A couple years ago, John Dickson and I were giving guest lectures for a course at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. One of his observations stood out to me: Praying is the most frequently enjoined gospel-promoting activity in the New Testament.
Not preaching. Not giving. Not going. Praying.
I tend to think of prayer as what we do before the real work of evangelism begins, or as a last resort when we run into difficulty. But ever since Dickson made that observation, I keep finding that emphasis on evangelistic prayer everywhere I look in the New Testament.
Evangelistic Prayer
You’re probably familiar with this saying of Jesus: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” he tells his disciples. You’d think the command that would follow would be something like “So get to it! Enlist the workers and get out there!” But the command is different: “Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37–38). The workers are few, so get praying. Oswald Chambers comments on this passage:
Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.
When the apostle Paul envisioned that “petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,” the reason he gave Timothy for this kind of prayer was that it’s “good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1–4). Note the connection: Praying for people aligns our heart with the heart of God that desires their salvation. Prayer is connected to evangelistic longing.
Then there’s Colossians 4:2–4: “Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, so that I may make it known as I should.”
Dickson points out the irony of this passage. Paul asks for an open door when he’s literally chained. In other words, the missionary is locked up, but the Word is still free. The bonds will not have the last word. God can open doors that circumstances can’t keep closed.
Praying More Evangelistically
If prayer is the most urgent gospel-promoting activity in the New Testament, then we should look for ways to incorporate this important work in our own lives. Here are a few suggestions to get started.
1. Prayer Cards
I like to use 3×5 cards for the people I pray for regularly. Consider jotting down the name of someone you’re burdened for. Underneath the name, write down a passage of Scripture you’re praying would become true in their life. Then rotate through the cards regularly.
A verse like Psalm 34:8—“Taste and see that the LORD is good”—becomes your prayer: that this person would taste the Lord’s goodness, see his grace, grow hungry for what only he can provide. Or for the person laboring under guilt and shame, you pray Psalm 130:3–4, which tells us “with [the LORD] there is forgiveness.”
Naming someone before God, and linking that name to a particular verse in Scripture, will shape your hope for them and will embolden you to speak truth when the right moment comes.
2. Missionary Calendars
Alongside personal intercession, it’s good to pray for those on the front lines of evangelistic work. I use the North American Mission Board’s annual prayer calendar that puts before me church planters, disaster relief chaplains, military chaplains, and other evangelistic ministers. The calendar includes a photo, along with specific prayer requests for the gospel work taking place in that area and through the minister.
Find something that helps you pray for international missionaries, college outreach programs, and other kinds of evangelistic work. (You can find additional prayer resources from the International Mission Board or North American Mission Board.)
The apostle Paul in Colossians 4 was in chains, asking believers in a different city to pray for his gospel work. He saw the believers in Colossae as vital participants in his ministry, through the power of intercession.
3. The Lord’s Prayer
If you pray the Lord’s Prayer daily, or use the Lord’s Prayer as your structure, you can teach yourself to pray evangelistically whenever you lean into that opening section. You can pray for the Father’s name to be hallowed, and his will to be done in the lives of the people you’re bringing before the Lord. Every petition in that prayer has room for the names of people who don’t yet know the Father you’re calling on.
We Can Pray
Though we’re all called to evangelism, some are particularly gifted at it. Evangelistic conversations come easier to some people than to others. No matter what gifts you think you have, or what platform you’ve been given, or how many people God has brought into your life, you can always pray.
You may never be called to a cross-cultural mission field. You may be homebound for a season due to ill health. You may not have the proximity to unbelievers you once had where you worked. Whatever your circumstances, you can still pray. And the New Testament doesn’t see prayer as a lesser contribution to the mission of God.
Dickson’s observation reminds us that the most neglected evangelistic activity in most of our churches is also the most available one. The harvest is plentiful, and the Lord of the harvest is listening.
Pray.
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