Why Pray Evangelistically?
Dr. George Bannister
Praying Your Friends To Christ • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 6 viewsThis study answers the question "why should I pray for the lost?".
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Why should Christians pray evangelistically?
1. We pray evangelistically because of our relationship with our heavenly father.
1. We pray evangelistically because of our relationship with our heavenly father.
A- prayer is how a believer communes, communicates and walks with God.
The Christian walk is about having a growing relationship with our heavenly father. (1 Peter 3:18)
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
Having a growing relationship with our father requires communication with him. (Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:15)
6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
the Scriptures assume that the believer will spend time in prayer with the father (Matthew 6:6 – 7)
6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
Our motivation to pray evangelistic lay begins with our intimacy and our relationship with Christ.
2. We pray evangelistically because it is a biblical mandate.
2. We pray evangelistically because it is a biblical mandate.
A- It is mandated that the believer fulfill the role of intercessor and mediator on behalf of others through prayer (1 Peter 2:3 – 10) (1 Timothy 2:1 – 4).
3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.
6 As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”
8 And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.
2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
3 This is good and pleases God our Savior,
4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
B – the mandate to be an intercessor involves prayer for the lost, prayer for Christian witnesses, and evangelistic/mission endeavors.
3. We pray evangelistically because it enhances the fruit of our labor.
3. We pray evangelistically because it enhances the fruit of our labor.
(John 15:16)
16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
A- The Lord accomplishes at least 6 things when Christians pray evangelistically:
Motivates others to be involved in sharing Christ with the lost (Matthew 9:35 – 38).
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Prepares hearts of the lost to receive the truth of God’s word (Psalm 126:4 – 6) (Acts 10:1 – 11:5).
4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.
5 Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.
6 They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.
Empowers witnesses to boldly and effectively share Christ with the lost (Acts 4:29 – 31) (Ephesians 6:18 – 20).
29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. 19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Prepares the heart of the witness through cleansing and forgiveness (Psalm 51:10–13).
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you.
Positions the Christian to be involved in divine encounters with the lost (Acts 8:26 – 40).
26 As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.” 30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. 32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” 35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. 36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” 38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.
4. We pray evangelistically because of our utter dependence on Christ to fulfill his mission to reach the lost.
4. We pray evangelistically because of our utter dependence on Christ to fulfill his mission to reach the lost.
Six biblical descriptions – condition of the lost
* blind * bound
* condemned * hell – bound
* helpless * hopeless
A- Blind
(2 Corinthians 4:3 – 4)
3 If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
(Romans 3:11)
11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
(1 Corinthians 2:14)
14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
the gospel is hidden from the lost; there without understanding; they do not comprehend spiritual things.
B- Bound
(2 Timothy 2:25 – 26)
25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
(Ephesians 2:2)
2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
those that are lost are held in bondage by Satan. He seeks with all his might to keep them in his grasp, that they might live and die in disobedience to God. In essence, they are incarcerated by Satan and his “domain of darkness” (see Colossians 1:13).
C- Condemned
(John 3:18)
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
(Ephesians 2:3)
3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
The Scriptures are clear that those whose who are lost are living in a state of condemnation before God. The only way to escape condemnation is to receive God’s pardon through salvation.
D- Hell – bound
(John 3:36)
36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”
(Matthew 5:22)
22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
(Matthew 7:13)
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
(Revelation 20:15)
15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
the Bible clearly teaches that the best thing of the lost will be eternal punishment in hell and damnation. This is a sobering thought considering the millions in North America without Christ.
E- Helpless
(John 6:44)
44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.
(Ephesians 2:1)
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
the lost are helpless to change the course of their eternal destiny. Without the work of God’s spirit and the witness of his word that will remain lost. Believers need to join God’s redemptive work through prayer and evangelistic witness for this to be different. As God’s people pray for the lost, his spirit draws them (unbelievers) to understand their need for repentance and faith.
F- Hopeless
(Ephesians 2:12)
12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.
billions on our planet live in spiritual darkness apart from Christ. If the lost are going to be released from their terrible condition Christ must intervene. This happens is the power of the gospel is unleashed in their lives that the heart felt intercessory prayer on their behalf.