Devoted to Prayer

OPENING THOUGHT

Samuel Chadwick said, “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.”

THE READING (Acts 4:23-31)

The church grew in popularity following the healing of a lame man at the temple. The Council felt threatened and took the apostles into custody, but they eventually had to release them because the people were praising God for what had happened. After their release, they prayed for boldness to continue to speak his Word.

EXPLORE

Discuss these questions to get a better understanding of the text.

•  Who is praying here?

• What were the Christians reminded of in this prayer? Why did they remember these things?

• What was the purpose of this prayer?

• What happened at the conclusion of this prayer?

APPLY

In the book of Acts, Christians are constantly praying:

• While waiting for the promise (1:14)

• Before big decisions (1:24)

• While facing persecution (4:31; 12:5, 12)

• As leaders (6:4, 6)

• To bestow gifts (8:15)

• For forgiveness (8:22; 9:11)

• To raise the dead (9:40)

• As a daily habit (10:2, 9)

• Before mission trips (13:3)

• To appoint leaders (14:23)

• In prison (16:25)

• While saying goodbye (20:36-38; 21:5)

• During storms (27:29)

• For healing (28:8)

Discuss these questions to envision what it would be like to practically live out this passage.

• What can prayer do for a church?

• How do we “pray without ceasing”? (1 Thes. 5:17).

• For whom or for what should we pray?

• Can we as a church expect great things if we do not pray?