prayerstrategists.net · Listening Prayer Discovery Bible Study Set

Listening Prayer

Listening Prayer Discovery Bible Study Set

Listening Prayer:

Team Evaluation, Discovery Bible Story Set, & Resources

Introduction to FPS’s Prayer Strategies Discovery Bible Studies Set:

Prayer—or engagement with God—is integral to every aspect of the lives of the team members and the corporate team, as well as to the strategy and approach they use. Within this docu-ment, you will find the following: a definition and explanation to the Prayer strategy, a set of questions to help you diagnosis the status of your team’s use of this strategy, a Discovery Bible Story Set to help you understand Scripture’s view on this strategy, and links for further re-sources related to this Prayer strategy. We recommend completing the team’s diagnostic first then adapt the Discovery Story Set to meet your team’s needs. Feel free to use the typical DBS questions, however, in addition we’ve tried to suggest you ask these much deeper questions to elicit specifics regarding this strategy. The Fellowship of Prayer Strategists have a set of nine-teen di ff erent prayer strategies. These are not intended to be the complete picture of this strat-egy but a glimpse at the use for this strategy. You can find more strategies at www.prayer–strategists.net. We hope these tools will prove helpful in considering ways you and your team can increase your capacity for extraordinary prayer for the sake of the King and His Kingdom.

Listening Prayer
Definition: The role of intimacy with God in igniting movements to Christ.

Explanation: Prayer as described and modeled in the Bible is a two-way conversation be-tween the believer and God, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ Our Mediator. Praying without ceasing practices the presence of God as we go through our days and nights aware of and in communion with Him. Extraordinary prayer is understood to be one of the foundational principles of church planting or disciple-making movements. At its heart is this continuous abiding in Jesus, the Vine, through whom we bear much fruit for His glory and to the extension of His kingdom on earth as in heaven. Just as Jesus Himself did nothing but what He saw the Father in Heaven doing, so we as His disciples also are called to be trustfully listening and obeying His instructions. In this way, we position ourselves to join Him as He is working, going where He is about to come, and announcing the advent of His kingdom. He confirms His Word with signs and wonders following.

Diagnostic Questions for You & Your Team:

1. Are you/your teammates growing in conversational relationship with God, practicing His Presence, listening to His voice and obeying? How is God challenging you to grow in these areas?
2. Do you have regular times of corporate listening prayer as part of your working together?
3. Are you teaching those you are ministering to how to talk to and listen to God?

Discovery Bible Story Set:

1. “Listening Prayer by an Insider and an Outsider” – Acts 10:1-36
A. Pray as a group before beginning that God would speak to us and open our hearts to hear Him.
B. Read the entire passage aloud at least 2 times or listen to an audio version twice through. If your group uses storying, present the scripture in this way. Then, have the group practice re-telling the story together.
C. Discussion questions:
• Who in the story is“engaging with God”and how? Are they followers of Jesus or not?
• How is God engaging with the people in this story?
• Do the people obey what they feel God is instructing them to do here? What happens as a result?

D. Take a few minutes to quietly listen to God. What is He instructing you to do from what you’re hearing? Share with each other what you’re sensing. Are some of His instruc-tions quite di ff erent than you might have imagined? How?
E. Who is God asking you to share this story with? When will you do it? Share with the group.
F. What key principles about prayer can you draw from this passage?

We are called into intimacy with God and with one another as part of His Body. We can engage with God individually and we can also engage with God corporately. God can speak to us corpo-rately things that He cannot speak to any single individual. Let’s look at scripture that seems to illustrate this principle.

2. “Corporate Listening Prayer” – Acts 13:1-5

A. Pray before beginning that God would speak to us and open our hearts to hear Him.
B. Read the entire passage completely through.
C. Discussion questions:
• Who in the story is “engaging with God”and how? Can you tell if they are from the same people group or di ff erent people groups?
• How were they engaging with God? Describe all their activities included.
• Who does the scripture say “spoke”?
• Do the people obey what they feel God is instructing them to do here? What happens as a result?

D. Take a few minutes to quietly listen to God. What is He instructing you to do from what you’re hearing? Share with each other what you’re sensing. Are some of His instructions quite different than you might have imagined? How?

E. Who is God asking you to share this story with? When will you do it? Share with the group.

F. What key principles about prayer can you draw from this passage?

Further Resources on Listening Prayer:

• Article: “Spiritual Intimacy & Prayer as Conversation with God in Igniting Movements to Christ” https://prayerstrategists.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/spiritualintimacy-docx.pdf
• Powerpoint: “Communication with God”
• The Attack Lambs: Prayer That Changes the World, Mark Geppert–GenesisBooks-1999
These Signs Shall Follow: The Miraculous Memoirs of a Foot Dragging Disciple, Neil W. Gamble – 2013
• Bibliography by Godspace on Listening Prayer https://prayerstrategists.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/fromgodspaceonlistening-docx.pdf

Further resources and connection with other prayer strategists are available through the Fel-lowship of Prayer Strategists and their website www.prayerstrategists.net.

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