For this week’s Announcements please visit: (waterschurch.org/events):

Reminder: 

There will be No Guide next week and No First Tuesday.  Use this as a free week and do an outreach or something fun with your group!

Waters Academy Donations: Baskets for the Waters Academy auction should be in no later than April 14.  They are looking for baskets or donations worth $300 – $500.  If you have a business or service that would be a great way to donate!  Groups can band together as well to come up with some nice baskets.  If you are working on a donation, please let me know what it is and I will post it here.

Donations so far:

 Golf Foursome with Golf Card at Crestwood Country Club

Airbnb 4-Night Florida Vacation Package

Stone Fire Pit

Boston Sports Team Themed Corn Hole Board Set 

BBQ Meat Market Basket 

Espresso Machine and Coffee Basket

Winter Coat Drive for New England Locations:

One of our Action Groups is collecting winter coats in Youth sizes 14-18 and Adult Small and Large.  This for for a school in Providence where a lot of underprivileged children attend.  You can drop off your brand new or gently used winter jackets and coats in your perspective location’s bin no later than March 31!

Life Group Leader Meeting: To be held on April 14 at 5:00p.  This is a special event so please read the description!  Also, if you would like to take some random pics of your group, doing group you can send them to maparsons@waterschurch.org and I can print them.  We can put these on the tables at the meeting!

 Register Here for the Lifie Awards Ceremony

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Reminders:

✳ Please regularly check your Planning Center profiles for requests to join your life groups, remove members from the list that no longer attend, or add members not listed. Please ensure that you have added no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and encourage your members to do so as well.  This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site. Thank you!

Waters Class Schedule:

• 1st Sunday: Discover Waters – after 1st service
• 2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
• 3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
• 4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service

Waters Help: Need marriage and family care  or have a group member in need of marriage and family care?   Click here:  help resources page  or visit waterschurch.org/help

Location Text Alerts:

Key Verse: Matthew 26

Ice breaker

Q. What is your favorite cartoon character and why?

Question: Do I have a PRAYER PARTNER?

An inevitable fact in life is that pain is coming.  You are going to go through serious struggles, doubts, and issues.  You will be burdened in ways you don’t anticipate.

To stay strong in the Lord, you need to have people who can pray for you and pray with you.

Matthew 26:38 (ESV)

Even Jesus asked for prayer.

If Jesus needed PRAYING PEOPLE, I need PRAYING PEOPLE.

This is why being involved in community is important. A community of people who see something is wrong just by the look on your face and offer to pray for you even when you don’t ask.

Jesus instructed us on how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer.’  The Lord’s Prayer is a plural corporate prayer.  The first word in this prayer is ‘our’, indicating a communal event.  However, too many Christians try doing it alone.

We are a Body of believers, a kingdom, and a nation belonging to each other.  In our prayers, we need to lift up each other.

Life is difficult, dangerous, and filled with the unexpected.  We need not get so big that we forget one another.  We need to observe others and pray for them before judging and condemning them.

Luke 22:39 ESV

Jesus had a place he could go to where he knew people and they prayed for Him.  This was his darkest night.

The darkness is coming.  The world is getting darker and darker by the moment.  This is not the time to be on your own in the Christian faith.

Q. How do Jesus’ actions challenge the misconception that strong faith means handling everything alone? How can we follow Jesus’ example in seeking and offering prayer support within our communities?

1. I’m going to NEED someone else to PRAY for ME.

Matthew 26:37 ESV

Jesus leaned on the prayers of His followers.  The Bible is filled with godly people asking other people to pray for them.  Most times when the person in the Bible is asking someone else to pray, the person asking is the most powerful in the faith.  For example, Paul the Apostle was a strong man of faith, but he asked people who followed him to pray for him.

2 Thessalonians 3:1 ESV; Hebrews 13:18 ESV; Colossians 4:3 ESV; 2 Corinthians 1:11 ESV; Leviticus 26:7–8 ESV

The more partners you have the more an exponential power of impact.

We can’t do it on our own.  We need the prayers of many so the blessing of God can come upon your life.

PARTNERSHIP in PRAYER produces the POWER of God.

Community shapes our prayers and makes them more biblical and more Jesus-centered.

James 5:15-16 ESV

This is talking about praying for each other. 

Q. In what ways does the concept of “partnership in prayer” enhance our spiritual growth and impact? Discuss specific examples from your own experiences where collective prayer had a powerful effect.

2. I do not REALIZE how MUCH I need someone to PRAY for ME.

We are weak and we don’t realize how much we need prayer.  We need prayer because we are not as strong as we think.

Matthew 26:40–41 ESV

It does not matter how much you want to or desire to obey the Lord, the flesh is weak and strong against the Spirit.  The flesh is disastrously weak.

We OVERCOME the flesh when we COME TOGETHER and PRAY.

Intercessory prayer is when you lift up someone else’s needs.  This gets our eyes off of ourselves too. We need to lift up each other.

Q.  Can you share examples of how interceding for others has transformed your perspective and deepened your spiritual connection with both God and fellow believers?

3. Even if I FAIL, I have a PERFECT PRIEST who PRAYS for ME.

Matthew 26:43–44 ESV

Jesus prays even when we can’t.  Our High Priest always lives to intercede for us!

Hebrews 2:10 ESV

Jesus, in His humanity, gets fully aware of how hard the human condition is.  He knows how hard it is for us.

Hebrews 2:18 ESV

Q. Can you share personal experiences where you found comfort and strength in knowing that Jesus prays for you in your weaknesses?

Sermon in a sentence:

I’m WEAKER than I realize, but through PRAYER I’m STRONGER than I know. In Christ, I have PARTNERS who can help me PREVAIL.

Challenge: Choose one day this week to dedicate at least 15 minutes to intercessory prayer.  Pray for the needs of others in your group, community, or beyond without including personal requests.