Archive for Prayer – Page 2

Connect Through Prayer and Bible Study 1: Read Your Bible

 

No one would think of birthing a baby and just leaving it to fend for itself.   So it is with new Christians We cannot afford to leave them alone. We must help them learn how to feed themselves and grow in the love of God.

As new Christians, they need to know that they never “walk” alone but have a Savior who will help them through life’s circumstances.   They have to learn to talk to God just as they talk to friends. Too often they hear people pray flowery prayers in public and think they need to pray in King James to be acceptable to God.

Secondly, they need to learn about God and who He is.  This they do by reading the Bible.  Too many have been hampered in their spiritual growth by starting at Genesis and when they get to Exodus and Leviticus they get discouraged.  It is important to share with them that Bible is not like any other book and it would be best to start at the gospels and learn about Jesus and what he did before going through Levitical law.  I have found that many new Christians relate well to John as he gives some explanation to some of the things happening.   Our goal should not be to make biblical theologians out of them, but people who fall in love with Jesus and the person who saved them.

Dr. Mark Yoakum is the Director of Church Ministries for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. He has served as Minister of Youth, Minister of Music, Minister of Education and Executive Pastor in churches in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas.

Intentionality 3: It is our opportunity

Who’s Your One?

Intentionality –Look for opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your one.

It is Your Opportunity!

Think about it, the greatest miracle of all is when someone gives their life to Christ and they are forever, radically changed. And you get to be a part of that.

In Acts 1:8, God calls us a witness. The same life-changing gospel that has made us a child of God, we can share with others. It’s like having a horrible disease and we are given a cure. Wouldn’t you want to give others the life-altering cure that you have received?

Matthew 28:19 describes the Great Commission; to make disciples. The original language describes this as an imperative. We are commanded to go and make disciples. Not only do others benefit from our “going”, but we benefit as well. We see the work of God.

In John 4:1-42 we have the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. Jews normally did not travel through Samaria. So, then why in verse 4 does the scripture say that Jesus, “Had to travel through Samaria”? Jesus was “sent” to Samaria, to a certain well, to encounter a certain woman who travelled to the well in the middle of the day. That encounter not only changed the Samaritan woman’s life, but the lives of many in her village that day.

Jesus exemplifies for us the opportunity that God has provided to you and me. We were sinners, destined to spend eternity separated from God in a real place called Hell. But by the Grace of God, Jesus sent someone into our lives to share with us the wonderful gift of salvation. Because of that, our lives and our world was changed. We were blessed to receive this precious gift. But those who shared with us also received a blessing from God.

Pray and ask that God will provide a divine encounter for you and your one. Don’t waste an opportunity to experience a life altering, life changing encounter with God.

Pray, and then just do it!

Intentionality 2: It is our responsibility

Who’s Your One?

Intentionality – Look for opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your one.

It is YOUR Responsibility!

Someone else can do it better than I can! I just don’t have that gift! What if I mess it up? These excuses are symptomatic of a deeper spiritual issue – Fear and doubt. You are a child of God. You have been saved. You are someone that God can use. You have a testimony. You also have the Holy Spirit who will speak through you to draw someone to Christ with the power of the Gospel.

Someone else can do it better than I can! – The truth is some people ARE better at sharing the gospel than you. BUT, you are the one that God has placed in a position to share the gospel with your ONE. God has placed this individual on your heart. God has provided the opportunity and the relationship for them to hear the good news from you.

I just don’t have that gift! – Whether or not you have the spiritual gift of evangelism is irrelevant. What you do have is a testimony. God has saved you. He has changed you. Once you were a sinner that deserved death and Hell. But you accepted God’s merciful grace and you are born again. Your unique testimony may just be exactly what someone needs to hear.

What if I mess it up? – The process of communication teaches us the complexity of a conversation. One person has a thought, then calculates the words to say, then tells them to a friend. The other person hears the words, processes those words then hopefully understands what their friend just told them. Add the noises and distractions in your environment plus the fact that our body language may communicate something totally different from what our words might have meant.

HOWEVER, as complex as that is, we have something more. We have the Holy Spirit. God uses us to form words that the Spirit will use to communicate the truth of the Gospel. Jesus saves, not us. God is using us to share the gospel, but it is His Holy Spirit that leads someone to salvation. If we are obedient, how can you mess that up?

I am grateful that God has used me to share my story and God’s story with others. I have been privileged to see so many people pray to receive Christ. I have seen lives changed. I have seen the wonderful miracle of God’s grace and mercy transform a life for His glory.

Tell your story. No one else has a story like you do. It is a story only you can tell.

Pray, and then just do it!

Intentionality 1: It is our time

Who’s Your One?

Intentionality – Look for opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your one.

The TIME is NOW!

So often, we put off what we don’t want to do today. Procrastination is one of the most critical failures of the Christian in sharing our faith. We are not promised a “tomorrow”. Today is the day of salvation.

The Bible describes our lives as a “mist” or a “vapor”. Here today, gone tomorrow. There needs to be an urgency to sharing the gospel. No one knows what could happen tomorrow. We are not promised another day. When death comes, it most often happens when we least expect it. We can be so focused on living our lives that we can miss opportunities that God puts into our path.

1 There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (CSBBible) The whole chapter of Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us to redeem the times. 11 Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all of them. Ecclesiastes 9:11 (CSBBible) Why take a chance. Why not redeem the time and start the conversation today. Trust God to lead you and give you the words.

Notice that the word Intercede precedes the word intentionality. Prayer must precede sharing the gospel with someone who is not a believer. These are spiritual issues and need to be entrusted to God to guide and lead. We can’t save anyone. God does that. Thus we need to pray and wait on God. Unfortunately, sometimes God initiates and draws us out to share the truth and we want to wait. The time is NOW! Sometimes we get ahead of God but more often than not, we tend to put it off.

32 “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows – neither the angels in heaven nor the Son – but only the Father. 33 “Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming. Mark 13:32-33 (CSBBible)

Don’t wait. Don’t put it off. The TIME is NOW!

Pray, and then just do it!

Prayer is Productive

Prayer keeps us connected with GOD and helps us connect others to GOD. It’s hard to stay close with someone you never talk with. Have you noticed, that you never have to tell best friends to talk with each other.  They are going to go out of their way to spend time with each other and the time they spend brings them closer together.

This is true in our relationship with GOD. When we spend time with GOD in prayer to enjoy His company we get closer to Him and our love for Him grows. If the company we keep affects the content of our character then keeping company with Jesus will produce beautiful results in our lives. We will express our love to Him freely, ask for forgiveness sooner, and get to know and appreciate Him better. How we spend time with Jesus will directly affect how we interact with others.

A number of years ago I started praying for three things for the people in my life. I pray for GOD to Protect them, Provide for them and give them wisdom, and for them to have a Personal relationship with GOD. I call it the three P’s. I have noticed it’s really hard to stay mad at someone that I am praying for God to protect, provide for, and to come into personal relationship with. This kind of praying also causes me to be more in tune with the Spirit during my future interactions with them. Prayer is Productive

Dr. Warren Haynes
Author of Discipleship Uncomplicated
www.warrentalks.com