These people joined together constantly in prayer. They assembled together to unite themselves in prayer.

Personal responses will vary on how the girls are doing praying with others. They all pray together at GEMS Girls’ Clubs, they may also pray together at church, home, and school. Encourage them to do better by looking for opportunities to pray with their family and friends that they’ve maybe never pursued before. If a friend is talking about something that is worrying her, ask if you can pray together. Maybe your family consistently prays together at mealtimes. Look for one other time that you could begin praying together, too. Maybe you could join with other Jesus’ followers on the playground before school starts and pray together. Encourage the girls to think outside of their “norm” and look for new opportunities to pray with others.

Personal responses.

The new believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (including all that Jesus taught them), to worshipping with other believers, the breaking of bread (this seems to indicate that they celebrated the Lord’s Supper together, 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:20), and to prayer.

The new believers were others-centered. They devoted themselves to being together so they could learn together, worship together, and pray together. Personal responses may vary among girls on if they are self-centered or others-centered. Remind them that God wants us to be others-centered and not have an “it’s all about me” attitude.

Prayer is important to our lives – both our personal prayers and our together or corporate prayers. When we pray together we encourage one another’s faith walk by reminding each other who God is, what He has done, and how He wants us to live. When one person is discouraged, the other people will lift her up in prayer. When one person is thankful, the others can join with her in a chorus of thanksgiving to God.

He encouraged them with the truth. Although outwardly things are wasting away and everything may look like it is falling apart, on the inside, Jesus is renewing us and making new life. The difficulties and hard times we experience is small stuff compared to the coming good times when we will live forever in God’s presence in Heaven. There’s so much more to life than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will teach us all things and will remind us of everything He has said to us.

You can encourage those who are discouraged and want to give up on prayer by praying for them when they can’t pray for themselves, by listening to them, by praying with them, by gently reminding them of the truth of God’s Word, and God’s unfailing promises to them.

We don’t need to worry because God’s Spirit is right beside us helping us along. He does our praying in and for us. He can even make prayers out of our wordless sighs and our aching groans.

We need the Spirit to pray in accordance with God’s will because we don’t always know God’s will, but He does! God always answers the Spirit’s prayers with affirmation, agreeing with His prayer because it is in accordance to His will, His plan, and what God knows to be best.

Personal responses may include that they find great comfort and joy in knowing that when they pray for their GEMS sisters, asking the Holy Spirit to pray on their behalf according to God’s will, God will do what is best for them. His power will go forth to hear and answer their cries in good, God-exalting ways.

Jesus prayed that God would protect them by the power of His name so they would be one as God and Jesus are one. Jesus was asking God to unite His disciples in harmony and love just as God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are united.

Paul prayed for Philemon, his dear friend and fellow worker. He thanked God for him because of his faith in Jesus and his love for all of God’s children. He prayed that Philemon would be active in sharing his faith so he would have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Jesus. Paul’s prayer was that as Philemon told people about his faith in Jesus those people would recognize Christ in his words and the good things he was doing.

Personal responses may include that we can have comfort, joy, and peace, because no matter what we are saying, God will be there with us. He will uphold, support, and sustain us when we have needs, too.

Paul prayed for God’s children at Colosse. He thanked God for them, for their faith in Jesus, and the love they had for people. He continually prayed for them and asked God to fill them with the knowledge of His will so they could live lives that please Him, bear fruit in every good work, grow in the knowledge of God, be strengthened with the power of God, and that they would have great endurance, patience, joy, and thanksgiving to God.

He is praying that God alone receive the glory because of His love and faithfulness. He understood that no one else – not himself, not others, not even nations – deserve this glory. It is reserved for God alone.

We seek our own glory when we pray that we’ll do a great job on a project, that we’ll make the winning point, or that we’ll play the piano flawlessly just so that people will tell us what a great job we’ve done! When we care more about people praising us, applauding us, and saying that we’re really great, than we care about God being honored, we are seeking our own glory. Doing our best is not the problem. Ruining God’s reputation while we’re seeking praise is the problem!

Personal responses may include that girls seek personal praise and glory for how they look, their popularity, the things they own, or their performance academically, musically, in the arts, or athletics.

Paul prayed that God would count them fit for what He called them to do, and that God’s power would fuel and fulfill every good purpose, idea, and act of faith so that it would amount to something for His glory. He prayed that their lives would glorify and honor the name of Jesus, according to the grace, favor, and kindness of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

You can give God glory by involving Him in every part of those activities. Give Him heartfelt thanks for the food, drink, things and experiences that He gives you. Demonstrate deep love when you interact with people; be kind, gentle, and good. Praise God throughout the day.

Personal responses may include asking God the Holy Spirit to remind you of the importance of giving God glory in all things, memorize 1 Corinthians 10:31, find a friend you can be accountable to. Ask each other often, “Are you doing __________ for God’s glory?”

God receives glory when we unite with one heart and one mouth in a spirit of unity with other followers of Jesus. We are not meant to be isolated worshippers. We should join together with other people who believe in Jesus and speak and sing His praises for God’s glory.

God receives praise when we accept and welcome one another in the same way Christ accepts and welcomes us.

God should receive the glory for what He does through us when we humbly and unselfishly serve others.

God receives glory from His created works – the heavens, the skies, and all the things that He formed.