Lorraine Wright

Q9. (3:21) How can God receive more glory in your local congregation? How can you help this happen? God promises his love and power to his family, the church. We should knock down and rid ourselves of the barriers that can divide us. Believers are one in body, spirit, hope, faith, Baptism and God. The cross should be the focus of our unity.

Q8. (3:20) How should verse 3:20 of the doxology energize your prayers? What happens when we limit God by our own ability to comprehend? How can we get past this failing? Our prayers should be big and powerful - pack a punch. Knowing that our God is infinite in all his attributes allows us to draw on his resources - that we have the same power at work in us.

Q7. (3:19) Have you ever prayed for a fellow believer that he or she might be "filled with all the fullness of God"? What would you be praying for with that kind of prayer? How does this prayer relate to Ephesians 5:27 and Colossians 1:28? Yes - that when we have Christ we have everthing we need for salvation and living right. Christ alone holds the true meaning of life because he is life. We must resist sin by using our minds, keeping our eyes on Christ and studying God's word. Eshesian 5:27 God cleanses us from the old ways of sing and sets us apart for his special saacredd service complete in Him. Col. 1:28 Paul wanted to see each believer mature spiritually. God gives us that strength to become mature or complete.

Q6. (3:17-19) Why does Paul pray that the believers grasp the fullest extent of Christ's love for them? How does comprehending this love change a person's spiritual life? Is there any end to Christ's love for a person? That they would come to closer to God and to know that God's love is so great that it cannot be completely known. That God's love is deep and reaches to the depths of discouragement, (been there) depair (been there) and even death (almost). When we have that kind of love in our hearts, our whole outlook changes in the way we act and the way we treat others. You can never be lost to God's love.

Q5 (3:16-17) Why does Paul pray for strengthening of the inner man? How would we pray this prayer today? Why does he pray that Christ dwell in the believers' hearts? Isn't this already an established fact? We all have the fullness of God and the Holy Spirit available to us and we should strenghten that through faith and prayer. We can pray and ask the Holy Spirit to fill every aspect of our lives and we must be willing and allow the Holy Spirit to do so. God's love is total - with Christ and his empowering love we are complete.

Q4. (1:18) Why is a revelation of "his incomparably great power for us who believe" essential to a vital faith? How do you develop this faith in yourself? How do you pray for it for others? So that we will believe that we have the same power and that through Him we can do all things. That the Holy SPirit is the very presence of God within us and all believers, helping us live as God wants.

Q3. (1:18) What is the result in prayer and faith if believers think that God is poverty-stricken? How does knowledge of a "glorious inheritance" motivate our lives? Our prayers? How can you pray for others to glimpse this inheritance? If believers thought that God was poverty-stricken I don't believe he would have many followers. If people thought that God could do no better then themselves why bother. If they could just understand what awaits them, not in material things but in eternal things "God's Riches At Christ's Expense". I would pray that their gearts be opened so that they would truly understand everthing that awaits them.

Q2. (1:18) How has your Christian "hope" changed your way of living? What is the result of Christians with only a meager or minute hope? How would you pray for hope to be borne in others? I was lost in a world of depression and despair. Hope allowed the person who was insde me to come back to life. There is now happiness were theire was none. There is joy where there was sadness. There are resources where before I had none. My God, my Father has given this to me - this precious gift. Without hope there is not much to cling to. No reason to hold on. But you become alive with Christ.

Q1. (1:17-18). What do you learn from Paul's manner of prayer for the Ephesian believers? If Christians stopped praying for people to receive a revelation of God, would people come to know God on their own? Would God work in them at all? How important is this kind of prayer? That he prayed continuously and with sincere concern from his heart that God would work in them so that they might have a deeper understanding of His Word, drawing them closer to Him so that they would be blessed with God's fullness and bring glory to God. No - not without revelation and insight. Without this and the presence of the Holy Spirit they would have no understanding of His Word.

Q4. (22:43) Did Jesus get "special treatment" because he was the Son of God to have angels help and strengthen him in his spiritual struggle? Do we get that help, too? I don't believe that his treatment was any different then what is avialable to us. It does not necessarily need to be angelic - it could be friend, clergy, etc. We just have to have to be aware and keep our eyes, ears and hearts open. I love the gentle whisper.

Q3. (22:42) When Jesus prayed "not my will, but yours be done," was the Father pleased? Why is the Father not pleased when we are passive and uncaring and dispassionate in our prayers that his will be done? What is required for us to pray the prayer of submission with authenticity? Yes - God is not pleased when we are passive and insincere in our prayer requests. He wants us to have that special initimate relationship to Him that we can come to Him with anything, with our preferences and our concerns of a situation. But then we need to pray sincerely the prayer of submission also that we disire that His will be done.

Q2. (22:42) Why did Jesus pray that the Father take the cup from him? According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus repeated this prayer three times. Why was he so intense about it? What did this mean? Why was Jesus resisting the Father's will? Or was he? Jesus expressed his true feeling and dread of the coming events, not only for himself but also for his Father. He knew of the terrible agony that he would soon endure through the crucifixion but also he knew that he would be totally separated from God in order to die for the world's sins.

Q1. (22:40-41, 45-46) Why did he ask his disciples to pray? What temptation did Jesus know they would be facing? What was the content of their prayer to be? Did they actually pray this prayer diligently? How does the Lord's Prayer word this kind of prayer? Why do you think Jesus wanted to be alone during his own prayer? Jesus asked his disciples to pray because he would be leaving them soon and they would need extra strength. The temptations would be that they would run away, deny that they had any relationship with Jesus or would feel decieved that he had left them. It was a prayer of acknowledgement, petition and submission. He knew what was about to take place and he needed the time alone in prayer with the Father.

Q3. (1:11) In what way does Daniel's situation compared to Esther's. Why does God place his people in strategic positions today in the community, in business, in the military, in government? What responsibilities do we have to God that can cause danger to our positions and our lives? Has this ever happened to you? How do you pray in situations like this? They both served kings and they were both Jews and both in positions where they could help God's people. God uses all different kinds of people in all different walks of life available for whatever the need may be. Although we may question certain circumstances in our lives we must have faith that God in in control working through the pleasant and most difficult times so that we can serve him effectively.

Q4. (2:4) What danger is Nehemiah in? Why does he pray quickly and silently before he answers the king? How does this quick "arrow prayer" relate to the four months of prayer he has just finished? He knew that from speaking out the King could dismiss him from service - banish him. Nehemiah was use to prayer as he prayed frequently. He knew that God was always in charge and was always present to hear and answer prayer. He had estabhlished that personal relationship with God during times of extended prayer.