LifeWay News Office
NASHVILLE (BP) — LifeWay Christian Resources has partnered with Southern Baptist Convention president Steve Gaines to create a six-session Bible study, Pray Like This: Living the Lord’s Prayer, scheduled for release Oct. 1.
This Bible study is designed to bring a deep understanding of the text, theology and application of the Lord’s Prayer. It is a follow-up to the SBC’s 2017 annual meeting, themed “Pray! For Such a Time as This.”
“Nothing is more vital to the advancement of the Gospel than rallying God’s people to pray,” said Gaines, who served as general editor of the study. “Prayer changes everything. When we pray, God does things that He would not have done had we not prayed. When God’s people agree in prayer … there is spiritual synergy. The power of our prayers multiplies exponentially.”
Small groups or individuals will see video interview segments with leaders like J.D. Greear, Kelly Minter, H.B. Charles, Ronnie Floyd, Lisa Harper and Robby Gallaty.
Participants will walk through Jesus’ model prayer from Matthew 6 and will have personal study aids to help them dive deeper into the Scriptures and understand the importance of prayer. The study will also cover critical prayer topics, such as intercession, praise, confession and spiritual warfare, and will emphasize recognition of God as Father and Provider.
Greear, one of the featured leaders in the series of videos, said it is especially important for the church to be in prayer now.
“Prayer has preceded every great move of God in history,” said Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh/Durham, N.C. “Of Acts’ 28 chapters, we find the church praying corporately in 26 (of the chapters). If we want power like theirs, we need prayer like theirs. Prayer doesn’t bring the awakening — it is the awakening.”
Pastor and contributor H.B. Charles said he believes Pray Like This is an important resource for churches and Bible study groups.
“It is both biblical — focusing on the Lord’s Prayer — and practical,” said Charles, pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. “It does not merely teach what prayer is. It motivates us to pray!”
Gaines, pastor of Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., said he hopes to see a movement of God reminiscent of that in the early church.
“What would happen if Christians across America and around the world became committed to prayer?” he asked. “Only God knows, but I believe it would be similar to what happened in the Book of Acts. May God use Pray Like This: Living the Lord’s Prayer to such a glorious end, and may it serve as a catalyst for spiritual awakening in our day!”
For more information, or to pre-order the leader kit and Bible study book, visit LifeWay.com/PrayLikeThis.
