A Burden for the Lost
A Burden for the Lost
Helping your Growth Group to pray
Reading time: 5 mins
Paul Brennan
A question to ponder: what is the most significant factor influencing my eagerness to evangelise? To put the same question another way, what is the corollary to my stepping out in boldness and steering a conversation towards Jesus or issuing an invitation to church?
As I sat down to write and asked myself that question I anticipated some lengthy analysis and deep thought… but the answer was obvious and almost immediate! Prayer.
Looking back it is almost always the case that when I have been most in prayer for those who do not yet follow the Lord Jesus I have also been most eager to share something of the gospel with them. It is when I have prayed for a neighbour or colleague that an opportunity (whether or not I took it is another matter!) has arisen to say something or to invite them to church.
I am sure that is true for you too as you reflect on your own efforts in evangelism. It is profoundly humbling because in prayer we acknowledge our utter dependence on the Lord in all things, evangelism included. So this article does not seek to unveil the silver bullet that will render evangelism easy. No such silver bullet exists. But if you are persuaded to pray for the lost and if you are persuaded to help your Growth Groups pray for the lost then I will have succeeded!
Why is prayer the fuel for evangelism?
That there is a correlation between fervent prayer for the lost and a consequent increase in a willingness to evangelise ought not to surprise us.
For in prayer we behold the glory of God and that, immediately, reorientates our skewed thinking and we begin to see the world as it actually is. Our perspective is restored and alongside many other aspect of our lives in which our thinking is righted, our concern for the lost will be rekindled.
Our cool detachment about the eternal damnation that all without Christ surely face is transformed into a warm flame of heartfelt concern for the everlasting wellbeing of our neighbours and friends.
But more than that, having apprehended afresh the glory of God as we’ve prayed ‘hallowed be thy name’ our great concern must be that God is given the glory.
John Piper is absolutely right when he opens his book, Let The Nations Be Glad, with these words: ‘mission exists because worship doesn’t.’
God is due worship because of who He is and folk can only worship Him rightly if they have been evangelised. A right burden for God to be glorified and worshipped will move to us to witness to others, so that they can join their voices to ours and praise God and confess Christ is Lord.
Our cool detachment about the eternal damnation that all without Christ surely face is transformed into a warm flame of heartfelt concern for the everlasting wellbeing of our neighbours and friends.
It is through prayer that our priorities are realigned and the urgency to evangelise is rekindled.
Without prayer we drift.
Without prayer we become more concerned for our own glory, not God’s.
Without prayer our perspective on what really matters become distorted.
Without prayer we become concerned for ourselves and for our earthly reputation rather than being concerned for the eternal destinies of our neighbours.
The implication therefore, if we seek to cultivate a burden for the lost and to open our mouths to share news that is life giving, is to be much in prayer. Evangelism is grounded in heartfelt prayer.
Planning to pray
It is a great privilege, then, to be able to help our brothers and sisters in our Growth Groups to pray for their families and friends who do not yet know Christ. It is a privilege yes, but also a battle. And because it is a battle it requires preparation and planning.
In his Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis has the senior devil warning the junior devil: ‘the best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient (i.e. the Christian) from the serious intention of praying altogether.’
Prayer is an uphill struggle at times and so we may need to extend our elbows a little in order to create space in our Growth Group gatherings to pray for those who heading for an eternity in hell. There needs to be intention.
“Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray”, Don Carson
Don Carson in his book, “A Call to Spiritual Reformation,” says simply, “much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray”. So, do not be hesitant to take the initiative and help your group to be in prayer for the lost. Make plans. Get dates in the diary. Have time in the Growth Group set aside to pray specifically for our evangelism. Pray for your Growth Group that they too would be burdened to pray.
The Lord Jesus states the reality and the logical imperative for us:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” Matthew 9: 37,38.
Prayer is something all of us can do. We can all pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers, to give success to such workers and the grant salvation to our friends and family. As John Dickson encouragingly writes: ‘not all of us will feel confident speaking to others about salvation, but all of us can be confident speaking about others to the Saviour himself’.