Lost Prayer Equals Lost Sheep
Luke 15:4What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Luk 15:5 And when he hath found [it], he layeth [it] on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luk 15:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together [his] friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
Luk 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
How do we begin to reach the lost?
Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled.
However,
George Barna said, "A Church that strives to evangelize its community without saturating its efforts in prayer is like a race car driver that jumps into a car at the starting line and discovers that the tank has not been filled with gas."
Barna’s analogy is accurate. I believe the reason that many of our evangelistic efforts seem to bear so little fruit is that we have failed to pray effectively for the lost.
How many hours would you be willing to pray if you knew it would save a soul?
I saw a $50 bill save a soul. But her time spent in prayer allowed her to hear the voice of the Lord, it wasn’t really the $50 bill it was her obedience and hearing ear. How many of you would quickly come up with some $50 bills if I said to you for every $50 bill you place in the offering plate I will guarantee you a saved loved one.
In her book, "A Time to Pray God’s Way", Evelyn Christenson says, "We have failed to sufficiently involve God - through prayer - in our soul-winning efforts. In pre-evangelism praying, we ask the omnipotent God of the universe to reach down and work in people’s lives before we do. And what a difference such praying makes!
If we are going to make an evangelistic impact on our community, we need to learn how to talk to God about people before we talk to people about God. When we do this, we depend on our sovereign Lord to work in, through, and with us as we evangelize to the lost.
Today, much attention has been given to the development of new methods for reaching the lost. We want to effectively share Christ with the lost. However, unless believers and churches begin to effectively pray for lost people before, during, and after they evangelize, little fruit will be produced from their many labors.
I don’t have time. Walk, shower, toilet, driving, worrying, complaining,
I have enough problems of my own to worry about some elses problems. That is exactly what the devils plan is and if it continues to work, he will continue to do it.
He the enemy can keep you so self involved he won’t have to worry about you becoming involved in the works of the Lord.
WHY PRAY FOR THE LOST
A. It Is biblical
Charles H. Spurgeon put prayer’s role in evangelism in proper perspective: "Remember that prayer is effectual with God . . . Are we not getting weary of living in this world among so many who are going to hell? Is it not terrible to think that after all the church is doing, thousands are being lost every day? We ought to bestir ourselves for men’s souls, and we cannot do better for them than by praying for them. Let us, therefore, bestir ourselves in prayer."
1. God’s word urges us to pray for the lost.
I Timothy 2:1-4, "I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for ALL men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth
The passage points to the priority of prayer for the lost when it says "first of all." It also demonstrates that God desires for believers to be involved in praying for ALL men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth." Salvation is always God’s will!
2. Jesus specifically commands us to pray for and seek out the lost..
Mark 16:15-20And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mar 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mar 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mar 16:19 ¶ So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Mar 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
This is the Great Commission.
Commission - authorization to carry out a certain task, the state of being in good working order and ready for operation;
As a church as a whole are we in a state of being in good working order and ready for operation. We have received the task and the power to carry out that task, but are we in good working order.
II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
He wants everyone! There is none to dirty, none to retched, none to ill, for Jesus.
3. Paul praying for the lost.
(Romans 10:1), "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved."
In this verse it is evident that Paul’s desire for the lost to be saved was coupled with prayer for the same. Further evidence that Paul’s heartfelt desire was for the lost to be saved can also be seen in Romans 9:1-3: "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."
Paul was saying I would rather be cursed myself than for my brethern to be. Would you be willing to give up your blessing for someone else. Maybe someone you didn’t even know. Maybe someone you didn’t even like.
We need to pray for the lost concerning their spiritual condition. The Bible has much to say concerning the spiritual condition of the lost.
1. Blind
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (II Corinthians 4:3-4,)
"There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." (Romans 3:11,)
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (I Corinthians 2:14)
The Gospel is hidden from them, they are without understanding, they do not comprehend spiritual things.
2. Bound
"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." (II Timothy 2:25-26)
"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2)
Those that are lost are held in bondage by Satan. He seeks with all his might to keep them in his grasp, that they might live and die in disobedience to God.
3. Condemned
"He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18)
"Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Ephesians 2:3)
4. Hell-Bound
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."(John 3:36)
"Enter ye into the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." (Matthew 7:13)
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.(Revelation 20:15)
The Bible clearly teaches that the eternal destiny of the lost will be eternal punishment in hell and damnation. This is a sobering thought considering the millions in North America alone who are without Christ.
5. Helpless
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44,emphasis added).
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1)
The lost are helpless to change the course of their own eternal destiny. Without the work of God’s Spirit and the witness of His Word they will remain lost. Believers need to understand and except God’s redemptive work through prayer and evangelistic witness for this to be different. As God=s people pray for the lost, His Spirit draws them to understand their need for repentance and faith.
6. Hopeless
"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12)
Session III. PREPARE TO PRAY FOR THE LOST
A. Receptive Hearts
In the parable of the sower (Luke 8:5, 12), the seed that fell beside the road
and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the air ate it up. When Jesus explained it He said the seed is the word of God and the seed that fell beside the road represents those who heard the Word. The devil then takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. We need to pray that God would prepare the heart so that the seed would take root.
B. Spiritual Eyes and Ears Opened.
The lost person is blinded by Satan.
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."( II Corinthians 4:3-4) Only God can open their eyes.
The individual must hear God speak.
"For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted and I should heal them." (Matthew 13:15)
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that god hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
(Romans 10:14)
C. God’s Attitude Toward Sin
This will require that they admit they are sinners who face judgment and are in need of the righteousness of Jesus. The Christian, on the other hand, with God’s attitude toward sin, with be proactive. The role of the Holy Spirit is to convict of sin. :
"And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (John 16:8) (John 16:8)
D. Released to Believe
"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." (II Timothy 2:25-26)
God would grant repentance, then the lost individual will come to their senses and escape the trap.
Includes the destruction of barriers and strongholds in the individual’s life.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." (II Corinthians 10:3-4)
Praying specifically for a lost individual is warfare. Satan will go to any extent to keep a person lost and in his kingdom. We are involved in praying for and sharing with individuals who need to be rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His dear son . . .
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."(Colossians 1:13)
In this spiritual warfare we do not fight with weapons of flesh, but with mighty weapons of God. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms."
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12)
E. Pray for a Transforming Life
I beseech you therefore, brethern, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2) (Romans 12:1-2)
Examples: False religion, pride, a sinful habit
V. CONCLUSION
Dwight L. Moody was correct when he said, "Those who have left the deepest impression on this sin-cursed earth have been men and women of prayer. You will find that PRAYER has been the mighty power that has moved not only God, but man."
Do not stop praying and do not stop at just praying. Evangelism without prayer is ineffective and prayer that does not lead a person to deeper compassion for and actions to reach the lost is flawed. Be willing to be the answer to your prayer or the evangelistic prayer of others. Be obedient and boldly share the gospel.
"That God would place such an incomparable privilege and such responsibility in our hands is past understanding --- but He has done just that. Through intercession we can become the instrument of salvation to men and women we never see face to face in this life." Ron Dunn
Stephen Hawthorne has said, "Imagine what could be possible in a prayed for world." We should take that a bit further. Imagine what could happen in a prayed for and shared with world.
Four Ways to Pray Evangelistically
List praying—Make a list of people to pray for. Specific prayer on behalf of others results in specific nswers to prayer
(see 1 Thess. 3:10-11; 2 Thess. 1:3).
Prayerwalking—Journey through your world and pray for others as you walk, run, bicycle, or drive. As you prayerwalk, you will be able to pray according to what you observe, know, and are inspired to pray for
(see 1 Tim. 2:1-4). (For more information see Taking Prayer to the Streets at Prayer Evangelism.)
Prayer visitation—Visit homes, hospitals, and so forth to ask for prayer requests. This approach allows open doors for believers to care and share Christ with others. As we pray for people and their needs, God builds relationships and opens hearts to the good news of Jesus
(see Jas. 5:13-18).
Prayer Groups—Unite with other believers in focused prayer. There is power in united prayer toward the Great Commission
(see Acts 4:31).
Three: Methods Methods
1. List Praying -
2. Prayer Walking - is defined as "praying on-site with insight". It may be as simple as an individual walking down his block and praying for each neighbor as he passes each house or as complex as joining others to map out a whole city and systematically walking every street praying for the people in every dwelling place. It may also, in some settings, include driving. - is defined as "praying on-site with insight".
3. Neighborhood Houses of Prayer - is a cluster of two or more believers meeting together on a regular basis to pray evangelistically for their neighbors. Houses of prayer may be located in homes, work places, schools, churches or other institutions.
Jeremiah 13:17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for [your] pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’S flock is carried away captive.
2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
