How do you pray?

(103) Let Us Pray

Gethsemane looms. We know it’s coming, but, for Jesus’ disciples, our last few studies were just a special dinner with rather a long discussion afterward. How should long discussions end in church—with total agreement? With cautious acknowledgement? With respectful disagreement…? Read John 17:1 How should long discussions end in church?

I have overcome the world: Read John 16:29-33

1.       The disciples sounded pretty confident, but we know events will prove otherwise. What matters more: sounding confident, or knowing where our confidence lies?

2.       Did the disciples have peace as Jesus went to the cross? Should we expect to always feel peace?

3.       If Jesus has overcome the world, why are there so many threats to peace? And how should we respond?

This is eternal life: Read John 17:1-5

1.       My Bible heads these verses with “Jesus prays for himself.” What sort of prayers do you pray for yourself?

2.       Jesus prays for “glory.” What does glory mean to you?

3.       Jesus prays for his followers to have “eternal life.” What does eternal life mean to you?

4.       How does our idea of eternal life fit with verse 3? What has eternal life to do with knowledge?

They have kept your word: Read John 17:6-8

1.       In what sense did the Father “give” the disciples to Jesus? In what sense has he given you to Jesus?

2.       In what sense did the disciples know, believe, and keep God’s word? And in what sense did they fail?

3.       In what sense do we keep God’s word and in what sense do we fail?

4.       In verse 8 what belief or knowledge is the most important? Can people believe that, and still make the same kind of mistakes as the disciples kept making, and still be saved as the disciples were?

I do not pray for the world: Read John 17:9-10 But aren’t we supposed to pray for the world? (Read Ecclesiastes 3:1)

They may be one as we are one: Read John 17:11 Can we be separate (separate churches, separate interpretations, separate social beliefs, politics etc) and still be one?

My joy fulfilled in them: Read John 17:12-13

1.       Do you ever feel lost?

2.       How does your faith make you joyful… now?

They are not of the world: Read John 17:14-19

1.       What does the phrase “in the world but not of the world” mean to you?

2.       What does “sanctified by truth” mean to you?

3.       What does being “sent into the world” mean to you?

4.       What does “sanctified” mean to you?

All may be … made perfect in one: Read John 17:20-23

1.       How are we “in” God, and how is God in us?

2.       Have we been given “glory”? What does it look like?

3.       Have we been made “perfect”? In what sense are you perfect, and in what sense imperfect?

4.       Does our idea of perfection encourage other people to know that God sent Jesus and that he loves us?

The love with which you loved me may be in them: Read John 17:24-26 How do we end of prayers? With love?