Untitled Sermon

INTRO

My name is Kanaan Allen, I help give leadership to our prayer room and our campus department over high school and university campuses with FF.

I’ve been married six years to my wife Nicole and have three kids: Shiloh, Noa, and Zion.

Im a fourth generation missionary kid born and raised in Bangkok Thailand half my life but move to Nashville when I was twelve and when to high school and college in TN

You’re not here for good music or good vibes, you’re here because you want Jesus.  

THE FOUNDATION OF INTERCESSION

If you want to grow in prayer, get to know the one you are praying to. 

So rather than start this training with what God does, I want to dive into WHO HE IS.

Tozer talks about this in his book The Knowledge of the Holy - God is perfect in all of His attributes.

INTIMACY

Matthew 6:6 The secret place

Find a place, set a time, and keep it.

Long obedience - Give them vision to grow old with Jesus; more on fire in their 80s than they were in their 20s.

Abraham, Moses, Elijah, John all have one thing in common - they became friends of God.

Ask if they have ever been moved by the eloquence of someone’s prayer, but by the obvious intimacy with which they prayed.

Tell of my encounter with the love of Jesus in high school where I surrendered everything.

Tell of the story of Christi Boegel sharing about Isaiah 53 at Lee

Tell the story of Papa Lou praying for his son.

TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY

God in His nature is relational.

Intercession without intimacy so easily begins to feel like an incantation - trying to twist God’s arm to get what we want.  

We can so easily make prayer into a formula like pressing buttons on a cosmic vending machine.

But we are not twisting God’s arm in intercession - if anything, He is twisting ours!

Picture of a court room

Passages:

Zech 3:1-5 with Joshua the high priest

Rev 12:10 Satan accusing the brethren day and night

God the Father sits enthroned as the judge.

Satan is the accuser of the bethren

Jesus, our Great Intercessor, is our defendant.

Through the cross the courtroom of heaven has been transformed from a place of condemnation into one of vindication.

Isaiah 6 vs Revelation?

Yes, God knows the prayers we pray before we pray them, but He desires that we would pray WITH Him.

It was not your good idea to pray for God to move on your campus - it has always been a dream in His heart that your campus would come to know Him.

You are never starting a prayer meeting - you are joining one!

THE PERSON OF JESUS

Passages:

Romans 8:34

Hebrews 7:23-28

ECCLESIOLOGY

PRACTICALS

“Man loves methods. Every time God moves man tried to methodize and replicate it. But God’s method is man. While man is looking for better methods, God is looking for better men.” E.M. Bounds

0–2 min — Set the Frame: “Prayer Is Participation, Not Performance”

Prayer gatherings succeed when Key idea:everyone knows why they’re praying, what they’re praying for, and how to pray.

Share briefly:

Your role as a prayer leader is to , not impress people.create clarity and faith

The goal is , not perfect words.maximum participation

God moves when regular students pray simple prayers.

Quick one-liner:

“Our job isn’t to pray FOR the room — it’s to help the room pray.”

2–5 min — Before You Pray: Topic, Tone, Framework

Teach this as a 3-part grid students can remember:

1. Topic — What are we praying for?

Encourage them to ask:

“God, what do You want us to pray?”

“What season is my campus in right now?”

2. Tone — How are we praying?

Faith-filled?

Contending?

Tender?

Remind them:

Your emotional posture shapes the whole room.

3. Framework — What will this prayer time look like?

Examples:

Worship → prayer → worship

Scripture → prayer → testimony

Listening → prayer → activation

This comes straight from the manual’s emphasis on preparing before leading any prayer timetopic, tone, and flow 

5–9 min — 3 Simple Ways to Lead Group Prayer (Teach + Demo)

Give them practical tools they can use THIS WEEK on campus:

🔹 Small Groups (2–4 people)

Best for:

New believers

Vulnerable topics

Longer prayer moments

Instruction: “Turn to 2–3 people and pray for ___.”

🔹 Rumble Prayer (everyone out loud at once)

Best for:

Breakthrough moments

Spiritual momentum

Short bursts (60–120 seconds)

Instruction: “Everyone pray out loud for ___ right now.”

🔹 Rapid Fire (15–20 second prayers)

Best for:

Leadership development

Keeping energy high

Teaching boldness

Instruction: “One sentence prayers — keep it short and strong.”

These are directly lifted from the “Practical ways to pray” section of your manual

9–12 min — How to Lead the Room Well (Communication Skills)

Give them real leadership handles:

✅ Use Scripture to unite the room

Pick ONE verse and rally everyone around it.

✅ Speak short + clear instructions

Too much talking kills prayer momentum.

✅ Keep your eyes open

Prayer leaders lead with awareness, not closed eyes.

✅ Bring faith

Share a quick testimony or promise of God.

Core phrase to give students:

“Short direction. Long prayer.”

This section pulls from the manual’s focus on clarity, Scripture, awareness, and communication during prayer sets

12–13 min — Listening to God While You’re Praying

Teach this simply:

God speaks prayer.before AND during

Be flexible — don’t cling to your plan.

It’s okay to pause in silence.

You may receive new prayer points mid-set.

Tell them:

Prayer meetings are alive — learn to follow the Holy Spirit, not your outline.

This aligns with the manual’s emphasis on hearing God’s voice and adapting in real time 

13–15 min — Worship

Communication between the band and prayer leader

Brief and debrief

• • Have clear communication during the set