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Learning to Pray
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In True^North chapter 5, the necessity of prayer is discussed. It is not presented as a mere perfunctory practice before we engage in something spiritual. It is the bedrock upon which we build our Bible Study skills. The chapter details several key issues surrounding the integration of prayer and Bible Study. I am asking you as the disciple-maker to do more than merely learn this material so you can teach it. I desire for you to embrace this yourself. If you have never seen these aspects as key components, I will require you to make them part of your “Second Reading of Scripture.” One cannot learn the word without praying for the Lord Himself to open your eyes so you can recognize Him (Luke 24:31) and open your mind so you can understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). May I give this to you in a simple axiom? “You cannot give what you do not possess.” If you attempt to disciple someone else in the practice of Prayer yet only give it secondary importance. May I urge you to calibrate your prayer towards a True^North that begins with listening to His voice. Listen to Jesus as the Good Shepherd,
“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice”
(John 10:4-5)
The overall trajectory of True^North Bible Study is to pray, hear, understand, and apply the words of Jesus to our lives. This is the journey we are on.
Slowly move through the different sections of True^North chapter 5 and personally wrestle with both the content and with the implications for its importance (that is the “What” and the “Why”). Once you are persuaded of these truths surrounding prayer; then and only then are you ready to transfer this to your disciple-making materials to teach your disciple-in-the-making. Prepare to share over the prayers found in 1 Samuel 3, Luke 1, John 17, and the prayers of Paul. I have loaded here PDF’s which contain several model prayer bookmarks which you can give to your disciple-in-the-making to always remind them to pray biblically before they enter a “Second Reading” of Scripture. I print them off on cardstock and give out to everyone I teach.
Let’s remember that True^North is not merely about educating the mind. But it is a call to the whole person to pray-read-interpret-apply the word. So, as you finalize your material on prayer, we must individually respond to the voice of the Lord. The only proper faith-filled response is, “yes.” Anything short of that does not have the Triune God on the throne of your heart. Make certain that as you ponder your teaching material on prayer, do so with a bold call to obedience. Please put together a 500 word summary (two pages) of the topic of prayer as the foundation to Bible study. This might include topics such as (1) what was new to you (2) what practices have affected you the most or (3) what will be the most effective subjects to teach to your disciple-in-the-making? Remember, prayer is that happy middle ground between “How” we study the Bible AND “WHY” we pray as a foundation stone. Can you choose one of the prayer models (Samuel, Mary, Jesus, or Paul…or even one of your own selection out of Scripture) that will be part of your Disciple-making material and explain why you choose that particular form or person of prayer? Can you please include in your material that you are convinced of both the How and the Why we pray. Maybe even include if prayer has been lacking in your own life up to this point. Transparency is a gift we can give to one another in this class
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