| Raymond Bailey
Adult
• 5 Sessions of Learner's Materials
• 5 Sessions of Teaching Materials
• 5 Sessions of Bible Background
1. Luke 4:1-13
2. Luke 11:1-4
3. Luke 11:5-13
4. Luke 18:1-8
5. Luke 22:39-46; 23:34, 46
Let’s admit that being Christian is not easy. We encounter temptations of one sort or another at every turn. We are disappointed by people who hurt us. The Scriptures teach us that Jesus was completely human and subject to the same temptations and frustrations common to all of us; yet, he remained sinless. He was surrounded by bumblers and opposed by the power structures, but he never gave up on them or his mission. What was his secret? We want to say his divinity made the difference, because then we would have an excuse for our failures. Yet no such claims are found in the Scriptures. I would like to propose that Jesus’ secret was a life of prayer.
Prayer was essential in Jesus’ life. Through prayer, he achieved a unity of action and purpose with God. His longing to know the mind and feel the heart of God drove him to open his life to God through prayer. Luke’s portrait of Jesus reveals one whose thoughts, words, and actions were born out of prayer. Jesus taught his disciples to pray and urged them to be persistent. Prayer, he taught them, was the way of the Kingdom of God.
The study of Jesus’ prayer life can deepen our own prayer practices. Jesus prayed because he believed God loved him and wanted to share in his life. He found his identity in God; the more Jesus prayed, the more he understood God and himself. The study of Jesus’ prayer life reveals to whom we pray, how to pray, when to pray, and what to expect from prayer.
As a result of these studies, we may find ourselves more comfortable with establishing a prayer lifestyle. The struggles of Jesus in prayer may give us courage to struggle with God. Prayer shaped the life and mission of Jesus, and it can shape the life and mission of the church.
These five sessions examine the importance of prayer at various stages of Jesus’ life and ministry. He made no important decisions without consulting God. Jesus’ human relationships and actions were all shaped by a sense of God’s presence. As we study the lifestyle of Jesus, we may discover a lifestyle that will allow God to bring to completion the good work among us which God began in Jesus (Phil 3:6). Jesus’ life of prayer, always in harmony with God’s purpose for humanity, put him at the center of the Kingdom of God.
NextSunday Resources provides adult Bible studies on a wide range of topics, all of which are useful for individual or group study. A printed Study Guide offers four, five or six lessons with in-depth commentary and Bible background material. A free, downloadable Teaching Guide features a wealth of options, questions and ideas for teaching each lesson.
Raymond Bailey lives in Waco, Texas. A native of Dallas, he has served as pastor to churches in Texas, Florida, Indiana, and Kentucky. He also taught at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Hardin-Simmons University, and Bellarmine College.
Cecil Sherman is the commentary writer for this study. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he most recently served as visiting professor of pastoral ministries at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. During his long career, Dr. Sherman served pastorates in North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey and Texas and was very active in church life and community service. He also authored the five-volume Cecil Sherman Formations Commentary series, a critically acclaimed autobiography By My Own Reckoning and a best-practices handbook To Be A Good and Faithful Servant: The Life and Work of a Minister.
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