Big Church (2) – Big Prayers

Last week we started this new series called Big Church. We asked the question, what do you think
of when you think of church? Through studying Acts 1-2 we said that church is much more than a
building or a place. In fact, on opening day, the church had no buildings or rituals, no bands or robed
choirs. What it did have was a gathering of people who were intent on one thing: to create followers of
Jesus Christ. The church was a movement that continues today, a multiplying, multi-cultural gathering
of people who believe that Jesus is the son of God, that he is the Savior and whose lives reflect his
teaching.

So let me ask you a second question, especially for those of us that called ourselves Christians. If we
believe that Jesus is indeed the son of God who has risen from the dead, and he has invited us to pray to
Him, how do you pray? I am going to take a wild guess here, for most of us chances are if God answered
all the prayers we have prayed this past year, the only difference it would have made is in our lives and
our families. And while that may be great for us and our families, could our prayers be bigger? Bolder?
Moving Forward

God invites us to pray for many things. God invites us to pray for the daily aspects of our lives. But if the early church provides us a model for prayer, then God also invites us to pray with boldness . . . to pray big, bold, God-honoring prayers. In fact, let’s pray this together:

Enable me to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and
wonders through the name of Jesus.

Discussion Questions

1. Do churches tend to focus on the “reached” or the “unreached”?

2. Do most people who leave church and never return do so because of the way they were treated or
because of theological differences?

3. How can you ensure that you don’t become too insider-focused at the expense of becoming
insensitive to outsiders?

4. What is the boldest prayer you’ve ever prayed? What happened as a result of that prayer?

5. Read Acts 4. What would your prayers have sounded like in response to threats from local
authorities?

6. Given the church’s response in verses 32-35, is there a connection between boldness and generosity?