1st Quarter 2014 Lesson 3 Discipleship and Prayer

8/13/2019 1st Quarter 2014 Lesson 3 Discipleship and Prayer

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Lesson 3 for January 18, 2014


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Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not

that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we

are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does

not bring God down to us, but brings us up to HimE.G.W. (Steps to Christ, pg. 93)

Prayer.

Jesus, our prayer example.Intercessory prayer.

Daniels prayer.

Jesus prayer.

Discipleship and prayer.


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Prayer miraculously bonds finite souls with their

infinite Creator.

The sincere believer trusts in Gods ability to

honor His promises. Never has anyone lodged a

request that intimidates God.

Nevertheless, we must remember that:

Ask, and it will begiven to you; seek,

and you will find;knock, and it will beopened to you(Matthew 7:7, 9, 11)

God is more willing to give us what we ask thanour parents are (Mt. 7:7-11)We must not use vain repetitions or verbiage(Mt. 6:7)We dont know what we should pray for(Rom. 8:26)Our prayers must be subject to the divine will:Your will be done (Mt. 6:10)Our forgiveness requests will only be listened if weare willing to forgive others (Mt. 6:12-15)

Its good to pray together (Mt. 18:19)


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Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went

out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed(Mark 1:35)

Jesus prayed every day, seeking quiet

places to spend time with God in

prayer (Lk. 5:16).

As well as praying every day, Jesus

also prayed during the whole night in

special moments (Lk. 6:12)

Jesus is our example. He needed much

time of prayer to be in communion

with His Father. How much time do I

spend with my Father in prayer?


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To the consecrated worker there is wonderful consolation in the

knowledge that even Christ during His life on earth sought His

Father daily for fresh supplies of needed grace; and from this

communion with God He went forth to strengthen and bless others.

Behold the Son of God bowed in prayer to His Father! Though He is

the Son of God, He strengthens His faith by prayer, and by

communion with heaven gathers to Himself power to resist evil and

to minister to the needs of men. As the Elder Brother of our race He

knows the necessities of those who, compassed with infirmity and

living in a world of sin and temptation, still desire to serveHim. He knows that the messengers whom He sees fit

to send are weak, erring men; but to all who give

themselves wholly to His service He promises divine

aid. His own example is an assurance that earnest,

persevering supplication to God in faithfaith thatleads to entire dependence upon God, and unreserved

consecration to His workwill avail to bring to men

the Holy Spirits aid inthe battle against sin

E.G.W. (The Acts of the Apostles, cp. 5, p. 56)


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we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled,even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments O Lord,according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury beturned away from Your city Jerusalem,Your holy mountain; because for our sins,and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalemand Your people are a reproach to all thosearound us. Now therefore, our God, hear the

prayer of Your servant, and his supplications,and for the Lords sake cause Your face to shineon Your sanctuary, which is desolate(Daniel 9:5, 16-17)

Daniel was almost 90 years old, so he could not receive any

benefit from the people coming back to Jerusalem.Nevertheless, he identified himself with the sins of

his people and intensely interceded for his brothers

and sisters.

Intercessory prayer helps us to forget about ourselves and

to identify ourselves with those who we pray for. Then, we

feel an increasing desire to see their souls saved.


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But I have prayed for you, that your faith shouldnot fail; and when you have returned to Me,

strengthen your brethren (Luke 22:32)

Disciple-making today requires more than

tract distribution and airtight biblicalargumentation. Praying in a sympathetic

consciousness of anothers distress, and with

a passionate desire to alleviate that distress,

is still the standard of intercessory prayer in

effective disciple-making.

It is not enough to preach tomen. We must pray with them

and for them. We can not help

them while we hold ourselves

coldly aloof from them. We

must come close to them in

Christlike sympathy and loveE.G.W. (Review and Herald, March 24, 1903)

Jesus prayed for each of His disciples. He

interceded for them before the Father.

The longest prayer of Jesus is found in John 17.

He does not only intercede for His disciples, butalso for those who will believe in Me through

their word (v. 20)


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The first disciples imitated Jesus and usually prayed for very

diverse prayer requests.

For the coming of

the Comforter

(Acts 1:14)

For release from

difficulties

(Acts 12:6-12)

For our rulers and

authorities

(1Tim. 2:1-2)

For the salvation of

every person(1Tim. 2:3-4)

For the afflicted

and the sick(James 5:13-15)

For our growth and our

perseverance in faithand love (Jud. 20-21)

But the end of all things is at hand; thereforebe serious and watchful in your prayers(1 Peter 4:7)


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Christ has urged that His people pray without

ceasing. This does not mean that we should

always be upon our knees, but that prayer is to

be as the breath of the soul. Our silent requests,wherever we may be, are to be ascending unto

God, and Jesus, our advocate, pleads in our

behalf, bearing up with the incense of His

righteousness our requests to the Father

E.G.W. (Ye

Shall Receive

Power,

October 23)

1st Quarter 2014 Lesson 3 Discipleship and Prayer

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