This month we will narrow our focus to one major discipline. It is the discipline of prayer. It is impossible to have a relationship with God without prayer, which means the quality of our relationship with our heavenly father will be determined by the effectiveness of our prayer life.

As a leader, ensure you are on your knees before The King. Your group is looking for someone to follow, someone who has been there before. Set the bar high and encourage them to rise to the challenge.

Leader Guide

• Discuss the monthly assignment as early as possible. It will be a challenge for your group to find 4 hours for a half-day of prayer.

• The half-day of prayer will be a challenge for most people, but I have people who pledge to do it more often every year. Challenge them on the front end to not cut corners but offer grace on the back end if they don't make it 4 hours. The goal is to stretch them to grow them. If they only made it 3 hours, it was a successful day of prayer.

• Spend time during your meetings discussing their daily prayer life. We want to help them grow in one of the following areas - consistency, length, depth, and intentionality. Their spiritual growth will always depend on the health of their prayer life.

• This is a great month to step up group prayer time. This guide has an article to help with how to pray as a group.

Get Strong Bible Reading Plan – Talking Points

• After Peter's sermon in Acts 2, the people asked what they should do, and he said, "repent and be baptized." What does this mean?

• In Acts 2:42-47, we see the five purposes of the NT church. (Evangelism, Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, and Service)

• If God can use a sinner like Paul, He can use us. In what ways do we disqualify ourselves from following and serving God?

• Romans Road (plan of salvation) Problem (3:23; 6:23) Hope (5:8) Response (10:9; 10:13) Result (5:1-2; 8:1)

• List all the ways Paul ministered to the people in 1 Thessalonians 2 (more than 20 ways)

Book Recommendations: Prayer

1) The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson. This book greatly impacted the life of our founder Scott Batson. Get Strong Ministries is the dream that he circled. This book will challenge you and stretch you.

2) Prayer by Timothy Keller. This book is practical and full of teaching on prayer and Christian meditation with scripture examples and examples from early saints like Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and many others. 

3) The Prayer of the Lord by R.C. Sproul. Dr. R.C. Sproul writes that Jesus intended to give his disciples a model prayer, an example to follow, one that would teach them transferrable principles for conversation with God.

4) Seven Realities of Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. This book is in the format of a Bible study that examines seven scriptural realities―those Moses experienced in Exodus 3―that teach believers how to develop an obedient love relationship with God.