Warfare Prayer for Missionaries
I. We are commanded to pray for those who share the Gospel with others.
Luke 11:2, “He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.”
A. Prayer is the source of workers.
Luke 10:2, “He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
B. Prayer is the empowerment of workers.
1. Prayer opens doors.
Colossians 4:3a, “And pray for us, too, that god may open a door for our message.”
2. Prayer ensures the successful spread of the Gospel message.
2 Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.”
3. Prayer makes the Gospel message understandable.
Colossians 4:4, “Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”
4. Prayer brings the boldness to share.
Ephesians 6:19-20, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.”
5. Prayer brings the “signs following” the “demonstration of power” that really convinces men & women.
1 Corinthians 2:4,5 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
Romans 15:19 by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Acts 14:3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
C. Prayer is the protection of workers.
2 Thessalonians 3:2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith.
II. Sharing the Gospel is a spiritual war.
A. The battle is decided in the spiritual realm.
Exodus 17:10-13, “So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekites with the sword.”
It was said of Desert Storm, “the air war won the ground war.” The fervent, faithful praying of the saints at home can win the ground war for the missionary troops.
B. The war has been decided, but the battles are still being fought.
1. Jesus has won the victory.
Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
1 Peter 3:22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
2. But there is resistance in the spiritual realm.
Daniel 10:12-14, “Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.’”
EPH 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For 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 of evil in the heavenly realms.
3. And yes we need the full armor, but in the end we are commanded to pray.
Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
2 Corinthians 10:3,4 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
C. Even though the results are spiritual, the work still needs to be done.
Exodus 17:13, “So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
III. Application: Therefore, we must engage in “Warfare Prayer.”
A. We must pray with passion—like it’s important.
B. We must prayer with persistence—like it matters.
C. We must pray with commitment—like it’s a matter of life & death, because it is.
1. Our missionaries are on the front lines of battle 24/7—usually for 4-year terms. We can’t abandon them while they’re on the front lines.
2. The enemy is committed to destroying the work of God—and we must be committed to defending & expanding the Kingdom of God—through Warfare Prayer.
