Lesson 6: Grow in Prayer

Memory Verse: Matthew 6:9-13

Sharing Time: Share with each other how your experience of sharing last week’s story with someone. Take a few minutes to pray for the people that have heard last week’s story.

Tell (read) the Story: Luke 11:1-13

Ask: What does this passage say about God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)?

Tell (read) the Story Again: Luke 11:1-13

Ask: What does this passage say about people?

Retell the Story: Ask for one or more to retell this story, with the group’s help.

Ask: What applies to you, that you could put into practice this week?

Ask: Who can you tell this story to this week? Share with us who you can share this story to this week and let’s pray for each other for God directed opportunities to share this story.

Summarize: In addition to GOD’S WORD, our NEW LIFE IN CHRIST grows through PRAYER. Jesus prayed and taught His disciples, and us, what PRAYER is and how to pray. PRAYER happens when our spirit communes with God through the Holy Spirit who lives inside us. Jesus instructed us to pray to our Father from an unseen place (Matt 6:5-6).  We can commune with God at anytime and anywhere from within our spirit. PRAYER is not just an event. We are most familiar with PRAYER that takes place at a particular time and place. We pray at church, at Bible studies, or before we eat or go to bed. All of these are PRAYER events and it’s good that we pray at those occasions, but we can pray to God at anytime and anywhere so don’t limit yourself to only pray at a certain event. PRAYER is also an intimate time. Jesus had an intimate Father-Son relationship with God and passed that same honor to us. He taught us to pray “our Father in heaven.” Addressing God as Father means that God wants to be close and intimate with us. He wants us to tell him about our day, our ups and downs, our joy and sadness. The more we talk to God, the more we will grow in our relationship with God and grow in our NEW LIFE IN CHRIST. So let’s start praying right now. End this lesson by taking 5 minutes to quietly and privately talk to God in our spirit. Tell him how your day or week is going. Start by address God as “Father…” and end your prayer with “I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”