PRAYING FOR THE SALVATION OF OTHERS

D. L. Moody was a 19th Century pastor and evangelist in Chicago and he remains one of the most well known Christians in American history. One night he walked up to a stranger on the street to share Christ and the man responded, “Mind your own business.” Moody replied, “This is my business!” 

Have you ever thought about the fact that sharing the gospel and winning the lost is our business? The Great Commission of Jesus wasn’t given to anyone else except the Church of Jesus Christ! Evangelism is our “business.” 

Every Christian is called to be a witness but you don’t have to be D. L. Moody, or Billy Graham, or Greg Laurie to be an evangelist. You can pray for the lost, for the backslidden, for the prodigal. Prayer is the power that precedes all effective evangelism. 

Paul said praying for the lost is a priority- look at 1 Timothy 2:1-4. 

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

We have to pray for lost people to be saved! It’s not an option- it’s the will of God. 

Billy Graham once said there are 3 factors to a successful evangelistic crusade- prayer, prayer, and prayer! As you fast and pray, pray for many lost people to be saved. 

J. Kie Bowman 

Senior Pastor

PRAYER: DON’T GIVE UP!

(Luke 18:1-8)

If you pray you are making a statement- you’re telling the world, “I believe there’s a God who hears and answers prayer!” Since God hears and answers prayer, we should never stop praying. Regarding His followers, Jesus taught, “…that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1) Greg Laurie, commenting on that verse recently said, “If the Bible gave us no other reason for prayer, that would be reason enough. We should pray because Jesus told us to.” And what did Jesus tell us about prayer? He said to “not lose heart.” In other words, keep praying and don’t give up! Read the passage and notice the number of references to persistence. 

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?”

(Luke 18:1-7)

This parable is all about one specific and highly important aspect of prayer- persistent prayer!

v.1) – “they ought always to pray”

v.1) “Not lose heart”

v.3) “a widow who kept coming”

v.5) “this widow keeps bothering me”

v.5) “Her continual coming”

v.6) “cry to Him day and night”

When my brother and I were young we saved loose change for years. We finally had enough to buy US Savings Bonds. Buying bonds as a 10 year old, or a six year old, knowing they wouldn’t mature for years felt like losing the money! It took years for the bonds to mature. Still, we did it. Finally, when we were teenagers the bonds matured and we cashed them in. The key to earning more than we started with was simple- we patiently waited for maturity. There’s a similar principle at work when we pray. We persist in prayer even when we don’t receive the answers on our own timetable because we trust the One we are praying to. We believe He knows what’s best in every circumstance – so we persist patiently waiting on God’s timing. Someday the time will be right! Until then, keep praying- don’t give up! 

J. Kie Bowman

Senior Pastor

STRESSED OR BLESSED? 

Our friend Shane Pruitt, who works with the North American Mission Board as a Youth Evangelist, wrote in a recent article that half of all 18 year olds in America report they feel a lot of anxiety. 

During the worst of the Pandemic we received an email from a livestream viewer living in Florida. She told us she has experienced a lot of anxiety and discouragement since the pandemic started, and our ministry was helping her cope. Psychologist Dr Fabiana Franco called anxiety, “the epidemic of our age” citing the staggering statistic that diagnosed anxiety disorders have risen 1200% in the last 3 decades!

People are worried, discouraged, and stressed out right now, and it’s more common than we realize. But there is good news! You can experience peace without worry. 

The Bible gives us a great promise about prayer and its result- peace.

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

This passage offers us a choice about every situation in life: 

We can worry or we can pray! 

God’s instructions to you are simple:

“Don’t worry about ANYTHING

Pray about EVERYTHING.”

Do you ever worry? 

The word “anxious” in verse 6 literally means, “divided mind” or “distracted thoughts.” Anxiety can leave you exhausted from your racing, confused, worried thoughts. 

We display no faith when we worry. 

Oswald Chambers once called anxiety “unconscious blasphemy” because when we worry we are not trusting God. So, how can you trust God more and worry less? 

PRACTICAL POINTERS

•As you fast and pray today, consciously ask God to give you peace. 

•Thank Him for the many blessings He has already blessed you with in your life. 

•Ask Him to meet your every need. 

•Read a lot of Scripture to fill your mind with God’s promises.

•Memorize and repeat Philippians 4:6-7 to yourself all day long!

God bless you as you choose blessing over stressing! 

J. Kie Bowman

Senior Pastor