ON
OUR KNEES – LEARNING FROM MEN OF PRAYER
HELPING OUR CHURCH GROW - Part 1
LESSON #9 – PAUL
(A COMPLETE LESSON)
INTERACTION
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What are some qualities that make men great?
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Who are some of these men?
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What are some specific qualities in men that help
churches grow?
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What specific qualities did Paul have that helped
churches grow?
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Why might prayer be the most significant ingredient in
church growth?
If you read the Book of
Acts and the Epistles of Paul, you will find Paul to be a great man of
prayer. Paul prayed specifically for the
churches he knew. The way Paul prayed is an example of the way we should pray for
growth in our church.
PRAY FOR PERCEPTION - Ephesians
1:15-23
We need to pray that other Christians will have a "spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Vs. 17)
· How would you describe a
“spirit of wisdom and revelation”?
· Why should every
Christian want to know God better?
· How will knowing God
better help a church grow?
Paul also wanted the church to grasp:
1. "...the hope of His calling..." - Vs. 18
· According to Ephesians
1:4-7 what has He called us to and how does that give us hope?
· According to John 14:2-3
what else are we hoping for?
· What is the difference
between faith and hope?
· How will hope help a
church grow?
2. "...the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints..." - Vs. 18
· Just think! We are His
inheritance! How should being His
inheritance affect our behavior?
1 John 3:2-3 - Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is. [3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as
he is pure.
Jude 1:24 - Now unto him
that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
3. "...the exceeding greatness of his power..." - Vss.
19-23
· We need to grasp just how
much power is available for us in Christ.
We will not appropriate the power unless we understand its availability.
· What is His power in us
based on? Is it enough?
PRAY FOR POWER - Ephesians 3:14-21
· After praying that
Christians perceive the availability of Christ's power, we need to pray that
appropriation of that power would be a reality in their lives.
1. Power of the Spirit - Vs. 16
· How can you tell when the
power of the Spirit is in your life? Ephesians 5:18-21, Galatians 5:16, Galatians
5:22-23, Acts 1:8
· How will the power of the
Spirit help the church grow?
2. Power of Christ's control - Vs. 17a
· When Christ dwells in our
hearts by faith he is “at home” there.
He has been made the master of the house and has been given the key to
every “room” so that He might clean it and rule there.
3. Power to love - Vss. 17b-19a
· What do you think it
means to be “rooted and grounded in love?”
· To understand the
dimensions of love is to understand its vastness.
· When we know the love of
Christ, we understand that His love is beyond human knowledge.
· How will this knowledge
of Christ’s love affect our behavior in church? How will it affect our attitude
towards those who don’t know Christ?
4. Power of God's fullness - Vs. 19b
· What does it mean to be
filled with the fullness of God?
· Why is this a great
request to make for your Christian friends and loved ones?
· Vss. 20-21 – What are the
chances of these prayers being answered?
· Why would God answer
these prayers?
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