We are so grateful to you for joining us in praying for the global ministry of GCS. Please visit the following link to view our latest prayer diary for September 2019.
CLOSE ALLIES
Life as a follower of Jesus Christ is most certainly a spiritual battle, as we face an ongoing conflict to advance the cause of Christ in our own lives and the world around us.
The great news is that we do not fight this spiritual battle on our own. We fight it together with other Christians in the church and under the leadership and command of Christ. We fight it with powerful weapons that God has provided for us. Above all, prayer connects us with the unlimited resources of our Father in Heaven.
In evangelism we clearly see the need for prayer for this spiritual battle. When we read the Bible, we see that prayer and evangelism are close allies. This is because prayer fuels mission. Evangelism is a spiritual work, so we must pray for the Holy Spirit to open doors and hearts.
We are instructed in the Bible to pray for Gospel fruit. We see the Apostle Paul, time and time again, asking for prayer so that the Gospel will advance. He says: “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, 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” (Ephesians 6:19-20).
He prays that people would be converted to Christ. “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1).
Prayer is an essential ingredient in the recipe for Gospel advancement, as it fuels mission — because the Mission is God’s mission. We are simply asking Him to do what we know He wants to do — and to do it through us.
Imagine what would happen in your life, your church family, your city, if you and other believers started praying like a missionary?
If we take the biblical narratives or the accounts from church history concerning revival, we always see people praying. This is because Gospel advancement is closely linked to Christians praying. It would be ignorant and arrogant for us to say that we want to see people won to Christ but not actually be praying for it.
Imagine what would happen if your church began to reflect the biblical priority of evangelistic prayer. People would begin talking and messaging each other with requests to pray for opportunities with neighbours, at work, with family and friends. The fabric of the church would be woven together with one ongoing prayer request for a revival of evangelical belief. Of course, we can do better than simply imagining this — we can find out for ourselves by simply giving it a go!
Let us begin to pray for workers, pray for opportunities, pray for faithfulness and boldness, and pray for God’s blessing.
Thank you once again for your prayers for our labours and needs throughout September 2019.
God bless you.
GCS Prayer Network
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