The Process of Active Prayer in Discipleship
- James Barber
- Jun 1, 2025
- 5 min read
June 1, 2025
Introduction
In the early 1980’s, I learned about the Big Four concepts of Prayer, Word, Fellowship and Evangelism. These were lessons and ideologies that I received while I attended Church On The Rock (COTR) with Dr. Larry Lea in Rockwall, TX. and from professors at Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1997 I earned my Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree based on concepts of discipleship and these four philosophies. A disciple, according to ORU Professor Dr. Charles Snow is “A Loyal, Learning, Follower of Jesus Christ” which requires an individual to do what these three words entail. For the next four blogs we will delve into what a follower of Jesus achieves after implementing these lessons. The Lord’s Prayer will be the first lesson we will discuss regarding what was taught and practiced daily at COTR when Dr. Lea started daily morning prayer and eventually wrote the book, “Could You Not Tarry One Hour”.
Active Prayer in Discipleship
During this early prayer time I learned that every Christian believer is a disciple of Jesus Christ. When we attended this early morning time of prayer I also learned how erroneously I had looked at prayer growing up. I also discovered that if you were saved, prayer was one of the first essentials of Christianity. In my discipleship practice I have been inspired to achieve this Christlike modality which necessitates rising early and following Christ by praying in His Name to the Father God.
Additionally, active prayer is crucial for developing qualities aligned with a believer's faith. This process involves incorporating the principles of prayer into one’s daily life, treating it both as a philosophy and a practice that every disciple should engage with regularly. Dr. Lea emphasized this importance of daily one-hour prayer, as a practice that has existed since the time when Abraham “cried out to God” and that cry has continued throughout Christendom.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray “…Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples,” (Lk. 11:1); prayer was a paradox to the disciples at this phase in their relationship with the Christ. The prayer that has become known as the "Lord's Prayer" was not for Jesus Himself. It was essentially a model prayer for His disciples. Hence, according to ORU Professor, Dr. Brad Young, it could better be called "The Disciples' Prayer." [1]
What is Prayer
Prayer is verbal communication that individuals use to connect with God through the name of His son Jesus Christ. It is an important part of establishing a personal relationship with the Godhead, fostering individual connections and facilitating a deeper understanding of messages found in the biblical texts.
I myself and all believers in Jesus Christ should be encouraged to pray as a way to develop their relationship with the Christ and the Father God. This entails involving both mental and emotional communication between themselves and the Godhead. That relationship means communicating and sharing mind-to-mind and heart-to-heart. [2]
This communication implies that a disciple of Jesus Christ will spend time talking to Him. God works in partnership with man and cannot act if man does not play his part. Prayer is, therefore, more than self-stimulation. Prayer is in large a matter of creating in oneself a right attitude in respect to God's will.
Prayer is the primary means of communication that binds together God and humankind in intimate and reciprocal relationship. Its foundational assumption is the belief that the Creator of the world is both available for human address and committed to a divine-human partnership that sustains, and when necessary, restores, the world in accordance with God’s creational design.
Prayer is not so much getting God to do our will either as it is demonstrating that we are as concerned as God in that His will be done."[3] To try and formalize prayer into a methodology for everyone would be an immense task. Defining it for the disciple is essential and simple communication as the Greek word, proseuchomai, means, to pray or vow.
In the New Testament this compound verb is designating one to pray and embraces all that is included in the idea of prayer, i.e., thanksgiving, forgiveness, asking for and requesting special things like deliver us from evil. The verb is also used (to ask) in (Mk. 11:24; Col. 1:9); and (to thank) in (Col:3; 4:3; 1 Thess. 5:17). Prayer also implies worship which properly means to crouch, crawl, or prostrate oneself.
Prayer is essential for the disciple to spend time with the Master which means to talk to Him using knowledge that is based in the Word of God. In essence prayer will draw the individual closer to God. It has been my experience that one’s prayer life should be consistent. If you have 5 minutes you can pray the Lord’s Prayer. I call it the “The Five-Minute Miracle”. When I say consistent, I don’t mean wake up every day and pray the prayer for five minutes or for one hour, but you will be amazed how this time communicates with God. It does not mean that you have a list that you rush through, but a list is important to God. By using the outline of the Lord’s prayer given by Dr. Lea, one can fill in the blanks. Thanking God for what he has done and praying to God what we need him to do based on the outline.
Copy and paste the Larry Lea Prayer Guide into your browser. It has an outline that Jesus gave to all of us as a guide to “The Disciples Prayer”:
When you practice praying, it becomes more than an act; it becomes integral to your Christian life, adding Christlike meaning. Prayer allows you to hear God, especially through His word. I want to encourage you to include all aspects of your life in prayer and witness the transformation.
Questions for discussion:
When was the first time in your Christian walk did you realize prayer was more than just something you do when you are afraid, need help or desperate for situations to change?
Look up the prayer guide to see the essentials that Dr. Lea proposed based on “The Disciples Prayer”
Do you pray at least a five-minute miracle daily using the Lord’s prayer? Work your way up to a hour or more daily till it becomes your mantra for prayer.
Learning to pray includes elements like the simplicity of the Lord’s prayer. Discuss what you gleaned from this lesson?
[1] Brad Young, The Jewish Background to the Lord's Prayer
(Austin: Center for Judaic-Christian Studies, 1984), p. 1.
[2] Allan Coppedge, The Biblical Principles of Discipleship
(Grand Rapids: Francis Asbury Press, 1989),p. 73.
[3] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1989), p. 406.
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