It is hard to think of anything more needed than the power of fervent prayer. If there has ever been a time when every believer in Christ should pray passionately and fervently, that time is now. We need a great movement of God to bring revival to the church, and prayer is essential to this.
As a disciple maker, Jesus modeled six practices with His D-Group:
1) fellowship
2) teaching
3) prayer
4) ministry
5) multiplication
6) accountability
Let’s unpack the third of these six practices, which is prayer.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray. In Matthew 6:9–13, He gave them a model prayer we often refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. He gave this prayer in response to one of His disciples who said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Likewise, you must lead your D-Group to pray together and to practice the spiritual discipline of prayer in their daily lives. The best way for believers to learn to pray is by praying with others.
The Practice of Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer. It was not given for us to memorize and repeat. It was given as an example of how we should pray. In a D-Group, mature believers should model mature prayers.
The ACTS acrostic will help you remember the elements of a mature prayer, which includes:
- Adoration — Praising God for Who He is.
- Confession — Confessing your sins to God.
- Thanksgiving — Giving thanks to God.
- Supplication — Interceding for others and lifting up personal requests.
Be sure to include all these elements when you pray with your D-Group.
A Priority of Prayer
My favorite seminary professor was Dr. Roy Fish. In a class on spiritual awakenings, he taught that one thing has preceded every great revival in history. That one thing is a grassroots movement of common people crying out to God and praying for revival.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus prayed, “Thy kingdom come.” This was a prayer for revival. All believers should long to see God’s kingdom come and His will done on earth as it is in heaven. Every time you meet, lead your D-Group to pray for revival in our land. We’ve never needed it more.
In my next article, I will unpack the fourth practice of disciple-making, which is ministry.
Upcoming D-Life boot camps
NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville, Alabama
Alabama Student D-Life Boot Camp
Sunday, Aug. 1
5–11 p.m.
First Baptist Church, Oxford, Mississippi
Saturday, Aug. 7
9 a.m.–1 p.m.
NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville, Alabama
Saturday, Aug. 28
9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Stone Ridge Baptist Church, Alexander City, Alabama
Sunday, Sept. 19
4–7:30 p.m.
Lawndale Baptist Church, Greensboro, North Carolina
Saturday, Oct. 23
9 a.m.–1 p.m.
**All times local
