EKKLESIA: THE Church and This church
Join us this fall for a new series called “EKKLESIA” as we look at the first expression of the Church as recorded in the book of Acts. We will also explore who we are as a church here at Live Oak. What was the Church like THEN and how should that shape who the Church should be NOW? We will also explore who THIS church is by exploring our mission, strategy and core values, as well as start exploring “what’s next” for Live Oak Community Church.
Week 4: Bold Prayers Do you ever struggle with prayer? How to pray? What to pray? Maybe you feel stuck or your prayers feel stale. This week we looked at Acts 4 and a prayer of the first expression of the church, the ekklesia of Jesus. It is the first prayer recorded in Acts, and the longest prayer recorded in Acts, and it could be a gamechanger prayer for you, for us, and for how we pray and how we see the world.
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- Not necessarily faith related, but just in general: When was the last time you did something you’d consider a bold move?
- How would you describe your prayer life? What is going well and what has been a challenge in your prayer life?
- READ: Acts 3:1-4:22
Spend some time SOAPing this passage. You can either spend time SOAPing individually and documenting for a several minutes and then spend time sharing with each -OR- SOAP in real time with each other. Either way make as many observations as you can. OBSERVATIONS: What are the things that stand out to you about this passage?
- READ: Acts 4:23-31
Spend some time SOAPing this passage. You can either spend time SOAPing individually and documenting for a several minutes and then spend time sharing with each -OR- SOAP in real time with each other. Either way make as many observations as you can. OBSERVATIONS: What are the things that stand out to you about this passage?What stands out about what their prayer?
- If God answered all your prayers, how much would you be the beneficiary versus other people? Does your answer to that question lead you to a conclusion about your prayers? If so, what?
- Who was bold with you about their faith that positively impacted your faith?
- What’s your primary pushback to asking God for boldness?
- Doug said that “we pray about what we care about.” What did they care about?What would it look like for us to pray that way?
- How specifically will you pray bold prayers this week?
- Would you be willing to start the next seven days with this prayer? “Heavenly Father, build your church and show me my part. Enable me and us to speak your word with great boldness. Amen.”
- What else stood out from this week’s sermon/passage?
- What is your big takeaway from this week’s sermon/passage?
NEXT STEPS:Everyone has a next step to apply what we have learned. What is your next step?Be specific.
MEMORY VERSE: *Challenge yourself or your group to commit this verse to memory:
Acts 4:29 “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”
PRAYER:
Spend some time praying for each other. And pray this prayer as a group: “Jesus, build your Church…and show us our part. Amen!”***Challenge your group to make this a daily prayer throughout this series:“Jesus, build your church and show me my part. Enable me and us to speak your word with great boldness. Amen.”
Scripture References:Matthew 16:18; Acts 3-4; Psalm 2; Acts 2:22; Acts 14:3