Everyone in the Christian world affirms the value of prayer as it relates to evangelism.  But oftentimes when we pray we do not follow any biblical pattern.  We pray more the way we have heard others pray or we pray about the way we think we should.  There is nothing really wrong with that, but there may be a better route.

I have found only one place in the New Testament that give us an example of a believer praying for non-believers to become believers.  In Romans 10:1, Paul says that his desire and prayer for his fellow Israelites is that they would be saved.  This is a great example for us to follow.  And we should follow it!  But there are five other Biblical prayer instructions related to evangelism we should also be practicing.  Our prayers will be more effective if we pray these themes as well.

• Matthew 9:35-38 - In Matthew 9, after seeing the crowds as sheep without a shepherd, Jesus tells His followers to pray that the Lord of the harvest would raise up workers.  Our evangelistic prayers should include that the Lord would raise up people who would be willing and able to “work” to present the Gospel.  And notice that the next verses (Matthew 10:1ff) indicate that the ones praying this prayer are also to be the answer to this prayer.

Father, because we see the size and the seriousness of the harvest field, we ask you to raise up workers!  Raise up people who will be willing to work as hard for the sake of Your profit as they would for their own profit.  Also, Lord, make all of us who pray in this way willing and even desirous to be the answer to our prayers.

• Colossians 4:3 – Paul’s primary request of the Colossians was that they would join him in asking God to give him opportunities to present the Gospel.   Are we doing the same?  Are we praying that God would give us open doors and are we asking other to make this request on our behalf?

Father, today as I accomplish the things on my agenda, let me see the doors you are opening for me to walk through.  Bring me to where hungry people are.  Let my steps intersect those who are looking for you.  Open doors.  Let me see those doors.  And let me walk through them in your timing and power.

• Colossians 4:4 – A second part of Paul’s request to the Colossians is that they would pray that Paul would present the Gospel clearly.  What an interesting request from the man who wrote Romans!  If Paul saw his need to always have a clear understanding of how to present the Gospel, how much more should we!

Father we know the Gospel.  We have heard it and responded to it.  But would you please let it be such a glorious message in us that we would see how to present it clearly in each situation we are in.  May our thoughts about the Gospel reflect Your Gospel more than “our” gospel”  Make it clear in my head and heart, so that it will be clear through my mouth.

• Ephesians 6:19-20 –The most interesting request to me is the one Paul asks of the Ephesian church.  He asks them to pray that he would present the Gospel boldly.  Now, please note that this is not the “new convert” Saul.  This is the mature Apostle Paul making this request!  Again, if he saw this need in his life, how much more should we be willing to humble ourselves, recognize that we need boldness, and ask others to be praying for us?

Father, please make me bold to share the good news.  Don’t let me shrink back.  Without being obnoxious or misrepresenting You, let me be bold to share with others the best news of all time.  And also let me follow the example of Paul to ask others to pray in this way for me too.

• Philemon 1:6 – Finally, in Paul’s letter to Philemon, he prays specifically that he would be active in sharing his faith.  And then Paul gives a reason why he is praying in this manner.  He says, “so that you will have a full understanding of everything good we have in Christ.”  Paul knew that when we share our faith, we become more aware of the wonderful things we have in Jesus!

Father, we want to have a fuller understanding of everything good we have in Christ.  So help us to be active in sharing this faith you have given us.  Let us not only wait until someone may ask us about our faith, but also let us be active to see when we may have an opportunity to share.

Are we praying that the Lord would raise up people (especially us) who would be willing to work to present the Gospel?  Do we have people we have asked to pray that God would give us open doors, clarity, and boldness as we share our faith?

Originally from Gig Harbor, Washington, Dennis Fuqua received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Divinity degrees from Multnomah University. He served as a pastor of Peninsula Christian Fellowship in Gig Harbor for twenty-four years. Dennis began working as the director of International Renewal Ministries in February 2000. His leadership activities include facilitating prayer summits, equipping others, and developing and maintaining relationship connections with the network of people in IRM. He is also the author of  Living Prayer: The Lord’s Prayer Alive in You. Dennis and his wife, Marilyn, have four grown children and five grandchildren.

• abandon their lives to the honour and service of Christ in daily holiness and decision-making
• pray constantly in Christ’s name for the fruitfulness and growth of His gospel
• speak the Bible’s life-changing word whenever and however they can—in the home, in the world and in the fellowship of His people.

We’re not the slightest bit interested in adding to the already monumental pile of Christian books churned out each year by the Christian publishing industry. The world needs more Christian books like it needs more websites.

However, we are passionate about publishing resources that fuel, promote and support gospel growth. So our publishing criteria for any project is threefold:

• Does it meet a gospel ministry need?
• Is the content faithful to the Bible?
• Is the quality of a high standard?”

Matthias Media is one of the few publishers that seeks to offer a wealth of relevant, biblically-based outreach resources, both for the seeker and for the Christian who wants to grow in outreach.  One category of offerings is “Raising Issues,” which includes 19 publications with titles like If I Were God I’d End all the Pain and Jesus for Sceptics.

If you don’t already know Matthias Media, check them out.  And when you order for the first time, if you are ordering from the States, make sure you are on the US-oriented web site.

Iron Sharpens Iron was founded by my good friend, Brian Doyle.  He and I first met at Wintonbury Church in Bloomfield, CT, before either us entered full-time ministry.  Now over 50 conferences are held throughout the U.S. each year! These conferences are a great way for men to gather together, worship God and learn from His Word.

The mission of ISI is to mobilize regional ministries to resource local churches with a first-class, one-day equipping conference for men age 13 and older.  Designed to help men become more aware of opportunities to share their faith, we look at what God’s Word says about sharing our faith and examine the obstacles that get in the way.  We discuss how to overcome those obstacles and how to feel more comfortable and positive about sharing with others.  I love to use Colossians 4:2-6 as a model to guide us through our faith-sharing journey.

The Albany conference is Saturday April 14, and May 19 is the date for the Worcester conference. Check ironsharpensiron.net for more information or to register.   I highly recommend going together as a group or attending with your son or dad!  If you attend the Albany or Worcester conference please stop at my table in the exhibit area and say “hi”.

The gospel in our hearts overflows in the praise of Jesus among those we live around, so that they hear about the grace of God.  This will be the theme of our Evangelism from the Inside Out Conference, May 12, 2012.  The conference will be a time to think in fresh ways about how the gospel transforms our hearts, our relationships and our sense of mission, and what that means for our non-Christian family and friends.  Our time together will be full of God’s Word, discussion, common sense and a dependence on our Savior who calls us to participate with Him in calling people to Himself.

This one-day conference is jointly sponsored with The Ministry Training Network and LoveRI and will meet at Renaissance Church in Providence, RI from 9 to 3:30 on May 12, 2012.  We invite you to join us and bring your friends so you can take back to your church a new sense of God’s desire to use you in his work of seeking out spiritually lost people.

Full Page Flyer

Bulletin Insert

“If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel.

If the gospel—even when you are orthodox—becomes something which you primarily assume, but what you are excited about is what you are doing in some sort of social reconstruction, you will be teaching the people that you influence that the gospel really isn’t all that important. You won’t be saying that—you won’t even mean that—but that’s what you will be teaching. And then you are only half a generation away from losing the gospel.

Make sure that in your own practice and excitement, what you talk about, what you think about, what you pray over, what you exude confidence over, joy over, what you are enthusiastic about is Jesus, the gospel, the cross. And out of that framework, by all means, let the transformed life flow.”

A.  Sure, there are a few things I’d suggest.  The Philip Center does not like to hand out “evangelism in a box” solutions that fit all churches.  Each church is different and will have its own set of barriers to evangelism.  But having said that, there are factors common to healthy church outreach.

First, examine the preaching of the Word from the pulpit.  Is it rich, Christ-centered preaching.  This isn’t a sermon that tacks on a gospel invitation, but preaching that points to the human predicament of sin, our inability to overcome our sin, the cross, repentance, forgiveness.   Showing the relationship of a biblical text to the gospel and to the disease of our hearts — and doing that year after year — makes our churches the salutary soul hospitals they are designed to be.  One good resource for this is Brian Chappel’s Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon. A steady diet of gospel-rich preaching of the Word, when it connects to the heart of the non-Christian is one of the best things a church can do toward fruitful evangelism.  The same preaching will likewise shape the contours of the Christian’s heart as well — helping him to better understand the transformation taking place in his life and enabling him to communicate that to others.

Second, pay attention to individuals.  Keep an eye out for the people in your church and outside of your church (usually those in relationships with people in your church).  Each one is loved by God and precious.  I choose the word “individual” to reflect the language of Henry Trumbull’s book, Individual Work for Individuals (an out-of-print gem from 1901).  It’s easy to overlook individuals in our great desire to reach many.  Slow down and take the time to observe who is spiritually open.  Given our culture’s distaste for church, the fact that a non-Christian is in a church is likely an indication of some degree of openness.  But look beyond who is in the church building and see who is in relationships with your people.  Inspire and equip the Christians to pay attention to their friends, family,  co-workers, neighbors — one at a time.  So many of our outreach initiatives are designed to reach people, but when those individuals express interest, we move on to the next initiative.  Look, listen, listen more, love and respond to who they are and what they are thinking and feeling.  Care for them as individuals patiently.  The story of the lost sheep is a poignant reminder of Jesus’ love for individuals.

Third, evaluate your outreach leadership.  There are two crucial issues here.  One has to do with the pastor.  Is he a champion for evangelism and is he doing it himself?  These are crucial.  If not, humbly begin to pray for him, that God would move his heart for the lost.  While I’m not a big fan of the solo pastor model of church leadership, it is nevertheless crucial for the lead pastor or elder to actively model and champion evangelism. Mark Dever’s book, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism is a great resource for this.  Second, a church that is eager to grow in outreach should seek to identify and train someone who is the Ephesians 4:11 equipping evangelist.  This likely should not be the person who naturally and effortlessly leads many to Christ.  Those in your church who do that are a wonderful gift, but they are rarely good equippers of the rest who are fearful and unequipped to share their faith.  This leader is very important to the long-term outreach health of a church and his role in your church cannot be overlooked.  I have heard church planting pastors say that they would make that the second or third hire the next time they plant.