 18, 2022
Series: SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES 
Lesson 2: The DISCIPLINE OF PRAYER   
Scripture Text: St. Matthew 6:5-13

“5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” - St. Matthew 6:5-13.

 5“And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who pretend piety by praying publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. Truly, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, all alone, and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly, and your Father, who knows your secrets, will reward you. 7-8 “Don’t recite the same prayer over and over as the heathen do, who think prayers are answered only by repeating them again and again. Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
9 “Pray along these lines: ‘Our Father in heaven, we honor your holy name. 10 We ask that your kingdom will come now. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. 11 Give us our food again today, as usual, 12 and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. 13 Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. Amen” - St. Matthew 6:5-13 (TLB)

WHAT IS PRAYER?

F.B. Meyer, the author of “The Secret of Guidance” said, "The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer."

Prayer is, for the most part, an untapped resource, an unexplored continent where untold treasure remains to be unearthed. It is talked about more than anything else and practiced less than anything else. And yet, for the believer it remains one of the greatest gifts that our Lord has given to us.

Definition:

Prayer is having a conversation with God. It is the means by which you “seek after God” and develop a relationship with Him. As you know, a conversation can take many different directions. There are short conversations and long conversations; intellectual conversations and brainless conversations; deep, intimate conversations or lighthearted conversations. No matter what type of conversation it is, to really get to know a person you must spend time communicating with that person. The more time you spend with someone the easier it is to communicate with that person.

Prayer is the only medium that we have available to communicate with our Lord. It is the contact point of conversation between us, and Jesus and it can take several different directions such as thanksgiving, worship, supplication, and intercession. Prayer enables us to know Jesus better. In fact, the more that we let Jesus into our life and express our heart to Him in prayer, the more He will let us into His life and express His heart to us in prayer.
    

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PRAYING?

The following examples are benefits of maintaining an active prayer life:

  • Saving your soul: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” - St. Luke 21:36
  • Brings direction: “5Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” - Proverbs 3:5-6.
  • Changes the course of Nations: “10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. 27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” - Daniel 6:10-11; 25-27.
  • Helps us overcome Temptations: “15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” - Hebrews 4:15-16.

 

PRAYER WAS ESSENTIAL TO OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS

The importance of praying is seen from the very first book of the Old Testament Scriptures. In Genesis 4:26 we read, “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.”

We also observe several powerful examples of prayers that is recorded in the Old Testament. Three of these are seen below:

  • Nehemiah intercedes for Jerusalem: “4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses” - Nehemiah 1:4-7.
  • Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah: “20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. 23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake” - Exodus 32:9-14 (NKJV).
  • Jabez’ Petition: “9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested” - 1 Chronicles 4: 9-10.

 

PRAYER IN THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ who is our perfect example, was a man of prayer. Luke tells us the following about Jesus, “However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” (Luke 5:15-16 NKJV). 

Mark notes at the very beginning of his Gospel what was probably a daily practice for Jesus: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” (Mark 1:35). Sometimes Jesus spent the entire night in prayer. “12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles” - (Luke 6:12-13).

In Mark 1:32-34 we read the following, “32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.” 

It is important to note the connection between Jesus’s ministry and his prayer life. In Mark 1:32-34, Jesus healed all the sick in the town, and cast out all the demons. Mark tells us that this ministry took place after sunset. Rather than sleeping in after this amazing ministry, Mark notes that Jesus got up before the sunrise in order to pray. “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” - Mark 1:35. Jesus Christ must have been exhausted, but he knew that as a man, His strength came from His Father, so his prayer time could not be compromised. Jesus Christ’s ability to minister powerfully came because of His prayer time.  

The disciples, though, did not understand that Jesus needed to pray, because verse 36-37 says, “And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” It is almost as if they are saying to him, “Quit wasting your time here in prayer. Come on back to Capernaum where you have healed the sick and demon possessed.” 

The disciples at that time, didn’t fully understand the necessity for maintaining a pattern of prayer. This is observable in Mark 9:9-29, when a man brings his child to Jesus to be healed from his terrible ailment, the disciples “tried their best” to cast out the demon but failed. “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” they ask (Mark 9:28). Jesus’s response to them is very telling: “…This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29). Implicit in his answer is the criticism that His disciples did not maintain a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. 

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER IN THE EARLY CHURCH

The Apostles eventually learned and appreciated how important praying was to the success of the ministry of the Church. In fact, no decision was made, no action taken in the early church without prayer.

They prayed for:

  • … guidance in selecting Judas’ replacement: “23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, 25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. 26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” - Acts 1:23-26
  • …boldness to preach about Jesus despite the threatening of the authorities: “24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: 25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” - Acts 4:24-31.
  • …when it was time to appoint people to the ministry: “1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away” - Acts 13:1-3.
  • … Peter to be delivered from prison: “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” - Acts 12:5.

“And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed” - Acts 14:23.


In Acts chapter 6, there was a conflict among the believers because the widows who were Grecians were not getting adequate social assistance while those who were Hebrews received adequate. This conflict came to the attention of the Apostles and in so doing, had the potential of cause them to be distracted from their primary responsibility. 

“And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” - Acts 6:1-7.

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