THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST – 2022 BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE: WEEK 30

 THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST – 2022 BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE

WEEK 30: SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022

PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER

Main Text: Luke 18:1–8

Memory Verse: For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet. Till her vindication shines out like a dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. – Isaiah 62:1

Introduction

Everyone prays for results. However, immediate answer to prayer does not occur every time. In such instances, the fainthearted could give up praying, especially, when the response delays with no hope in sight. To be a good intercessor, one must be persistent, relentless and patient in prayer. Perseverance is the quality that causes one to hold on, press on, and wait on God for an answer against all odds. In this study, we shall engage on how to cultivate the quality of perseverance as intercessors for the family, church and nations.

Questions for Discussion

1.      What quality did Jesus seek to recommend to His disciples in the parable? Verse 1

2.      How was perseverance manifested in the request of the widow? Verses 4 and 5

3.      Why did the judge give in to the widow’s request? Verses 4 and 5

4.      Discuss the importance of perseverance in prayer.

5.      How can we cultivate perseverance as intercessors?

Conclusion

In this parable, Jesus implied that persistent prayer yields results. This kind of prayer is produced by faith, energised by the Holy Spirit and reflects a person’s total reliance on God (Lk. 18:1–8, 11:5–8). Sometimes, we receive the first time we ask, find the first time we seek and have doors opened the first time we knock. At other times, God in His sovereign will put us on hold.

In such cases, one must, through faith, persevere in prayer. Persistent prayer builds character in the petitioner. It draws one closer to God for an encounter that changes one forever (Dan. 9:23–27, 2 Cor. 12:7–9). Persistent prayer, however, does not imply forcing our will on God. Rather, it is being energised and directed by the Holy Spirit to pray in the will of God while waiting for answers to our requests. To cultivate perseverance in prayer, one must be thorough in the knowledge of the scriptures, live a sacrificial life, be devoted to prayer and have faith that God answers prayer.

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