Lord, teach us to pray” Luke 11:1b
If you have an awareness of the Jewish culture during the time frame of Jesus’ ministry you might find the request made to Jesus to be strange. The disciples were part of a culture which prayed a minimum of three times daily. Over the centuries the Jewish religious leaders had developed prayers for all occasions and the practice of prayer had been engrained in the mindset of the community. So why did the disciples need teaching?
The answer is found in the same passage; they wanted to pray like John the Baptist’s disciples. They noted that there was something different in the way John’s disciples connected with God. They probably recognized Jesus also prayed differently from them and wanted to experience a similar enriched prayer life. We at the MCF want you to pray in a way that allows you experience a deeper connection with God. We want you to examine your prayer practices by joining us on 8 February 2018 as we start a prayer journey. We invite you to participate in a study developed by Saddleback Church called 40 Days of Prayer.
The topics covered include:
Week 1 – Do you really want to grow?
Week 2 – A beginner’s guide to prayer
Week 3 – Who do you think you are talking to
Week 4 – Praying in 5 dimensions
Week 5 – How to pray through your day
Week 6 – How to pray for healing and restoration
Week 7 – When God says no
All journeys require intentionality on the part of participants and this journey is no exception. There are teaching videos to watch, questions to contemplate, and discussions to participate in. It is believed that participating in this study with others will enhance your learning, so we ask that you consider doing this as a small group study; use your present group or start one specifically for the 40 Days. Additionally, if there is interest, we’d like to connect online on Monday evenings for approximately 1 hour. We will use an easy-to-use program called ZOOM. If you are interested in this activity reply to us via the office indicating as much and you will be sent connection details.
The MCF, like all who call themselves Christ followers, are part of God’s mission;
a mission to make the world aware of God’s love and plan of salvation. God has invited us to be on mission with Him. Part of the MCF’s purpose is to engage the military community and assist them to become disciples. We know that as disciples of Christ we have been empowered with the Holy Spirit to do wonderful things but how do we know what these things are? Prayer connects us with God helping us understand our purpose and mission. As such, it would make sense to ensure we have an appropriate way to hear and discuss God’s intentions. The 40 Days of Prayer journey can help your understanding of prayer.
Join us as we seek to grow our personal prayer practices, so we can become closer to our Lord and Saviour, so we can be on mission with God.
Blessings
Anton Topilnyckyj
Prayer Coordinator