Inside #1 - Commune (Week of October 4th)

Pastor’s Class Notes:
How do you commune with God?
What are the steps? What is your perfect environment?
How often do you pray?
What do you pray?
How could you pray better? (If you knew ...)

Read Matthew 6:5-13
Jesus’ prayer teaching has some key aspects that are based on the negative prayer practices of the Pharisees. (whom Jesus called hypocrites. Why?)
Identify those positive prayer practices.
What is the most powerful part of the Lord’s Prayer for you?
How often do you use it in your prayers?
Create a prayer outline using the Lord’s Prayer as a guide:
What is it Jesus is trying to teach us?

Read Luke 11:1-13
What is different about this version of the Lord’s Prayer?
Jesus concludes this prayer with a parable about perseverance.
Is your practice to pray with such fervor? What happens when you do?
If we have experienced an answer to such prayers, what keeps us from praying like this all the time?
Verses 9-13 - What is an appropriate request?
What can we pray for? should we pray for?

What about Holy Communion? How often would you like to receive it?
Is it a part of your Communing practice with God?
What other practices do you use?
These are called Spiritual Disciplines. What are others you might use to connect with God?

Great References: “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster; “Soul Feast” by Marjorie Thompson