2. LESSON THREE Healthy Churches Make Prayer a Priority

3. 10 Common Qualities of Healthy Churches Volume 1: 1. Offer Consistent Bible Truth 2. Offer Loving Fellowship 3. Make Prayer the Priority 4. Trust God to Do Supernatural Things 5. Maintain Unity

4. 10 Common Qualities of Healthy Churches Volume 2: 1. Develop a Culture of Generosity 2. Offer Excellent Large Group Worship 3. Create Small Group Relationships 4. Impact Their Community in Positive Ways 5. Welcome New People into Their Church Family

5. Key Truth: A healthy church is a praying church. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…” Acts 2:42

6. Exploring the Principle: When Should Churches GATHER for Prayer?

7. When they face OPPOSITION (Acts 4:23-31)

8. When they experience CRISIS (ACTS 12:1-19) They GATHERED together. They prayed until God ANSWERED.

9. When they need to follow God’s LEADING (ACTS 13:1-3) A healthy church will start every decision in prayer. A healthy church will make every decision with prayer.

10. What Kinds of Prayer Should We Pray ?

11. 1. REQUESTS Kinds of Prayer “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

12. 2. PRAISE Kinds of Prayer “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.” Psalm 145:1-2

13. 3. INTERCESSION Kinds of Prayer “…Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives…” Colossians 1:9

14. 4. THANKSGIVING Kinds of Prayer “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Psalm 95:2

15. 5. PRAYERS FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY Kinds of Prayer “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior…” 1 Timothy 2:1-3