CIRCLE MAKER PART 1 – “The Circle Maker
– Praying Big Prayers/Seeing Big Answers”
KNOW: GOD ANSWERS PRAYER WHEN WE
FIGURE OUT WHAT WE WANT HIM TO DO
FOR US AND “PRAY IT THROUGH” TO THE
END.
DO: LIST LIFE GOALS/REQUESTS –
ENGAGE IN 21 DAY PRAYER EXPERIMENT
INTRO. – YOUTUBE – STUNT PLANE
CRASH LANDING
- EVER FEEL THIS DESPERATE IN LIFE?
- THIS SERIES – WE WILL LEARN HOW
TO PRAY LIKE IT ALL DEPENDS ON
GOD/WORK FOR SOMETHING
MEANINGFUL LIKE IT ALL DEPENDS ON
US = POWERFUL COMBINATION.
*JAMES 5:16-17
*BASED ON THIS, TELL STORY OF “HONI
THE CIRCLE MAKER”
*GOD IS STILL LOOKING FOR BOLD
“CIRCLE MAKERS”!
I. BOLD PRAYERS HONOR GOD AND GOD
HONORS BOLD PRAYERS!
A. GOD LOVES TO ANSWER PRAYER LIKE
YOU DELIGHT IN GIVING GOOD GIFTS TO
YOUR CHILDREN. (JESUS QUEST. ABOUT
ASKING GOD FOR A GOOD FOOD.
POISON?)
*TO HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP W.
SOMEONE THERE NEEDS TO BE TRUST.
UNLESS YOU BELIEVE GOD IS GOOD, YOU
WILL PRAY TIMID PRAYERS VS BOLD AND
AUDACIOUS ONES.
*WHO YOU BECOME = DETERMINED BY
HOW YOU PRAY
*ILLUS. – STORY FROM JOSHUA
JOSHUA 1:7-9 = GOD’S PROMISE FOR
JOSHUA AND ISRAEL TO CIRCLE.
FULFILLED IN JOSHUA 3:13 CROSSING
THE JORDAN AND W. JERICHO IN JOSHUA
6.
JOSHUA AND THE PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO
TAKE THIS STEP BECAUSE OF GOD’S
PRIOR FAITHFULNESS TO WHAT HE HAD
PROMISED! THAT IS ALSO WHY THEY
WOULD LATER KEEP CIRCLING JERICHO
AND NOT QUIT AT CIRCLE #12 ON THE
LAST DAY!
THAT IS WHY WE DON’T GIVE UP ON GOD
TODAY. YOU MAY BE ONE PRAYER AWAY
FROM THE MIRACLE YOU HAVE BEEN
SEEKING! DON’T GIVE UP. ANSWERED
PRAYER MOTIVATES US TO PRAY MORE!
*PLAY DVD FROM SESSION 1 ABOUT
BATTERSON PRAYING AROUND DC.
*ILLUS. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED ON
SMALLER SCALE W. ORTON AND HOW WE
GOT HERE. BECAUSE GOD PROVIDED
(GREW FROM 20 TO OVER 200), DO YOU
THINK HE CAN PROVIDE FUTURE SPACE
TO BE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE IN OUR
COMMUNITY IF WE PRAY CIRCLES
AROUND OUR FUTURE AND GIVE AS MUCH
OF OURSELVES TO PROVIDING HEALTHY
CHURCHES THAT CHANGE LIVES FOR
ETERNITY AS WE DO TO OUR COACHES
AND SPORTS TEAMS?
*ASKED A FEW WEEKS AGO, WHAT IS
YOUR JERICHO? TODAY, WHAT IS YOUR
JORDAN THAT YOU FIRST NEED TO CROSS
TO GET THERE? WHERE DO YOU NEED TO
STEP OUT AND TRUST GOD INITIALLY?
B. MATT. 20:32 - A THOUSAND YEARS
AFTER JORDAN AND JERICHO, JESUS
STOOD IN THE EXACT SPOT OF THE
JERICHO CIRCLE AND AS HE WAS
LEAVING, 2 BLIND MEN CALLED OUT FROM
THE CROWD, “LORD, SON OF DAVID, HAVE
MERCY ON US!” (SOUNDS LIKE THE KIND
OF PRAYER I PRAY A LOT!).
*JESUS STOPS AND ASKS THEM THIS
QUESTION: “WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO
DO FOR YOU?”
IS HE KIDDING? TWO BLIND GUYS?
MAYBE THEY HAD BEEN TOO PROUD TO
ASK UP UNTIL NOW AND HE WANTS THEM
TO VERBALIZE THEIR REQUEST.
*ILLUS. VISION IMPAIRED GUY ON THE
STREET. I STOPPED AND OFFERED TO
HELP – SAID NO AND SEEMED A LITTLE
IRRITATED (I GUESS I WOULD BE TOO).
WHAT, YOU DON’T THINK I CAN DO THIS?
WE LIKE TO KNOW WE CAN DO IT
OURSELVES, BUT SOMETIMES WE NEED
TO ASK FOR HELP.
II. YOU HAVE NOT, BECAUSE YOU ASK
NOT. JAMES 4:1-3
A. JESUS KNOWS WHAT WE WANT, BUT
HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE WE DO!
*WHAT GOAL OR DREAM DO YOU HAVE
FOR YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE THAT
WOULD BE GREAT FOR GOD; SOMETHING
THAT WOULD HONOR HIM AND MAKE AN
ETERNAL DIFF. IN YOUR LIFE OR
SOMEONE ELSES? CHALLENGE. . .
1. MAKE A LIST OF LIFE GOALS AND
START PRAYING SPECIFICALLY (WITHOUT
THIS TOO EASY TO BLOW OFF AS
COINCIDENCE), CONSISTENTLY, AND
PERSISTENTLY! (LIKE THE PERSISTENT
WIDOW IN JESUS’ PARABLE IN LUKE 18.).
*START KEEPING A PRAYER JOURNAL OF
YOUR REQUESTS AND GOD’S ANSWERS.
(STADIA’S CHRISTMAS BONUS). BUILDS
TRUST IN GOD’S
GOODNESS/FAITHFULNESS.
*ILLUS. NATIONAL COMMUNITY CHURCH
DRAWING CIRCLES AROUND THE CRACK
HOUSE THAT BECAME EBENEZAR’S.
DESPITE MANY SETBACKS THEY PRAYED
THROUGH AND GOD ANSWERED.
*PRAYING TO KEEP OUR SPOT AT U OF R
DESPITE 4 DIFF. CAMPUS EVENT
DIRECTORS IN 5 YEARS.
*PRAYING OVER OFFERING AND
ATTENDANCE EA. WEEK. ONE REASON I
CLOSE MY EYES DURING WORSHIP AT
BEGINNING OF SERVICE!
B. TAKE THE 21 DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE
1. PICK A TIME/PLACE – THEN IDENTIFY
SOMETHING OR SOMEONE YOU ARE
GOING TO PRAY FOR DAILY FOR 21 DAYS.
*NOTE: THE GOAL IS NOT TO TRY AND
FORCE GOD’S HAND TO ANSWER IN OUR
21 DAY TIME FRAME (HE IS SOVEREIGN),
BUT TO ESTABLISH THE HABIT OF
“DRAWING PRAYER CIRCLES”. (EXAMPLE:
TRY CIRCLING YOUR NEIGHORHOOD W.
PRAYER ONCE A DAY/A PLACE OF GREAT
NEED IN THE COMMUNITY PRAYING
ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT OR YOUR
GROUPS/MAYBE YOUR CHILDREN/THEIR
FUTURE SPOUSE/YOUR
MARRIAGE/FELLOW STUDENT AT
SCHOOL/UNSAVED COWORKER. (LEARN
TO GO TO WORK, SCHOOL, SPORTS AS A
MISSIONARY. WILL CHANGE YOUR WHOLE
MOTIVATION!). I AM GOING TO TRY A 21
DAY CIRCLE AROUND PIECES OF LAND
AROUND CITRUS PLAZA FOR OPEN DOORS
NO ONE CAN SHUT!
*MAIN THING = YOU IDENTIFY NEEDS,
SITUATIONS, GODLY DREAMS AND PRAY
CIRCLES AROUND THEM. YOU MAY SEE
INFLUENCE OF THOSE 21 DAYS FOR
YEARS! (BY THE WAY, STARTING YOUR
DAY OFF W. PRAYER SEEMS TO GIVE YOU
THE TIME YOU NEED TO ACCOMPISH
WHAT YOU NEED – JUST A SIDE BENEFIT I
HAVE NOTICED.)
CONCLUSION:
LET THIS BE A NEW SEASON FOR YOU AND
OUR CHURCH. (REVIVAL STARTS W.
INDIVIDUAL.) LEARN TO CIRCLE YOUR
JERICHO/JORDAN IN PRAYER SO MANY
TIMES IT MAKES YOU DIZZY! WEAR SOME
HOLES IN YOU KNEES. WHEN WAS THE
LAST TIME YOU GOT ON YOUR FACE
BEFORE THE ALMIGHTY OR PRAYED AN
ALL NIGHTER?
THERE ARE HIGHER HEIGHTS GOD WANTS
TO TAKE US AND DEEPER DEPTHS IN
PRAYER THAN WE HAVE KNOWN. NEW
DIMENSIONS OF HIS CHARACTER.
LET GOD DO SOMETHING NEW IN YOUR
LIFE VS SAME OLD, SAME OLD. LET THIS
21 DAY PRAYER EXPERIENCE START A
NEW CHAPT. IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP W.
GOD THAT KEEPS GETTING BETTER THAN
THE ONE BEFORE!
PRAY – Q AND A IF TIME OR MOTHER
DABNEY STORY.
*MENTION – CIRCLE MAKER SMALL GROUP
DVD/DISCUSSION/FELLOWSHIP. ALSO
SERIES ON RIGHT NOW MEDIA.
“The Circle Maker – Praying Big Prayers/Seeing Big Answers”
Story of Honi the circle maker based on James 5:16-17
God is still looking for _________ “circle makers”!
I. Bold prayers ________ God and God ________ bold prayers.
A. God loves to answer prayer like you _______ in giving good _______ to your
children.
*To have a good relationship with someone, there needs to be ________.
Unless you believe God is ________ you will pray timid prayers. . .
WHO YOU BECOME = DETERMINED BY HOW YOU _______.
*God’s promise to Joshua – Joshua 1:7-9
Promise fulfilled in Joshua 3:13 and Jericho 6
B. Jesus’ question in Matthew 20:32 a thousand years later. . .
“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?”
II. You ______ not because you _____ not. James 4:1-3
A. Jesus knows what we want, but He wants to make sure _____ ____!
1. Make a list of life ______ and start praying ________, consistently, and
__________. (like the persistent widow in Luke 18).
Keep a prayer journal
B. Take the 21 Day _______ Challenge!
1. Pick a ______/________ then identify something/someone you are going to . .
.
Note: Goal is not to get God to fit His answers into our 21 day time frame, but to.
..
Examples: Try circling your neighborhood w. prayer once a day/place of great
need. . .your kids. . .marriage. . .friend at school, work. . .etc. Make a list here of
what you plan to circle in prayer during this time:
Let this be a new season. . .
When will you start circling?
Get the book, The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. Small group DVD
discussion series begins this Tues. eve. or go to Right Now Media.