Rooted: Living With Power (Week 3)

Preacher: Daniel Erasmus

Worship:
Reflect on Matthew 7:7 and the lyrics of This is the Kingdom – Elevation Worship.

Check-in:
Share with the group a bold prayer that you’re believing God for.

Synopsis of message:
This past Sunday, Pastor Daniel shared about being rooted in Christ, especially noting that when we are rooted in Christ, He brings power and life change to us. God desires for us to be rooted, so that we can experience this power, as noted by Jesus’s last words before He ascended (Acts 1:8).

Through John 14:12-14, Pastor Daniel illustrated that the power of Jesus is available to us, and our only role to receive it is to have faith and believe in that power. He then went on to explore the story of Jesus healing a blind beggar in Luke 18:35-43. From this story, we note five things that we can do when praying for a miracle:

1. Be passionate. God wants us to be passionate, like the blind beggar who shouted to Jesus, when we come to Him (Jeremiah 29:13).
2. Be persistent. If God doesn’t answer your prayer today, then pray again tomorrow. We are on God’s timetable, and He can answer in His timing and in the way that He wants to. However, Scripture motivates that we should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1-8).
3. Be precise. God wants us to come to Him and be precise (James 4:2).
4. Be positive. Even if God doesn’t answer our prayers in the way that we want Him to answer them, we are called to express faith and confidence in God’s power for what we are believing for (Mark 11:24).
5. Be praiseful. Thank God before you even receive the miracle, because it moves your faith. We thank God in advance, because we know who our Father is (Philippians 4:6).

Discussion questions:

1. Pastor Daniel mentioned that some may feel uncomfortable when there is talk of the power of God. What reasons do you think they have? Has there been a time when you felt uncomfortable when talk of the supernatural power of God is mentioned?
2. Recall a time when you can say now that something incredible happened only because of the power of God. Share how much more your faith increased as a result.
3. The story of a blind man desperately calling out to Jesus was shared. He had faith that Jesus could heal him. Those around him wanted him to be quiet, dismissing that surety and pleading. Is there something that you need desperately from Jesus? How will you deal with those (or the thoughts from the enemy that keep coming to your mind) who want you to be quiet, who tell you not to bother Jesus with that same request?
4. Pastor Daniel mentions 5 things that we can do while praying for our miracle:
   • Be passionate.
   • Be persistent.
   • Be precise.
   • Be positive.
   • Be praiseful.

What will you do to remind yourself and apply these to your week ahead and beyond, while you pray and wait for your miracle to happen?

Additional resources:

• Dangerous Prayers (bible.com)
• When You’re Hoping For A Miracle (bible.com)
• Pray Always (RightNow Media)