There is a strong sense of evangelistic urgency in our denomination. Our leaders are calling us to evangelism. Johnny Hunt, with NAMB, and our SBC president, J.D. Greer, are encouraging our churches to participate in the Who’s Your One initiative as well as Baptism Sunday on September 8.
May I add to these calls, another challenge and encouragement. Let’s lead God’s people to increase our prayers for those who are lost and separated from a relationship with God.
Our prayer lists are filled with specific names of those who have specific physical needs, which is excellent. Can we be intentional about filling our prayer lists with specific names of those who have a desperate spiritual need?
The leaders within our churches will have to show the way. When it’s time to pray and we ask if anything needs to be added to the prayer list, make sure you add someone with a spiritual need to the list and encourage others to do the same. “I’d like to pray for one of my family members who does not know the Lord.†“I’d like to add one of my coworkers to the list please. I want her to come to know Jesus.†When we ask for an update on how someone with a physical need is fairing, let’s also be asking for any reports on how those spiritual needs are progressing. Our leaders must model it, teach it and stay at it if we are going to develop a culture of prayer for lostness. And don’t give up. Don’t become weary, it may take time. Don’t be conformed to a culture devoid of prayer for the lost, but transform the culture in your church to an environment that is burdened about lostness.
We have friends, relatives, coworkers and neighbors who are without the hope of Christ and they will one day meet their holy creator with sin in hand. Prayer can change things. Prayer can change circumstances and change us. Jesus commanded us to pray that God would send out workers into the harvest. If we obey and pray for the harvest, we may soon come to realize that we are those workers.
Bro. Billy