Evangelistic Prayer

Posted by on Jan 4, 2009 in Rev. Serven

There are certain duties Christians have. Prayer is one: on a regular daily basis. It takes determination, desire, and effort. You have to do something to make prayer a part of your life. Reverence before God. Bowing yourself before the Lord in humility. Making petitions because of your own or another lacks. What does “All” mean? “All types of people”—the Jews andthe Gentiles. One of the great benefits of prayer is resting before God: peace and tranquility in life. He rejoices as we submit ourselves to Him.

Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-4

There are some Christians who strongly contend that it is improper to pray for the lost. They rigidly surmise that since God will only save his elect, there is no need for the Christian to pray evangelistically. They reason, “Why waste time praying for the lost; it will make no difference anyways.” Now, it is certainly true that God will save only his elect, but it is also equally clear that no human being knows the identity of God’s elect. Therefore, we should pray that god would make that person—who seems so completely lost—into a trophy of grace. Moreover, our Lord commands his disciples to pray “for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-45), and to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:35-38). The Apostle Paul also urges fellow Christians to pray for “all people, for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Therefore, I strongly disagree with those brethren who teach that we shouldn’t waste our time praying for the lost. It is our duty to pray. In addition, we can thankfully affirm that God accomplishes his ends through the use of means–even our prayers. The Larger Catechism summarizes our obligation to pray, by teaching:

Q. 183: For whom are we to pray?
A. We are to pray for the whole church of Christ upon earth; for magistrates, and ministers; for ourselves, our brethren, yea, our enemies; and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter; but not for the dead, nor for those that are known to have sinned the sin unto death.

Q. 184: For what things are we to pray?
A. We are to pray for all things tending to the glory of God, the welfare of the church, our own or others’ good; but not for anything that is unlawful.

[podcast]http://www.download.covenantfamilychurch.net/2008/mp3/2009_1_4_evangelistic_prayer.mp3[/podcast]


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