Session Five

Orchestra

In this session, we’re going to learn how corporate prayer can be like a orchestra and how the conductor helps each person bring their beautiful, unique and vital sound to the symphony.

  1. Read chapter 5 of the book The Prayers of Many

  2. Watch the following video before going through the interactive section below with your small group

Prepare ahead

  • For the Get Praying section, have a piece of orchestral music ready to play aloud

 

Teaching Video 05: Prayer is like an orchestra

 

Small Group Section

Discuss

  • Effective prayer requires us to be unified, in tune with one another. What does it mean for a church to be unified?

  • How do you think corporate prayer could be used to nurture unity in your church?

  • Have you ever felt a sense of competition between the different churches in your local area?

  • A common feature of genuine revival is unity across a wide range of churches. How could corporate prayer contribute to church unity in your village, town or city?

  • Effective prayer requires careful planning and devotion. How much time do you put into planning times of prayer?

 

Review

  • One of the best ways to build unity is to pray together.

  • The effectiveness of corporate prayer is closely linked to the unity within the church.

  • We do not love corporate prayer, we love the Lord. Our prayers are a way to express our love and devotion to Him.

 

Pray

Watch the Prayer Tip video first. Next, play some orchestral music. Listen carefully to the unity between musicians. Then:

  1. Choose the person in the group that you know the least. Pray for each other. You may find that you feel more connected and unified.

  2. Then spend some time praying for another church in your locality. (If you can, contact them ahead of time and find out what they would like you to pray for.) Ask God for opportunities to pray corporately together with other local churches as a way to bring greater unity between you.

 

Prayer Tip

Praying together builds connections between people. Lloyd Van Vuuren explains how corporate prayer can foster unity in your church.

 
 
 

Extra

Watch the following #storiesofprayer video. Peter Anderson from Edinburgh, Scotland explains how corporate prayer has developed in his city. In what ways does this story inspire you?