Evangelism: Praying for Evangelism

Practical Strategies for Praying for Evangelism

 

Before each activity, meeting, or event at your church or potential church, pray! Prayer is the platform that plans begin on, end on, and rest on. There should never be anything that goes on at a church that does not have prayer at its central core! Remember confidentiality! Prayer requests are not ammunition for gossip! If your church is not a church of prayer, your church is not in God’s will, nor is it focused on Christ! Your church is a mere club for the prideful (Habakkuk. 2:5, 9; Romans 16:17; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

 

1. Begin each meeting in prayer, and spend at least four-fifths to one-third or more of that meeting in prayer! You say you do not have the time? Well, most meetings are taken up by poor preparation, not following the agenda, and trivial discussions that go in circles. Have the agenda given out a day before and require all to read it before the meeting. Then, by putting the focus on prayer, meetings actually go faster because people are in one mind and direction! (Well, mostly.)

2. Spend significant time in prayer between meeting sessions about the decisions that need to be made. Do not just fret over them. This will move the focus away from our perceived agenda and into His agenda. We then can surrender selfish ambitions to what is best for His church.

 

3. Have a specific core of people pray before each worship service and event at the church. So, if the Junior High group is having a “lock in,” have a small group come before it starts and just pray. Before the event, for safety, get specific requests from the leaders of the event. Have teams pray before and during ministry programs, such as ones for children and youth. While the youth meeting is going on, have a prayer team in another room praying. Do this for all ministries and activities of the church. ….

 

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Evangelism: Praying for Evangelism I

 

Praying for Evangelism

By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

 

Understand the Importance of Prayer for Evangelism!

Matthew 9:35-38; John 14:12-14; Colossians 4:2-6;

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: `Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation (Luke 11:1-4, NIV).

 

Real Prayer is Saturation Prayer

This passage is not a prayer, but rather a model for us to follow of how to pray. The closer we follow this passage, the closer we come to our Lord. The closer we come to attaining the fullness of our spiritual potential, the better we pray. As members of the body of Christ, it is our responsibility to be always teaching one another how to pray; the best teacher is the one who models it in his or her life. We are to model this in all of our activities and pursuits in the church! We are to be specific, simple, and follow the above aspects, so that our prayers are relevant and not too general or crude. We must be honest and open with our Lord and our will is opened because of what He has done for us, who He is, what we wish to do, and who we are to Him; then, we can share our burdens and intimacy.

 

Prayer is pivotal and essential. Nothing of value can accrue in you or though you without prayer! The above Scriptures testify to us that we need to be praying for workers, for ourselves, for opportunities, and for those who do not know Him!

Prayer is our key to God’s door. It is our foundation to the exercising of and growth in the faith, and essential in our witnessing. It is the work of Christ through the work of the Spirit that saves. Prayer lines us up to His will and grows us in maturity and understanding. It is the power behind, in the mist of, and in front of the faith (Ezek. 36:24-32; John 3:5; 30; 20:21-23). To be effective in your growth in Christ, you have to be a person who prays—and prays regularly. To witness, you must be praying for that person’s soul and conversion. Pray as specifically as you can, and as often as you can. It may take a few minutes; it may take many years. Whatever the cost and time, prayer is the foundation to any work of evangelism. Without effective prayer, you cannot be effective in your evangelism—period! Do not even try it without prayer! Sharing your faith without praying for the person is like training a pig to fly; all you will do is waste your time and annoy the pig! All you will accomplish in trying to do evangelism without prayer is stay away from God, waste your time, and annoy the person!

 

· Know this important point: No amount of corporate prayer will make up for a lack of personal prayer! That is, you can and should pray as a group, but because you pray as a group does not mean you can cut back on your personal prayer time! Your personal prayer time is the key to your growth in Christ.

 

· There is no better use of your personal and ministry time than prayer!

· There is a phrase that says, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Sometimes, the people we are close to have hurt us; perhaps we just do not trust them, perhaps we fear their response, or perhaps we just do not care. We have to have a heart for someone before we can be an effective witness. Continue in your character development and spiritual growth, be consistent, and allow your changed life to show without words—even when others do not respond well to you! Start to pray for them! Then, when you have a heart for them, start to be in prayer; pray more, and then use your words to witness. Do not witness to people you have contempt for, as your attitude will show; all you will do is give the Lord a bad reputation and make it harder for the next person.

 

· It is essential that all those on staff and leadership of your church be people of continual prayer! If they are not persons of prayer, then they should not be in leadership (Col. 4:2-6; 1 Tim. 2:8)!

 

· When I went though the training at the Billy Graham School of Evangelism and “Crusade Training,” the point was made that over 90% of the people who come to a Crusade, and 95+% of those who go onto the field and pray to accept Jesus, have been regularly prayed for by others—for a significant period of time!

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Prayer Thoughts – PrayBrooks again :)

GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO THOSE WHO SEEK
Another motivation, Brooks writes, is that “you are the only persons in all the world that God has made choice of to reveal his secrets to.” Disciples of Christ are those to whom, in John 15:15, Christ promises to reveal the things of the Father.

He continues,

[Christ] cannot but open and unburden his heart to all his dearest friends. To be reserved and close is against the very law of friendship. Faithful friends are free in imparting their thoughts, their minds, their secrets, one to another.

… Though the devil be the greatest scholar in the world, and though he has more learning than all the men in the world have, yet there are many thousands of secrets and mysteries in the gospel of grace, that he doesn’t know…

Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)

So we come to this– we have an offer from the Almighty to come and abide with us, to hear our cries and our longings, and to not only show compassion but also to act… it is then up to us to respond to that, not as a rebellious son who runs from His Father’s offer of abundance and relationship… but as loving children who run into the arms of the Father and abide *with* Him.

Private prayer offers us the opportunity to do that very thing… and I’m sharing here that I want this, but I am not a a faithful practictioner of it. I long to be, and yet I fall short. And I don’t really know what else to write except that I am pressing on, striving, and trust that He will continue drawing me to Himself and teaching me more in this area. And I hope that this somehow encourages you to draw near to the Father as well. View article…

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Question and Answer Time: Why Pray for Others?

Why Pray for Others?

Abraham in Genesis pleaded with God for his nephew Lot who was living in the sinful city of Sodom (Ge 18:16-33). David said in Psalm 122:6-9: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.’ For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.”

St. Paul’s intercessary prayer is recorded in Colossians 1:9-14: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

From University Bible Fellowship of Shippensburg

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Prayer Thoughts (NEW): Prayer Meetings

The Prayer Meeting

 

“I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” 1Tim. 2:8 “So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary… where many were gathered together praying.” Acts 12:12

 

Prayer has been on the increase in many parts of the world… and that is a very good sign. Prayer meetings are springing up everywhere. The saints, including many leaders are crossing denominational boundaries to meet together for intercession and worship! As you know, throughout Church history, God has stirred extraordinary prayer before He did something of significance. Be attentive, God is about to do something.

 

Because we want to flow with God’s Spirit as He leads us into prayer, it would seem wise to maximize the effectiveness of our corporate efforts (Prayer leader please take note). Whenever possible intermingle worship with prayer. This will most definitely enhance your prayer time. Also consider singing some of the prayers. You will be surprised how this adds life to the meeting.

 

For the sake of improvement it may be helpful to mention some common practices that occur during a prayer gathering:

• The one who is praying dominates the time with longwinded prayers. Prayers must be Spirit-led; and of course, you are to flow with the Spirit for as long (or as short) as He gives utterance. But do not drone on in the power of the flesh.

• Announcements are made within the prayer. Let’s say that Joe broke his arm. The prayer will usually go something like this: “Dear Lord, you know that Brother Joe broke his arm this past Tuesday and was taken to Mercy Hospital – Room 511…etc.” Wouldn’t it be better to stop the prayer and explain the situation and then pray for Joe’s healing? Surely God knows all of the details; you do not need to remind Him. Also, be sure that your prayer is not gossip!

• Horizontal, instead of vertical “prayers” How many times have you heard a short sermon included in the prayer? In fact, it is seldom directed toward the throne of grace, but rather to the attendees, to teach or exhort. Don’t fool yourself, beloved; this is not prayer.

• There is a lack of focus upon the One who hears our prayers. When you pray aloud are you wondering how others perceive your petition? (Is it doctrinally correct; does it sound spiritual enough?) Or, are you fixed upon the Lord… thinking of Him and speaking directly to Him?

• The flow of the Spirit is cut short by a well-meaning pray-er who changes the subject of prayer before the entire objective has been met. For instance: the current topic is spiritual revival in your city. A few people have already prayed for certain aspects of this multifaceted issue and the Holy Spirit intends for there to be several more prayers offered regarding this subject… but then someone begins to pray for those suffering with AIDS. Surely this is a noble prayer, but the timing is off. Allow there to be a “dead spot” before changing topics, so the fullness of God’s purposes can be accomplished.
•  

Ride the wave of the Holy Spirit for as long as He leads. You may enjoy intense prayer for a half-hour, sometimes for several hours. You will know when the session is over – the steady stream of intercession simply dries up. Here is a rule of thumb: If you have to think about what to pray next, it is usually time to take a break or to end the meeting. Dear disciple, don’t become legalistic about these things, but let’s ask God to help us pray most effectively.

Peter Whitehouse

 

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Question Time: Why Should I Pray with Others?

Why Should We Pay in Groups?

“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Mt 18:19-20)

From University Bible Fellowship of Shippensburg

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Question and Answer Time: Why “In Jesus’ Name”?

Q. Why Pray “in Jesus’ Name”?

A. I pray that way because that’s how Jesus commands me to pray. Listen to His words in the Gospel of John. “And I will do whatever you ask for in my name.” (14:13) “If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.” (14:14) “The Father will give you whatever you ask of Him in my name.” (15:16) And that exact same promise is repeated in 16:23. And finally, “until now you have not asked for anything in my name; ask and you will receive.” (16:24) Please understand, the name of Jesus is not a secret code that works some kind of magical spell when it is invoked like “abracadabra”. It isn’t a tool with which to manipulate God. To pray in the name of Jesus means to pray “by the authority of,” “in harmony with,” or “sanctioned by,” Jesus Christ. He has given us the right to pray in His name because we are His representatives, and we ask as His representatives because we are about His business. But, it’s not just praying in His name, it’s also living in His name. Paul instructs us, “Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17) Yes, the name of Jesus is special. “God raised Him to the highest place above and gave Him the name that is greater than any other name. And so, in honor of the name of Jesus all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will fall on their knees, and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

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Question Answered by Pastor Brande at Prayer Leader Network Blog

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Downloads of the Day

PDF / Doc

Prayer
An Article
By: J. C. Ryle
Webpage PDF Word

MP3

8 Winning Insights

Show Summary: How can you WIN in this battle for sexual purity? There are so many challenges and obstacles in our culture and around the world to living a daily life of purity. This broadcast will help our listeners to fight well against lust and cross the finish line as winners.

Download the FREE mp3 at http://www.puresexradio.com/mp3/psr20081122.mp3.

Podcast

The latest White Horse Inn is a talk between Baptist, Reformed and Lutheran ministers on what makes up the signs of the true church. The minsters discuss the common Reformation idea of the church against the idea of the church in many other American churches

Other

If you visit Jerusalem on Google Earth now and go to “Jerusalem Ritmeyer composite” under “Places”, you will see an overlay with the map that I provided to create plans of Jerusalem in the various periods for the ESV Study Bible. The exciting thing is that you can see the walls of Jerusalem in 3D and change the perspective as you wish. Here is a snapshot of the walls of Jerusalem seen from the north-east:

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Doctrine of the Day: What is Prayer?

 

What is Prayer?

 

Q. 178. What is prayer?

A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.

 

Q. 179. Are we to pray unto God only?

A. God only being able to search the hearts,hear the requests, pardon the sins, and fulfill the desires of all; and only to be believed in, and worshipped with religious worship; prayer, which is a special part thereof,is to be made by all to him alone, and to none other.

 

Q. 180. What is it to pray in the name of Christ?

A. To pray in the name of Christ is, in obedience to his command, and in confidence on his promises, to ask mercy for his sake; not by bare mentioning of his name,[1162] but by drawing our encouragement to pray, and our boldness, strength, and hope of acceptance in prayer, from Christ and his mediation.

 

Q. 181. Why are we to pray in the name of Christ?

A. The sinfulness of man, and his distance from God by reason thereof, being so great, as that we can have no access into his presence without a mediator; and there being none in heaven or earth appointed to, or fit for, that glorious work but Christ alone, we are to pray in no other name but his only.

From the Westminster Larger Confession View article…

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Missions News

Graham Concludes ’08 Crusade in Taiwan

American evangelist Franklin Graham concluded his 2008 world crusade this past weekend in Taipei, Taiwan where nearly 10,000 people committed their lives to Jesus Christ during the event.

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Unreached Peoples of the Day

Grangali (Nangalami) People 

Omar sloshed some goat milk out of the pail as he brought it into the kitchen. “Watch it!” his mother scolded, as he slipped on the small puddle of milk on his way out. Before she could say any more, Omar dashed to the corral where his older cousin, Sandril, was chanting verses of the Koran in Arabic while bringing hay to the mules. When Sandril stopped his chanting, Omar said, “I keep wondering something. All of us boys keep memorizing parts of the Koran, and the imam tells us that we are all equal before Allah.” “That’s right,” interjected Sandril. Omar continued. “But people aren’t equal here, and we are all Muslims. The Pushtuns control our lives. Even among all the other Grangali people, some are better than others. The landowners make all the decisions, while the carpenters, weavers and blacksmiths have to do whatever they say.”

With a population of only 32,000, the Grangalis, also known as the Nangalamis, are one of the smaller people groups of Afghanistan. They have been Muslims since the 9th century, and there is not a single follower of Christ among them so far as we know.

Pray that Christ’s glory and beauty will be revealed to these Sunni Muslims in such a way that they will not let anything stop them from following Him. Pray that they will soon have access to radio broadcasts and gospel recordings in a language that they can understand.-KC

From the Global Prayer Digest  View article…

            The Akha

People Name: Akha, Nutchi
Country Name: Laos
Population: 5,400
Primary Language: Akha
Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
% Evangelical: 0.00
Status: Unreached

For more information see the Joshua Project

 

Operation World Country of the Day

  United Arab Emirates 

 

1 Radical changes of the last generation have made UAE citizens more cosmopolitan and open to new ideas, yet the rise of extreme Islamism has led to increased restrictions. Many are in daily contact with Christians, but few believers have opportunity to openly share their faith because of the possible results — arrests are not unusual. Pray for courage, wisdom and an atmosphere in which the gospel can be shared freely.

 

2 Expatriate Christians have relative freedom for discreet witness and worship as the nation becomes more open and international. Several parcels of land have been granted recently for the development of Christian compounds. Pray for the many English, Arabic, Urdu, Filipino and Indian language worship groups and congregations. Many believers have a vision for evangelising their own ethnic group and beyond, but they need training. There are several TEE programmes active in UAE for training leaders — pray for this vital work. Pray also for the strategic partnerships which labour and intercede specifically for the Gulf states.

 

3 There are limited medical facilities in which expatriates are involved. These are dependent on good relationships with the authorities. Pray for the provision of godly staff willing to serve in them.

 

4 The unreached:

a) The indigenous Arab population. Both urban educated and rural illiterate have had little exposure to the gospel. There are some Gulf Arab believers. Their faith exposes them to persecution and possibly even death — pray for their encouragement and for steadfastness. Discipleship for these believers and opportunity for fellowship are great needs. Some are enrolled in Arabic language BCCs.

b) Many expatriate communities. The Iranian (Persian, Kurd, Baluch), Pakistani (Panjabi, Pushtun and Baluch), Somali and Sudanese communities here have no known groups of believers among them.

c) Women are less marginalized here than in some Arab countries, but they are nevertheless socially isolated from much potential contact with believers. Pray for fellowship and strength for those who secretly believe.

 

5 Media available for outreach. Signs indicate that there are many who are eager to learn about the gospel in private and who enthusiastically digest Christian material and programmes. Pray that many might come to accept Jesus as Saviour and grow as disciples, despite the obvious lack of church structures for these private believers.

 

a) Radio and television. FEBA Seychelles and TWR Cyprus have Arabic broadcasts which reach the UAE, and Christian television programmes, via SAT-7 satellite, are available weekly on Friday afternoons. The latter are increasingly effective. Pray for increased broadcasting and widespread awareness of the broadcast times.

b) The JESUS film had been translated into most of the languages present in the Emirates, including Arabic.

c) Video tapes are widely used but the distribution of Christian tapes is difficult.

d) Christian literature distribution is limited by the fact that it must be done discreetly.

Mission Fact of the Day

Today is a holy day in the Bahá’í Faith:  it remembers the birth of Bahá’u’lláh (11/12/08)

Persecuted Church News

 

Algeria

There’s an interesting piece today at Christian Today discussing the persecution Christians are enduring in Algeria.  Check it out and pray for our brothers and sisters in Algeria.

India 

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) deputed six separate teams to investigate attacks against Christians in Karnataka and murders and gross violation of rights in Orissa. On 11th November 2008, two teams started a week-long investigation in Karnataka, one based in Bangalore and other based in Mangalore. The Bangalore-based team spent a better part of a day meeting the representatives of the Global Council of Indian Christians, as the NHRC was alerted by GCIC about the gross violation of the code of conduct of some of the lower level police officers and field officers against civilians in Karnataka. The NHRC investigation is spread over eight days. The Orissa investigations of the 116 plus Christian martyrdoms will commence from 12th November.

At the meeting with NHRC, GCIC unravelled the veil covering the systemic oppression against Christians in Karnataka and Orissa. Contrary to the Yeddyurappa government’s promise of prompt action against the groups involved in attack against Christians in Karnataka, and the Orissa administration’s claim that people from the relief camps in Kandhamal had started returning to their respective villages, GCIC was able to establish, with documentary evidence, 96 major attacks against Christians in Karnataka and over 80 martyrdoms of Christians for their faith in Orissa, along with grave violations of human rights.

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How to Pray for the Persecuted Church

Please pray:

The Lord will give courage to His people who are enduring persecution for His Name

The Lord will place His restraining hand on those who seek to harm His people

Churches facing government opposition will stand firm in their ministry

Christians will have opportunities to reach out with the Gospel without fear of intimidation or harassment

Servants of the Lord will be able to deliver Bibles and Christian literature to places where they are most needed

Christians who have been left without pastors and teachers may be kept strong in their faith

Christians who have been imprisoned for their faith will be released safely

The Lord will restrain the callousness and brutality of prison guards in their treatment of Christians in prison

Pray against the increasing problem of young Christian girls being kidnapped, raped and forced to marry

Those who have lost loved ones by martyrdom will be comforted and strengthened by God during their grief

Christian pastors will be kept from danger and strengthened in their faith as they care for the people of God

New converts may be protected and provided for should their family turn against them.

The current laws in many restricted nations forbidding evangelism, missionary activity and religious instruction, will be repealed

“In the death camps I knew that there were people praying for me.  It gave me the spiritual strength I needed to live as a Christian and to trust God.  It is the same for everyone in the camps and prisons today.” Underground Church pastor, Cambodia

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