THE UNCONVENTIONAL SERIES: A STUDY OF THE BOOK OF LUKE

WEEK 10: LUKE 11

RELENTLESS PRAYER

Seven reasons why we stop praying from Luke 11:1-13

1. We don’t know _________ ________

2. We don’t know ___________

3. We don’t know the ___________ of prayer

4. We don’t know what we __________

5. We don’t know His _____________

a. He is _____________: forgiveness

b. He is _____________: relationships

c. He is _____________: temptation

6. We don’t _____________ in prayer

7. We don’t _____________ Him

HOMEWORK

DAY 1 - PRAYER 101

Well, we’re on week 10. Christmas is around the corner. It’s almost time for a break. I hope you are enjoying the study. I am praying for your growth spiritually. I am praying you sense God’s presence and leading in your life this week. Read vs.1-5. 1. Why did Jesus pray? 2. Why do you think the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to

pray? 3. Is prayer hard for you? What kind of obstacles do you run

into as you try to pray?

4. In truth, how much organized time do you spend in prayer daily?

5. Rate your prayer life from 1-5 (5 = great and cannot be

improved) 6. How often do you see God answer specific prayer requests

in your life? 7. What is prayer? 8. What is the goal of prayer?

9. How often should we do it? 10. Look at the Lord’s prayer. List the themes that make up

that prayer. 11. When you pray, do you focus on prayer for your personal

needs or do you emulate the Lord’s prayer? How are the two different?

12. Take some time to pray using the themes you studied in the Lord’s prayer. A disciple is someone who confesses Christ as Lord and Savior, believes

that God has raised Him from the dead, and declares this belief publicly through baptism. He is not some sort of upper-level Christian.

You don’t have to wait to become a disciple at some future time in your Christian life when you have reached a certain level of maturity. According to Matthew 28:19-20, a disciple is made at the moment of

salvation. You cannot separate discipleship from conversion.

DAY 2 - DON’T STOP NOW Today read vs. 5-13. 1. Who does the “friend” represent? Who does the guy in need

represent? 2. What is the point of this illustration? Is it that we are a

bother to God? 3. Have you ever prayed for something to the point of

impudence? 4. Vs. 9-13 are key verses. What are we admonished to do in

vs.9? Are you doing it?

5. Why do you think we often find ourselves lacking? 6. Meditate on God as your good Father. Does that change

what/how you pray? 7. Make a commitment to pray. Be realistic. Think out of the

box…maybe create a prayer box or journal….share your decision with your Small Group so they can keep you accountable in it.

The spirit – this comes from the Greek word pneuma, meaning to breathe or to blow. It is sometimes used to refer to the wind and

sometimes to life itself.

DAY 3 - CAN’T WALK THE LINE Read vs.14-28. 1. If Jesus knows your thoughts, why should you pray? 2. Why was the accusation against Jesus in vs.15 illogical? 3. Read vs. 23. There are only 2 points of view in regards to

Jesus. What are they? Samaritans – descendants of Jewish mixed marriages from the days of captivity; they had devised their own worship, a hybrid of Judaism and

paganism, with a temple of their own on Mount Gerizim; considered unclean by the Jews.

4. Explain vs. 24-26. 5. What does Jesus commend in vs.28? 6. Are you obedient in every area of your life? In which areas

do you need help? Today was a short study segment. Use the extra time to apply the decision you made on day 2 regarding your prayer life. In other words, take some time and pray!!

The one thing necessary was exemplified by Mary with an attitude of worship and meditation, listening with an open mind and

heart to Jesus’ words.

DAY 4 - BRIGHT LIGHTS Read vs.29-36. 1. What kinds of signs have already been given to us about

Jesus? 2. Are people still seeking signs today? How? 3. What is the sign of Jonah? 4. Is your lamp lit? 5. How can you tell?

6. Do you find that you shine brighter with some people than with others? Comment.

7. Describe what is meant by the eye is the lamp of the body. 8. How can you keep your eye healthy? 9. What does vs.35 mean? 10. How can you make sure there is no darkness in you?

What would your life look like if you pursued just one thing? What if your whole life was just one thing and you followed it with everything

you have.

DAY 5 - INSIDE AND OUTSIDE Read vs.37-54. 1. Why didn’t Jesus wash before eating? 2. What is more important – to be clean on the outside or on

the inside? 3. What does Jesus call those who clean the outside while the

inside remains dirty? 4. Why does Jesus condemn the Pharisees in vs.42-44?

Want to know what your priorities are? Get your check book out. You’ll figure it out in no time!

5. How have you been guilty of hypocrisy in your life? 6. What was the response of the listeners to Jesus in vs.45? 7. What does Jesus condemn the lawyers of? 8. Was he angry at lawyers per se? If not, who then?

9. In vs.53, why did they respond this way? 10. When someone speaks a word of rebuke in your life,

what is your response?

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in

the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always to the end of the age.

LIVE IT OUT

We’ll tone it down this week with our Live It Out activity. Our lesson is on prayer, and particularly relentless prayer. Take some time to assess your prayer life. Now think of that 1 prayer request that you just can’t seem to get an answer in. Pray relentlessly for the Lord to answer it. Share that request with your SG during the week, and keep knocking on heaven’s door for it. You may also want to take a day to fast for an answer. I can’t guarantee that the Lord will answer as you want Him to, but He will answer in the best way possible for you!

LET IT IN I know this memory passage is long, but it’s amazing. Use day 3 which is a shorter day to memorize it!

Luke 11:9-13 “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts

to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”