People holding hands in a circle and praying around a Bible

How to Prepare for Evangelism

Objective: Construct evangelism strategies with a prayer foundation to reach friends, neighbors, relatives, and associates for Christ.

Prayer and Evangelistic Effectiveness

Ingenuity and effort made Bill Gates successful. That works in business, but it takes more than that to be successful in evangelism. Self-reliance doesn't win people to Christ.

Originality, creativity, and effort have a place, but they’re the twigs and small branches of the evangelism tree. Prayer is the root. P. T. Forsythe said that our worst sin is prayerlessness because of what it says about who we think is in charge of the church and the universe.

Believing prayer shows dependence on God. “Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.’” (Mark 9:29 NLT). Human nature prefers independence!

We demonstrate our sinful nature by using our time, abilities, and money to please ourselves, not God. God doesn’t build his kingdom through proud, self-absorbed, independent people. He opposes them.

“In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress in humility as you relate to one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'” (1 Peter 5:5 NLT).

Sharing our faith without dependence on God’s Spirit is futile. It produces no lasting fruit. People feel their need for Christ only when the Holy Spirit is working.

“And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment.” (John 16:8 NLT).

Prayer is one way we nurture a living connection with Christ. In John 15:5 NLT, Jesus says, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing.”

Persevering Prayer and Evangelistic Effectiveness

It makes sense to pray. For hook-and-line fishermen to be successful, fish have to open their mouths. For evangelists to be successful, unbelievers have to open their hearts.

The influence of the Holy Spirit is critical. Without it, people can't acknowledge Jesus as Lord.

“So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3 NLT).

Our prayers promote evangelistic success. So do the prayer ministries of our church. More people praying for laborers for the harvest and for the lost bring more evangelistic fruit.

“‘So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:38 NLT).

Lily Tomlin said, “I always wanted to be somebody… I should have been more specific.” As believers, we want to reach somebody, but we must be specific. When we pray for particular people and expect God to work in their lives, He does; however, the results aren’t always predictable.

Sometimes we pray for years before loved ones come to faith in Christ. Sometimes they die without ever receiving Him (as far as we know).

Praying for the salvation of our loved ones is similar to praying for physical healing. Not everyone for whom we pray is healed, but far more are healed than would be if we didn’t pray. One clear theme of Scripture is how much prayers can accomplish.

“‘You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.’” (Matthew 21:22 NLT).

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16 NLT).

"‘And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.’” (Luke 11:9-10 NLT).

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7). Praying about everything includes praying for the salvation of our friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors and for discernment how God is working in their lives.

Mysterious Prayer and Evangelistic Effectiveness

God thinks and behaves differently than we do. “‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.

“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT).

Mystery, like a thick fog, veils God’s work on earth. We naturally think in either/or categories. Either God is in control, or people have free will.

The reality is that God is in control, and human beings have free will. God is never surprised when people repent and receive his Son.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5 NLT). People have free will and often reject or resist what’s best for them. We’ve all done it.

“The Lord isn’t being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).

Some stubbornly cling to the deceptive “freedoms” of spiritual death when they could have a satisfying life. “Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” (John 5:40 NLT).

Regular Prayer and Evangelistic Effectiveness

Set aside daily prayer time. It adds regular abiding in Christ structure to your life. It says, “This time is special, Lord, and I’m setting it apart to meet with you in our customary place.”

If we set a regular time, we’ll pray more consistently than if we don’t. Our prayer life needs to include more than praying through lists. “Abiding in Christ,” praying embraces praise, confession, thanksgiving, and quiet time to hear the Lord’s voice.

Setting aside a regular time and place will strengthen our prayer life, but we’re also commanded to pray throughout the day. “Never stop praying.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT).

Such prayer goes beyond a daily prayer appointment with God. Recurring prayer throughout the day marks spiritual maturity.

Such “geyser” prayers could be intercession for someone who needs God’s healing, spontaneous thanks for a blessing received, or a request for the salvation of a co-worker.

Praying continually includes constantly depending on God, acknowledging His presence, yielding to His will, and seeking His purpose for our lives as we live them moment by moment.

Later we’ll compile a list of five persons (including co-workers) with whom we have a close relationship and influence. These persons haven’t received Jesus Christ’s offer of salvation or don’t regularly attend church. Some unchurched persons might be Christians but are vulnerable, like chickens outside the hen house.

We’re not satisfied when professing Christians don’t attend church, even if they are. We’re also concerned about those who attend church regularly but don’t know Jesus.

We’ll pray for the persons on our list daily, claiming 2 Peter 3:9 NLT: “The Lord isn’t being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

Prayer for the Lost and Evangelistic Effectiveness

A personal prayer list is a good start, but we must do more. Influential evangelistic churches pray for lost people in many settings -- in small groups of laypersons, the pastor, and staff, worship services, youth meetings, or some other way.

Prayer was the underlying strength of 576 churches Dr. Thom Rainer studied. (Effective Evangelistic Churches, Broadman & Holman Publishers). He discovered that churches with an ongoing prayer ministry for the lost are almost always growing.

A small group is an excellent place to pray for the lost regularly by name and to hold one another accountable to pray privately for and reach out to these loved ones in practical ways that demonstrate Jesus’ love. As a group, we plan to serve some of them in ways that meet their needs.

We want to be more effective witnesses for Christ at work and attract others to Him and His church. Evangelism includes sowing, watering, cultivating, and harvesting. Most of our evangelistic efforts are preparation for harvesting; often, someone else will be the harvester.

Evangelists Larry and Luella Hale ministered in an Appalachian, New York church. One of the church's elders did the sowing, watering, and cultivating, and they harvested the spiritual fruit. This elder spent considerable time with a man preparing the way for him to decide to follow Jesus. This is the norm, not the exception.

We’re not just looking for people to pray to receive Christ. We’re not satisfied with “decisions” that don’t change lives. Our purpose is to make more and better disciples.

“‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT).

The Great Commission includes moving persons with whom we work toward Christ (evangelism), helping them mature in the faith, mobilizing them in ministry, and developing them into spiritual leaders in some phase of God’s kingdom work.

None of these things will happen without a prayer foundation. That brings us to how we’ll pray for lost co-workers, friends, relatives, and neighbors.

How to Pray for the Lost

We will use a 7-3 strategy to pray more effectively. We will pray in our small group for our spiritual influence among friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers.

The 7. We’ll pray we’ll be…

1. ATTRACTIVE – We’re the frame around Jesus’ picture: "Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.” (Titus 2:10 NLT).

2. BOLD – We’ll speak up for Jesus tactfully yet boldly. “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.” (Ephesians 6:19 NLT).

3. CLEAR – We want to share the gospel and our faith story clearly. “Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.” (Colossians 4:4 NLT).

4. DISCERNING – We need to know when doors are and aren’t open to the gospel. “Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains” (Colossians 4:3 NLT).

5. EXCELLENT – We need God’s help to work and live in a way that brings Him glory, not reproach. “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16 NLT).

6. FAIR – We need God’s grace to treat others fairly: “Masters, be just and fair to your slaves” (Colossians 4:1 NLT).

7. WISE – We need the ability to read God's signs at work. “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Colossians 4:6 NLT).

The 3. We’ll pray our lost loved ones will be…

1. CONVICTED – They must see that their self-oriented life is wrong. “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment.” (John 16:8 NLT).

2. DISSATISFIED – They must realize their substitutes for God are stealing away their life. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10 NLT).

3. PERCEPTIVE – They must understand the gospel. “If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, 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.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4 NLT).

Use this Scripture-based 7-3 model when you pray for the lost privately. Use it in a small group meeting.

Compile a list of 5 persons for whose salvation you’ll pray daily.

Witnessing others involves first improving your own faith. After we become more spiritually mature, we can begin to evangelize to others, make disciples, and become better church leaders.

Discipleship Books Free Download offers four free digital books. They will enhance your understanding and spur your spiritual growth.
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ABC of Evangelism helps you prepare a prayer foundation before you share your faith.