By Bishop Shelton L. Beneby
All through the Bible and in history, we see that prayer precedes revival and great works of God. In the Book of Acts, we read, “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:12-14).
The amazing evangelistic revival and work of the Holy Spirit that comes in Acts 2 is clearly connected to the prayers of God’s people. What a joy to see a biblical portrait of God’s people, men and women, together in passionate prayer, and then to discover that the Spirit descended in power, the gospel was proclaimed, and over three thousand people gave their hearts and lives to Jesus!
One of the most powerful things you can do to grow in your personal commitment to outreach is to pray for those who are not yet followers of Christ. Make a list of friends, family members, and acquaintances who are not Christians. Put this list where you will see it and pray for one or more of these people each day. Then be sure to ask God to help you be responsive to the opportunities he gives you to use your unique evangelism style to connect with them, love them, and speak to them about Jesus.
Prayer must bathe everything we do, especially when it comes to the ministry of outreach. Every follower of Jesus should be praying for their friends, family members, and acquaintances who don’t know Jesus. We also need to undergird all of our outreach efforts with prayer.
Along with praying for our churches’ outreach efforts, it is critical that followers of Jesus discover the power of praying for and with those spiritual seekers God has placed in our lives. Through the years, I have asked many nonbelievers, “Can I pray for you?” So far no one has said no. It is amazing how people who don’t have faith in God can still hunger for prayer.
