TOPIC: Prayer & Evangelism
Read: Luke 9:1-2 (KJV)
Memorise: (Ephesians 6:18)
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all preserver perseverance and supplication for all the saints
Many people think that evangelism is all about talking or preaching about the gospel of Jesus; however, it is beyond these. The people you meet when you go out to evangelise might have some challenges they want God to solve for them. This is where prayer comes in, and that was why Jesus empowered His disciples when He sent them to preach in today’s Bible reading. I learnt from experience that prayer is an effective way to capture the attention of people during evangelism. Simply tell people you would like to evangelise to that you would like to pray for them concerning any need(s) they may have. They may be reluctant to listen to the gospel, but they likely will not refuse prayers.
Many years ago, I taught some youths this tip of praying for the needs of people during evangelical outreaches. Then, one day, they met a herbalist who was very antagonistic to the gospel during one of their evangelical outreaches. They told him that they were aware of his powers, and then asked if there was anything he had not been able to solve with them. He told them how his previous wives bled to death while putting to bed and his current wife, who was pregnant, was also bleeding and was at the point of death. The youths prayed a simple prayer for his wife and left. They had not gone far when the herbalist called them back to testify that his wife had stopped bleeding and that he was ready to surrender his life to Jesus Christ.
My dear child, prayer has always been a very effective tool for evangelism and should be deployed if you want to experience fruitful and effective evangelism.
Quiz: What should you do before going out to evangelise?
Authors: Pastor E. A. Adeboye anf Pastor Folu Adeboye