Leader Guide Week Of 10-28-07

Small Group Leaders Guide
October 28, 2007

Small Group Study Questions:

October 28, 2007
Can You Hear Me Now?
Getting In On God’s Family Plan

Getting Started:

1. How did you feel the first time you prayed out loud in a group?


Going Deeper:

2. In Luke 11:1-4, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. As you look at the prayer that Jesus shared with them, what stands out to you the most?

• The prayer includes a request for a single day’s provision.
• There is a recognition of personal weakness on the part of the person praying as he asks to be kept from temptation.
• The prayer is for the will of God to be done.
• What stands out to me the most is that the request to have my sins forgiven is connected to the way I forgive those who sin against me.

3. Different types of prayer have different names. For example, when we ask God to act on behalf of someone else, we call that intercessory prayer. What other kinds of prayer can you think of? Which of these do you focus on the most and why?

• Adoration – Thanking God for who He is.
• Thanksgiving – Thanking God for what He has done.
• Petition – Asking God to act on your behalf.
• Confession – Repenting of our sins before God.
• Listening – Taking time to be silent and wait upon the Lord.

4. Read Hebrews 6:11. What does it mean to earnestly seek God? How is this passage related to prayer? Read 1John 5:14-15.

5. What role does our obedience play in receiving answers to our prayers?

6. What does it mean to pray “In Jesus’ Name”?

7. Do you have difficulty praying? Why or why not? What advice would you give someone who finds it hard to pray?

8. Read Jesus’ prayer from John chapter 17 and answer the questions below:

• Jesus has several prayer requests in this passage. Can you list them?
• From His prayer, what obviously does He know about God?
• Who specifically, is Jesus praying for?
• What do you learn about Jesus, prayer, and God from this passage?
• How might knowing what Jesus prayed for help you know how to pray?

Putting it into practice:

1) Make a commitment to prayer and ask your group to provide encouragement and accountability.


Quote Of The Day
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.
--Abraham Lincoln