DiscipleshipCurriculum RaisingDisciples - Flipbook - Page 39
WEEK 6
Spiritual Practices
TIME OF PRAYER
Use the ACTS prayer pattern to lead the group in prayer:
Adoration: Ask members to complete this sentence “God you are…”
Confession: Give each member a few moments to reflect on their sin and the forgiveness
God grants.
Thanksgiving: Use the gratitude list compiled to complete the sentence “God we thank you
for…”
Supplication: Give each member an opportunity to voice a sentence prayer on behalf of
someone in need.
Study God’s Word
Say, “As Jesus walked alongside the twelve disciples, they had the opportunity to observe
Jesus’s spiritual practices, be instructed in these practices, and participate with Jesus.”
BACKGROUND TO THE BIBLICAL TEXT
As indicated in verse 1, rabbis (such as John the Baptist) would commonly teach their
disciples a way of prayer. In our text today, the twelve disciples ask Jesus for his instruction.
His response is commonly referred to as the Lord’s Prayer, but a better title might be the
Model Prayer, as Jesus shares it with the disciples not necessarily so they will recite it, but
so they will use it as a model for their own prayers. Luke’s gospel records a shorter version
of the prayer (compare to Matthew 6:9-13, which is similar to a Jewish prayer called the
Kaddish).
The prayer is one for the community to pray; notice the use of the terms our, us, and we.
The prayer begins with a direct address to God as Father, a word of both respect and
intimacy. The prayer then has two declarations to set the tone: Awe (God is holy) and
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