A Bible Study

By Sandra Higley

Note: This Bible study is formatted for small group open discussion. If you use this study by yourself, we suggest that you journal your answers to the discussion questions. Also, please use suggested translations where indicated. Biblegateway.com is an excellent source for translations you may not have on hand.

For almost two decades, I’ve been blessed to attend prayer-saturated churches. But I still remember what it was like to be the prayer coordinator for a church that wasn’t completely on board when it came to an upper-room prayer agenda. We would take two steps forward and rejoice, then stumble one step back and sigh deeply.

As we prayed without ceasing and waited on God for our church to develop this mindset, there was only one thing we could control: developing our own upper-room prayer mentality as individuals. That was a tangible way to personally impact a climate change in our local church—“deep calls to deep” (Ps. 42:7). Unless we are operating at a deeper spiritual level ourselves, we cannot expect others to respond to our call to go deeper.

Discussion Questions

Fred Hartley writes about an “upper-room prayer mentality” as a “model of ministry taught by Christ, demonstrated throughout the early Church, and most vividly exemplified in Antioch.” The Christians in Antioch devoted themselves to worship, fasting, and hungering for a move of God. Hartley goes on to say that when Jesus was begging them in the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with Him for one hour, His disciples were not yet upper-room disciples.   Take a few moments to reflect. Be honest as you evaluate your own devotion in these specific areas. Would you call yourself an upper-room disciple? Why or why not? ______________________________________________________________

Read Acts 11:23–24. When Barnabas arrived in Antioch, what did he find and how did he encourage the believers? If he met with you today, would that meeting be the same or different? How so?  ______________________________________________________________

Dennis Fuqua gives us some guidance about honing our upper-room prayer skills. Do you participate in “here and now” prayer, rather than “later and somewhere else” prayer? When someone asks you to pray about a specific request, do you pray “here and now” or put the request on a list for another time when the person is not there?______________________________________________________

If you hold back from praying immediately, why do you think you do? What could you do to be more intentional about becoming a faithful “here and now” pray-er? _______________________________

Fuqua encourages following the Moravian principle: “No one ministers unless someone prays.” How would adopting this principle alter your personal avenues of ministry? Would it change how you go about your daily business? Divide the following references among various members of your group and come back together to share what evidence you found that this type of prayer is meant to be routine: Gen. 24:12–15; Deut. 4:7; 1 Sam. 12:23; 2 Chron. 7:14; Ezra 8:22–23; Neh. 1:1–10; Isa. 56:7; Jer. 29:7, 42:3; Matt. 14:23; Mark 1:35, 6:46; Luke 5:16, 18:1; Acts 1:14, 24, 2:42, 12:5–16; Rom. 12:12; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:16–18; 1 Tim. 2:1–2; Jude 20–21. ______________________________________________________

Read Ephesians 6:18 and note the instructions about prayer found in this passage. How do you (or can you) implement each of these key points as you develop an upper-room prayer mentality? We are to pray:

• in the Spirit• on all occasions• with all kinds of prayer• while being alert• always keep on• for all the Lord’s people

Fred Hartley reminds us that “upper room” does not deal with location, rather with priority and prominence. Look up the references provided and answer these questions:

• When Jesus built His Church, He built a praying Church—as a living stone (1 Peter 2:4–5). How does prayer factor into the church you are building?_________________________________________________

• When Jesus made disciples, He made praying disciples (Matt. 6:5–18, 26:41). What kind of disciple are you—and what kind of disciples are you making?_________________________________________________

• The size (scope) of your ministry is determined by the size of your prayer life (Ex. 33:17; John 15:16; 1 Cor. 3:6–7; 1 John 5:14–15). How would you describe the size of your current prayer life? _________________________________________________

• The size of your prayer life is revealed by the size of the answers to prayer (Ps. 2:8; Matt. 21:21; James 4:2). What are you asking God for right now? What will you ask God for? _________________________________________________

Action Steps

Fred Leonard observes two obstacles to living as an upper-room disciple:

1. Followers of Christ sin and rebel against God’s rule. When we are not in submission to God’s leadership, we resist the Holy Spirit. Lack of repentance keeps us from being in right relationship with God, and thus we won’t long to pray and worship in the throne room.

2. We live in unforgiveness, which results in broken relationship with God and keeps us from entering the throne room.

Spend a few minutes asking God to show you if these two obstacles are in any way hindering your prayer life. Ask Him for help in resolving these issues.

According to Leonard, the key to becoming a house of prayer for all nations is to be always asking God to pour out His Holy Spirit upon you and to fill your church with His presence. Close out your study time by responding in prayer.

SANDRA HIGLEY is the author of A Year of Prayer Events for Your Church, a book designed to move your church toward developing upper-room disciples. It is available at prayershop.org.