Church and Religion: 170709_kids

Acts 4:23-31 Pray for Gospel Boldness Summary: have you ever wondered why you should pray to God? Do you ever feel like he doesn’t hear, or maybe doesn’t even care? The disciples in Acts 4 were desperate. They had been threatened with punishment if they kept talking about Jesus! They may have been afraid. What do they do? They pray! The prayed because God is in control, even when He seems distant and the troubles seem big. Let’s think about it more and learn to call on our powerful God: Outline: Because of God’s power and promises, we can pray: 1. With certainty, because all is under God’s sovereign plan 2. With courage, asking God for the strength to continue His mission 3. With expectation that God will answer Verse: Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Discussion questions: 1. How would you characterize your prayer life? Strong? Weak? Intermittent? Why do you think that is? 2. In their desperation, the disciples turned to God in prayer. What are the prominent features of their prayer? Why do they quote from Psalm 2? 3. How should Jesus’ sovereign reign (see all of Psalm 2) help our prayers, especially when we face people who are against Christ? 4. How might God want to change your prayer life this week?