The 4 Pillars – Small Group Series
2016
UnCeasing Prayer
~ Spend a sufficient amount of time in prayer *Adoration-Confession-Thanksgiving-Supplication*
~ Briefly discuss the following question(s) *Answers should be no more than a sentence or two*
What does it mean to pray without ceasing? In whose life have you seen this modeled?
(Read Ephesians 6:18-20 {*18} and the Summary Below)
Context: “Life is war”…these are the words of John Piper in attempting to describe the necessity of prayer as spoken in this
passage. It may be much more but it is nothing less than war. Any believer who has walked even a short while with the Lord is
keenly aware of this. Furthermore, all who have engaged in this war know all too well that when it comes to spiritual warfare, it is
only the Lord’s strength, and not our own, that will see us through. This is why Paul calls upon the Ephesian believers in chapter
6 to gear up and get ready for battle. How? Simple…we put on the full armor of God! Make no mistake believer, the struggle we
will engage in is not with flesh and blood but against a spiritual army that desires our demise. When we come to verse 18,
whether we see prayer as a final piece of armor or simply Paul’s final instruction, one thing is certain, prayer is absolutely
indispensable if we hope to see victory in our own spiritual conflicts! Amour without prayer will simply not suffice.
Content: We believe firmly in the power of prayer! This is a non-negotiable! But what exactly does that mean? In Ephesians
6:18, Paul simply continues his thoughts about the preparation necessary for spiritual warfare. Of interest is the fact that this
letter begins by calling attention to our heavenly benefits and here in this section we are reminded of our heavenly conflict. If we
wish to go through this conflict victoriously, we need to understand the necessity of bold prayer. Paul provides us with 4
principles as we seek to be a praying people.
It is our conviction that “there is power in prayer” and because of this we should be devoted to praying…
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2.
3.
4.
At all times (The Frequency)
 Like a soldier ever aware of His need for direction, strength, wisdom and guidance, believers need to be in constant
communication with the Father. To fail to do so is to invite vulnerability into one’s life and into the battle!
 The idea here is the same as in Acts 6:4 &1 Thes 5:17…’without ceasing’… the Greek word translated without
ceasing was used of a hacking cough and of repeated military assaults…the imagery is one of constancy.
 In essence this is a call to be ever conscious of God’s presence and ever diligent in communicating with Him!
In all ways (The Variety)
 There is a variety of prayer that is found throughout Scripture. Prayers of request (supplication), Prayers of
thanksgiving, Prayers of adoration, Prayers of consecration, prayers of intercession, prayers of imprecation, etc.
 Paul’s point is that we fight for God against the enemy as we use all types of prayer.
With all perseverance and alertness (The Demeanor)
 Alert- ties in with the military analogy. You’re a sentry on duty. You must watch for any signs of infiltration by the
enemy and go immediately to prayer…when you feel temptation, see suffering, recognize deception, when you see
blessing, when you see God dishonored, when you witness the ravaging of sin, when you notice unbelievers, etc.
 Perseverance- The verb form of this Greek word translated perseverance is often linked with prayer (Acts 1:14;
2:42; 6:4; Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2). It means to devote yourself constantly to it. You don’t give up when you don’t see
immediate results. You wait on the Lord (Ps. 27:14).
For all Saints (The Scope)
 As a believer we are part of something bigger than ourselves…a family, a body, a building! As Paul states in 1
Corinthians 12:26, when one member suffers we all suffer and when one member is honored we all rejoice!
 The point is simple…when we understand what it means to be engaged in the conflict together we pray not only for
ourselves but for the man, woman and child beside us. This is our privilege and responsibility!
 As an extension of this call to pray for all the Saints, Paul asks for prayer for himself, that he will “make known with
boldness the mystery of the gospel” (6:19-20). Every Christian is in the ministry, but evangelists, missionaries,
pastors, and other Christian leaders are especially targets for the enemy…pray for them!
The 4 Pillars – Small Group Series
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2016
The pursuit of being one who believes firmly in the power of prayer is a pursuit of praying always with a sense of
constancy. Are there times in your life, your week, your day in which you find it more difficult to pray?
The scripture makes abundantly clear the need for each of us to be unceasing in prayer. (Lk 21:36, Acts 6:4, Rom 12:12,
Col 4:2, Phil 4:6) However, what most of us struggle with is the motivation to live our lives so God-consciously that we
see life through a lens that always has Him, his ways, his plans in view. Typically this is either due to the lack of vitality in
our spiritual life or the lack of intentionality in our spiritual life. Consider the following questions and discuss:
 When you see something good and right do you pray prayers of thanksgiving?
 When you see open sin or evil do you cry out to God to make it right?
 When you see a lost person wasting their life, do you pray for them to be drawn to God?
 When you see personal sin in your own life, do you pray and ask for God’s forgiveness and renewed
fellowship?
 When you feel empty, do you pray and seek after God? What about when you are scared…do you pray
and pursue His comforting presence?
 When you see others in need do you pray for their needs to be met?
 When you catch a glimpse of God’s glory in creation and in His working in your life do you offer prayers
of adoration?
 When you see the problems in our world and the mistakes, lies and difficult decisions that come from
our world’s leaders, do you pray for them?
What area of your personal prayer life could use some attention: Intercession, Confession, Petition (Request),
Thanksgiving, Yearning and Adoration
In our efforts to pray with perseverance, constantly, with diligence, there is a danger at times that God has answered but
we are not hearing Him! We sometimes talk about unanswered prayer…and perhaps there is a place for that discussion;
however, what we often consider unanswered prayers were actually answered…it was just not the answer we hoped for.
How can we guard against this? Can you recall a time when God’s answer was different than you originally
hoped for? What is your perspective of that situation now?
Many of us have never heard of “Epaphras”. He doesn’t find many pages of Scripture with his name written on it;
however, in Colossians 4:12 we get a glimpse of this faithful servant and prayer warrior of God. Read Colossians 4:1213 and identify characteristics of his prayer life worthy of emulating.
Praying for all saints and in particular, for those who are in positions of leadership is vitally important. Is this something
you believe the Christian community typically does well? Why or why not? What about Harvest Niagara…do we
as a body of believers do well in these two areas? What about you personally? What steps can we each take to
ensure a greater sensitivity towards the needs of others both here and abroad? How can we incorporate this
into our SG time?
1. Often times, discussions on prayer are dreaded because many believers can’t seem to find victory in this area of
Christian living. We desire to be a people of unceasing prayer but if we are being honest, we often feel like this is
an area of great weakness. Perhaps the reason why is that you have simply not developed a strong prayer life.
What steps could you take as early as this week to further develop a strong prayer life? Hold each other
accountable to these steps and encourage one another through the weeks ahead.
2. On the other hand, perhaps the problem is a hindrance in your prayer life. Consider the following hindrances
and share/discuss those areas you’re currently struggling in.
Unconfessed Sin – Psalm 66:18, Eph 4:30, 1 John 1:9
Marital Conflict – 1 Peter 3:7
Faithless Praying – 1 John 5:14-15, James 1:5-7
Worldly Minded Prayers – James 4:2-3
Prideful/Pretentious Praying – Matt 6:5-8
Strained or Broken Relationships – Mark 11:25-26
3. Spend some time praying: 1) Adore Him…proclaim his glory 2) Pray for a greater God-Consciousness…the ability
to see all of life with God right in the center 3) Pray for a greater measure of perseverance and alertness 4) Pray
for the Saints of Harvest Niagara, of the Niagara Region, of Ontario, of North America…pray for specific or all of
the Harvest Bible Chapels.